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/1540780
get in the lead," the Precision Concepts/Blud Lubricants/Troy Lee Designs FC 250-mounted Pretscherer said. "I'm pretty worn out, and I'm excited to have a few weeks off and get ready for next year—I've got some exciting stuff happening!" Gordon was a solid second in Pro II and fourth overall, fol - lowed by Gainslinger Human Performance Husqvarna rider Cole Zeller, who spent nearly the entire race third among the Pro II competitors and finished there on the day as well as final Pro II points. Perhaps a reflection of the course's brutality, 250s shone at Laughlin with Simi Valley Cycles/BluCru Yamaha-mounted Cody Simpson fourth in class and sixth overall, followed by Liqui Moly Beta's Dare DeMartile, who admitted he never gelled with the course's speeds: "Yeah, I wasn't comfortable at all [this weekend]. I had to be cautious, and especially with me doing another series and leading the championship in [with one round to go], I really didn't want to put it on the ground. I'm happy to get through the last round safe and finish second overall in the series behind the champ. I'll take it!" Early leader Semmens nursed his 450 to the finish for fourth Open Pro and eighth overall. Zip- Ty Racing GasGas rider Dustyn Davis was fifth Pro II and ninth overall. Purvines Racing/TBT Suspension/Fast House KX450- mounted David "Racer" Fry rounded out the top 10 overall and was first among a wave of Four-stroke A riders. As she'd done at round seven, 395 Motorsports/Racer Decal/ Troy Lee Designs EX 250F rider Ava Silvestri used rival Mikayla Nielsen's broken hand as the perfect opportunity to add an - other Pro Women triumph to her résumé, winning decisively for the second round in a row. "The intensity was pretty high at the beginning," she said. "I was trying to set as high a pace as I possibly could and [then] see where Mikayla was at. Obviously, I knew she was still injured, so I could hopefully set my own pace and go from there. It's not worth it to throw myself on the ground at this high rate of speed. I tried as much as possible to stay safe, but it was pretty hard. By the end, every bump that I hit, my hands would just tingle, and I couldn't feel anything by that point." Though unhappy, she was unable to put up her usual fight; Nielsen was satisfied with clinching the Pro Women Cham - pionship for the third straight year on her Progressive/Pro Circuit/Scott-backed CRF250RX. She said, "We decided against surgery because we only had this race left, and we figured to let it heal naturally because eventually you have to get that plate out [going the surgical route]. Although it kind of sucks to race on, I knew I just had to finish; I just had to tape it as best I could and pray!" She finished a lap down on Silvestri and 34 seconds ahead of third-placed Ty Woolslayer's Woolslayer Racing YZ250FX. Mark Kariya OVERALL (Top 10) 1. Dante Oliveira (KTM) 1:38:43 2. Tyler Lynn (Hon) 1:38:59 3. Samuel Pretscherer (Hus) 1:39:17 4. Noah Gordon (KTM) 1:40:03 5. Cole Zeller (Hus) 1:40:39 6. Cody Simpson (Yam) 1:42:28 7. Dare DeMartile (Bet) 1:42:55 8. Mason Semmens (KTM) 1:44:46 9. Dustyn Davis (GG) 1:45:06 10. David Fry (Kaw) 1:46:23 Mikayla Nielsen rode with a broken hand but still needed to finish to keep that number-one plate. Second place was sufficient to win the Women's Championship. WIND IN THE P44