By the staff of Dirt Wheels
Photos by Collin Duffy and Daniel Gonzalez
GLEN HELEN WORCS RACE
The heat didn’t stay away for the 6th round of WORCS Racing at the infamous Glen Helen Raceway, September 13-15th. Racers pushed the limits, battled through an ever-changing rough course and the 100 plus degree temps for a chance at a podium spot. The course crew did their best to water the track enough for mud and slop to appear, and boulders were ripped out of the ground with each passing set of tires churning the Southern California dirt of Devore.
Whoops, jumps, hill climbs, braking bumps tracked out corners and the high-speed truck track kept things interesting all weekend long. As always the Pros put on a good show!
UTV SUPREMACY
After a few needed practice laps on the track in the Unclassified race Friday, the Pro UTV pilots took to the starting line Saturday for the Pro Stock class race.
GLEN HELEN WORCS RACE
After some fierce battles and well-executed passes, Corbin Leaverton #534 took his Polaris RZR RS1 to the top of the Podium. Since the competition is vast with 18 machines in the class, WORCS starts two lines and utilizes the fastest elapsed time to mark the Podium spots. That means you have to be smart and get around slow racers as quickly as you can. Turned over UTVs, broken parts, and much more plague the field and create a challenge for others.
Without surprise, veteran racer Beau Baron showed his experience Saturday. He finished in second place in his #1T Polaris RZR RS1 only 7 seconds behind Corbin. Rounding out the top three was another RS1 pilot, Ronnie Anderson showing the #52 on his Polaris.
GLEN HELEN WORCS RACE
Sunday held the SXS Pro race, where competitors had a bit more freedom to upgrade their machines more than they are allowed in other classes. Turbo inducted machines faced naturally aspirated versions in this class.
Taking the top spot was Can-Am Maverick X3 driver Cody Miller, sporting the #122. The longer wheelbase of the X3 can be hindering in tight terrain, but you couldn’t tell that with how expertly Cody wheeled his UTV. Once again, #1T Beau Baron raced the clock to land his RS1 with an XP 1000 engine to a second-place earning. Baron was last off his line but was on rails this weekend to overcome the power disadvantage for his podium spot. The third step was filled by Shawn Saxton who competes in a Polaris RZR with the #18 on the plates.
PRO ATV PILOTS
GLEN HELEN WORCS RACE
Last year, Mike Sloan was hot on the heels of the multiple championship-winning Beau Baron. One round decided the fate of the 2018 championship, and Sloan proved he had what it takes to take the #1 plate.
The Pro race featured Yamaha YFZ450R rider Sloan steeling the holeshot from the field and charging hard. Eventually, #549 Baron, racing his CST sponsored Honda TRX450R found his way to Mike and made the pass and never looked back.
Less than 30 seconds separated the two as they came through the finish line in first and second place. Logan Huff has been putting in a great showing in his first Pro year on his Yamaha YFZ450R. He finished third on the Podium for this round.
GLEN HELEN WORCS RACE
This year, WORCS decided to split up the ATV/UTV rounds away from the Dirt Bike rounds. At first, we questioned the change. After spending a weekend walking the pits, talking with racers and fans, and racing the course, we found out that the environment felt more comfortable and fun our favored four-wheel crowd with an impressive turnout. The jumps and course layout were tuned for our vehicles to be very challenging but as enjoyable as they could make it for riders of all skill levels. Go to www.worcsracing.com to find out more about their series!
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