VOL. 54 ISSUE 40 OCTOBER 10, 2017 P59
the last person to win both the
WORCS and hare and hound
in the same season was Kurt
Caselli. So those are big shoes
to fill."
Three-time WORCS champ
Robby Bell, who finished 10th on
the day and fought injury all sea-
son long, said after the race that
he is retiring from full-time riding.
He was competitive throughout
the 2017 season, scoring four
third-place finishes. An injury in a
Big 6 race at 29 Palms earlier in
the year forced him to miss the
second-to-last round. He ended
up sixth in the championship.
"This isn't the end of me com-
peting in the Pro class, but this
is my last full season chasing the
championship," said Bell. "It just
felt like the right time to close
this chapter on my life and move
on to the next one. I had a really
good battle with Travis Damon
for fourth. I knew I was in it for
a battle with him. In the end, my
back started locking up and I felt
I didn't need to prove anything
so I sat at the finish line and
cheered everyone else on."
Bell will step into a team man-
agement role next season. While
nothing is solidified yet, Bell is
planning to share his competitive
spirit with up-and-coming riders
and build a solid racing team.
"My goal is to build a team and
be a dominant force on the West
Coast," said Bell. "I still might
pick and choose a pro race to
enter if I'm feeling frisky. Other
pionship for them and for Ron
is huge. We're looking for big
things from Yamaha next year."
Sutherlin is also leading the
AMA National Hare and Hound
Championship with two races
left. He is looking to become just
the second rider to win both the
WORCS and Hare and Hound
Championships in the same
season.
"I'm 32 points up with two
rounds to go," said Sutherlin.
"That would be huge because
victories and three runner-up fin-
ishes in the first five races of the
season. He backed that up with
two more podiums to score the
title, his second, but this was his
first on the Purvines DA8 Racing
Yamaha.
"Ron Purvines stepped up this
year and gave me a great oppor-
tunity," said Sutherlin. "We really
put Yamaha on the map this
year. They haven't really been
anywhere on the West Coast for
the last 10 years. To win a cham-
Gary Sutherlin and crew celebrate
the 2017 WORCS Championship.
