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/723849
IN THE WIND P32 HAAKER WINS AGAIN R ockstar Husqvarna's Colton Haaker is now two-for-two in AMA EnduroCross Pro main event wins after a convincing victory at the second stop of the 2016 season held outdoors at Brandon, South Dakota's Badlands Motor Speedway, September 3. Before the main, five-time EnduroCross Champion Taddy Blazusiak took his Factory Red Bull KTM to the front of the first heat race early with Haaker mak- ing up ground from a mediocre start. Blazusiak looked to be on his way to an easy win. But Haaker came on strong, putting in a last-lap passing effort that seemed to surprise Blazusiak into a sprint. The two came down the last straight in a heat- ed passing battle, with Blazusiak jumping past Haaker deep into the firewood pit. The sketchy move even had Blazusiak shak- ing his head after it worked. In the second heat, Rockstar Husqvarna's Mike Brown came out on top and Factory FMF KTM's Cody Webb—the defend- ing series champion—did the same in the third and final heat. The heat race wins award a bonus point to winners, so Haaker's absence meant all his top rivals gained back a valu- able point. While these single points seem small, they proved ultimately critical in the 2015 championship battle and this year will likely be just as close. Additionally, Webb won the eve- ning Hot Lap session—a one-lap solo sprint between the top six riders in points—which awards another championship point. Before the main, Webb was up two on Haaker for the night. In the main event, Brown shot out of the gate (positioned on the banked straight of the dirt speedway), grabbing the $500 Nexen Tire Holeshot award. The multi-time EnduroCross Champi- on rode hard to stay up front but RPM KTM Team Maxxis rider Ty Tremaine latched on in second position with Webb in third. SRT- backed Cory Graffunder chased in fourth and Haaker came out of the first few turns in fifth. Webb quickly made it around Tremaine and started to focus on gaining ground on Brown. In just a few laps the top battle turned into a Brown-Webb- Haaker mêlée with a nice dose of Tremaine thrown in to keep it interesting. Webb got around Brown for the lead three laps in. By lap five, Haaker had worked his way up and moved by Brown and was sitting in second. Webb washed out the front end in a simple corner and Haaker moved easily into the lead with Brown and Tremaine following, putting Webb in fourth. From there, Tremaine rode strong, holding off and battling the charging, and sometimes stumbling, Webb. Brown, Webb and Tremaine paced each other and battled for the entirety of the second half of the race, each getting the upper hand when the others would make a mistake or fade from fatigue. Meanwhile, Haaker was checking out up front—riding with aggression but keeping his Colton Haaker made it two wins in a row at the AMA EnduroCross in South Dakota. PHOTOGRAPHY BY IAN REID