The Arizona Motorcycle Riders Association held its second to last round in Oracle, Arizona, earlier this month for the Freedom Hare Scrambles 2. This was the second time they would race in Oracle with the first time being in November 2018. The event was held at the 3-C Ranch.
This course differed in the fact that there was no A split, meaning everyone from top pros to the C riders rode the same lines. The mini course also differed with the peewee class running down into the canyon they skipped earlier in the season. The supermini course was much faster and had a few sections of high speed action. For some, the championship could be clinched here and for others it was opportunity to close up the points gap.
The peewee riders took to the course first with yet again Deegan Fox (KTM) taking the overall win and the 65cc 7-9 class win. Finnigan Masten (KTM) would come second overall and in class, with Drake Powell (KTM) taking third in class and fourth overall. With Deegan Fox winning 8/9 races this season and only one round to go, he has locked down the 65cc 7-9 championship. Tagret Wasson, son of Factory Beta’s Joe Wasson, put on a stunning performance on his KTM 50cc and took third overall and first in the 50cc 7-9 class. Second and third would go to Kyle Riddle (KTM) and Ashton Kimbal (KTM). Riddle has easily clinched the class championship with a huge gap on second. The littlest guys with the biggest hearts came out and Cason Olvera (KTM) took the win in the 50cc 4-6 class ahead of Edward Reim (KTM) and Ryan Mermelstein (KTM). Sean Riddle (7th place) leads the points championship only 14 points ahead of Myles Mcneil (5th place) going into the last round.
The second race out was the bigger minis on a fast, flowy course. Dominic Craighill (KAW) and Samuel Campbell (TM) came onto the first lap with just a few second difference between them. Lap two held the same small gap between them with Campbell leading until a lap three crash left room for Craighill to take the lead. They’d come into scoring one second apart, but from there Craighill spent the next three laps putting a gap on Campbell. Overall Craighill would take the win with a two-minute gap on second place Campbell. Third place Chase Haynes (KAW) would finish 11 seconds behind Campbell and keep only a 60 point gap behind Craighill going into the last round.
The 85cc 12-14 had points leader Ruffin Dodson take the lap one lead but an unknown error took him out of the race after that, leaving Jeremiah Campbell (HON) to take the lead which he kept until the checkered flag. That leaves them tied in points going into the last race. Matthew Trapp (KTM) took third place and hold onto second in points by 135 points.
The 85cc 9-11 had Jackson Powell (KTM) take the early lead and keep it the entire race until the finish. Jace Vogt and Griffin Harris (Both KTM) would take second and third. Vogt holds the points lead by 48 points ahead of Powell before the last race.
The 65cc 10-11 saw Jon Nordling (KTM) take the lead from Rieder Lee (HON) on lap two and take the victory from there. Jesse Blevins-Heck held second from lap two on and took second behind Nordling. Lee would hold third after his lap one lead and take third. Nordling and Heck are 20 points apart heading into the last race.
The big bikes took to the course starting with the C riders on the newly laid out track. Yohaly Hernandez (HUSQ) would start the race fifth overall, but by lap three took the overall lead and held on for three more laps to take the overall win and the 250C win. Richard Evans (YAM) would finish second overall and second in class behind Hernandez with Louis Be Blois (HUSQ) taking third overall and first in 40+C.
The A/B race was much more heated with many more riders competing and the dust playing much more of a factor.
The AA (Pro) class lined up with a lot of talent on the line. Factory Beta’s Joe Wasson and his teammate Mason Ottersberg battled all race with Wasson taking the lead on lap three and holding it until the checkered flag. The final gap Wasson put on his teammate was two minutes. AZ Dirtbike Training’s Ryan Wells (KTM) took to the course with an injured wrist from a crash at the Idaho round of Endurocross but still put on a solid performance with a third place finish. Hard Enduro Outfitters Sherco rider Zack Brawner took fourth place and brother Nick Brawner took fifth. Points wise, Wells leads over Alec Brawner by 178 points, followed by Zack Brawner and Nick Brawner.
On the B side, Kyler Horton (HUSQ) came out of a long break from riding and put on a very strong ride, ending with a first overall B and first Open B with a 4:30 gap over second place and a 15th overall in the race. Thomas Parrella (KTM) took second Open B and second overall B. Drake Hacker (KAW) finished first 250B and third overall B.
The round 12 stop brought competitors to a challenging course with a lot to offer. The Xtreme MC club handled the race well and the volunteer effort kept the racers safe and running smoothly. Next race is December 14-15 held in conjunction with the National Grand Prix Championship Series (NGPC) in Lake Havasu, Arizona. More info at AMRARacing.com
Photos and article by Jonathan Barrett.
Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Barrett 
Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Barrett 
Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Barrett 
Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Barrett 
Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Barrett 
Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Barrett