Bonanza Plumbing KTM "SCORES" Podium In Baja
June 4th saw the 43rd running of the historic SCORE Baja 500 in
Ensenada, Mexico. KTM riders Ivan Ramirez and Brandon Prieto rode
their way to a third place finish on their 2011 450SX-F.
Third time is a charm for team sponsor Bonanza Plumbing. The
extreme nature of the Baja is a test of both riders and machinery.
In just their third attempt racing in Mexico the team was able to
put together all of the elements of a successful ride: bike, rider
and support team.
Starting 9th off the line, lead rider Ivan Ramirez quickly worked
his way into fourth position. "I actually like starting last
because it gives me people to pass...keeps me focused and
motivated" says Ivan. At the mile 100 mark, Ivan was up to third
position on the course and nearly tied with the lead bikes on
adjusted time.
Co-rider Brandon Prieto was challenged with riding the most
technical section known as "The Summit". A crash in the rocks would
slow his progress and allow the lead Hondas to gain some advantage
coming into the 200-mile mark at Borrego.
At
Borrego Ivan would remount to solo the remaining 250 miles to the
finish. Throughout the day many of his time intervals would match
those of the leaders, showing that the young 18 year old has the
right stuff to be a future Baja Champion. "The bike was great, we
did not have any problems today. The GPS registered a top speed of
113mph during the day, so we probably had a little more top speed
than the other bikes. We struggled with one tire change and
probably should have done another air filter, but overall it was
just about riding hard all day to get to the finish without any
problems. The course was very rough and technical, but the 450
handles those conditions really well".
Seeing that the leaders had a significant time advantage late in
the race, Ivan rode a conservative pace to secure the podium
finish. In doing so, he became the top finishing privateer and
Mexican rider in his hometown race. "Once I finish high school I
will have little more time to devote to racing", says Ivan. He also
is currently competing in the WORCS series and the Mexican National
Enduro Championship where he leads the Enduro Junior class.
The two JCR Honda teams would spend the day battling amongst
themselves for the overall win. With the top prize up for grabs all
day as the teams swapped positions both on the course and on
adjusted time. At the end of the day, riders Colton Udall and
Kendall Norman crossed the finish line nearly side by side in a
dead heat. It appeared the Udall/Kamo team got the win, but later
they were assessed a time penalty. This gave Kendall Norman and
Quinn Cody the overall win and relegated Colton Udall and David
Kamo to second.
For Bonanza Plumbing/KTM team owner Dean Potts it was a sweet
day.
"Considering that this was a last minute deal, we had a great race.
For everything we have been through to get here, a podium is like a
win. This is really just a stepping-stone to my vision of an
overall win. We have a lot more work to beat the Hondas, but I
think it is a realistic goal. We have the bike and riders, we just
need more development time and resources. I really have to thank
Annti Kallonen and KTM North America for helping put this deal
together. We could not have done it without them. Now we just need
to sit down and work on a race plan that can be successful for the
Baja 1000 in November."
1. Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif.
Johnny Campbell, San Clemente, Calif.
Honda CRF450X
8:47:07
2. Colton Udall, San Clemente, Calif.
David Kamo, Caldwell, Idaho
Honda CRF450X
8:57:07
3. Ivan Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico
Brandon Prieto, Ensenada, Mexico
KTM 450SXF
9:25:16
