Purvines DA8 Racing Team 2017 Hare and Hound Round 1 Recap

The first round of the 2017 Hare & Hound series had good results for the Purvines DA8 Racing Team. Here's the team's weekend recap from Lucerne Valley.

Gary Sutherlin
Pro
3rd Place
It was an exciting weekend at the first round of the National Hare & Hound Association. Not only that, it was raining, a rare sight in Lucerne Valley. With moisture in the dirt it was looking to be a shakeup with no dust separating the riders. Gary Sutherlin started off with a great jump and in 2nd place off the bomb. "There were 5 of us within 10 seconds of each other on the entire 1st loop. During the second loop Sutherlin made his way to the front and led for 8 miles. "It was really hard to lead and I knew the riders behind we're keying off me so I let Ricky by to try and key off him a bit but we ended up both making a mistake in the rocks, that's when Taylor got by." With epic conditions, a flowy first loop and a technical and rocky 2nd loop, Gary was pleased. "I felt like I had the speed and I should have won, but a little mistake cost me the race and that's just how it goes sometimes. I've had 3 podiums in 3 weekends, now it's time for a win." Sutherlin's next race will be in Primm, NV. for the WORCS series.

Nick Burson
Pro
6th Place
Coming off a mudder at last weekends WHS, Nick was excited to head out to the, normally, dry desert. "It was a crazy one, the weather was the biggest factor. It was pouring rain all morning and had been on and off for a few days. The desert was actually muddy in sections." When the banner dropped, Burson didn't get the jump he wanted. "I tried to push quickly to make up as many spots as possible but the course funneled single file pretty quickly." It took Burson 5-10 miles to move comfortably to 6th place. "When I looked ahead, I couldn't see anyone. I did everything I could to bridge the gap but they we're all together pushing the pace and I couldn't make it up." Getting Round 1 of the National Hare & Hound series out of the way, Burson is ready to look ahead. "My bike worked great all day. I'm looking forward to having a few race weekends off so I can get some more seat time and come ready to battle." Burson's next race will be in New Mexico for the 2nd round of NHHA.

Axel Pearson
Pro
7th Place
Axel Pearson was happy to be home in the desert, ready for the National Hare & Hound season to start up. When the banner dropped Pearson was top 10 off of the bomb and worked his way up to 7th by mile 10. "With the dirt being so good, it ended up being faster reading off the other riders. Unfortunately, I lost so much time in the beginning, it was too hard to catch the leaders after that." Pearson rode a smooth pace the rest of the race finishing in 7th. "I learned more about the bike today and what I need to work on in these coming weeks." Pearson's next race will be in New Mexico for the 2nd round of NHHA.

Ron Purvines (Team Owner): "I am very pleased with this weekend's results. The entire team is quickly getting up to speed on the new bikes. I am confident that the team's hard work will pay off in more podiums and wins soon. I am happy to see Gary make it on the podium with Nick and Axel not far behind. All 3 riders we're in the top 7, not a bad weekend."