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WORCS Racing – Round 2 UTV Recap

WORCS Round 2 UTV Lineup

Photos and Text by Seth Fargher, SethFargher.com

Primm Nevada is always a popular event for WORCS side by side racers with last year’s event drawing one of the largest turnouts of the season.  This year was no exception with 64 UTV’s present for Saturday’s side by side race.

It’s actually quite amazing that so many side by sides made it out after the unforgiving conditions at Canyon MX just two weeks prior.  Two weeks isn’t a lot of time to clean up and prep a machine after racing in normal conditions, let alone the swamp fest that was round 1.  While there was no rain to speak of this round, by Saturday morning the surrounding hills were turning white and high winds would making for an extremely chilly race.

Primm is one of the only remaining rounds to incorporate an asphalt section as part of the course.  This year the WORCS staff actually used the Buffalo Bills parking lot as the starting line which created a few unique obstacles and made for some interesting racing.

From the start line drivers would snake through an “S” curve and then funnel down a narrow shoot, barely wide enough for two vehicles, before emptying out onto the trophy truck track.  Because of the narrow start, promoters opted to release racers in waves and use the results from the previous race to dictate a drivers starting position.  Unfortunately for front runners RJ Anderson and 2012 Champion Ryan Piplic who faced mechanical issues at round 1, this meant they would be starting near the back of the pack.  To even the score, promoters would use adjusted time to determine the overall winner which essentially meant racers would be racing the clock.  Good for the guys in the back to have a chance at the overall but it would mean that at any given time, the driver would have virtually no clue as to his actual position.

Beau Baron

When the green flag waved Beau Baron shot from the line and captured the holeshot, easily four to five car lengths ahead of Holz Racing’s Wesley Barker who followed in second with Greg Row right on his rear bumper.  WORCS announcer Tim Shelman could be heard over the loudspeaker “This is going to be trouble for pretty much everybody.”  He was right and Beau would run the entire race without ever getting passed although several drivers managed to put together spectacular races and inch ever so close when the clock finally stopped ticking.

Ryan Piplic

Defending Champion Ryan Piplic found himself starting on the third row after a mechanical setback left him with a 13th place finish in Arizona.  Despite his position, Piplic managed to dodge and weave his way through the pack and log some of the fastest laps of the day.  We heard at one point he was actually leading Baron on adjusted time but when the checkered flag flew, Baron managed to edge him out by a mere 25 seconds. 

RJ Anderson who fought for the championship down to the final race last year had a difficult round 1 and unfortunately didn’t fair any better at round 2.  The Walker Evans/Holz Racing Products Polaris driver pulled the holeshot in his starting group but his motor gave out just part way into the first lap.
Runner up from Arizona, Greg Row, was holding down second place directly behind Baron for most of the race but a blown belt would put his Polaris RZR XP out of commission and he would settle for 15th on the day.

Josh Frederick

Probably the biggest news of the event was Can-Am/Motoworks Josh Frederick who was the first racer to put the new Can-Am Maverick on the podium.  After  suffering belt issues that forced a DNF in Arizona, Frederick found himself  on the fourth row with a lot of traffic ahead of him.  Granted adjusted time doesn’t mean you have to pass everybody to take the win but the more people in front of you, the greater your chances of getting held up by a slower driver.
Frederick was in fifteenth place as the end of lap one and managed to work his way all the way up to third place by lap five of the six lap race.  This was the second side by side podium of the ATV champs career and he was excited to be on the box.

Mitch Guthrie Jr.

In the Production 1000 class Mitch Guthrie Jr. maintained his dominance by leading the field the entire race giving him his second overall of the season in his Polaris RZR XP.  Aside from Beau Baron, Guthrie is the only other side by side racer to claim both overalls in the first two rounds of racing this season.

Polaris RZR 570s

David Haagsma who opted to sit out round 1 due to the sub par racing conditions made his side by side racing debut by piloting his Maxxis/H&M Motorsports Polaris Rzr 570 to the number one spot in the 750 class. 

Racers will enjoy a month long break before heading for the sandy shores of Lake Havasu.  Although Baron has taken both overalls in the side by side pro class, it’s early in the game and as we learned last year, anything can happen in side by side racing.

