Clear sunny skies, temperatures hovering around the 40ºF mark, and an estimated 4,500 fans were on hand at the legendary Brainerd International Raceway for Round 4 of the AMSOIL® Championship Snocross Tour this past weekend in Brainerd, MN. For Team Yamaha’s FX Nytro® developmental race program, the highly technical Brainerd track provided riders and machines an intense workout that delivered positive results all around and another step in the right direction.
Pro Open... Both Steve Taylor and Iain Hayden rose to the occasion to capture a qualifying spot on the starting grid for the grueling 25-lap Pro-open feature race. Hayden, who is still nursing an injured shoulder, dominated his LCQ from start to finish pulling off a well-deserved win at the finish line.
“I struggled a bit in the corners during my qualifier, but we made some changes to the sled before the LCQ and that did the trick,” said Hayden. “I got the holeshot and the FX Nytro® ran like a charm for the entire race. In the main, the sled’s awesome power took me from the back row to mid-pack in no time at all, but unfortunately my shoulder started acting up more and more as the race progressed.”
Starting from the back row in the main, Hayden shot off the line like a rocket and worked his way into the top-10 before the end of the first lap. He installed himself in eighth place and would hold onto that position for about half the race until shoulder issues forced him to ease off the blistering pace and drop to 13th place by the time the checkered was waved.
Taylor also found himself on the back row for the start of the main event. Like his teammate, his 4-stroke pulled hard off the line but Steve had to let off as he quickly caught up to the front row traffic. That set him back, but Steve battled hard to move up through the pack and was running in seventh place at the three-quarter mark of the race.
“The FX Nytro was just on fire,” said Taylor. “The way I was going, I figured that a top-five finish was definitely in the works for me.”
Unfortunately, a mechanical issue put Taylor on the sidelines towards the end of the race so his top-five finish will have to wait another round. But all in all everyone was upbeat at the end of the day. “I feel very positive about this past weekend’s progress. There’s a feeling in the air that we’re onto something. The racers and crew are doing a phenomenal job and just giving it all they have. We’re not exactly where we want to be yet, but we’re definitely heading in the right direction,” said team manager Andre Laurin.
Yamaha Factory Team would like to thank the following sponsors for their valuable support:
Yamalube®, FXR®, Fox® Shocks, Camoplast®, GYTR®, Fly Racing® and Stud Boy®
Pro Open: Round 4 |
| 1 |
Tucker Hibbert |
|
| 2 |
Brett Bender |
|
| 3 |
Levi LaVallee |
|
| 4 |
Matt Piche |
|
| 5 |
Garth Kaufman |
|
| 6 |
Robbie Malinoski |
|
| 7 |
Andrew Johnstad |
|
| 8 |
Brett Turcotte |
|
| 9 |
Ryan Simons |
|
| 10 |
Dave Allard |
|
|
 |
Point Standings |
| 1 |
Tucker Hibbert |
148 |
| 2 |
Levi LaVallee |
110 |
| 3 |
TJ Gulla |
106 |
| 4 |
Brett Turcotte |
103 |
| 5 |
Ryan Simons |
89 |
|
|