Ivan Ramirez Wins Tecate Hare Scramble

[caption id="attachment_18659" align="alignright" width="300"] Ivan Ramirez made waves in his first race as a member of the Factory FMF/KTM motorsports team when he won the Tecate Hare Scramble in front of his hometown crowd in Baja California, Mexico - Photo: Neena Gordon[/caption]

Ivan Ramirez made waves in his first race as a member of the Factory FMF/KTM motorsports team when he won the Tecate Hare Scramble in front of his hometown crowd in Baja California, Mexico. The Mexican rider had competed in the race for the past five years, finishing no higher than fourth before taking the title this time around.

The 22-lap race lasted about two hours, and Ramirez led for the entirety of the event. His KTM 350 XC-F leapt out to the lead right off the starting line, allowing Ramirez to capture the holeshot prize before taking home the winner's purse.

"I am very excited to take the win at this race in front of my family, friends and fans," Ramirez said. "I chose the 350cc bike because it was a little smaller than my normal race bike and I knew the course would be tight. I was right and the bike worked perfectly."

Kawasaki's Bobby Garrison trailed Ramirez for most of the race before crossing the finish line in second place. The two riders were never separated by more than 15 seconds, Cycle News reports. Gary Sutherlin, Brando Prieto and Justin Morgan completed the top five.