WORCS Round 2 Race Results:
SXS Pro Production
1 549 Beau Baron Atascadero, CA POL 6 0:48:44.250
2 1 Ryan Q. Piplic Las Vegas, NV POL 6 0:49:09.766
3 603 Josh Frederick Moapa, NV CA 6 0:51:54.718
4 21 Clint Roberts Corona, CA POL 6 0:53:31.314
5 23 Pablo Veglia Manhattan Beach, CA CA 6 0:54:01.924
6 55 Tim Wyatt Canton, GA POL 6 0:54:04.947
7 431 Doug Eichner El Cajon, CA POL 6 0:54:37.085
8 708 Joe Greco Lweiston, ID POL 6 0:55:09.237
9 179 Nick Nelson Tehachapi, CA POL 6 0:55:19.498
10 148 Wesley Barker Dawsonville, GA POL 6 0:55:20.899
11 68 Nic Granlund Las Vegas, NV POL 6 0:57:12.118
12 91 James Hill Lake Ellsinore, CA CA 5 0:48:23.959
13 19 Johnny Leach Lake Elsinore, CA CA 5 0:48:28.171
14 111 Tommy Scranton Perris, CA ARC 4 0:35:04.280
15 7 Greg Row Alpine, CA POL 4 0:52:47.410
16 418 Keenan Rogerson Bakersfield, CA POL 3 0:25:51.119
17 995 Ken Benson Queen Creek, AZ POL 3 0:26:57.423
DNF 66 Cain Smead Leona Valle, CA POL 2 0:17:37.828
DNF 917 David Martinez Hishband, CA CA 1 0:09:25.548
DNS 351 Rj Anderson Riverside, CA POL 0
DNS 215 Scott Kiger Waynesburg, PA POL 0
DNS 122 Phillip Martin Reseda, CA POL 0
DNS 664 Robert Vanbeekum Mesa, AZ OTH 0
SXS Production 1000
1 751 Mitch Guthrie Jr Glendora, CA POL 6 0:51:36.799
2 191 Jacob Shaw Lakeside, CA POL 6 0:51:40.660
3 777 Jake Greco Lewiston, ID POL 6 0:52:03.138
4 108 Mike Gardner Lake Forest, CA POL 6 0:57:22.061
5 205 *jordan Hansen St George, UT POL 5 0:46:08.588
6 500 Levi Gilkison San Juan Capistrano, CA POL 5 0:46:21.153
7 626 Michael Gonzales Glendora, CA POL 5 0:47:19.219
8 208 Kipp Mickels Apple Valley, CA POL 5 0:47:45.684
9 28 Darren Kelley Logandale, NV POL 5 0:48:20.289
10 48 John Pezzi Washoe Valley, NV POL 5 0:49:25.651
11 14 Angela Olander Wittmann, AZ POL 5 0:52:03.910
12 204 Denise Scolman Bend, OR POL 5 0:52:08.144
13 69 Richie Laatz N Las Vegas, NV POL 4 0:36:44.083
14 209 Bob Schafer New Castle, CO POL 4 0:40:07.076
15 15 Jamie Piplic Las Vegas, NV POL 4 0:46:47.211
DNF 80 Robert Mowrer N Las Vegas, NV POL 2 0:45:40.251
DNS 206 Marcus Pratt Carmichaels, PA POL 0
SXS Production 850
1 456 Alfredo Ramirez Paso Robles, CA POL 5 0:50:31.256
2 918 Justin Lambert Bakersfield, CA KAW 5 0:50:59.463
3 654 Chris Willing Gardnerville, NV POL 5 0:51:22.187
4 1561 Todd Jespersen Mesa, AZ POL 5 0:51:40.948
5 138 Daniel Rosenzweig San Marcos, CA JD 5 0:54:42.653
6 133 Adam Levings Lake Havasu, AZ POL 5 0:56:00.000
7 236 Sara Price Canyon Lake, CA POL 4 0:48:44.106
8 172 Codi Elias Lake Havasu City, AZ POL 4 0:51:13.715
DNF 291 Jake Morton Taft, CA YAM 1 0:15:36.103
DNF 929 Michael Redhead Yorba Linda, CA POL 1 0:16:10.373
DNF 417 Nolan Remlinger Fullerton, CA KAW 1 0:17:40.898
SXS Production 700
1 422 David Haagsma Bakersfield, CA POL 5 0:49:08.498
2 816 Cody Rahders Alpine, CA POL 5 0:49:30.474
3 50 Michael Bunyea Atascadero, CA POL 4 0:41:59.722
4 351 Rj Anderson Riverside, CA POL 4 0:50:50.150
5 93 Matt Hancock Tempe, AZ HON 3 0:49:51.570
DNF 983 Mark Popjoy Las Vegas, NV YAM 1 0:17:34.979
DNS 350 Cody Mao Las Vegas, NV POL 0
2013 WORCS ATV/UTV Schedule:
  1. Jan. 25-27, 2013 – Canyon Raceway, Peroria, AZ
  2. Feb. 8-10, 2013 – Buffalo Bills, Primm, NV
  3. March 22-24, 2013 – Crazy Horse, Lake Havasu City, AZ
  4. April 19-21, 2013 – Sand Hollow, Hurricane, UT
  5. May 10-12, 2013 – Speed World Night Race, Suprise, AZ
  6. July 12-14, 2013 – Pala Raceway, Pala, CA
  7. Aug. 9-11, 2013 – Glen Helen Raceway, Devore, CA
  8. Sept. 20-22, 2013 – Honey Lake MX, Milford, CA
  9. Oct. 11-13, 2013 – Honolulu Hills, Taft, CA
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