AMA Hare & Hound, Ridgecrest
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Destry Abbott earned his second-consecutive podium finish at the second round of the AMA National Hare & Hound series at the Spangler Hills OHV in Ridgecrest, Calif.
The second round of the series was another race where dust became one of the most formidable factors. Abbott got a good jump off the start, but the chaos ensuing after the bomb left him in seventh place. He battled through the heavy dust and came from behind to finish third.
Shortly after the start, Abbott found himself in seventh place, battling alongside of the other racers inside the dense clouds of stagnant dust. Despite nearly zero-visibility conditions, he was able to work his way into fifth place in the first loop. The course was packed tight with desert shrubs, making passing other racers a waiting game.
Destry Abbott (Kawasaki KX450F) says: "It was really dusty. It was hard to see past my front fender at times. It wasn’t a very technical course, it was a faster course, which made dangerous obstacles seem to jump out right in front of you. I just had to be patient and wait for opportunities to get past the other riders."
In the second loop, Abbott was working hard to get up front despite the limited visibility. Although he wanted to twist the throttle on his KX 450 F and shoot past the other racers, the tight sections of trail combined with dusty conditions proved to be extremely dangerous. He kept pushing through the dust and put the pass on two more racers, putting himself just behind second place. Time ran out before Abbott could make a pass, finishing in third place.
Destry Abbott says: "I just kept working my way up. I was only seconds behind, but those conditions made it really hard to pass. I wanted to charge more, but the dust made it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of me.
"There were quite a few times I would get within seconds of (David) Pearson, then we would jump onto a little jeep road and I would get totally dusted out. My KX450F was the best setup I’ve had this year, it was running great. I kept it on two wheels all day, but I kept clipping rocks when I pinned it because I couldn’t see."
At the end of the month, Abbott will head to Primm, Nev. for round two of the WORCS series along with his teammates Justin Soule and Taylor Robert, who will be returning from the Enduro Del Verano in Argentina.
AMA National Hare and Hound Series – Round 2
Ridgecrest, Calif., February 13, 2011
Pro Class Results
1. Kurt Caselli, KTM
2. David Pearson, Honda
3. DESTRY ABBOTT, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
4. Kendall Normal, Honda
5. JACOB ARGUBRIGHT, KAWASAKI
Pro Class Points
1. David Pearson, Honda, 55 points
2. DESTRY ABBOTT, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 46
3. Kurt Caselli, KTM, 46
4. JACOB ARGUBRIGHT, KAWASAKI, 37
5. JUSTIN MORROW, KAWASAKI, 31