Kawasaki's Taylor Robert endured the dust and sun to take the win at the final WORCS bike round in the Mesquite, Nevada desert, but it was Shock Doctor/KTM rider Mike Brown who fought his way to his first career WORCS Championship against title-rival Ricky Dietrich in the Pro Bike division.
Shock Doctor/KTM's Mike Brown knew exactly where he had to finish in order to capture the title in the 2009 WORCS Championship race.
Brown had just a race-worth of points advantage over Dietrich coming into the final round at Mesquite. But if Dietrich was going to take the title, he would have to win the race with Brown finishing lower than fifth.
When the gates dropped late, a poor start would leave Dietrich in the back and Brown falling to mid-pack. “The gate did not drop within the first five seconds and that caught a lot of people off-guard when they held the gate longer,” stated Brown. Taylor Robert took an early lead with Bobby Garrison (Valli Motorsports) and KTM’s Justin Soule’ in third.
By the end of the first lap, Brown moved from 10th to 8th with Dietrich in 14th. “I was riding really tight the first couple laps,” said Brown. “I know with sand courses like this one, you can sometimes hurt the bike when you push it to its limits. I think with the championship on the line, I was almost being too cautious.”
When Brown pitted, Dietrich moved up putting Brown in 7th and when an errant branch hit Brown in the nose, he dropped another spot and his championship dreams slipped further away. After pitting, Brown rejoined the race and picked up a few positions ending in fifth by the checkers taking his first WORCS Championship title.
Robert fought his way to first ahead of Bobby Garrison. Nick Brozovich brought his JCR Honda home in third followed by Soule’ just off the podium in fourth.
WORCS Pro Bike Mesquite, NV Overall Results:
1. Taylor Robert (Kawasaki)
2. Bobby Garrison (Honda)
3. Nick Brozovich (Honda)
4. Justin Soule’ (KTM)
5. Mike Brown (KTM)
6. Ricky Dietrich (Kawasaki)
7. Robby Bell (Kawasaki)
8. Brenden Ritzman (KTM)
9. Damon Huffman (Kawasaki)
10. Colton Udall (Honda)
WORCS Pro Bike Points:
1. Mike Brown – 207
2. Ricky Dietrich – 193
3. Justin Soule’ – 160
4. Taylor Robert – 142
5. Bobby Bonds - 136
WORCS Pro 2 Bike Mesquite, NV Overall Results:
1. Jonathan Davis (Suzuki)
2. Corey Floyd (Kawasaki)
3. Robbie Goolsby (Kawasaki)
4. Ryan Abbatoye (Kawasaki)
5. Justin Seeds (Honda)
6. Brad Goolsby (Kawasaki)
7. Cody Schafer (Kawasaki)
8. Correy Solis (Yamaha)
9. Conrad Weiland (Honda)
10. Tallon Taylor (Yamaha)
WORCS Pro 2 Bike Points:
1. Corey Floyd – 215
2. Jonathan Davis – 213
3. Ryan Abbatoye – 211
4. Cody Schafer – 115
5. Travis Coy – 96
Women Pro Bike Mesquite, NV Overall Results:
1. Kacy Martinez (Honda)
2. Maria Forsberg (KTM)
3. Brooke Hodges (KTM)
4. Penni Cyrus (Kawasaki)
5. Ashton Pope (Kawasaki)
Women Pro Bike Points:
1. Kacy Martinez - 227
2. Brooke Hodges - 186
3. Maria Forsberg - 165
4. Penni Cyrus - 153
5. Sarah Whitmore - 80
