Press Release | November 27, 2019
AZOP Shorty’s Slammer Highlights Tag Team Racing, Motocross in Blythe
This is a race report from AZOP/ Story and Photos by Miller Truby…
Blythe, CA (November 3, 2019) — With most of the 2019 Rowley White RV Series in the books, racers were treated to a unique and mostly stress-free exhibition event at the always popular Shorty’s Sports Park in Blythe, California.
With sponsorship from Winiecki Motorsports, Chaffin Farms, and Seiler Farms the AZOP staff were able to put on a slate of team races on Saturday followed by a full day of short-course motocross races on Sunday. The team races were headlined by a four-hour motorcycle grand prix on the highly varied 3+ mile course. Teams of up to three riders would take turns running the track and would tag each other in at will in the pit area.
Though there were no points on the line, the various teams still came out to race and put on a show for the many fans who lined the fences around the infield section of the course. As was the case during the February race at Shorty’s, the track first snaked through the motocross track on top of the mesa before winding down into the sandy canyons and out into the desert washes at the back of the Shorty’s property.
The long-race format rewarded the most physically fit riders and punished everyone else, especially those who chose to take on the Ironman challenge. The track crew kept the motocross section nicely watered but the rest of the course couldn’t be hosed down between races, leading to heavy dust as the day wore on and culminating in the post-sunset UTV race where several drivers reported that visibility ended at the nose of their cars! Despite that, the night race was hugely popular for spectators and the racers seemed to enjoy the unique challenge as well.
The second day of the event also saw a totally unique format and took advantage of the truly excellent Shorty’s motocross course, with the focus solely on bikes and quads. Using a sort of pseudo-motocross format with each class running two four-lap sprint races throughout the day. Riders were challenged to be fast right out of the gate in order to compete and the course rewarded those who were willing to hit ever double and rail every berm. The course was well-manicured throughout the day and seemed to inspire confidence in the riders as lap times decreased from race 1 to race 2 in many cases.
AZOP moves lakeside to Lake Havasu, AZ for the Havasu Havik Grand Prix for the final points race of the season (Bikes, Quads, and UTV’s) November 16-17. [This race report was received after the Havasu Havik Grand Prix completed. Read the Havasu Havik race report HERE Ed.]
As always AZOP would like to thank all of the sponsors, staff, volunteers, racers, and spectators for making this another successful and fun weekend of racing. For full race results, videos, and photos or to find out about upcoming events go to www.azopracing.com.
