Press Release | July 26, 2018
2018 Mormon Lake Grand Prix Race Report
This is a race report provided by Jonathan Barrett/AZOP
Story and Photos by Jonathan Barrett
Mormon Lake, AZ (July 24, 2018) – The Mormon Lake Lodge hosted the 2018 Mormon Lake Grand Prix sponsored by Blud Lubricants, Rowley White RV and Lonestar Racing right after the Fourth of July.
There was plenty of patriotism in the air as the racers prepared for one of the biggest races of the year. The weather was a cool and overcast 75 degrees in the best places in the state to be in July. As racers filled the town with the sounds of performance exhaust and twisted throttles, Luis Kortright had one thing on his mind: victory.
With the absence of Jeremy Newton, the race was down to Kortright, Wyatt Perry and Dayton Raper. Kortright continued his dominance in holeshot performance, grabbing it just ahead of Perry. After that, his KTM 350 took off and held the lead until the checkered. The Blud Lubricants Honda 450 of Perry held his own, staying close to Kortright the entire race, finishing one and a half minutes behind Kortright. Raper had a solid performance as well, taking third and holding his own.
In the Open A class, the CMPFoto Suzuki 450 of Robert Glines competed in his first race in Open A after dominating the Open B class in the previous round. Glines held a strong race, finishing third and only finishing 30 seconds behind second. The race was taken by Zach Allen of Waddell, showing supreme skill and finishing two minutes ahead of second place, taken by Billy Dipley of Peoria.
In Open B, Garrett Osselaer took the top spot on the podium, followed by Kyle Pethers and Mark Gent. Open C had Jarren Atwater on the top spot, taking his Blud Lubricants Suzuki 450 a full lap ahead of the rest of the class, finishing a full three minutes ahead of Channon Yazzie in second and Osborn Owen in third.
Other notable performances include Steve Reisweig winning Master 50+A and Richard Heyer winning Master 50+B. The top 10 overall results are as follows; Luis Kortright, Wyatt Perry, Zach Allen, Billy Dipley, Robert Glines, Dayton Raper, Clay Adams, Duane Hewitt, Ethan Caldwell, Michael Peter.
The Mini Bikes/Vintage/Women C race showed the prowess of the future of off-road racing, with Sam Campbell taking the 65cc A class, Marley Kuhn continuing his dominance in the 65cc B class, Cody Reyes taking the 80-150cc A class, Brett West taking the 80-150cc B class, Piercen Stahle taking the 80-150cc C class, and Collin Steele taking the Open Mini class. Steve Reiswig won the Vintage class, while his son Christian won his Open Beginner class. Emilee Carter won her Women C class, showing the skill of the beginner girls in off-road. Top 10 finishes were Cody Reyes, Keegan Hardy, Jarrett Curley, Samuel Campbell, Chase Haynes, John Martinez, Brett West, Porter May, Piercen Stahle and Jesse Blevins-Heck.
The Peewee Bikes ran their hearts out on this wide-open course, ending with Collin Steele taking the 65cc C class, Brayden Almendarez taking the 50cc 4-6 years old, and Brody Moss taking the 50cc 7-8 years old. The Skersick brothers had a solid race together, with Colson taking fourth in his class, and Cooper taking second in his class. The Skersick’s have a huge support team behind them, you’ll see them in bright orange while the boys race. Top 10 finishes were Brody Moss, Collin Steele, Danny Baca, Colton Calmes, Colson Skersick, Ryker Jirsa, Cooper Skersick, Zayden Serna, Rhylan Benally and Bryce Petrie.
The 2018 Mormon Lake Grand Prix was one for the books, complete with a bit of rain, plenty of sun and lots of action on course. Huge thanks to the Mormon Lake Lodge for permitting AZOP to run this beautiful race in the nicest summer places in Arizona. Next race will return to Flagstaff to the Cinder Mountains for the Cinder Mountain Hare Scramble.
VIDEO | AZOP Mormon Lake Grand Prix
For more information on AZOP Racing, please visit www.azopracing.com
