Paco Suazo (KTM) battled
through traffic and slick climbs
to secure third.
By the time the Pros and A rid-
ers took to the track, the sun had
burned off the morning fog, dry-
ing the course and changing the
texture of the terrain. The rock
gardens, particularly the infa
-
mous "Brent's Diner," still proved
to be decisive battlegrounds, but
traction improved just enough to
allow higher speeds. Off the line,
Beta USA's Danny Lewis rocket
-
ed to the holeshot with local fa-
vorite Rieju USA's Quinn Wentzel
close behind, while Champion
Brick KTM's Tobin Miller's early
crash in the first turn left him
fighting from the back.
In the A-class, Hawaii's Boogie
Rivera (Yamaha) emerged victo
-
rious after a steady, measured
ride.
"The first part was kind of
rough. I couldn't really find my
flow," Rivera said. "Once I caught
up to some of the Pros, it gave
me a boost of energy. I think I
made up the most time in the
rock gardens; they were slippery
like back home in Hawaii."
His composure in the second-
lap bottlenecks, where many
riders lost valuable time, proved
critical. Leiber Ponce (GasGas)
rode consistently to take sec
-
ond, praising the course layout
and its balance of difficulty.
Champion Brick KTM's Tucker
Miller, despite suffering full-body
cramps by lap two, held on for a
hard-earned third.
"I just tried to keep it moving
and on two wheels," he said, sat
-
isfied with his podium finish.
The Pro race, however, be-
longed to Kauai Racing Develop-
ment's Kamakana Waiwaiole-
Kahalepuna (KTM), who overcame
a disastrous start to claw his way
through the field and seize victory.
"I had a pretty rough start," he
said. "I started in neutral instead
of in gear. It took me a while to
fight through the pack. These
guys didn't make it easy for
me, for sure. That was a good,
earned win."
Once settled, the Hawaiian rider
found his rhythm in the rocks, us
-
ing precise line choices to gradu-
ally hunt down the leaders.
Wentzel pushed hard to hold
the advantage midrace, but
fatigue from limited recent seat
VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P39
Quinn Wentzel
finished just a
few seconds
behind Waiwaiole-
Kahalepuna for
second overall.
