Fresh off of his win at round seven of the AMA National Hare and Hound Championship in Lovelock, Nevada just two weeks prior, Off-Road Support/TBT Suspension rider Jacob Argubright maintained his momentum coming into round eight in Lucerne Valley, California.
Lucerne Valley, California is familiar territory for Argubright, who has spent nearly his entire life riding and racing in the area with AMA District 37. This round location would inherently give confidence to him as he lined up on the bomb run that would lead him to the 80+ mile course ahead. The course layout of this round gave spectators more excitement than usual, as Loop 1 was broken up into two mini loops, that would eventually lead into Loop 2. With the points chase at an all-time high this season between Argubright and Factory Beta’s Joe Wasson, tensions were high as the banner dropped.
Argubright was quick to fire his KX450 as the start banner fell to the ground, and he soon moved into 3rd overall as the pack raced towards the holeshot. It was Nick Burson who would claim the holeshot, and by the end of the bomb, Argubright moved into 2nd overall just after the start, but the running order would change over the next 15-miles; the first half of Loop 1. As the front runners raced into the pits, Argubright sat in 3rd overall behind Burson (1) and Wasson (2). Argubright, who did not require fuel at the first pit, made the pass on second who stopped to fuel. With the top 5 riders all coming in on the same minute, the next 33 miles of Loop 2 would give room for the riders to spread out.
Now in 2nd place overall leaving out onto the remainder of Loop 1, Argubright worked to catch the leader and build a gap on 3rd. After cresting an uphill, Argubright had reeled in Burson, and made the pass on the descent; putting him in the overall lead position. As the pack of desert specialists raced across the valleys and mountains, Argubright built a lead over 2nd place before coming into the pits by 1-minute and 16-seconds. A quick fuel stop had him heading out onto Loop 2 quickly with the lead still in tact, with Dalton Shirey in 2nd and Nick Burson in 3rd.
Over the next 35-miles, the difficulty of the terrain would increase to challenge even the best riders of the day. For Argubright, he felt right at home in the high desert terrain, and found himself building a gap on the rest of the field. After just over an hour, in the distance, spectators pointed at the spritz of dust that appeared from the edge of the valley. It was Jacob Argubright who could be seen in the fluorescent orange Fly Racing helmet racing towards the finish line. Argubright crossed the checkered flag enthusiastically, unofficially taking the win of the second to last round of the series. Within the next couple minutes, Dalton Shirey cross in 2nd place just ahead of 3rd place Nick Burson.
Argubright stated - “I felt good coming into the weekend, it had been a bit of a sprint trying to get everything re-prepped after the last round, but my sponsors and family helped where they could to get this done. I like Lucerne Valley, and every year 100’s MC put on a memorable event. I am excited about my finish this weekend at round eight, and I will now focus my efforts on the final round coming in two weeks. I now sit just 10-points ahead of Joe (Wasson). Congratulations to Dalton and Nick, we had a great day racing out in the desert once again.”
