Defending EnduroCross champion Taddy Blazusiak of Poland raced to a hard-fought win, opening the E3 Spark Plugs-sponsored 2010 GEICO EnduroCross Series at Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena July 17. Touted the sport’s “premier showman,” Blazusiak rode his Red Bull KTM to victory over Geoff Aaron and Cory Graffunder.
Ten time National Trials champ Aaron kick-started race day by setting the fastest time in the Pioneer Hot Lap, which determined the gate picks for the evening heat races. When the dust settled, Blazusiak, Graffunder and Mike Brown were awarded the best gate picks for the main event. Blazusiak wond the $750 Girardi Wealth Management holeshot award, but it proved a short-term victory when Aaron quickly passed him by. The two riders ran neck-and-neck during the first half of the race, until a mishap sent Aaron tumbling into the GEICO rock garden. That gave Blazusiak a small lead that he managed to hold for the rest of the race.
The competition for third place proved to be a nail biter. Graffunder, Brown, Justin Soule, Gary Sutherlin, Cody Webb and Kyle Redmund. Each had a shot at the podium at various times during the race, but all bets were on Webb until he crashed into the Monster water hole. Brown and Soule followed closely for fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ricky Dietrich provided the biggest shock of the day when he crashed during the Last Chance Qualifier, knocking him from the main event. Lucas Oil rider Colton Haaker, last year’s E3 Spark Plugs Junior champion also sat out the main event on the bench.
Next up for the GEICO EnduroCross Series presented by E3 Spark Plugs, maker of the top-rated E3 motorcycle spark plugs: Round Two at Guthrie, Oklahoma’s Lazy E Arena August 14.
2010 Las Vegas EnduroCross Expert Class results:
1. Taddy Blazusiak KTM
2. Geoff Aaron Christini KTM
3. Cory Graffunder Husqvarna
4. Mike Brown KTM
5. Justin Soule Kawasaki
6. Gary Sutherlin Kawasaki
7. Kyle Redmond Kawasaki
8. Jamie Lanza Kawasaki
9. Destry Abbott Kawasaki
10. Cody Webb Gas Gas
11. Kevin Rookstool KTM
2010 AMA EnduroCross Racing – Championship Schedule – Calendar
• Saturday, July 17; Las Vegas, NV – Orleans Arena
• Saturday, August 14; Guthrie, OK – Lazy E Arena
• Friday, August 27; Indianapolis, IN – Pepsi Coliseum
• Saturday, September 11; Everett, WA – Comcast Arena
• Saturday, October 30; Denver, CO – National Western Complex
• Saturday, November 20; Las Vegas, NV – Orleans Arena