Colton Haaker Tops Orofino LoggerXross
Jean Turner | May 11, 2015
Colton Haaker took his second-consecutive win at the Orofino LoggerXross event. Photography by Aelen Mabille Photography
Loggers by day and motorcycle enthusiasts by lifestyle, the wood wranglers of northern Idaho once again constructed an incredible Endurocross-style course almost entirely of logs for the Orofino LoggerXross. A $7500 purse drew out pro riders from across North America, but in the end, it was Rockstar Energy Lucas Oil Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker who took home the lion’s share of the cash. Haaker was able to successfully defend his Orofino championship by besting RPM/KTM Maxxis rider Ty Tremaine and SRT KTM’s Cory Graffunder in the two-moto format.
The course featured a long bridge across the infield, multiple under-overs and even a logging truck as part of the track. The tight course made for some close racing, but in the end, Haaker was able to put his FC 350 out front in both motos.
“In the first race I crashed,” Haaker explained. “But then I got lucky because Tremaine and Graffunder took each other out. I snuck around them both and got a good gap.”
In the second moto, Haaker kept it simple, grabbing the holeshot and the early lead, and running unheaded to the finish for a perfect score.
It’s always fun to come to this race,” Haaker said. “I love coming to Idaho in the summer. They put a lot of effort into the track – they use tons of timber and make crazy bridges. It’s pretty tight, but it’s a cool race.”
Tremaine held off Graffunder to card a second-place finish ahead of the Canadian while Wyatt Hart followed in fourth place.
The ladies had their turn to take on the course in the Women’s class, and battle for a $1000 Women’s Pro purse. Shelby Turner was able to out-duel fellow EnduroCross regular Melissa Harten, who had to settle for second.
Wyatt Hart pulled double duty, also taking the win in the Expert class ahead of Keith Sweeten and Ryan Graffunder. Dylan Julian collected top honors in the Vet division while Tyler Kinkade, Jeremy Deming and Jeremy Hedrick made up the Heavyweight podium in Orofino.
Jean Turner | Contributor
A former staffer at Cycle News, Turner continues to contribute to the website and magazine as a columnist and someone we can count on to whip up a few thousand words on an off-road race when needed.
