VOL. 52 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 25, 2015 P27
and I was pushing and pushing.
By the time it cleared up, they'd
gapped me."
But the 21 points he earned
for third place moved him to
second in points, the unofficial
tally now Ramirez (160), Suther-
lin (132) and defending champ
Ricky Brabec (131).
Howes hung on for fourth with
series points leader Ramirez set-
tling for a safe fifth after a medio-
cre start. With Brabec still on the
mend after his crash at round
six, the Muley Run provided the
perfect opportunity for Ramirez
to cash in on a big points haul
to move closer to the champion-
ship. With his fifth, he goes into
the final round needing only a
17th or better to wrap it up.
Zip-Ty Racing Husqvarna's
Dalton Shirey once again proved
to be the fastest of the FMF
250cc Pros, his sixth class
triumph of the season effectively
clinching the championship in
his first year, in much the same
fashion as when he dominated
the 200cc A division in 2014.
As he's done previously, he got
a good start on his Pro Circuit/
Torco/Troy Lee Designs TC
250, mixing it up with the fastest
450s for much of the day. After
falling twice while trying to make
passes in the dust, however, he
settled for seventh overall: "I just
wanted to get out of their dust so
I backed it off."
Chidester Transport Racing
Yamaha's Cooper Ashton and
Purvines Racing Beta's Damon
Bush rounded out the FMF
250cc Pro podium.
And in the Women's classes,
Nevada's Krista Conway earned
her first National victory with a
steady ride after early leader
Sharon Mowell took a wrong
turn. Mowell recovered for sec-
ond, some five minutes back,
with Megan Blackburn third.
Mark Karyia
If your start was less
than ideal, the hill
leading to the end of
the bomb promised
to swallow you in a
thick blanket of silt.
Lots of riders found
themselves stuck here
for many frustrating
minutes.
Ivan Ramirez simply needed to get
a few points—which his fifth place
satisfied—as he marches toward
the championship with only the
finale left. There, finishing 17th will
wrap up the number one plate.
