The Nelson Report
Round 2 - 4/14/13
Racetown 395
Adelanto, CA

Round 2 of the 2013 Yamaha Quad X series was held at Racetown 395 in California’s high desert. The “hi dez” is known for having extreme weather and this weekend Quad X racers got to experience some of it. High winds blew from Saturday morning thru Sunday afternoon and only seemed to increase as the weekend progressed. The track layout was fun with many jumps and became quite technical with a slippery blue groove. Of course, the wind tried to blow riders off the track every time they left the ground.

Moto 1: Davi Haagsma pulled the first moto holeshot with his teammate Beau Baron close behind. I reached the first turn 4th but hugged the tight inside of the left hand U-turn and was able to exit in 2nd just behind Haagsma as everyone else pushed wide. The track had one main, fast line but as I experimented trying to find a way to catch and pass Haagsma I found a few lines that were faster. Haagsma was riding a strong race out front with good pace and few mistakes. I was close enough to get up next to him a few times but could never quite close the deal. All the while Baron was right on my grab bar searching for a way around me and waiting for a mistake. The three of us were never separated by more than 3 seconds the entire 20 minutes and that is how it finished. Haagsma took the win with me 2nd and Baron 3rd. Josh Row had an early race battle with Tanner Gemperle with Row eventually taking 4th, leaving the rookie pro, Gemperle, an impressive 5th.

Moto 2: Haagsma pulled the holeshot but this time I was 2nd to the first turn and again hugged the tight inside line. As we exited the 180° left hander and entered the right-handed turn two Haagsma’s line made him drift wide while my tight line set me up to square the corner and slide across the inside, eventually sliding my rear tire into Haagsma’s front as we battled for the lead. As we crested the first jump I had the lead with clear track ahead for the first time this season. The wind had picked up and the track was super slippery as the track crew watered on top of the blue groove throughout our race, so I concentrated on riding smooth and not giving my lead away. Haagsma pressured me hard for the first half of the race before throwing his goggles and then blowing a berm, letting Baron into 2nd to take over the pressuring duties for the second half. Baron had some good lines and when I made a mistake to start the final lap he tried to capitalize. Baron tucked inside in a tight left-hander but over-slid the slippery corner and lost a few bike lengths, but never stopped charging and kept me honest all the way to the finish. I took the moto win followed by Baron, Haagsma, Row and Gemperle.

Round 2 of the 2013 Yamaha Quad X series had some of the tightest racing the pro class has seen in a while. The top 3 were super close all day and pushing harder than ever. I’m really happy with how my #94 YFZ-R is working with our new Walsh Racecraft suspension paired with the Fox shocks. Looking forward to Round 3 at The Ranch on May 5th to see if we can make it two in a row.

Pro 265-450 Round #2  1 Dustin Nelson - YAM     2 David Haagsma     3 Beau Baron     4 Josh Row - YAM     5 Tanner Gemperle - YAM

Standings  1  David Haagsma 47   2  Dustin Nelson - YAM 45   3  Beau Baron 42   4  Collins  Webster 36   5  Josh Row - YAM 35

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