Justin Williamson sailed away...
Justin Williamson sailed away with his first career OMA pro win at round six in Missouri.
Justin Williamson was destined to win sooner or later, and it finally happened at the Moonshine 100 presented by ITP, round six of the Parts Unlimited Off-road Motorcycle and ATV Nationals.
On the first lap of the race a few miles outside of Memphis, Missouri, RM250 rider Jimmy Jarrett jumped into the lead, intent on extending his series win streak to three, followed by Chris Robertson on a KX250 and YZ250-mounted Williamson.
Shane Watts put in an almost...
Shane Watts put in an almost effortless ride for second.
Unfortunately for the first two, mechanical troubles sent them to the pits prematurely. Williamson had gotten by both on the fast grass track portion of the course in the last part of the first lap, he said. "Once I got into the tight woods, Jimmy was behind me, and I just tried to push as hard as I could to pull away from him. I guess it kind of worked."
Indeed it did, as no one managed to get close enough to even see him due to his winning margin of nearly three minutes.
New father Shane Watts worked his way into second place fairly early on his 200 E/XC and spent much of the two-plus-hour race riding a comfortably quick pace. "I was riding nice and easy, but my brakes were going out on me," he said. "It was the quickest two-hour race everfelt like no more than an hour! I was stoked about that."
Brian Garrahan passes a lapper...
Brian Garrahan passes a lapper en route to third overall.
Chris Bach, who'd ended up on the podium with his third-place finish (a series best for him) at the previous round, found himself in that spot again in Missouri on his 250 E/XC. This time, however, he was unable to fend off RM250-mounted Brian Garrahan, who'd made some mistakes on the first lap then battled back through the pack's dust despite brake problems and self-diagnosed sub-par riding in the tight sections.
Still, Bach wasn't disappointed with his result, saying, "I'd rather get fourth and go home with no broken bones than ride over my head and go home with a broken arm and last place. It was a good weekend."
Dustin Gibson and his new 250 SXF visited the series for the first time and finished fifth: "I had a stock bike, and it kind of beat me upmotocross suspension so...."
Dirty yet happy, Williamson...
Dirty yet happy, Williamson gets a hug from his uncle, Chris.
OMA Nationals Round Six Pro Results - Memphis
1. Justin Williamson, Yamaha YZ250
2. Shane Watts, KTM 200 E/XC
3. Brian Garrahan, Suzuki RM250
4. Chris Bach, KTM 250 E/XC
5. Dustin Gibson, KTM 250 SXF
6. Allan Westerfield, Kawasaki KX250
7. Jamie Driskell, Yamaha YZ250
8. Tracy Bachman, Honda CRF250R