June 12th,
2011
Louisiana Cross-Country Series
Round 5: The Jim Bowie
GNCC Pro Morgan Moss Takes The Win
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By: AcadianaRacing.com
Photos by: Chris Shows and LACC Staff
Sicily Island, LA
The wrap-up of the first half of the 2011
Louisiana Cross-Country Series took place in the hills of Sicily
Island at the 3rd Annual Jim Bowie event.
Surprisingly enough the near three digit, humid temperatures and
dry, dusty conditions didn’t turn away well over 400 race fans from
getting one last fill of the series before the summer break.
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As predicted by riders on the front XC1 Expert starting line, Jake Haddox (KTM/Brewton Insurance/MTA) took the holeshot with the help of his pit crew. Shortly before the start, his father dumped water on the dry, loose sand in front of his bike to pack down his line. Mission accomplished! During the first lap Andy Beebe (KTM/Scott Equipment/Hutchinson’s ATV) then made his way around Haddox, took the lead, and held it for the first three laps as he was getting used to a borrowed KTM 300 [normally rides a 250]. Left: #44 Haddox / #2 Beebe |
GNCC Pro Morgan
Moss (FAR Husqvarna/Fly Racing/Asterisk/EKS Brand
Goggles/Pro Circuit) pictured worked his way up from the
back of the pack through the blinding dust to take the win. In addition to taking home the majority of the cash purse and first place plaque, Moss was presented with a large custom engraved Bowie Knife courtesy of Begneaud Manufacturing. Bryan Vaughan (Moose, Dunlop, IMS, HHOC, RV Town) put in a very impressive charge from a bad start up to second place passing Beebe toward the end of the event. Beebe took home some cash as he landed the final podium spot. |
Moss when interviewed on the podium
commented, “…I tucked the front end up there in the sand [right
off start] and fell back quite a bit, started pushing, blew out a
turn and took off down a power line, and then basically just worked
from the rear all day - trying to pass people in the dust was a
disaster…got up front and rode with Andy for a little bit and we had
some fun, he let me around and just kind of cruised on in”.
Moss went on to thank Shawn Mundy who was with him [note: Mundy used
to wrench for David Knight], Husqvarna of America, Fly, Asterisk,
Fred Andrews, his race mechanic Joey, Pro Circuit, Ohlins, DP,
Renthal, EKS Brand, Maxxis, Enduro Engineering, Mom & Dad, and
everyone else who helps out.
Defending series champion and 2-Time
World MX Champion Trampas Parker (KTM/Munn/Arai/Fly/TCP MX Schools)
was in the mix until he tried to make a pass on Beebe hitting a
stump and busting one of his tubes. Parker just laughed it off
afterward pointing out that last year it took a few flats for him to
start using foam inserts. Current overall point’s leader Jason
Harvey (SUZ) unfortunately fell back from the lead pack due to
mechanical issues related to the dust. No sweat though Parker
and Harvey are definitely still in the hunt for the championship
because all racers have two drops.
In the XC2 Expert
Lites class, Ryan Breaux (KTM/Chuck’s Used
Appliance/Performance Cycles) pictured showed his toughness
by sticking it out even after getting sick on the last lap.
He earned valuable championship points with the win. Young Evan Shows (KTM/Mike’s Cycle Supply) placed second followed by Clint Woods (KTM/Mike’s Outdoors/Woods Tank). The top Expert riders and others were able to showcase their hill climbing skills by conquering both the Woods Tank and Wallis Wood Works optional extreme sections! |
As always, excellent coverage of this
race including helmet cam footage of several riders will be posted
on AcadianaRacing.com. Thanks to all of our media excellence
crew for promoting the sport!
About the series:
The MTA Louisiana Cross-Country Series is a 10-round championship
series promoted by AcadianaRacing.com. Venues test each
rider’s overall ability by offering motocross sections, hills,
roots, occasional rocks, woods trails, grass tracks, extreme
obstacles, etc. In addition to pure speed riders must have the
endurance to push hard for over an hour and a half. The series
is made possible by title sponsor MTA, Gas Gas Offroad US,
FilterSolution.com, Pierce & Shows Attorneys; Spectro, Enduro
Engineering, KTM, Mike’s Outdoors, Southern Trophy, Woods Tank,
Wallis Wood Works, Team ¾, Bayou Suspension, Fair’s Diesel Service,
Moose Racing, Evangeline Specialties, RidePG.com, MXPrints.com, Dirt
Wise Riding Schools, OutOfBoundFilms.com, iFence, SideLineFilms, and
Honda.
Results:
OVERALL: 1. Morgan Moss (HUS); 2. Bryan Vaughan (KTM); 3. Andy Beebe (KTM); 4. Jake Haddox (KTM); 5. Ryan Breaux (KTM); 6. Evan Shows (KTM); 7. Clint Woods (KTM); 8. John Mclemore (KTM); 9. Christopher Roberts (KTM); 10. Jason Reine (KTM); 11. Aaron Saxon (YAM); 12. Dakotah Smith (KTM); 13. Brett Fontenot (KTM); 14. Al Cravens (KTM); 15. Hoot Parker (HON); 16. Jason Harvey (SUZ); 17. Andy Chance (KTM); 18. Edmund Herrington (KTM); 19. Roy Smith (KTM); 20. Jeff Plunkett (KTM);