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Irvine, Calif. – Monster Energy/Funco/Kawasaki’s Chad George ended a Teryx-dominated weekend with his first victory of the season, while John Dempsey earned his first victory as well on Saturday at Speedworld MX Park in Surprise, Ariz. The Kawasaki Teryx finished 1-2-3 on Saturday with Robert VanBeekum and George finishing behind Demsey. Austin Kimbrell and his Kawasaki Teryx started out the weekend as the fastest qualifier, but was forced out of the races with a mechanical issue.
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On Top
After the first two rounds in Las Vegas, the Monster Energy/Funco/Kawasaki team headed back to the shop to develop a package that would hopefully put George on top of the podium. The hard work paid off as the team saw George drive to a third place on Saturday and his first season-victory on Sunday.
“After Vegas, we struggled to put together a package that we felt would be successful for the rounds in Arizona,” said Team Owner Grant George. “We ended up putting something together that we hoped would bring us some podium finishes, but Chad drove amazing and put us on top of the box.” |
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Experience Counts
George’s driving experience came in handy when he found himself battling with young Kawasaki driver Kimbrell during Sunday’s race. The race was coming down to the wire, but Kimbrell’s front tire came off and he ended up not finishing the race.
“Austin (Kimbrell) is a great driver, especially for how young he is,” said Grant George. “In the end though, Chad’s experience behind the wheel helped him win that race. He was able to hold off Austin and didn’t make any mistakes in the process. It was a great battle between the two Kawasaki’s.” |
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Kimbrell Moves On
After a stellar opening weekend in March, Kimbrell came out swinging by driving to the top qualifying spot both sessions. He was clearly the fastest on the track, but encountered a mechanical issue. The team fixed the issue for Sunday’s race, but while trying to avoid contact with another vehicle, Kimbrell hit hard on the front end and broke a tie rod.
“The weekend was a lot of fun because we were out front competing for the win, but it definitely wasn’t the results we had in mind,” said Kimbrell. “It was a home race for our team so we had a lot family and friends in our pits. That made for a good weekend no matter what.” |
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Dempsey Gets One
Dempsey earned his first win of the season after taking over the lead from Kimbrell on lap six during Saturday’s race. He was running up in the top-five on Sunday and ended up finishing fourth at the checkered flag.
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Next Race
The teams have just over a month to tweak their setups before returning to Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the end of May.
“I am definitely happy with the win, but I still think we need to find the right combination that fits Chad,” said Grant George. “Looking for more power is always a challenge because you don’t want to sacrifice reliability. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can bring the next round.” |
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Results
Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Speedworld Raceway- Surprise, Ariz. April 17-18, 2010 Unlimited UTV Saturday Results 4. Mark Holz, 5. TYLER WINBURY, KAWASAKI 6. Tyler Parks, Polaris 7. RJ Anderson, Polaris 8. AUSTIN KIMBRELL, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI Unlimited UTV Sunday Results 2. RJ Anderson, Polaris 3. ROBERT VANBEEKUM, MUZZY KAWASAKI 4. JOHN DEMPSY, KAWASAKI 5. Mark Holz, 6. Tyler Parks, Polaris 7. AUSTIN KIMBRELL, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI 8. TYLER WINBURY, KAWASAKI |
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