Whipple On Top At OMA The Race
T
he OMA Nationals season
finale, an event that began in
1976 as the Illinois Cross Country
Championship, is now simply
called, The Race. Held this year
over the Halloween weekend,
October 30-31, the event is
unique in its scope and chal-
lenge. A 40-mile loop of trails in
and around Fenton, Illinois, was
full of all manner of tricks and
treats, of course.
At 10 a.m. Sunday morning, a
shotgun blast signaled the start
of the premier race. Tanner Whip-
ple (Kawasaki/Fly Racing) led
the pack across a giant corn field
to take the holeshot. Whipple,
Buddy Fortune and Cody Barnes
all swapped the lead a few times.
However, both Fortune and
Barnes eventually suffered equip-
ment failures, putting an end to
their day prematurely.
Jayson Crawford (Yamaha/
Moose Racing) battled his way
through the pack to collect sec-
ond place and cement the 2021
OMA Series Championship.
Third place went to TJ Nees
aboard his FunMart Cycles KTM.
"It couldn't be better," said
Whipple after the race. "It was a
good day. I got the holeshot, led
through the bike barn, through
Mills, through Rock Creek, and
then a little bit after that, Buddy
[Tommy Fortune Jr.] passed me.
"I was okay with him leading,"
Whipple added. "The first lap is
always pretty hectic, with a lot of
logs, a lot of down arrows, a lot
IN
THE
WIND
P32
Tanner Whipple won the
OMA's The Race, formerly
known as the Illinois Cross-
County Championship.
PHOTOS: JOHN GASSO
