Caselli Dominates Ridgecrest Hare & Hound

FMF/KTM Factory Team rider Kurt
Caselli dominated the second round of the AMA Hare & Hound Series
held in Ridgecrest, CA when he crossed the checkered flag 8 minutes
ahead of the next closest competitor.
The weather was perfect for the second round of the series with
temperatures in the high sixties. In typical Hare & Hound style the
track was incredibly dusty as it had not rained at the race
location in quite some time. The course was made up of three loops.
The longest loop was the first at 48 miles with a second loop of 31
miles and the final loop a short 17 miles.
Caselli initially had a bad start, unable to fire his bike right
away. He eventually got off the line about 5 seconds behind the
group. The dust was so thick at that point, that he had to veer
from the original line he had picked down the bomb run. As they
neared the final stretch of the bomb he was able to move back into
his original line. Feeling more comfortable in his chosen line, he
worked his way up into 3rd place before they headed to the narrow
single-track.
Shortly into the first loop
Caselli caught and passed the 2nd place ride of David Pearson. A
few miles later the leader was within his sight. As the race
continued Caselli closed the gap on current leader Kendall Norman
to about 10 seconds. As Caselli closed in, Norman took a spill and
handed the lead to Caselli before the halfway mark of the first
lap. Once in the lead, Caselli charged forward at an incredible
pace. At the 48-mile mark, and the team's first gas stop, Caselli
had already laid down a 4 minute lead.
Caselli continued his pace on the second loop and doubled his lead
before the next gas stop. Now 79 miles into the race, Caselli had
an 8 minute lead on the competition. For the remainder of the race,
Caselli maintained his pace and went on to safely cross the line
and take the win by over 8 minutes on the rest of the field.
"It feels really good to get a win here after an unlucky result at
the first round. My bike ran flawless today. Factory Connection
made some suspension improvements between the last race and this
round that helped a ton and overall it was a great ride today,"
commented Caselli.
With two rounds down, Caselli currently sits 2nd in overall points
just 9 points away from the lead spot in the title chase. The next
round of the AMA National Hare & Hound Series will be held in El
Centro, CA on March 6, 2011.
Overall Results:
1. Kurt Caselli - KTM
2. David Pearson
3. Destry Abbott
4. Kendall Norman
5. Jacob Argubright
6. Carl Maassberg
7. Colton Udall
8. Justin Morrow
9. Quinn Cody
10. Robert Underwood
Overall Points:
1. David Pearson - 55
2. Kurt Caselli - 46
3. Destry Abbott - 46