IN
THE
WIND
P30
YORBA ENDURES AT RIDGECREST BIG 6
M
axxis RPM KTM rider
Eric Yorba helped himself
to another win, extending his
win-streak to three as the AMA
District 37 Big 6 Grand Prix
Series, presented by MSR, got
back into action in Ridgecrest,
California, October 1-2. Warm
and windy conditions made for
a dusty course at the Desert
Empire Fairgrounds, especially
during the Saturday afternoon
West Coast Grand Prix (WCGP)
feature race. High speeds and
a slippery track added up to
a high rate of attrition, as evi-
denced by only 9 of the 17-rider
Pro field reaching the finish.
For many, it was a day to forget,
but for Yorba, and fellow po-
dium finishers Justin Seeds and
Justin Jones, it was a day where
concentration and consistency
paid off.
"I knew the start was key,"
Yorba said. "They were either
going to flood it or it was going
to be pretty dusty. I knew it'd be
one or the other. Luckily I was
able to get off to a holeshot and
try and push hard."
Yorba ran away with the lead
and never looked back, even pit-
ting early and regaining the lead
before his competitors made
their pit stops. His lead was
further buffered by the misfor-
tune of riders such as Fasthouse
Yamaha rider Blayne Thompson
and Zip-Ty Husqvarna's Dalton
Shirey—both of whom suffered
mechanical failures. Shirey was
running in the top-three before
retiring early, and Thompson's
blown engine cost him the
points lead.
"I'm happy to turn my season
around and now this is three-
peat here for the Big 6," said
Yorba. "Unfortunately with the
mechanical from Blayne, that
should put me back up top in
the points."
Justin Seeds was also thrilled
to turn his season around with
his best-yet finish at a WCGP.
His runner-up finish was a wel-
come change of pace following
what he called "the worst race
of my life" two weeks prior at
WORCS.
"It's been a year to not really
want to remember," said Seeds.
"I've been in the hospital, on
the ground… To be able to stay
on two wheels and get on the
podium today is an excellent
feeling. Obviously a couple guys
in front of me had issues, but
that's racing."
Seeds' Rocky Mountain
ATV-MC/Precision Concepts
Eric Yorba (80)
stretched his
WCGP win-streak
to three races at
the Viewfinders
Big 6 GP in
Ridgecrest.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JEAN
TURNER
