The Nelson Report
Round 2 - 3/11/11
Glen Helen Raceway
Devore, CA

Sunday, March 11th - Round 2, Moto 1: Baron grabbed the holeshot with Haagsma 2nd and me 3rd. It was a three man freight train for the first half as nobody could quite make a move. Just after halfway Baron made a mistake at the bottom of Mt. St. Helens and allowed Haagsma and I to pass as he climbed back over the berm. I tried and tried to make the pass on Haagsma for the lead but could not make it stick. As we started the final lap I wanted to be close enough to try another pass but caught a small kicker entering a right hander that straightened me out; I straddled the berm and my bike stopped throwing me over the bars and onto the ground. I remounted quickly but Haagsma and Baron were gone, I had to settle for 3rd followed by Jesse Goss and Paul Holmes.

Round 2, Moto 2: Baron took the holeshot and the GYTR/Yamlube $250 Holeshot Award as Haagsma pushed wide and I hugged the inside to grab 2nd. I was able to immediately start pressuring Baron and after three laps he made a small mistake and jumped out into some thick mud off of a right hander. Baron’s momentum was slowed just enough for me to sneak by on the inside. Now out front, I tried to keep the fast pace and minimize mistakes as Baron was applying constant pressure from 2nd. Haagsma had fallen off the pace in moto two and was a lonesome 3rd 8-10 seconds back. As we started the last lap Baron was only two seconds behind me, but would slow dramatically to let teammate, Haagsma, pass on the last lap. The team tactics took away my overall win and handed it to young Davi for round 2.

Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2012 Yamaha Quad X series are in the books and we have a tie atop the points standings. It is disappointing to lose an overall win to team tactics but it only fuels my fire for round 3 at Competitive Edge on April 22.