RACE REPORT: 2016 WHS #2 | Coalinga

By Precision Concepts | February 14, 2016

MORGAN BRAVES THE DUST AND CLOSES IN ON TOP TEN.

Coalinga, CA (February 14th, 2016) –

The fourteen-mile-long Coalinga course was incredibly dusty, bordering on silty conditions, which made a good start at the second round of the 2016 West Hare Scrambles championship incredibly important. Unfortunately for Rocky Mountain ATV/MC’s Justin Morgan, his bike wasn’t too eager to fire up. “It was extremely dry and dusty,” said Morgan, “and I just happened to get the worst start ever.” It took five kicks for Justin’s bike to finally fire and in his own words, “I was definitely the last one [to leave the line].”

Justin was able to make a few passes early-on, before anyone got too spread out by the dust, but made sure to stay safe. “Some of the downhills were really steep and rocky, and in the dust it was easy to make a mistake and go off the course. I got pretty lucky [at times].” There were pockets of racecourse with some residual moisture, where Justin was able to make most of his passes as he worked his way up through the field, but for the most part he was forced into single file as the course narrowed and the dust thickened.

One opportunity to make a couple passes was during the pit stop, and being one of the few riders who was on a four-stroke (most of the riders opted to race a two-stroke due to the tighter conditions), Justin recognized the opportunity to ride one extra lap than most of his competitors, before coming in to pit. Justin’s strategy worked to technical perfection, as he later stated, “there was a long downhill just before the pits, and my bike actually started to blubber and run out of gas on the hill, so I shut it off and coasted down, then bump-started at the bottom and made it the extra two-hundred yards or so to the pits.”

After reaching the edge of the top ten, Justin was hoping for one more lap, but the checkered flag came out, meaning he would have to settle for an eleventh place finish on the day. Morgan later said, “I just can’t wait until the day comes that I get a good start at one of these. I feel like my riding has come a long way lately, and I’ve really been working on the mental aspect of racing. I definitely feel I could contend for a top five with a start.”

Justin’s next race will be the third round of the West Hare Scramble Championship, at Gorman, CA, on March 19-20 weekend.