2021 Idaho WORCS
2021 Idaho WORCS Report —
The 2021 WORCS series had one more event scheduled before taking a break for most of the Summer. The fifth round of the season headed to Cache Valley, Idaho for some grass-track racing. The hosting location is just south of Preston, Idaho and features a bit of a departure from the standard racing terrain on the West Coast. The Cache Valley MX track is the anchor point of the course. Then, the track heads out to the surrounding farmland, which is comprised of mostly flat, grass-track style terrain. It made for a pretty fast course, outside of a small section of single-track through a few trees and a marsh. Part of the course would even serpentine through a cornfield. However, the corn was very early in the growing season, and so not tall enough to form a maze.
J.P. Alvarez – 4th place Pro 250
As the gate dropped for the Pro 250 riders to take to the course for the two-hour pro main event, J.P. got off to a great jump. Through the first few corners, he only trailed fellow Kawasaki MX rider Chance Hymas (who was getting a bit of cross-training in). Alvarez locked himself into the second position through about half of the first lap until an untimely fall relegated him to fifth. After remounting, Alvarez worked back into his pace and began to reel in the riders ahead. By the mid-point of the race, J.P. was the fastest rider on course. He’d passed up to fourth, and closed right onto the rear fender of Colton Aeck in third. Unfortunately, J.P. hit a bit of a wall in the form of Aeck’s dust. Though the Kawasaki pilot had more speed, he wasn’t quite able to push a hole in the dust and make an overtaking maneuver. As the laps wound down, Alvarez continued to push and try to force Aeck into a mistake, but one was never forthcoming and J.P. was forced to settle for fourth place on the day.
Clay Hengeveld – 14th place Pro 250
Hengeveld didn’t get off to the greatest of starts. As the pack headed into the off-road, he was just inside the top-ten, but he was aggressively pushing forward. Clay had made a couple positions and was battling for sixth place on the opening lap. He was accelerating side-by-side with the sixth-place rider, nearly overtaking the spot. Then, the riders came together as they entered the next turn, with Clay on the outside. With nowhere to go, Hengeveld stuck his front end in a deep mud hole and went over the bars. Unfortunately, Clay’s front break line was gravely damaged in the incident. So, the KX250 rider did the best he could to maintain some pace through the first lap before he could make his way into the pits. From there, the PC Kawasaki crew vigorously worked to swap his front brake system out. The team got him back on track, but the damage had been done as Clay lost minutes in the ordeal. After rejoining the race, Hengeveld found himself mired back in the Pro-Am riders. Showing his grit, he continued to push forward, showing solid pace, but was only able to recover to fourteenth when the checkers came out.
Robby Bell, Team Manager
“Overall, I’d say this was an improved performance for J.P. He had plenty of pace in the middle of the race, but that early fall pushed him behind the riders he needed to be ahead of. If he can figure out the first couple laps, he’ll be where he wants to be. But the class is so competitive, you just can’t afford to give up any ground over the opening laps.
“What a bummer for Clay. He was feeling really good entering the weekend, but that dark cloud just wouldn’t subside this weekend. Once we got his front brake system swapped, he was so far back. I applaud his effort to continue to push forward, but there really wasn’t much he could do with the time he’d lost. Hopefully, he can get some solid training in over this break and come August he’ll be able to show the results he so desirous of.”
Photos
Credit: Dirt Nation Magazine
JP Alvarez
Clay Hengeveld
Robby Bell
Results
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Standings
• Pro 450 Championship Standings
• Pro 250 Championship Standings
View more results by clicking here to visit the WORCS scoring site.
2021 WORCS Schedule
1. Jan 23-24 – Lake Havasu, AZ
2. Feb. 20-21 – Peoria, AZ
3. Mar. 27-28 – Lake Havasu, AZ
4. Apr. 17-18 – Taft, CA
5. Jun. 12-13 – Preston, ID
6. Sep. 11-12 – Cedar City, UT
7/8. Sep. 25-26 – Devore, CA (Double Round)
9. Oct. 23-24 – Mesquite, NV
10. Nov. 20-21 – Primm, NV
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