Russell Pearson Wins Lucerne National Hare And Hound – Race Results – Dirt Rider Magazine

Team Green’s Destry Abbott went into round five of the AMA/FMF Racing National Hare & Hound Series knowing that if he won, he could take back the championship that Russell Pearson earned last year.For Pearson, the Virgin Voyage National, put on by the Vikings Motorcycle Club, was a do-or-die situation, as nothing less than a win would keep him in the hunt to repeat as series champ. And with his run of bad luck after winning round one–three consecutive thirds–he absolutely needed to turn it around at round five, held near Lucerne Valley, California.So, the two rivals waged the most heated battle to date as they fought to take and hold the lead over the two 38-mile loops on a cold, windy morning. Pearson got the start he needed on the long and flat-out bomb run on his Zip-Ty Racing/Montclair Yamaha/Moose-sponsored YZ450F, hitting the first trail a few seconds ahead of Honda’s Kendall Norman on his Precision Concepts/Honda Pro Oils/O’Neal CRF450X and Abbott’s Pro Circuit/Dunlop/THOR KX450F.Before long, Abbott got around Norman and tried to reel in Pearson, but the Yamaha rider managed to stay about 10 seconds in front of the green machine as they pitted at the end of the first loop. The second loop would end up providing most of the drama, as the two title contenders went berserk as the race wound down.Abbott passed Pearson about 10 miles into the loop and said, “From that point on, the pace just got so fast it was sickening. We were on the edge; it was pretty hairball.”We both wanted to win, for sure. He knew he had to win and I wanted to win. It was pretty wild.”But a better line in a rocky section in the final few miles got Pearson around Abbott one last time, with the Kawasaki pilot hitting the deck for good measure to seal the win for Pearson, his first since the opening round.”The guys rode well; they stuck right on me,” Pearson said of Abbott and Norman, who ended up third. Recalling one particular downhill section on the second loop that typified their battle, Pearson said, “We came down this downhill and I was kind of pinning it–I mean, these were three- or four-foot boulders we were just ricocheting off, just pinning it.”He was pinning it to the left. I go, `Okay, I’m going right.’ I saw him hit one [boulder] and fall over. I looked back just to make sure he was all right. He was already up, running back to his bike. I’m like, `Holy cow! He ain’t hurt; this isn’t over yet!’ “Round four winner David Pearson, Russell’s cousin, held fourth for much of the race–remarkable since he was in pain from a badly sprained ankle suffered during a practice session at home the week before. The Red Bull KTM rider tried his best not to dab and hurt it further, but the more technical second loop got him a couple times. Thus, when Team Green’s Brian Brown attacked in the last part of the loop, Pearson could offer no response, forfeiting the position and settling for fifth.Abbott still leads in points and is still in the driver’s seat for his fourth championship. If Russell Pearson wants to hold onto the number one plate, he must win the final two rounds. “We’re still in it,” he noted.Results1. Russell Pearson, Yamaha YZ450F
2. Destry Abbott, Kawasaki KX450F
3. Kendall Norman, Honda CRF450X
4. Brian Brown, Kawasaki KX450X
5. David Pearson, KTM 540 XC
6. Quinn Cody, Honda CRF450X
7. Matt Gosnell, KTM 525 XC
8. Kellon Walch, KTM 525 XC
9. Ryan Kudla, Yamaha
10. Nicholas Burson, Kawasaki
11. David Kamo, KTM 450 XC
12. Mathew Henderson, Kawasaki
13. Carl Maassberg, Yamaha YZ450F
14. Brent Harden, KTM 525 XC
15. Ryan Abbatoye, Kawasaki KX450F
16. Reece Honea, KTM
17. Matt Eddy, KTM
18. Brett Saunders, Kawasaki KX450F
19. Jeff Trulove, KTM
20. Charles McBurney, Yamaha