OMA Missouri Results 2020: It was clear the motorcycle racing community in the midwest was ready to get back into it again with a large for the opening round of the OMA Nationals series in Memphis, Missouri, March 23-24, that originally slated to begin in late March in Prophetstown, Illinois.
The Rock River Arms Ole Sarge XC, held on the Kirkpatrick land saw line for sign-up stretching half-way across a field, registration for nearly three hundred riders of all ages took some time, but everyone kept cool and waited patiently for the racing to begin. One hundred and 31 racers lined up for the afternoon main event under clear blue skies and temperatures in the upper seventies. When the green flag for the Pro-Am class flew, there were 24 racers launching their machines toward the first turn, with factory Beta rider Cody Barnes (Moose racing/Kenda) grabbing the holeshot from the inside. After two hours and five minutes of racing, Barnes took the checkers for victory, followed by Logan Kittock (Husqvarna/UFO/Hoosier), with Colt Converse (Yamaha/Moose Racing/Team Mercer County) collecting third place.
The course was a mix of very high speed, open lanes and grass track sections interspersed with flowing single track and dirt that was quite moist and tacky. The top five Pro-Am riders were running laps in the 18-minute range, with Barnes dipping to the low 17s on four of his seven laps.
“I got off to a good start,” said Barnes. “I got the holeshot. I just kind of rode my own race.” Pre-race planning told Barnes he would need to create some extra time for himself, as he was running a stock tank on his Beta machine, which would require more frequent and lengthy fuel stops. “I knew I had to kind of put a little distance between myself (and the pack), because I was running a small tank. I had to gas every two laps. So, that was kind of one of the things I knew. I had to get out front and push to open up a gap, because I knew we were going to gas on that second lap. I ended up and was able to get out front and get a gap built up.”
Indeed, with a gap of one minute and 15 seconds over second place on the first lap, it seemed young Mr. Barnes was right on top of his race management.
“We pitted every two laps, and everything worked out,” he said. “I was able to build up a pretty good little gap and stay out front.”
With a winning time of two hours, five minutes, and 10 seconds, Barnes amassed a gap of three minutes and four seconds over second place. Barnes said, “My Beta 250RR ran great today. So, yeah, I’m happy. There is a bunch of people behind me this year that I had last year, and I am just really thankful for the support.”
Minnesota racer Logan Kittock exceeded his pre-race goals, putting his 2020 Husqvarna TC125 on the podium for second place with a very solid ride. Kittock was the only other racer to clock any laps in the 17-second range, with laps two and five dipping below 18 minutes.
“It was fantastic,” said Kittock. “The soil was super soft. It didn’t get as rough as I thought it would. A lot of ruts developed, though.”
Happy with his race results for the day, Kittock said, “I accomplished my goal of keeping Barnes within four minutes, so I am pretty happy about that.”
Rounding out the podium was Colt Converse, who finished just two minutes behind Kittock. Converse put his Yamaha YZ125 on the box after holding on through some great battles throughout the day. A group of racers consisting of Converse, Tanner Whipple (KTM), Tommy Fortune Jr. (Yamaha), Matt McDonald (Husqvarna), and Colten Zuidema (KTM) diced back and forth throughout the race. Pulling away from the group with a gap of 54-seconds at the finish line Converse was able to take the final podium position. CN
OVERALL
- Cody Barnes (Bet)
- Logan Kittock (Hus)
- Colt Converse (Yam)
- Tanner Whipple (KTM)
- Tommy Fortune Jr. (Yam)
- Matt McDonald (Hus)
- Colten Zuidema (KTM)
- Devon Jirik (KTM)
- Ben Ward (KTM)
- Easton Morgan (KTM)
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