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WORCS Championship Round 6 | Cedar City, UT
The Three Peaks Oasis in Cedar City, UT was host to the sixth round of the WORCS series this weekend. This would be the final round before the West Coast GP championships broke for nearly three months during Summer. So, each racer was looking to head into the break on a high note. The course at Three Peaks was nearly identical to the previous year. This meant a blade-width trail winding through sparse sections of trees around the nearly six-mile-long course. With windy conditions throughout the weekend, keeping the dust down was always an uphill battle for the WORCS crew. So, Sunday's pro race would place a bit more importance on the always sought-after hole shot, as track position could definitely play a role in the race's outcome.
Tyler Lynn — 3rd 450 Pro
With the lack of an MX start gate, the riders lined up for a dead-engine start. As the green flag waved to start the two-hour pro race, Tyler Lynn's bike fired to life instantly. He rocketed out of the hole and was neck-and-neck with Austin Walton as the two thundered down the high-speed start straight. There wasn't anything to separate the two as they entered the first turn, but unfortunately for Lynn, Walton had the inside line, so Tyler was forced to slot into second place. Through the first few corners, Lynn looked for a turn-down opportunity to get underneath Walton for the lead, but none presented. Tyler stalked Walton over the first two laps, then was able to make a move for the lead as the riders came into the pit-row-horseshoe: Lynn started wide and was able to cut under Walton, then out-accelerating down the following straightaway to take the point position.
From there, Tyler instantly began to open up a gap. However, the lead wouldn't last long, as Tyler's bike bogged down through a few corners. The issue persisted for about a quarter of a lap, which dropped Tyler to fourth place. Whatever the issue, it seemed to clear up before the end of the lap, and Lynn was able to get back up to speed; though the damage to his track position had been done.
Tyler held fourth-place for the first hour, as the lead-three riders were around forty seconds further up the course. Then, as the race neared the halfway-mark, Lynn was able to catch up to Walton, who had dropped to third. Tyler was able to make his way by, bringing Cole Martinez—who had been ten seconds behind Tyler since his early-race issue—along with him. Martinez had latched on to Tyler's pace as the two picked it up over the second half of the race. Though Martinez stayed close, Tyler held strong, consistently turning some of the fastest laps of the field. As the checkered flag came out, Tyler crossed the line to take his third WORCS podium-finish in a row.
Robby Bell — 1st Vet Pro
When the Vet race started, Robby's KX450X rocketed off the line. He and one other rider were side-by-side as they accelerated up the start straight. As the first corner approached, Bell held on the throttle slightly longer and was able to take control of the race from the front. Instantly, the Kawasaki rider opened up a gap as he put down a pace that the field couldn't match. Though Bell stretched away from the field with each lap, it wasn't a perfect race. The race team manager would momentarily find the floor through a slick, tight, left-hand corner when his tires broke traction. But the team manager was able to quickly remount and ride strong to the finish, taking his sixth Vet race win of the WORCS season.
"It was another great rider from Tyler today, taking his third podium in-a-row in WORCS. But, oh what could have been. We're not sure what that issue he suffered on the third lap was, maybe some thing got into the fuel/throttle body momentarily, but fortunately it cleared up. Unfortunately, it cost Tyler a shot at the win today. Still, it was a fantastic ride, and he got his first taste of leading a 450 Pro WORCS race, so yet another step forward in Tyler's season. I know he's fired up to continue his progression through the break, and he'll definitely want to come back strong in August and pick up where he left off this weekend." - Robby Bell, Team Manager
