Lake Elsinore, CA-
Round five of the AMA National Hare and Hound Championship hit its final round before summer break; returning to Little Sahara OHV in Jericho, Utah for the Sage Riders Desert Devotional. Off-Road Support/TBT Suspension backed Jacob Argubright came into the round completely tied in points for the championship, making the stakes higher than they’ve been all season long.
On Saturday early afternoon, Jacob Argubright chose his position on the start line, and with the drop of the banner, charged to get ahead of the pack. Coming across the holeshot line, Argubright raced side by side with his competition before settling into second place. Over the next 51-miles, the three front runners including Argubright ensued in a relentless battle. Coming into the pits before taking off onto Loop 2, Argubright sat confidently in second place.
As the three front runners turned up the pace over the remaining 35 miles, Argubright held strong, building a 17-second gap over third overall. With his sights set on breaking the points tie and regaining the championship points lead before summer break, Argubright was suddenly losing power due to a mechanical failure in the rear of his bike. He now faced a new challenge, keeping the bike moving as quickly as possible to get to the finish for as many points as possible. Argubright ultimately crossed the finish line in third overall.
Argubright stated, “I came into the round completely tied for the championship with Joe (Wasson), and prepared my absolute best coming into the weekend. Dalton (Shirey) and I raced across the holeshot line together, and then it turned into an all out battle between the top three. I made the pass for second and began to set the pace, until I had a real mechanical failure and lost power. I kept the bike moving as fast as possible to take third overall, and gain the points I could. It’s been a great season so far and I look forward to the second half!”
Official AMA National Hare and Hound Results:
- Dalton Shirey (HQV)
- Joe Wasson (BET)
- Jacob Argubright (KAW)
AMA National Hare and Hound Points:
- Joe Wasson- 131
- Jacob Argubright- 127 (-4)
- Nick Burson- 78 (-53)