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WORCS Youth Race Coverage - Round 3
March 16-18, Lake Havasu City, AZ- Spring break out west means no school, warm weather, and racing. The annual spring break Lake Havasu round of the WORCS Series lived up to its reputation of brutal track conditions. The rocky lakeside course dished out nearly 20 DNF’s to youth riders for the weekend.
With many of the top mini riders graduating to the 250 classes in 2012 including Travis Beckman and Buddy Williams, new stars were ready to take over. Kyler Thau #224 appears to be the one to beat in 2012, claiming two victories on the weekend including the 70cc Production, and 8-15 Sport Classes. Thau will be contesting 3 classes in 2012 including the 70cc Open. Thau’s luck on the Havasu track ended in the 70cc open class, as his early lead went away with his motor giving him fits. #122 Ricky Easterwood was able to make the pass on Thau and take the win, followed by Zachary Michel, and Alexis Mead.
A group of mini quad racers from the state of Minnesota made their way to sunny Arizona to try their hand at off-road racing. The group was sponsored by Profile Performance, and were priming for the opening round of the ATVA Nationals. Although the group of four riders didn’t come away with any wins, they did grab a few podium spots, and a lot of memories. Tyler Lehmann grabbed a 2nd place spot in the 50cc 4-6 class. Caden Anderson claimed a 3rd in the 70cc production, while Dominic Bartell took 2nd in the Sport 8-15 class.
As was the trend in 2011, the Production based 250cc classes continue to lead the WORCS Series in number of youth entries. With even more mini riders turning their talents to the four stroke machines, the racing is truly heating up. #35 Riley Snow won the Shifter Open class followed by Devin Borges and Zach Carle. The Shifter Open Sport saw Raymond Pauwels take the win followed by Devin Borges, and Buddy Williams.
The 70cc Stock class was a fun one to watch, as two young sisters, Taylor and Emma Johnson from Sparks, Nevada had a heated sibling rivalry, that say Taylor winning the race by 1/10th of a second over sister Emma. The two battled bar to bar for 30 minutes, before a last lap pass, took the win.
by Mark Williams
