WORCS Pro #7 Justin Waters Knocks on the Door of a Top Ten, At Round Number Two in Primm, Nevada
Four and a half miles of narrow, winding course marked in the Nevada desert just 10 miles south of Las Vegas, the second round of the 2011 WORCS ATV Nationals threw every challenge it could at the Pro riders last weekend. Within just a lap or two during Saturday’s practice and qualifying, and certainly in the intense final on Sunday afternoon, the sandy track became a battleground of rough, deep whoops and high-crested bermed corners. Yamaha YFZ450R rider # 7 Justin Waters was there to take it on.
We knew it would get rough it’s all sand, it had to whoop-out eventually. But it broke down really quickly. Probably the best thing I had going for me this weekend was my Precision Shock and Vibe Handlebar clamps; and definitely my Fox Racing Shox.
Waters logged a solid qualifying effort, posting the 10th fastest time on Saturday. His gate pick earned him a fairly middle-of-the-line placement, where he could hopefully avoid getting shoved too wide at the first turn or being pinched off on the inside and caught in a pile-up. With a dead-engine start though, it was likely to spread out the riders immediately and it did.
As the flag dropped on Sunday, the entire pack was off without incident. First time through the pits Justin was running well, just behind the leaders and ahead of the mid-pack group he regularly battles with. Coming out of the high-speed pits on the asphalt though, he apparently had a small rock or something in his brake caliper, because his brakes locked up at the last split second he needed to make a 90-degree corner. Luckily he only got hung up in the hay bales and didn’t end up head-on with the lead motorcycles racing on their parallel track but while he tried to get his quad pulled out and his kill-switch shoved back in, two other riders got around him. It took him less than a lap to get back around one of them, but the three continued to run very close throughout the entire 90-minute race. At the 60-minute mark he pitted and had a slight fumble refueling, costing him precious seconds and allowing Mike Cafro to get in front of him and widen the gap. He ran strong with no mechanical problems or riding errors, and earned an 11th place finish just out of the money.
Waters is understandably philosophical about his mid-pack finish:
This season is going to be tough. There are several strong multi-rider teams now, and those guys have a huge advantage. Beside the obvious sponsorship bucks, they have mechanics and pit support; they are able to focus full-time on training. There are only a couple of us this year running in the top that are privateers. I’m juggling work, school, training as much as I can ? and prepping my quads myself. Considering the level of competition in the series this year, I’m pretty happy with an 11th place finish right now. I just need to keep working hard, and be in the right position when an opportunity opens up.
WORCS ROUND 2 TOP FINISHERS:
1st – Josh Creamer – North Stonington CT
2nd – Jeremie Warnia – Lake Elsinore CA
3rd – Josh Frederick -Moapa NV
4th – Beau Baron -Atascadero CA
5th – Josh Row -El Cajon CA
6th – Dustin Nelson -El Cajon CA
7th – David Haagsma -Bakersfield CA
8th – Jarrod McClure – Kaska PA
9th – Michael Cafro -Bonsal CA
10th – Robbie Mitchell – Price UT
11th -Justin Waters -Las Vegas NV
Justin Waters – racing to the podium with:
HotSeat Powersports, Yamaha, Teixeira Tech, Fox Shox, Maxxis, Blingstar, Devil Exhaust America, Precision Racing Products, Moose Racing, Motion Pro, Easton Handlebars, Scott USA, K&N Filters, Rekluse, DP Brakes, Powermadd, G4 Graphics, Quadtech, Spider Grips, DWT, Rockwell Watches, HEP, Novik Gloves, Prone To Rage Clothing