Dickson Destroys Series Regulars at Illinois OMA

Shea Dickson is one of those racers who only participate in the Parts Unlimited Off-road Motorcycle and ATV Nationals when the series is close to home. So when it stopped for round nine—The Race, presented by Pirelli—near Morrison, Illinois, he took advantage of its proximity to home and entered for only the third time this season.

Obviously, he felt comfortable in the area where he does much of his racing, and he picked up his first OMA win of the year to go along with third-place finishes at the Moose Run (held at the same venue) and in Missouri. It took him one hour, 50 minutes and 32 seconds to complete the three-lap race totaling about 36 miles. Series regulars Curt DeMay and Kevin Tinsley ended up second and third, respectively, in 1:51:00 and 1:52:27.

Dickson got out in front quickly on his self-sponsored TRX450R, with Ryan Smith and Patrick Lunde tucking in behind on their YFZ450s. Both, of the Yamaha racers, however, would encounter minor problems that ended up putting them back in the pack by the end of the three-lap race. "I looked back, and he was gone," Dickson said of Smith.

Despite a broken component in the rear end on the last lap that left the rear brake practically inoperable and the wheels wobbly, Dickson had a healthy enough cushion to nurse it in with the lead intact. "I don't know what happened," he said. "The last lap it was just squealing. On the straightaways, it got a little hobble."

Tinsley worked his way up to second on his Honda, but DeMay snuck past him in the last half of the race. "I was about fourth off the start then I got passed by Patrick [Lunde] the first lap," DeMay reported. "I was following Patrick, and I finally got by him because he had to get gas so that put me in third. Kevin got by me again, then I got by him and I just pulled on him.

"It was pretty fun."

Tinsley had the last word in fun, though. On the podium, he got the holeshot in popping the cork on his bottle of champagne, sprayed the others, then sprinted away from Dickson and DeMay.

With one round left in the series and Rob Zimmerman already having clinched the championship, the fight is still tight for second place. DeMay holds a seven-point margin over Tinsley, 147-140, while Lunde sits fourth with 123. That's before throwaways (of which there are three) are factored in. Thus, the finale in Oklahoma could see some changes in the final standings.

Pro Results, OMA National Round 9
1. Shea Dickson, Honda TRX450R
2. Curt DeMay, Yamaha YFZ450
3. Kevin Tinsley, Honda TRX450R
4. Jeremy Smith, Yamaha YFZ450
5. Doug Flinner, Kawasaki KFX400
6. Ryan Smith, Yamaha YFZ450
7. Patrick Lunde, Yamaha YFZ450
8. Kevin Benjegerdes, Honda TRX450R
9. John Stehlik, Yamaha YFZ450