NICK FAHRINGER MASTERS OMA MOOSE RUN
I
t was an unseasonably warm
day in November in rural Fen-
ton, Illinois, when hundreds of
motorcycle racers descended
on the Bike Barn facility, home
base to the Off-Road Motor-
cycle and ATV (OMA) Nation-
als, November 5-6, for the 41st
running of the Moose Run Cross
Country race. In what is tradi-
tionally one of the most grueling
off-road races in the U.S., Nick
Fahringer made it look almost
easy, as the Husqvarna rider ran
down the early leaders and then
ran off with the overall win.
Cody Barnes won the Pro 2
class in fourth overall.
A shotgun blast sent the rid-
ers off on two laps of a gruel-
ing 50-mile course that wound
through wide-open farm fields,
creeks and over logs and
brush. Pro 2 Champion Barnes
launched his Gieson G2 Yamaha
toward the first turn, nearly a
quarter-mile from the starting
line, at the head of the pack.
Barnes rounded the second
long-distance turn, yearning for
the FMF $200 Holeshot Award,
only to be passed by friend and
mentor, Pro-class rider Adam
Bonneur, aboard his Fun Mart
Suzuki, just before the holeshot
line. Barnes finished out his day
with a class win in Pro 2, while
Bonneur led for some time only
to get stuck in a mud hole late
in the race, pushing him back to
fifth place in the Pro class.
Fahringer, however, was a
man on a mission. He came up
through the field and eventually
caught the two front-runners,
Adam Bonneur and Mike Wit-
kowski, and made the move for
the lead, which he would never
give up.
Steward Baylor, however,
came on strong, too, and kept
Fahringer honest right down to
the finish, taking second place
just ahead of Witkowski and
Mark Heresco.
"This is always my favorite
race," said winner Fahringer.
"This is what I grew up doing—
tough, technical, single-track
trails. It's like you are riding to go
IN
THE
WIND
P46
Nick Fahringer
chased down the
leaders, passed
them and went
on to win the
Moose Run Cross
Country in Illinois.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JOHN
GASSO
cont. on pg 48
