Story And Photos by Harlen Foley
Beau Judge got back to basics and back to the top step of the podium as he won the SXS Pro Production class during the ATV MC WORCS Series presented by Polaris RZR Series event at Cache Valley MX Park. Casey Sims finished first unofficially in the SXS Pro Stock race.
The event was held at a brand-new facility located near where blockbuster film “Napoleon Dynamite” was filmed. Situated in corn and alfalfa fields surrounding a motocross track, the venue was a definite departure for WORCS. With zero elevation change, the track was fast and rewarded horsepower. Dust, especially in the Sunday events, was an issue throughout the weekend and made passing difficult. The flat corners made for copius blue groove as well as sprint car slide jobs in the turns.
Judge won the first two races of the season, but he finished seventh and a 10th in the last two races. After making some changes prior to those races, Judge returned to something he knew would work, and boy did it! “We went back to what we knew and it worked,” said Judge. “I’ve had the points lead since round one, so you’re only as good as your last finish, so I get to go into the break with a win. We’re really excited about what’s going on with No Limit Racing and with Can-Am.”
Baron started third but was quickly into the dust behind David Haagsma. Haagsma had mechanical issues, which moved Baron into second and he set his sights on Judge. He narrowed the gap, but wasn’t able to make a move on Judge due to the lack of visibility. The second-place finish, combined with Haagsma’s DNF, unofficially moves him to second in points. “It’s one thing to catch someone, but to pass them in the dust is difficult,” said Baron. “I played it safe until Davy broke and Beau Judge had a big gap, so I just threw down for the last couple of laps. I caught up to him, but once I caught the dust there wasn’t much I could do.”
Baker was moved up into Pro by officials and though he initially didn’t appreciate the nudge, he came away with a smile. Driving a naturally aspirated Polaris RZR RS1 at what was likely the track that required the most horsepower on the tour, and finishing third after starting dead last was quite an accomplishment. “I wasn’t planning on doing the Pro class at this race, but they forced us to move up and ended up on the podium,” said Baker. “This is my first race in the Pro class and to get a podium is exciting. It was just a matter of how to hook up the car to the track. I was picking cars off and got past the whole second row. We caught the first row and ended up third.”
In Pro Stock, results are unofficial due to several protests, which require engine teardowns. Sims put a lot of bad luck behind him to score his first victory of the season. Baron finished second, followed by Cayden MacCachren, who was assessed a 30-second penalty for cutting the course. All three were driving Polaris RZR RS1s.
“We’re having a rough season this year, so it feels good to be up top right now,” said Sims. “It was a really close race, and I thought it was awesome. The course was big and it flowed well. The jumps were great and I love this fast stuff.”
Baron again started behind Haagsma, but took advantage of braking issues on Haagsma’s machine and got up to third behind MacCachren. He was proud to see Sims get his first Pro victory. It was pure nostalgia for WORCS’ winningest competitor.
“Cayden was ahead of me and I was just out of the dust line so I could put in some good laps,” said Baron. “I had no clue, but Sims ended up beating me by six seconds from the second row. It was great to see him win. I remember my first win and it just made me smile. It was kind of cool to see the kid step up.”
The WORCS series now heads into its annual summer break. It’s scheduled to return to action September 3-5 in Wickenburg, AZ.
