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Story and Photos by: Ray Larez
ITP Quad Cross Round 2 – Racetown 395
The pro start in Moto A as Mike
Machado grabs the early lead. |
Three time ITP Quad Cross Champ Jeremy Schell
makes a return after mending a broken foot. The
second round of the series started cold and
cloudy. The cold weather had most hiding out,
like pro racer Doug Echiner. Doug was found
trying to keep warm in his truck. The turn out
for this round was light compared to the first
round of the series. There where some riders
that where ill and some that where back east
running the ATVA Moose National Series. Hopefully we
will see some more of the regulars back soon,
like Kory Ellis and Logan Holiday.
This round was held at Ractown 395 which was
well groomed for the event and basically the
same motocross layout they have used for years
on their main track. Normally the ITP Quad
Cross has been held at Glen Helen Raceway a majority
of the time. This year they mixed it up
quite a bit adding two different tracks in
Arizona and three other tracks other than Glen
Helen. Racetown being one of the tracks the racers will
run once this year. This track has been
featured in numerous ATV videos like the Huevos
Series.
Also this round they decided to follow suit
and have a rhino race. Pro Racer Dana Creech would be found
in the pits with the fellows from Rhino Craft
prepping there Red Rhino for the side by side
race. The Rhinos where released into the wild
for practice, where Creech and the boys from
Rhino Craft tore up the track and had an all
around good time.
Getting a good start in Moto A John
Shafe aboard his TRX450R. |
Pro Moto A
The pro turn out was great, so great they had to
split the moto (semi) into two separate gates. The first moto was full of talent and on the
line ready to get the pro races started. The
first rider out of the gate and around the first
turn was Jeff Spooner, followed closely by
Dustin Nelson. Nelson would apply the pressure
early and wasn’t wasting anytime trying to pass
Spooner. Jeff Spooner was on the gas and trying
to hold his position, but to no avail. Dustin
Nelson would find his opening and take the lead with less
than a half a lap in the books. Following this battle
was the #3 of Josh Frederick in a close third,
followed by Chris Riley and Dustin Terry
rounding out the top five. Nelson got out front
and kicked in the afterburners to pull a
commanding lead. Frederick would close in on
Spooner, to only be passed a lap later by fourth
place Dustin Terry. Terry had worked his way
around Riley and now had his sights set on
Spooner. By this time the moto laps were
winding down, and Terry began to run out of time to
catch Spooner. Dustin Terry would have to settle
for third, behind Jeff Spooner in second and
Dustin Nelson taken the moto win.
Pro Moto B
As soon as the track cleared from Pro Moto
A, you could hear the second round of Pro's fire
up their thundering four strokes. With the gate
ready, they lunched to their target, the first
turn. Mike Machado on his Holtz/Fox TRX450R
grabbed the holeshot, just ahead of Nick
Hengtgen, John Shafe, and ITP Quad Cross
Champ Jeremy Schell. Schell would make quick
work of Hengtgen and Shafe to move up to second
and following close behind was
Duncan Racing’s
Doug Echnier moving up from the
back of the pack into fourth behind Shafe. Doug
would eventually work his way around Shafe and
move up to third, behind him T.J. Dietrich.
However, that didn't last long, as the TRX450R of Ricky Nickell would
move up to take the fourth spot and would have
the best finish of his season thus far. Mike
Machado held off Jeremy Schell and took the
checkered flag. Jeremy Schell still recovering
from an injury suffered late last year, he was
still not quite himself. He finished second and
was happy with his finish in the moto. We spoke
to him after the race and he stated that he
hadn’t been on a bike, but three times in the
past 8 weeks. He had just recently had the
chance to throw a leg over a machine, his broken
foot kept him from riding or practicing. After
letting his wounds heal, he was more than ready
to get some seat time and get on the track. Jeremy said he was glad to be back and was
planning on doing some major training in the
coming weeks. He had also talked about
going back east and doing a couple nationals
this year. Echiner would round out the top three
riders in the second split moto.
IMS Rhino playing catch up to the
Rhino Craft machine as rounds the turn. |
Side by Side Race (Rhino Race)
These new kids on the block are popping up
everywhere. Now they have started their own race
craze, be it a Baja desert course or at the
motocross track you can see these beast every
where. With only three machines lining up
for the race, we wondered where all the Rhinos
we had seen in the pits? As the gate dropped
only two machines made it off the line, one had
some sort of mechanical failure. The IMS
International Rhino took the early lead. The red
Rhino Craft machine started off a little slow,
but later turn on the gas and passed the IMS
machine. They then put a sizable lead on there
competitor and had fun lunching their tricked out
Rhino over the table tops. The Rhino Craft Team
took home the win.
Riders gather to discuss the
controversial red flag and awaiting the
official’s discussion. |
Pro Main - On the course of confusion
The combined gate of pros were lined up for the
final pro race for the evening. The gate drop or
so we thought and the racers where off. Doug Echiner grabbed the early lead and would be
eventually chased down by Dustin Nelson. Jeremy
Schell was in third till he got mixed up with
another rider. Now with Dustin Nelson in the
lead, followed by Echiner and Mike Machado in
third the race would continue for a total of 5
to 6 laps to only be red flagged for a bad
start.
The confusion begins, as the riders passed
the finish, they where red flagged off the
course. Most riders where confused and wanted to
know what happened, some riders already knew what
happened. Some of the team managers and
spectators had started to protest the race. At
the start the left hand side of the gate dropped
where the right side had some sort of problem
and didn’t drop properly, which slowed the rest
of the field. Riders literally rode right over
the gate to catch the other half. As
the riders converged on the finish line the
heated discussion started. The racers where not
happy that the race was not stopped earlier and
questioned if the race should have been stopped at
all. The officials decide to restart the race. Most didn’t mind the restart, but some riders
where upset to the point of loading gear and
leaving. All had paid entries and most where
going to stay and race, but were not happy. If
you look at it from the point of the rider, he
had just spent his energy running an earlier
moto, then lined up to run six laps. To only be
red flagged and line up again to run another
full main. Most where tired and ready to call it
a day, but ended up on the track again.
The 3 Time ITP Quad Cross Champ
Jeremy Schell back after coming back off an
injury. |
The Pro class line up for the second time for
the main and let’s hope this one counts. As they
fired up their ATVs, the gate wasn’t nearly as
full, since a few riders packed up and headed
home. They launched of the line one more time
and this time Dustin Nelson holeshoted the
field. Not getting the start like he had
in the first moto, Doug Echiner was in fourth just behind Cyle Chislock. Jeremy Schell was running a
strong second, Schell much happier with his
start, would now have to hold off the rest of
the hard charging pack. Nelson packed his
bags and checked out; he looked to be in top
form. He won his moto and lead for most of the
first main. This is nothing new; Nelson had
always placed well last season, just never
getting the break he needed to win a
championship. This just may be his year, with
Schell off to a rough start this year with an
injury and Dana Creech sitting out this race,
diffidently increases Nelson’s chances. Chislock
would have Echiner on his tail and just waiting
for a chance to make his pass. The veteran
Duncan rider then began to hunt the champ
Schell. He began to close the gap, as Doug
closed in on second; Chislock was having a
battle of his own with Mike Machado. Machado had
work his way though the pack and was on the
move. The main would finish with Nelson taking
home the main win and the overall. Schell placed
second in the main and overall as well. Then Echiner finished third in the main and forth
overall. With his last minute charge Mike
Machado finished a strong fourth in the main and
third overall for the weekend.
Complete results of all class can be
downloaded in PDF format here.
ITP
Quad Cross Round 2 Results
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