Mark Kariya | October 19, 2021
Carson City Motorsports KTM rider Austin Serpa claimed his third-straight win in the AMA West Hare Scrambles (WHS) Regional Championship Series, Presented by MojoMotoSport, coming from behind for the victory at round five.
Austin Serpa pulled the holeshot, fell back, caught up and battled with Clayton Gerstner (757) in the waning stages of the OMC Hare Scramble, but Serpa was able to pull off his third win in a row.
Photos by Mark Kariya
In doing so at the Owyhee Motorcycle Club’s OMC Hare Scramble, he strengthened his hold on the series points lead with 115 points to Pro 250 winner Shane Logan’s 81. (In the overall AA rankings, Logan leapfrogged ahead of Open Pros Chase Larson and Blake Best who missed this round, but in Pro AA points, Larson and Best remain second and third, respectively.)
It was by no means an easy day for Serpa whose good start aboard his Kenda/Regulas Fit/Moose Racing-backed 450 XC-F went down the drain when he crashed on the opening lap of the two-and-a-half-hour race. He found it difficult to get back in his groove, saying, “I wasn’t riding like myself—I wasn’t comfortable. If I’d creep up on anyone, I’d get in their dust and I couldn’t see so I wasn’t really taking chances.”
That was just the opening defending series champ David Kamo hoped for and he jumped into the lead aboard his PCI Race Radios/Kamo Realty/Fly Racing 450 XC-F for just over an hour until a suspected electrical gremlin struck and ultimately forced him out of the race shortly after.
At that point, Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda’s Preston Campbell took control on his J.L. Ray/VP Racing Fuels/Fly Racing CRF450RX, though it was only for a couple laps before a lapper fell into him.
“My foot hooked him in the back, so we had to untangle and these two guys [with me on the podium] got around me,” Campbell shared. “I was never really able to get back into it, close in and battle with them.”
Serpa said, “I got lucky. I think the lap after or two laps after we pitted, [Clayton] Gerstner and Preston both went down on the same lap. I was handed a gift right there.”
However, Serpa wasn’t able to break away because he came under attack from Let’s Ride/KTM of Aspen/SRT Husqvarna FX 450-mounted Clayton Gerstner who left his sole 250cc race bike at home in order to save it for the AMA Hare & Hound finale next week.
“Last year here, I was third overall on a 250F, so I knew my speed’s there,” Gerstner said. “I just knew I needed to ride smooth all day. I was trying my best—those boys were riding good!”
The two actually battled back and forth until Gerstner hit something in the dust and endoed at speed on a fast uphill on the last lap. That was all Serpa needed to cruise to the finish where he enjoyed a nine-second gap over Gerstner with Campbell holding on to third.
Another race, another win. Shane Logan’s win streak in Pro 250 now stands at five, keeping his record perfect with three rounds to go. He was fifth overall in Idaho.
After friends the night before talked him into racing, first-time WHS racer Cam Horner, aboard his new CRF450RX, was glad he decided to give it a go, not only winning Open A but finishing fourth overall, albeit with 14 laps done compared to the 15 completed by the top three.
Fifth overall belonged to Pro 250 winner Shane Logan, the 3 Bros./Kilmartin Racing/FXR KTM-mounted rider pushing his streak to five in a row to extend his points lead over Kawasaki of Modesto’s Zachary Kerling, the class runner-up.
Carson City Motorsports KTM’s Ryder Thomaselli earned the 250cc A victory in finishing sixth overall after some intense pressure from eventual class runner-up Seth Sadorra whose Kenda KTM ran strong the entire race, a couple of small spills making the difference.
Electric Authority KTM rider Carter Stears finished eighth overall and second Open A followed by Kerling and 200cc B winner Ky Gentry aboard his Answer Racing KTM.
After trouncing the boys to win the Big Wheel class on Saturday, local motocrosser Sienna Brown won Women B on Sunday, taking first overall in the morning race which put her ahead of the Pro Women.
Earlier, FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM’s Kaitlyn Jacobs took the Pro Women victory, moving her for the first time into the class points lead over defending champ Sharon Mowell, who was second on her MojoMotoSport Yamaha with Let’s Ride KTM-mounted Ashlee Gage third for the second weekend in a row.
However, upsetting all of the Pros was motocrosser Sienna Brown on her Rekluse KTM who took the morning race overall, as well as Women B. On Saturday, she won the Big Wheel class.
Next on the schedule is the double race weekend in Oklahoma for rounds six and seven.
