physical lead, with Rockstar En-
ergy Husqvarna's Mateo Oliveira,
Hatch Racing Honda rider Colton
Aeck (in his NGPC debut as a
full-time 450cc pilot), Hatch Rac-
ing Kawasaki-mounted Giacomo
Redondi, and the rest of the field
following early on.
"I got off to such a good start
two days in a row; at this course
it's so important because it's a
fast course and it gets pretty
dusty there, especially with how
hot it was today," Hoeft said.
"So, the start was critical, and
I nailed it. I had a good pace in
the beginning. After the pit, I had
a big lead so I was just manag-
ing it from there.
"I've been so close [to win-
ning] so many times! I know it's
not all the competition's here,
but to just lock it up and get it
done, to me I don't care—a win's
a win!"
But with Hoeft, Oliveira, Aeck
and Redondi up front, the Pro II
riders had clear targets to chase,
and none of them did it better
than Zeller. Third off the start
behind Davis and Kehoe Racing/
Pro Circuit Kawasaki-mounted
Jake Alvarez, he soon moved to
the front of that row, leaving only
the 450s ahead of him.
"Once I made it through [the
other Pro IIs], I got to the back of
Giacomo pretty quick and it was
so dusty! It was so hard to keep
up," Zeller said.
That led to a brutal crash in
the dust that saw his Gainslinger
Human Performance/AEO
Powersports/Moose Racing
250 XC-F pound him into the
dirt, leaving him with a sore hip.
But he managed to spring back
up and resume racing without
losing much ground, aided by a
healthy dose of adrenaline.
"Once I pulled [back into the
race], I didn't even have the over-
all in mind. I'm like, 'It's hot, let's
just try to finish this race off safe.'
I was told afterward I got the
overall; I had no clue during the
race. It's pretty sick! I guess I'm
the third person ever to [overall
it as a Pro II rider], but I think I
might be the first person since
WIND
IN THE
P44
A great start and a
summer of intense
training lifted Justin
Hoeft to his first-ever
NGPC Open Pro win.
Colton Aeck earned
second Pro and fourth
overall, with Giacomo
Redondi third Pro
and seventh overall.
