Surprise, Ariz. – Monster Energy Kawasaki’s off-road riders all finished inside the WORCS Pro top-10 with come-from-behind finishes by Ricky Dietrich, Destry Abbott, and Justin Soulè at the opening round at Speedworld MX Park. Dietrich came from 11th to finish fifth, Abbott from 10th to sixth, and Soulè came back from a hard crash to go from 18th to 10th. Each rider gave 100 percent in the season opener, with all of them in good position going into the second round. Kawasaki rider Ryan Abbatoye finished second in the Pro 2 class just behind the leader.

Dietrich’s charge toward the front wasn’t as easy as he made it look. After getting a mid-pack start, Dietrich was pushing to advance his position when he had an issue with his goggles. During the last quarter of the race, he had an issue with blisters on his hands, but still rode consistent, eventually finishing fifth.

“Obviously it wasn’t the result I wanted, but I can walk away knowing that I never gave up,” said Dietrich. “I can say I had a better attitude during this race than I did last year. I did get a few pretty bad blisters on my hand and I was just trying to hold on for the last 30 minutes. Holding on to that KX™450F with my hurt hand was tough because it is a bullet, but I’m glad I was able to come away with a top five.”

Hometown favorite Abbott took advantage of his knowledge of the terrain to finish with one of his best results at Speedworld MX Park. He was battling his teammate Dietrich for the top-five finish and ended up just a few seconds behind him for sixth.

“I was happy with my pace and was able to keep pushing the entire two hours,” said Abbott. “I had a good time and didn’t really get too tired considering how rough the track was. I almost had Ricky, but I’m not disappointed. This isn’t really what I specialize in and I was shooting for top-five so I was right there with my goal for this round.”

Soulè’s first race aboard the Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F was respectable as he showed the team his “never give up” mentality. After racing into sixth, he clipped a course marker stake, which sent him over the bars. He picked up his bike, charged through the pack with a sore wrist and finished top-10.

“I didn’t have a great qualifier lap so I had to line-up a little more outside than I would have liked, but I was able to salvage a decent start with what I had,” said Soulè. “I moved into sixth right away, but made a stupid mistake and went down. It happens, and I was at least able to get a top-10.”

One of the big challenges of the race was the track condition that the riders faced. With the bikes tearing up the track for two hours, the racers faced a tough challenge for the season opener.

“You had to be smart today,” said Dietrich. “The good lines were hard to find so it really made it difficult. The track was better than yesterday, but it was still pretty rough.”

Kawasaki rider Abbatoye nearly rode his way to the Pro 2 win, just finishing behind the winner in second.

“I am a little bummed that I didn’t get the win, but we have a lot of races left,” said Abbatoye. “I felt good and I know if I remain consistent, I’ll be good for the rest of the season.”

The first round just outside of Phoenix was just 20 minutes from Abbott’s house in Peoria. Abbott attracted lots of fans and family to the race, giving him the boost he needed to finish with a solid result.

“It was great to see so many fans out here,” said Abbott. “A lot of my family was here and it really helps to see all those people cheer me on.”

One of the team’s new sponsors is Traxxas, The Fastest Name In Radio Control®. On their down time, the team couldn’t help but have fun with the new supply of radio control trucks.

Now that the first race is behind them, the team can regroup and come back stronger for the next race at Stateline in Primm, Nev.

“The first race is always interesting because there are so many great riders that are coming to race WORCS and the first race helps you see how everyone stacks up,” said Abbott. “The competition continues to get deeper and deeper, so it’s nice to walk away from the first race with a solid result.”

World Off Road Championship Series
Speedworld MX Park – Surprise, Ariz.
January 31, 2010

Pro Results
1. Taylor Robert, Scottsdale, Ariz., Yamaha
2. Mike Brown, Bluff City, Tenn., KTM
3. Kurt Caselli, Palmdale, Calif., KTM
4. Tim Weigand, Santa Clarita, Calif., Honda
5. RICKY DIETRICH, MENIFEE, CALIF., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
6. DESTRY ABBOTT, PEORIA, ARIZ., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
7. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
8. ROBBY BELL, SUN CITY, CALIF., KAWASAKI
9. Colton Udall, San Clemente, Calif., Honda
10. JUSTIN SOULE, RENO, NEV., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI

Pro Standings
1. Taylor Robert, Scottsdale, Ariz., Yamaha, 25
2. Mike Brown, Bluff City, Tenn., KTM, 22
3. Kurt Caselli, Palmdale, Calif., KTM, 20
4. Tim Weigand, Santa Clarita, Calif., Honda, 18
5. RICKY DIETRICH, MENIFEE, CALIF., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 16
6. DESTRY ABBOTT, PEORIA, ARIZ., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 15
7. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 14
8. ROBBY BELL, SUN CITY, CALIF., KAWASAKI, 13
9. Colton Udall, San Clemente, Calif., Honda, 12
10. JUSTIN SOULE, RENO, NEV., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 11