Mesquite, NV – Factory FMF/KTM rider Mike Brown finished 5th overall, despite complications from a crash on Saturday, at the third round of the WORCS and remains tied for the points lead heading to the fourth round.
Brown had a great jump off the start in Saturday’s moto but got his wheel caught on the foot peg of another bike as he rounded the first corner which eventually caused him to crash. He recovered in last position and quickly set to work to climb back through the pack.
At the end of the first lap Brown had already caught up to 6th place and was approximately 20 seconds down from the leader. On lap two, he passed two more riders and was now in 4th position just one spot shy of a podium finish. He caught and passed Justin Soule for 3rd place on the fifth lap but shortly after suffered a high-speed crash that set him back. He got up still in 3rd place and continued to race. On the final lap, his vision began to get blurry from hitting his head in the crash and he slowed down in order to finish safely. His caution allowed Taylor Robert to pass on the final lap and Brown safely crossed the line in 4th for the day.
“My second crash was scary on Saturday. It was high-speed so I didn’t see it coming and had little time to react. I hit my head pretty hard and my body feels a little sore but luckily there are no broken bones or serious injuries and we will be able to race tomorrow,” remarked Brown.
On day two, the riders were blessed with another warm day at the Mesquite MX Park. Brown lined the gate for the second day of racing and this time made it clean around the first corner coming out in 6th place. By the end of the first lap he had already passed up to 2nd and began closing in on leader Kyle Summers.
On the fifth lap of the race Brown was able to take over the lead when Summers pit for gas. The lead swapped to Robert on the sixth lap when Brown had to pit. Brown raced one more solid lap in the runner-up position before side-effects from Saturday’s crash began to come into play. “I started to get very tired and had slightly blurry vision again so I knew I was pushing too hard and that I would need to slow down to finish and not risk injury,” stated Brown. He continued to race to the best of his ability and was able to salvage a 5th place. His 4-5 moto scores earned him 5th overall for the day and he is now tied for the championship points lead with Robert.
“We are very proud of Brown this weekend,” remarked Factory FMF/KTM Team Manager Antti Kallonen. “He was riding really good and toughed it out despite a bad crash. The track was demanding this week and we are glad that he and the bike made it through without serious damage and that both will be 100% heading into the next round.”
The RPM/KTM Team also had a decent weekend. Women’s Pro rider Kacy Martinez finished 2nd overall in her class and now has a 10 point lead in the series. Her teammate, Ivan Ramirez, had a great ride taking the overall in the Pro 2 class while the third member of the team, Travis Coy, had the early holeshot but suffered a crash and ultimately recovered to finish 6th.
Next Event: Lake Havasu, AZ – March 23-25, 2012
Overall Results – Pro Class –
- Bobby Garrison (1-1)
- Taylor Robert (3-2)
- Kyle Summers (2-3)
- Justin Soule (5-4)
- Mike Brown (4-5)
- Robby Bell (7-6)
- Ryan Abbatoye (6-7)
- Ross Neely (9-8)
- Gary Sutherlin (10-9)
- Colton Haaker (8-DNF)
Overall Results – Women’s Pro Class –
- Tatum Sik
- Kacy Martinez – KTM
- Nicole Madsen
- Shelby Turner – KTM
- Elizabeth Bash – KTM
Overall Results – Pro 2 Class –
- Ivan Ramirez – KTM
- Justin Seeds
- Cory Graffunder
- Ian Blythe – KTM
- Justin Jones
- Travis Coy – KTM
- Killian Woder
- Justin Bonita – KTM
- Tallon Taylor
- Luke Reynolds
Overall Point Standings – Pro Class –
- Taylor Robert – 121
- Mike Brown – 121
- Bobby Garrison – 119
Overall Point Standings – Women’s Pro Class –
- Kacy Martinez – 64
- Nicole Madsen – 54
- Elizabeth Bash – 54
Overall Point Standings – Pro 2 Class –
- Ivan Ramirez – 72
- Cory Graffunder – 62
- Justin Seeds – 55
