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Mar 30, 2021

2021 Havasu 2 WORCS Report

The 2021 WORCS series headed to the sandy peninsula of Lake Havasu City, AZ for the second time this year. The biggest difference from the wet and cold conditions of the first round in January would obviously be the weather. Though not viewed as hot, the mid-80’s temperatures made for the first warmer weather of the season. This definitely took its toll on the field of riders, as it added to the physically demanding, sandy, whooped, and chopped out terrain. Sunday’s two-hour pro race would definitely lend itself to the toughest among the field.

 

Zach Bell – DNF Pro 450

 

When the flag flew to let the field of Pro 450 riders loose, Zach quickly rocketed off the line and into the lead. In a show of maturity, Bell then settled into his own pace in third, stalking Dante Oliveira and Cole Martinez. The three leaders stretched away from the field over the first thirty minutes of the race, with each rider blanketed by just over ten seconds. Through the forty-minute mark, Zach began to close back up to Martinez and apply pressure to retake the second spot. Unfortunately, Bell would then have a race-changing moment when he caught his foot awkwardly in the sand. Zach felt something crop up physically and fell back to fifth. From there, Bell gave it another lap to see if he could overcome the issue, but in the end, felt it best to pull out and regroup for what’s upcoming further into the season.

 

J.P. Alvarez – 5th place Pro 250

 

As the wave of Pro 250 racers rifled down the start straight, J.P. was slightly pinched and shuffled back in the pack. He did well to move forward past a few riders, rocketing up to fifth place on the first lap. From there, Alvarez found a good groove as he worked into the pace of the race. Right around the pit stop rotations, an hour into the event, Alvarez had a brief fall. As a consequence of the ceased momentum, J.P. felt a wave of heat hit him. The team did what they could to cool him down in the pits, but Alvarez was going to have his work cut out to maintain his position, as he suffered physically, with a field of fast riders in tow. Fortunately, J.P. was able to regroup and find a solid flow around the demanding course. He held on to a hard-earned fifth-place finish at the checkers.

 

Clay Hengeveld – DNS Pro 250

 

Following the Glen Helen NGPC a few weeks prior, Hengeveld had been managing a minor injury to his hand. Clay felt good enough to ride in Friday and Saturday’s practice sessions at Havasu. However, after discussing with the team, everyone felt it best for Clay to continue to recover and not take the risk of aggravating the injury in such demanding conditions. Hengeveld will definitely have an eye on building back toward his best in two weeks' time at the 29 Palms NGPC.

Zach Bell
Zach Bell
Jake Alvarez
Jake Alvarez
Clay Hengeveld
Clay Hengeveld