Wasson Breaks the Drought at Idaho H&H
I
t's been a long dry season for
Liqui Moly Beta's Joe Was-
son, but he broke his winless
drought with a thrilling triumph
in Murphy, Idaho, at Dirt Inc's
Rabbit Creek 100, round two of
the AMA Hare & Hound National
Championship Series, presented
by FMF, on March 24.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna
Factory Racing Off-Road Team's
Austin Walton got the best of
Wasson's teammate Zane Rob
-
erts at the finish to claim second
and the two find themselves
tied for the series points lead at
46, unofficially. Three-time and
defending series Dalton Shirey
was in recovery/damage-control
mode after a recent crash while
practicing and finished fifth; com
-
bined with his round-one win, the
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna star
remains part of the Champion-
ship equation as he also has 46
points, unofficially.
After claiming the Champion-
ship in 2021, Wasson notched a
single victory in 2022, with injury
later that year and in recovery for
much of 2023. This year, a few
extraordinary issues have left
him somewhat frustrated, but
he never doubted himself and
proved he still has the speed.
"Coming into this one, I didn't
let that stuff bother me. I know
this place like the back of my
hand," the Fiji Waters/Pirelli/
Fly Racing-backed 480 RR rider
insisted. After getting around
holeshot winner Preston Camp
-
bell on his Johnny Campbell
Racing (JCR) Honda CRF450RX,
Wasson, Roberts and Walton
battled closely for the majority
of both the 60-mile first loop and
40-mile second loop. With no
dust to contend with, everyone
could ride right on the rear tire of
whoever was in front if desired
and as a result, the pace was
faster than usual. The intensity
led to numerous missed turns
WIND
IN THE
P42
Rain on Saturday morning left
the course dust-free for Sunday's
National, promoting close racing for
the entire 100 miles in Idaho. Joe
Wasson came away with his first win
since 2022.
PHOTOS: MARK KARIYA
