| NW Quad and Pit Bike Nationals Round 1 |
| Written by: Lisa Breshears |
| Photos by: Brian Blake & Lisa Breshears |
| After a two-year absence, ATV motocross racing has returned to Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA. |
| May 15, 2005, marked the beginning of the NorthWest Quad and Pit Bike National series, put on by FantomZ ATV, Devol Engineering, and QuadsOnly.com. This four race series is the first national quad only motocross (quadcross) series to be held in the Pacific Northwest.�� |
| With the quad racing community growing steadily in the last couple of years, this is a series that is much needed and welcomed in the northwest region. |
| Series organizer and promoter, Bob Lattimar, has done an excellent job of putting together his first national quadcross series. The event was well organized and offered 24 race classes to accommodate just about every rider's skill level. There were several kids and women?s classes to choose from, and even a utility class. The ATV pros did battle for a $500 event purse with a $2500 series purse at stake. The pit bike pros competed for a $250 purse with a total series purse of� $1250 up for grabs. |
| Even though Mother Nature tried her best to dampen the spirits of the hundreds of ATV racers and spectators that turned out for the event, the rain and mud only added to the excitement of the day. The NW Nationals attracted people from all along the west coast, including X-Factor Video from southern California, who were there filming footage for their upcoming DVD "The Quadfather", that is scheduled for international release this coming winter. |
| With over 400 ATV enthusiasts in attendance, there was guaranteed to be some excitement. Due to the rain, the track was quite slick, which resulted in massive mud slinging and many spinouts. There were concerns that the unfavorable track conditions could result in some nasty crashes. Fortunately, the carnage was kept to a minimum with only one serious crash. Drew Lattimar was running strong when he came off a jump and lost control, sending him and his quad slamming into the ground. Drew was lucky and came away from the crash with only a shoulder injury. However, his injury put him out of the races for the rest of the day.�� |
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| Photo by Brian Blake |
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| With the success of the first race of the series established, the stakes have been raised a bit for the second round scheduled for June 26th. A $750.00 Pro Quad purse is up for grabs, a $350.00 Pro pit bike purse, a $250.00 purse for the Pro-Am class, and holeshot awards for the Pro and Amatuer classes have been added as well. In addition, a quad only practice has been added for June 25th. The future of this series looks very promising. According to Mr. Lattimar, he is hoping to expand the series in the coming years to include other venues thoughout the Pacific Northwest. |
| (C) 2005, RC Publications, Inc. |