Despite overheating the motor...
Despite overheating the motor on day three, Wayne Matlock (shown) and Chad Prull still won the overall.
Wayne Matlock and Chad Prull won the first three days, building up a substantial lead at the four-day-long McMillin Nevada 1000, round three of Best in the Desert's Silver State Series. And they needed it to hold on and take the overall Quad Pro victory in this inaugural event.
"We were a little worried with the overheating problems and some oil issues [during day three when we finished fourth]," Matlock related. "But we pulled it off. We took it half-throttle today and yesterday. We knew we had a good lead on everybody so it was just cruise it in and finish to win."
Shane Strunk (shown) and Allen...
Shane Strunk (shown) and Allen White claimed third Quad Pro on the final day and second overall.
Their day four time was an unofficial two hours, 42 minutes and 58 seconds, giving the Alba Suzuki/Elka/ITP-backed pair a four-day total of 21:21:18.
The day belonged to Nicholas Granlund and Shaun Moore, who were ninth-fastest among all bikes and ATVs in 2:37:27 on their Floyd's Ace Hardware/Saitta Trudeau Chrysler Dodge/Double M Construction YFZ450. Problems earlier in the race dropped them to 12th overall ATV for the weekend though.
Shane Strunk and Allen White were consistently quick enough all four days to earn runner-up honors in Quad Pro on their Golden West Cycle/Precision Concepts/ITP TRX450R in 21:34:59. They were third ATV on the final day in 2:49:46, unofficially.
But for Jimmy Stephensen's huge crash on day two, he and Greg Stuart would probably have fared better. Even after that, with Stuart having to shoulder the majority of the riding duties, they did remarkably well and were not far out of second overall ATV, racking up a total time of 21:35:47. The final day saw them run their repaired Skat Trak/JS Pest Control Kawasaki to fifth Quad Pro in 2:45:22, unofficially.
Greg Stuart (shown) and Jimmy...
Greg Stuart (shown) and Jimmy Stephensen hauled but finished the final day fifth, good enough for third overall.
Likewise, they were just ahead of the Quad Expert winners: Kevin Canepa, Mitch Canepa and Gregory Price on their CzStyle/MT Construction/Searchlight TRX450R. They led the class all four days and were the third-fastest ATV overall on day two. The final day found the trio the fifth overall ATV in 2:43:45, unofficially, giving them a four-day total of 21:36:27.
For day-by-day results from the Nevada 1000, scroll down.
Unofficial Nevada 1000 ATV Results - Day Four
1. Nicholas Granlund/Shaun Moore, Yamaha YFZ450
2. Cyle Chislock/Josh Frederick, Honda TRX450R
3. Shane Strunk/Allen White, Honda TRX450R
4. Wayne Matlock/Chad Prull, Suzuki LT-Z400
5. Kevin Canepa/Mitch Canepa/Gregory Price, Honda TRX450R
6. Jimmy Stephensen/Greg Stuart, Kawasaki KFX400
7. Anthony Baker/Greg Row, Bombardier 650
8. Mark Bunderson/Todd Hunter/Mike Powada, Honda
9. Brandon Carter/Eric Lemley/David McCarroll, Honda
10. Brett Callen/Travis Dillon, Bombardier 650
Unofficial Nevada 1000 ATV Results - Four-Day Total
1. Wayne Matlock/Chad Prull
2. Shane Strunk/Allen White
3. Jimmy Stephensen/Greg Stuart
4. Kevin Canepa/Mitch Canepa/Gregory Price
5. Cyle Chislock/Josh Frederick
6. Brandon Carter/Eric Lemley/David McCarroll
7. Brett Callen/Travis Dillon
8. Carter Youngblood/Richard Youngblood/Steve Youngblood, Honda
9. Gareth Dihel/Kyle Pethers, Honda
10. Joshua Edwards/Jeff Hancock, Honda
Stephensen/Stuart Pull Off Miracle Day-Three Win at Nevada 1000
Greg Stuart (shown) and the...
Greg Stuart (shown) and the injured Jimmy Stephensen passed a number of bikes to earn the fastest ATV time.
After a violent high-speed crash with fellow competitor Cyle Chislock, Jimmy Stephensen didn't know that Greg Stuart was his partner. He repeated the same questions so many times (a fairly certain indicator of a concussion) that his pit crew wrote down a list of all the questions he was asking as well as their answers, handed it to him and had him read it. "Hey, I was going to ask that one next," he reportedly said.
But as far as their involvement in the four-day-long McMillin Nevada 1000, round three of Best in the Desert's Silver State Series, that appeared to be a bit shakey. After all, the crash meant that Stephensen would have little, if any, part of riding in the remaining two days, and they'd dropped a few minutes, though it only cost them one position in Quad Pro. They'd begin day three's 323-mile race the third Quad Pro off the line.
Shane Strunk (shown) and Allen...
Shane Strunk (shown) and Allen White were in the hunt all day but couldn't improve on their runner-up finish from day two.
