| JACOB ARGUBRIGHT WINS AMA NATIONAL HARE & HOUND OPENER |
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January 27, 2020 - Off-Road Support/TBT Suspension rider Jacob Argubright officially began the journey to defending his 2019 AMA National Hare and Hound Championship title this weekend at round one of the 2020 season in Lucerne Valley, California. Hosted by Desert Motorcycle Club, an approximately 80-mile course consisting of vast valley crossings, technical rocky terrain and flowing sand washes set the stage for what would be an exciting season opener. On Sunday morning, Argubright carefully selected his position on the start line that laid 1000 feet across an open valley; stacked with a lengthy list of Pro riders looking to dethrone the champ. As the banner dropped, Argubright did not get the jump, but was able to quickly light his KX450 to tuck in behind the wave of riders. Clicking it up a gear, Argubright pulled through to position himself in a more favorite 4th position before the end of the bomb run. As the front runners charged across the first 10-miles, Argubright battled with Joe Wasson as the two chased down Dalton Shirey. Coming into a turn into a sand wash, Argubright's rear wheel kicked up, sending him to the ground and rolling his bars completely back. Wasting no time, he picked himself back up behind Wasson to race to the pits and repair the damage. Wasson encountered issues of his own, allowing Argubright to come into the pits in 2nd place before heading out on to Loop 2. A quick repair in the pits had Argubright back out on the course looking to make up lost time on the leader. Some time into the loop, Shirey too found himself with an issue that would send him back to the pits for repairs. Now with clean air ahead of him, Argubright put his head down and settled into a pace to attempt to build the gap on second place, Nick Burson who was charging behind. Argubright utilized his technical abilities to push in the now more technical loop, and further give cushion to his lead position. Officially crossing the checkered flag 2-minutes and 49 seconds ahead of the pack, Argubright claimed the victory. “It was a really interesting day out there. After I crashed early on I just had to focus on making the best of my bars. I crashed right in front of Ricky (Brabec), so that was embarrassing! My bars were so far down I just needed to get to the pits as quickly as possible without sabotaging my race. My crew did a good job fixing things quickly, but the bars were slightly too far forward so I just adapted. The other guys had troubles today too, but I was really stoked to see them (Joe and Dalton) fix their bikes and get back in it to finish. It sets a really good example, and shows the deturmination to win the championship! I look forward to another exciting season of racing with these guys, and am looking forward to round two in Texas.” Argubright stated |
