Abbott was third entering
the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC
Rock Garden, but he got taken
down in a multi-rider pile up that
included Gerston.
Riordan led a couple of laps
before Haaker made the pass for
the lead and eventual moto win.
Riordan, the teenager from
Australia, latched onto Haaker
and held the spot for a career-
best second place in the moto.
Abbott rebounded from his
first-lap crash to finish third.
Wilton hung on for fourth, and
Ty Cullins (TM) rounded out the
top five in the moto.
Abbott took the lead to start
moto three ahead of Cullins,
Haaker and Will Riordan (KTM).
Haaker got by Cullins on lap
two and managed to pass Abbott
for the lead as they neared the
halfway point.
Abbott put up a good fight for
a couple of laps that included
nearly landing on Haaker with a
tighter pivot over a huge log, but
Haaker edged away for his third
moto win of the night. Abbott fin-
ished second to secure second
overall.
Gerston passed Cullins early
in the moto and rode a lonely
moto to finish third and earn his
first overall podium finish of the
season.
Pennsylvania's Ryder LeBlond
(Husqvarna) put in his best moto
of the season for fourth, which
also gave him fourth overall.
Graffunder rounded out the
top five in the moto.
LeBlond's 6-6-4 earned him
a career best fourth overall and
the top Junior class ranking for
riders 21 and under. Riordan,
another rider eligible for Junior
class points, finished fifth overall
with 9-2-7 moto finishes.
"I came into tonight with no
expectations," Haaker said. "I
just wanted to have a clean race,
and I was in the zone, focused
and ready to put myself in the
position to win. It's a bummer
for Trystan that he got hurt, but
I felt like I rode solid, and I had
what it took to win regardless of
who was there. I liked everything
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 26, 2021 P33
Max Gerston got on the podium
for the first time this season.