Of course, there are no guarantees in racing, as Wayne Matlock and Chad Prull rediscovered. The Quad Pro leaders for the first two days on their LT-Z400, they had to deal with an overheating issue due to the radiator being clogged with desert foliage, as well as other problems. Instead of leading for the third day in a row, they dropped to fourth for the day in six hours, 41 minutes and 44 seconds, unofficially.
No, on the third day of racing, three other teams battled for the lead, and in the end it was the Stephensen/Stuart duo taking it in an unofficial 6:38:29. That put them just six seconds ahead of Honda racers Shane Strunk and Allen White, who were one minute ahead of Chislock and partner Josh Frederick on their TRX450R. (The Chislock/ Frederick bike overheated its engine due to a sliced radiator hose in day two's crash and needed a top-end rebuild which took more than the one hour permitted which resulted in a time penalty.)
Wayne Matlock (shown) and...
Wayne Matlock (shown) and Chad Prull didn't have time to sightsee on day three, as they dropped from first to fourth.
"Jimmy rode one leg todayabout 40 milesbut I rode about 280 today," Stuart said; "I'm planning on riding the whole [119] tomorrow."
While they hold only a slight chance of catching up enough cumulative time to win the race overall, Stuart reminded, "Things happen out there in the desert; it's a long race! Anything can happen. We're just going to try to be there, keep driving forward, have quick pits and go from there."
Unofficial Nevada 1000 ATV Results - Day Three
1. Jimmy Stephensen/Greg Stuart, Kawasaki KFX400
2. Shane Strunk/Allen White, Honda TRX450R
3. Cyle Chislock/Josh Frederick, Honda TRX450R
4. Kevin Canepa/Mitch Canepa/Gregory Price, Honda TRX450R
5. Wayne Matlock/Chad Prull, Suzuki LT-Z400
6. Joshua Edwards/Jeff Hancock, Honda TRX450R
7. Anthony Baker/Greg Row, Bombardier 650
8. Brett Callen/Travis Dillon, Bombardier 650
9. Brandon Carter/Eric Lemley/David McCarroll, Honda
10. Gareth Dihel/Kyle Pethers, Honda
Day Two: Matlock/Prull Continue to Rule Nevada 1000
Shane Strunk (pictured) and...
Shane Strunk (pictured) and Allen White moved up in the standings by getting second Quad Pro on day two.
Day two marked the halfway point of the inaugural McMillin Nevada 1000, round three of Best in the Desert's Silver State Series, and Suzuki racers Wayne Matlock and Chad Prull added several more valuable minutes to their cumulative lead by winning the day resoundingly. Their unofficial time for the 331-mile-long loop out of Tonopah on Friday, July 8, was seven hours, 10 minutes and 29 secondsgood enough to place 10th overall among the larger, faster motorcycles.
Behind them, though, things changed quite a bit.
Chad Prull (pictured) and...
Chad Prull (pictured) and Wayne Matlock extended their overall ATV lead by winning Quad Pro for the second straight day.
While battling for the runner-up ATV spot, Honda-mounted Cyle Chislock and Kawasaki rider Jimmy Stephensen apparently ran into each other at high speed, according to CT Racing's Allen Knowles who helps sponsors both teams. Though Chislock escaped serious injury, Stephensen needed a trip to the hospital to check on a suspected concussion. Both machines also required repair, though they did finish. Stephensen's teammate Greg Stuart now faces the last two days as a solo pilot, though, remarkably, the pair remains third Quad Pro, finishing the day in 7:27:02, unofficially.
Greg Price (pictured) and...
Greg Price (pictured) and Kevin and Mitch Canepa easily outran the other Quad Experts on day two.
Chislock and Josh Frederick are fifth Quad Pro with an unofficial time of 8:05:12.Taking runner-up ATV honors for the day instead were Shane Strunk and Allen White on their TRX450R; they finished in 7:14:53, unofficially.
The Kevin Canepa/Mitch Canepa/Gregory Price trio led the Quad Experts by a substantial margin on their TRX. Their unofficial time of 7:18:03 was the third-fastest ATV on the day and about 44 minutes quicker than the next Quad Expert.
Day two's course ran in a giant loop to the northwest of Tonopah, crossing over several mountain ranges as high as 8500 feet. The trees and elevation changes were in marked contrast to the course as it dropped down onto the flatter, more featureless areas closer to Tonopah. The remaining two days will run on different loops though they'll still utilize the start/finish area in Tonopah.
Unofficial Nevada 1000 ATV Results, Day Two
1. Wayne Matlock/Chad Prull, Suzuki LT-Z400
2. Shane Strunk/Allen White, Honda TRX450R
3. Kevin Canepa/Mitch Canepa/Gregory Price, Honda TRX450R
4. Jimmy Stephensen/Greg Stuart, Kawasaki KFX400
5. Joshua Edwards/Jeff Hancock, Honda TRX450R
6. Brett Callen/Travis Dillon, Honda
7. Cyle Chislock/Josh Frederick, Honda TRX450R
8. Damon Gill/Brandon Holly/Eric Shenberger, Yamaha
9. Brandon Carter/Eric Lemley/David McCarroll, Honda
10. Carter Youngblood/Richard Youngblood/Steve Youngblood, Honda
Click here for Day One results.