VOLUME 58 ISSUE 47 NOVEMBER 23, 2021 P29
ing about the championship at
all," said Best. "Knowing that
Austin was here, I was kind of
a long shot [to beat him for the
championship] so I just went out
and had fun and rode the best I
could."
For Serpa, on the other hand,
the day was a struggle and he
shared, "My pelvis ended up
being broken [in Oklahoma] with
three fractures in it. It was an
uncomfortable day."
The $5000 purse courtesy of
the Thompson's car dealerships
undoubtedly helped attract a
number of Pros who don't nor-
mally follow the series, though
prime conditions may have also
been a factor.
A quick start saw Fast House
GasGas rider JT Baker, last
year's series runner-up, lead
after the first tour of the approxi-
mately 11-mile loop. However,
the 707 Suspension/MPC/
Shoei-backed MC 450F-mount-
ed Baker eventually succumbed
to Clayton Gerstner's vicious
pace, with the Husqvarna-
KTM of Aspen/SRT/Let's Ride
FX 450 rider appearing to be
headed to his career-first overall
victory.
Unfortunately for Gerstner,
that milestone will have to wait
as the clutch he'd replaced ap-
parently failed on the final lap.
That put a somewhat surprised
Roberts out front and he rode
his FMF/Kenda/Klim 480 RR to
his second victory of the season
despite having to replace both
his shift lever and brake pedal
early on.
"I got P-2 on the pit board
on the last lap and I could see
JT headed out, so after losing
the last Best in the Desert race
by under a second, I was like,
'That's not happening again!' I
just pushed as hard as I could—I
was bleeding through my gloves
and my legs were cramping and
stuff—but I was like, 'I've got to
get it!'" Roberts recalled.
Baker was runner-up by 16
seconds and said, "I just rode up
front all day, kind of just cruised.
I didn't even crash all day; just
rode my own race."
MojoMotoSport/Maloney
Training Facility/Fast House
KTM 250 XC-F rider Anthony
Ferrante finished third overall,
winning Pro 250 for the first
time. Steven Godman and his
eight-year-old YZ250 earned
third Pro/AA and fourth overall,
his first WHS podium after six
years away from the series.
Best, Montery Peninsula
Power Sports Yamaha's Justin
Bonita, YZ125-mounted Jaden
Dahners (yes, in the Pro/AA
class), 250cc A winner Talan
Terlouw on his 707 Suspension
Husky TC 250, Pro 250 runner-
up Shane Logan (who clinched
the class championship in Okla-
homa) and 250cc A runner-up
Ryder Thomaselli rounded out
the top 10 overall.
For Serpa, the day was all
about damage control, which he
pulled off masterfully aboard his
Kenda/Regulus Fit/Moose Rac-
ing 450 XC-F. "My game plan: If I
was feeling good, a top 10 would
secure my championship no
matter where Blake finished.
"The first lap after the start,
I very quickly realized that I did
not have top-10 pace. I think I
Despite the pain from three pelvic
fractures suffered two weeks prior,
Austin Serpa finished well enough to
capture the series championship.
