VOL. 52 ISSUE 47 NOVEMBER 24, 2015 P17
their experienced pit personnel
managed to handle quickly but
thoroughly. "We're very adamant
on making sure our bike's good
[at each pit stop]," Udall said. "If
we're going to ride at that level,
we've got to make sure we pit
our bike perfectly."
In addition, using a larger fuel
tank than most others employ
permitted them to make fewer pit
stops to begin with, maximizing
time spent at race speed. "With
the big tank and our chassis
structure, it's okay to run the big
tank; our bike handles it well,"
Udall insisted. "We stretched our
pits out to 70 to 99 miles.
Morgan, of the runner-up
squad, explained the strategy for
them and their Hoosier Precision
Machining/FMF/IMS KX450F
was one of being relatively
conservative: "The whole thing
was we really wanted to be
solid because we haven't really
been solid this year besides at
the 500. We just really did a lot
of homework, putting a lot of
emphasis on hitting the VCPs,
not speeding and just keeping it
really clean."
After finishing third (while
doing about 430 miles of the
race himself), Esposito admitted
his crash left him less than 100
percent for his second stint. "I
rode [mile] 350 to 480, I think,
and man, I just couldn't focus!"
he said. "I was just missing turns
so finally I backed down and
cruised."
Samuels was rider of record
for the second Ox Motorsports
Honda entry and teamed with
Baja first-timers Brian Adams
and Australian Daymon Stokie,
and veteran Ray Dal Soglio to
finish fourth in 18:34:49. That
lands them second in final series
points for a commendable 1-2 by
the Ox Motorsports Honda crew.
The Alan Cameron/Tim
Fitzpatrick/Travis Flateau/Grant
Stately/Chad Thornton/Mark
Weirich squad won Limited Pro
Motorcycle (449cc and less) on
their C&J Equipment Racing/
TBT Racing/Acerbis-backed
KTM 350 XCF-W in 21:01:22,
making them the eighth overall
motorcycle.
Mark Karyia
Ox Motorsports Honda riders
celebrate going 1-2 in the
championship.
Grant Stately
(pictured) sped to the
Limited Pro Motorcycle
victory with teammates
Alan Cameron, Tim
Fitzpatrick, Travis
Flateau, Chad
Thornton and Mark
Weirich.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
MARK
KARIYA
