MXXC
WORCS Rd. 5 - May 16/18, 2008
Photo by Mark Williams
Copyright 2008 - ATV Racin' Extra / www.atvproracing.com - All rights reserved
(WORCS Round 5 - Hollister, CA, May 16-18) Most major racing series have a group of riders known to us fans as “privateers”. What this means to most is that a Pro rider is maintaining his racing program without the help of major sponsorships, and teammates. Occasionally you see a privateer break into a podium spot, but the harsh reality is that winning without major corporate backing is next to impossible.
Well round 5 of the WORCS Series may have just proven that theory to not be exactly true, when along came a little known ex-two wheel rider, named Beau Baron, from Atascadero, CA. I had the pleasure to camp near Baron at round 5, who decided his 12 foot enclosed trailer didn’t fit in next to the big rigs of the “factory riders”. Baron will be the first to tell you, he knows little about atvs, other than how to go fast.
When the Pro gates dropped on Sunday, most bets were on defending champion Josh Frederick, or Polaris Mounted Doug Eichner. But rounding the first corner to the holeshot was the Honda rider Mike Machado, who was quickly overtaken by Factory Yamaha’s Dustin Nelson. Nelson maintained his lead for the early part of the race, with Frederick, and Eichner closing in. The third lap saw Eichners chances slip away with mechanical trouble, and Frederick looked intent on catching Nelson. Quietly the #549 Suzuki of Beau Baron was cruising along, keeping the leaders within sight. On lap
6 Nelson had a front tire leave the rim, and took a detour into a tree, allowing
Frederick to snag his first lead of the day. Fredericks lead wouldn’t last long, as he come around the next lap, missing a seat, and holding his battery in with his hand. The privateer Baron all of a sudden found himself leading a Pro WORCS race. Baron cautiously finished out the race, keeping himself a comfortable distance in front of the Dats Kawasaki rider Robbie Mitchell, and Motoworks rider Brandon Smith. When Baron crossed the finish line, he was exuberant, as he and everyone else in attendance knew what it meant for a privateer to win a pro race.
With this win, and Barons consistent finishes on the year, he finds himself a mere 12 points behind the defending champion Frederick. Now if you though it was amazing that a privateer with 5 atv races under his belt can win a pro race, how amazing would a National Championship be! My guess is that Baron’s privateer days aren’t going to last until the end of the season, as talents like this don’t come around often. With the 2008 championship race becoming so interesting, its going to be a long 3 month summer break to see how it plays out. I can assure you that Defending Champion #1 Josh Frederick is not going to just give up his title without a fight. See you in August in Washington state for round #6 at Straddleline OHV on August 15-17.
The Pro-Am race kicked off in 100 degree heat following the dust cloud left by the pro class. Keith Johnson took the early lead, until the Factory Can-Am Motoworks youngster Dillon Zimmerman took over on lap 3 and never looked back. Zimmerman was looking to Make up for pro team-mate Josh Fredericks misfortunes, by dominating the pro-am class. Zimmerman not only won the race, but finished and amazing 3rd
overall, factored in with the pro riders. Could Can Am possibly take both the pro and pro am titles? Well have to wait to see with a 3 month break, both Can-am and all the other teams will be hard at work dialing in for the remainder of the season
Stage
One
Done
WORCS
Round 5
Article by Mark Williams
Photo by Paparazzi-Films
