By:Joe Colombero
Kurt Caselli is an obvious choice for another WORCS win. He has always been fast at Havasu and he was absolutely untouchable at round 2 in Primm. Caselli is also the point’s leader and will be looking to the WORCS Championship and may settle for a podium if the leader is far out of reach. Ricky Dietrich has finished 5th and 3rd so far this season and is second in the title chase; he’ll be looking for a win and is the defending Havasu Champ. Ricky D shines on the lake course. But let’s not forget his Kawasaki teammate – Justin Soule, Soule scored a 2nd place finish at Primm and topped all but Caselli in speed and endurance. Havasu could be the race where Justin finally stands at the top of the boxes and gets his first Pro WORCS victory. Soule sits third in points.
WORCS Champion Mike Brown broke a tranny at round two and dropped to 9th in the standings after finishing 2nd at the opener. Brownie is relentless and always goes faster in the 2nd hour of the race. He’s got nothing to lose by going for the win and pulling himself up in the standings.
Another threat for the podium will be former WORCS Champ Bobby Bonds, who will be returning from injury (broken collar bone) for the first time since round one. Bondo is riding as a privateer with support from Maxxis and will be riding hard (as always) for the win and the pay-day.
Others to watch will be Colton Udall, who has been on fire in other races (he just won the San Felipe 250) and will be riding for his friend and mentor Timmy Weigand. Bobby Garrison is also threatening to make the podium as he continues to find ways to make the Husky faster. And JP Davis surprised everyone with a 6th place finish at Primm. Watch for Davis to improve every round and score some podiums before the season is through.
Missing from the gate will be Timmy Weigand, who is awaiting heart surgery and the birth of his second child. Please take a moment and say a prayer that both turn out well for Timmy and his family.
Also missing from the gate will be fan favorite Destry Abbott, out for the time being with a dislocated shoulder. But Destry will be well represented by Gary Sutherlin as the following press release from Kawasaki explains.
Irvine, Calif. (March 23, 2010) – Kawasaki dealer-assist rider Gary Sutherlin will fill in for the injured Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Destry Abbott during the third round of the WORCS series in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Abbott dislocated his shoulder last week and will continue his recovery in order to race at the next AMA National Hare and Hound event April 10.
“It is nice to be able to give a Kawasaki privateer an opportunity to ride a factory bike, especially a guy like Gary,” said Jason Smigel, off-road team manager. “He works so hard to get to the races and has proven he can do well.”
Sutherlin, who currently rides a Kawasaki KX450F for Valcom Motorsports, has shown impressive speed during the first two rounds of the WORCS series, finishing seventh at the last round in Primm, Nev. Along with riding the WORCS series, Sutherlin has also shown his range of skills while racing in the AMA Hare and Hound series, where he finished on the podium at the last round in Murphy, Idaho.
“I am very thankful for the opportunity to ride with the Monster Energy Kawasaki team,” said Sutherlin. “My current team and sponsors have all been great about it and I definitely want to represent them well. I always come into a race with good intentions and I definitely want to get in to the top five. It’s a bummer that Destry got hurt, but hopefully I can bring home a good result for him.”