Monster Energy Kawasaki's Dietrich Is King Of The Lake
. By Bikeland Staff
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ricky Dietrich landed his first WORCS win of the season in dominating fashion at Crazy Horse MX Park in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., coming across the finish line nearly two and a half minutes ahead of second place. Teammate Justin Soulè made an incredible push from 20th place on the first lap to finish fifth, while fill-in rider Gary Sutherlin got to the front early and finished seventh on the day. Destry Abbott sat out the round after dislocating his shoulder earlier in the month. The Pro 2 class was filled with Kawasaki’s as Ryan Abbatoye won his second race of the season, while Corey Floyd returned from an ACL injury to finish second.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Under the Tent
Enjoying The Sand
Dietrich seems to enjoy the round at Lake Havasu each year, winning the past two years and finishing runner-up three years ago. In 2010, he seemed untouchable, grabbing the holeshot and riding away to a large margin of victory.
“I’m really comfortable at this track,” said Dietrich. “I obviously really wanted to win after having a tough couple of rounds. I have put a lot into my training program and it’s nice to see it pay off.”
The Big Push
Soulè’s day didn’t start the way he wanted, getting out to a 20th place start. He didn’t waste any time pushing it to the front, and even with a hurt knee from an early crash, Soulè charged all the way up to fifth.
“I was coming through the pack and I ended up getting together with Mike Brown, which caused me to go down,” said Soulè. “I ended up going off the track and hurt my knee pretty good. I tried not to think about it and just push as hard as I could. Once I got up to fifth with about seven laps to go, I lost my rear brake so I just decided to cruise to fifth.”
Sweet Experience
Since Abbott wasn’t able to ride at the round in Havasu, Kawasaki gave dealer-assist rider Sutherlin a chance to jump on Abbott’s KX™450F for the weekend. He didn’t take the experience for granted and rewarded the team with a seventh-place finish.
“I was so excited for this weekend and having a chance to feel like a part of the team,” said Sutherlin. “The bike was so awesome and I almost grabbed the holeshot over Ricky. I was running up front, but I think I just rode a little too tight, which caused me to go backwards a little bit. It was nice to just concentrate on racing and not worry about working on the bike. It was definitely a cool experience for me. Now back to reality and my 9-5 job.”
Recovering
A dislocated shoulder didn’t stop Abbott attending the race to cheer on his teammates and his good friend Sutherlin, who was filling in on his bike. Abbott needed to take the weekend off to help him prepare and recover for the next AMA Hare and Hound.
“It’s hard to keep me away from the races,” said Abbott. “I love coming out and supporting the team, even if I can’t race. I’m feeling a lot better and I think that next week will be a lot better than I originally had expected.”
Grabbing The Top Spot
Coming off a win in Primm Nev., Abbatoye used the momentum to earn his second win of the season in front of teammate Corey Floyd. Abbatoye used his experience to wait patiently to make his move and eventually passed for the lead just after the halfway point.
“I was in third on the first lap and just wanted to be patient,” said Abbatoye. “I know Cole (Martinez) would probably get tired and I just waited for the best chance to get by, Once I got around, I just tried to ride smart. It’s nice to have a decent points lead, but anything can happen. I’ll just try and do my best to be consistent the rest of the year.”
Returning For Second
Floyd, reigning Pro 2 champ, was forced to sit out the first two rounds, recovering from an ACL injury. Only riding for three weeks, Floyd decided he would try and race in Havasu. He grabbed the Pro 2 holeshot and eventually finished second.
“I was kind of playing it safe, but I think I got better as the race went on,” said Floyd. “It was awesome to get the holeshot since I had almost last gate pick. I am still getting back into shape and my arms were pumped up most of the race. I had to go back to the basics with my breathing and things like that. I hope to be a little more ready next race.”
Pro 2 Dominance
The Kawasaki riders in the Pro 2 class filled out seven of the top-10 spots. The KX™450F was the bike to beat with Abbatoye, Floyd, Brad Goolsby, Colton Haaker, and Justin Seeds taking the top-five positions. Brett Saunders finished seventh, while Kurt Samuelson finished ninth.
Lost A Bet
Abbatoye made a bet at the last race with fellow Kawasaki rider Robby Bell that he would have a faster lap time than Bell in the race. While the times were very close, Abbatoye ended up losing and had to show up in Havasu with a newly shaped haircut.
Results
World Off Road Championship Series
Crazy Horse MX Park – Lake Havasu, Ariz.
March 27, 2010
Pro Results
1. RICKY DIETRICH, MENIFEE, CALIF., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
2. Mike Brown, Bluff City, Tenn., KTM
3. Kurt Caselli, Palmdale, Calif., KTM
4. Kyle Summers, Discovery Bay, Calif., Yamaha
5. JUSTIN SOULE, RENO, NEV., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
6. ROBBY BELL, SUN CITY, CALIF., KAWASAKI
7. GARY SUTHERLIN, SUN CITY, ARIZ., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
8. Colton Udall, San Clemente, Calif., Honda
9. Nathan Woods, Paso Robles, Calif., Husaberg
10. Chris Johnson, Ramona, Calif., Suzuki
Pro Standings
1. Kurt Caselli, Palmdale, Calif., KTM, 65
2. RICKY DIETRICH, MENIFEE, CALIF., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 61
3. JUSTIN SOULE, RENO, NEV., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 49
4. Mike Brown, Bluff City, Tenn., KTM, 45
5. ROBBY BELL, SUN CITY, CALIF., KAWASAKI, 41
6. GARY SUTHERLIN, SUN CITY, ARIZ., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 36
7. Tim Weigand, Santa Clarita, Calif., Honda, 36
8. Colton Udall, San Clemente, Calif., Honda, 36
9. Bobby Garrison, Hesperia, Calif., Husqvarna, 33
10. Chris Johnson, Ramona, Calif., Suzuki, 29