Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1525556
WIND IN THE P46 time was nothing short of im- pressive and set up what looked to be a winning day for the HRC Honda rally duo. With Brabec moving up, the battle for the physical and time- adjusted second place raged be- tween the N304, N3, N2 and N22 teams. N3 and N304 swapped the lead back and forth, with Preston Campbell briefly taking the physical lead for the first time. "Once I got into the lead, I didn't have tire tracks to judge coming into the corners, and I didn't feel as comfortable push - ing as hard as I did when I was following the leaders' tracks," said Campbell. The JCR Honda pilot was soon passed by Brabec and arguably had the best tracks to follow with the fastest rider in the race leading the way. As the racers reached the halfway point, the N10 duo per - formed a full maintenance stop on the works rally bike, refueling all eight-plus gallons, swapping both wheels, and handing over the rider duties to Brabec's rally teammate and former V2R win- ner Skyler Howes. Just a few miles into his day, Howes suf- fered a severe crash, resulting in an ankle injury (among others) and ending the day early for the team. Showcasing the true spirit of desert racing, every rider who came up on Howes stopped and waited with him until the next rider arrived, leap-frogging with each other to ensure Howes wasn't left alone until rescue arrived. BITD will credit each rider the time they stopped and stayed with Howes to ensure the outcome isn't affected and that racers will continue acts like this in future races. Following the crash, the tight racing continued with the N304 and N3 teams at the helm, but the surprise of the race was the N22 bike ridden by Megla and Combs, who were in the fight for the win on adjusted time and moving forward as the miles ticked on. With just over 100 miles to go, tragedy struck the N22 bike, as they had a tire/ mousse failure while leading on time. Attempting to go the entire distance without a rear wheel change, it failed to hold up and put them at a stop at a remote checkpoint, ending their chance at victory. However, the race was far from over. At the front, Campbell and Stavron continued to push the pace and were separated by mere minutes on adjusted time. Meanwhile, the race for third was heating up. After a lacklus - ter first half of the race, defend- ing series champs Hayden Hintz/Trevor Hunter put in a late-race charge over the final 200 miles to make up ground on the series points leader Shane Logan and team, closing the gap by minutes from pit to pit. At the checkers, Preston Campbell/Justin Morgan crossed the finish line first in 8:43:35 to give JCR Honda another win and the riders their first. Bryce Stavron/Jack Mentha finished seven minutes back in second with Shane Logan/ Corbin McPherson/Ryan Surratt in third. Hayden Hintz/Trevor Hunter finished fourth Open Pro and Nic Colangeli piloting the KX500 finished fifth in class. Despite the racing at the front of the field being some of the best there has been in years, the amateur classes were no different. In the 30+ Pro class, team Taylor Stevens/Zach Mey - ers topped Stephen Helms and company by two minutes for the class victory and sixth overall. Dustin Slade won the Ironman Pro class with a finishing time of 10:10:43, over one hour ahead of his next competitor. Reming - ton Matthews won the Ironman Expert class in 11:15:02, while Kade Schwarz topped the Iron - man Amateur class in 12:29:36. Former MX star Chuck Sun teamed up with Dick Wilk and Greg Zitterkopf to finish runner- up in the 60+ Expert division. Cycle News' own Ryan Nitzen made a late race pass to finish second in 30+ Expert. The final round of the Best In The Desert Championship concludes with the Laughlin Desert Classic in October, where champions will be crowned in the riverside city. CN Overall (Unofficial) 1. Preston Campbell/Justin Morgan (Hon) 2. Bryce Stavron/Jack Mentha (KTM) 3. Shane Logan/Corbin McPherson/ Ryan Surratt (KTM) 4. Hayden Hintz/Trevor Hunter (Hon) 5. Nic Colangeli (Kaw)