Ryan Hughes may no longer list “motocrosser” in his job description, but he still has that type of speed. He honed it in the crucible that is AMA professional motocross, home of the world’s fastest racers and the most competitive series.Now, as a member of the FMF Suzuki Off-Road Team, he is the latest in a string of motocrossers seeking to extend their racing careers by taking them off the MX track, and he proved he’s got what it takes at round one of the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Off-Road Championship Series. Held at Speedworld MX Park just west of Phoenix, Hughes took the lead in the first turn and stayed in front with seemingly little effort for the rest of the two-hour Pro race on his ECC/Dunlop/Moose-backed RM-Z450.”It’s different; I haven’t done too many races that are two-hours long!” he said. “Gosh dang—you’re out there forever! These guys are used to it, and I’m not. It’s not so much physically demanding for me as mentally because you have to keep concentration for two hours.”People think, ‘Off-road—oh yeah, yeah, yeah.’ No. Come out here and see how rough this crap is. It’s rougher than motocross, big-time. Oh yeah, way rougher.”There’s a lot of stuff to [off-road courses like this]. You’ve got trees, you’ve got mud, you’ve got dust; you’ve got stuff that you don’t have in motocross, which is perfectly groomed.”Still, he handled both the motocross-based course with its fast surrounding desert trails and the race length with the success of a veteran. KTM’s Kurt Caselli stuck close to Hughes for much of the first half of the race after getting an excellent start, but he lost that when he stalled his FMF/Michelin/Moose 450 XC shortly after pitting for fuel and had trouble restarting the bike, even with its electric start.That enabled Mike Kiedrowski, Hughes’ teammate and the Phoenix winner last year, to make it a Suzuki 1-2 for a while. But Kiedrowski was unable to hold off second-year Pro Ricky Dietrich, who reveled in the power of his Carter Powersports/Pro Circuit/ARC KX450F after spending last year on a KX250. And both had nothing with which to answer Caselli when the former desert racer got his KTM restarted and charged back, eventually taking second place 19 behind Hughes. Dietrich ended up in third with Kiedrowski fourth and two-time defending series champ Nathan Woods fifth in his first race as a Team Green-backed competitor.Round two takes place in a month, which should give the Pros ample time to refine their setups and readjust their sights, now that Hughes has set the bar higher.WORCS Round 1 – Pro Results1. Ryan Hughes, Suzuki RM-Z450
2. Kurt Caselli, KTM 450 XC
3. Ricky Dietrich, Kawasaki KX450F
4. Mike Kiedrowski, Suzuki RM-Z450
5. Nathan Woods, Kawasaki KX450F
6. Destry Abbott, Kawasaki KX450F
7. Bobby Garrison, Yamaha YZ450F
8. Robby Bell, Honda CRF450R
9. Ty Davis, Yamaha YZ450F
10. Matt Karlsen, Kawasaki KX450F
11. Russell Pearson, Yamaha YZ450F
12. Eric Rhoten, Honda CRF450R
13. Nick Pearson, Honda CRF450R
14. Joe Oehlhof, Suzuki RM-Z450
15. Dennis Stapleton, Kawasaki KX450F
16. Nicholas Burson, Kawasaki KX450F
17. Lance Smail, Kawasaki KX450F
18. Kellon Walch, KTM 450 XC
19. Billy Binkley, Yamaha YZ450F
20. Matt Gosnell, KTM 525 XC
2. Kurt Caselli, KTM 450 XC
3. Ricky Dietrich, Kawasaki KX450F
4. Mike Kiedrowski, Suzuki RM-Z450
5. Nathan Woods, Kawasaki KX450F
6. Destry Abbott, Kawasaki KX450F
7. Bobby Garrison, Yamaha YZ450F
8. Robby Bell, Honda CRF450R
9. Ty Davis, Yamaha YZ450F
10. Matt Karlsen, Kawasaki KX450F
11. Russell Pearson, Yamaha YZ450F
12. Eric Rhoten, Honda CRF450R
13. Nick Pearson, Honda CRF450R
14. Joe Oehlhof, Suzuki RM-Z450
15. Dennis Stapleton, Kawasaki KX450F
16. Nicholas Burson, Kawasaki KX450F
17. Lance Smail, Kawasaki KX450F
18. Kellon Walch, KTM 450 XC
19. Billy Binkley, Yamaha YZ450F
20. Matt Gosnell, KTM 525 XC
