Storm Chasers: Rain, Sand and a
Shakeup at Mesquite WORCS
M
esquite, Nevada has a way of
humbling people. Round nine
of the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC
series at the Battle in the Sand GP
was a reminder of that. Practice
early in the week meant sunshine
and temperatures pushing 100
degrees. By Sunday, Tropical
Storm Rachel had pulled the high
down to around 70 and brought
a steady downpour. A deep sand
track is hard enough when it's
dry. Add inches of rain, and it
becomes a different race entirely,
one that rewarded survival as
much as speed.
The Pro 450 class had the most
dramatic story, and it began with
points leader Mason Semmens.
Riding his FMF RPM KTM Racing
machine, Semmens came into the
weekend atop the championship
and showed why. He led the first
lap, and after Tyler Lynn went by,
Semmens stayed in touch, run-
ning second for the next several
laps and less than a minute
behind the lead through lap five.
Then, on lap six, a mechanical
issue stopped him. Pushing a
motorcycle is miserable any-
where. Pushing one through
deep, rain-soaked sand is nearly
impossible. His lap seven took
close to an hour, and he dropped
from second to sixth. He got the
bike back to the start area to
salvage a finish and hold onto
the points lead.
The gap behind him is now
much smaller, and the top three
are all within striking distance
of the title heading into the final
round. Up front, Tyler Lynn rode a
WIND
IN THE
P36
Tyler Lynn was the overall winner at
the Mesquite round of the WORCS
Championship.
PHOTOS: CONNOR MOORE
Sam Pretscherer won the 250cc
Pro division, giving the SLR Honda
Team the Pro-class sweep.
