Round 8, Lost Creek
Ashburn Manhandles Lost Creek
BY DEBBIE
ALLEN
PHOTO BY JASON
MILLER
Sparta, Tennessee, Jan 23
Snow in Tennessee has a way of shutting things down, especially schools, but class for the fifty-four Youth who traveled from Indiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee have long since graduated from the Mid-South Hare Scrambles Series academy. They learned what was tough earlier in the season, so the snow, slush, and ice posed no problem for most.Up front in the Junior A division, Jordan Ashburn out slicked them all, coming in first place. He showed everyone how to ride because he got the holeshot and was the front runner for the remaining three laps. He manhandled his Kawasaki and never looked back at the eleven other riders in his class.
Daniel Sullivan stepped it up a notch as he pulled into the score tent in second place. He battled with Dylan Ritter a few times and claimed that it was slick on the first lap. Ritter got hung on hill and that was the last time that Sullivan had seen him. Ritter finished in third place while Shane Pena took fourth and Buddy Wall slid into fifth.
Vortex /Cycra / Mom and Dad sponsored Sullivan said, "It was a fun track, and I really enjoyed it a lot."
"I got stuck on that hill every lap," said Ritter. "On the third lap, I could hear Pena coming up behind me, but it was at a part that I liked. I just gave it all I had and held him off."
Tanner Byarly, winner of Junior B, got the lead going up that same hill. Off the start, he was in second place until the leader, Tyler Carter, started to slide. Byarly took advantage and charged into the lead. Later, he heard Carter coming up from the rear, and then he didn’t hear him anymore. Carter went down and Byarly decided to slow it down to stay on top of his RM 85, Suzuki. It worked. The Sarge’s Cycles / Sinsalo / Decal Works / IMS backed Byarly slowed it down to go faster, finishing first with a minute and a half to spare.
For this season , Pro Taper / Thor / DP Brakes / VMI / Excel supported Nash has two wins and three seconds under his belt. He is currently in second place in points while Carter ranks at the head of the class. Carter finished this race in third.
"It had a lot of steep hills," said the Obermyer’s Yamaha backed Cole Kirchoff. "It was kind of slick and real muddy and stuff. I made it up them OK, but I was wondering how the little kids were going to make it up them."
The Pee Wees faced some hard times at Lost Creek. It was more than a challenge for the fifteen riders who raced. Most managed it well as they made two or more laps to complete a very difficult four miles.
Kirchoff took second place in the Pee Wee 7-8 bracket while Austin Smith won. Tyler Bottoms won Pee Wee 4-6 and was followed by Sam Thurman, Zachary Kirchoff, Ben Jones, and Kenneth Wolfe.