by: Shan Moore
Tuesday, March 8, 2016 | 11:25 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Fasnacht Fastest At Daytona WMX
Kylie Fasnacht leaves Florida with the initial points lead.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 8, 2016) – Kylie Fasnacht drew first blood in the Women’s Motocross Championship Series after taking a hard-earned overall victory at round one of the series held at historic Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, her 2-1 moto finish trumping Kaitlyn Morrow’s 1-2 performance.
Held in conjunction with the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross (RCSX), the opening round of the WMX series drew 17 entries from around the country, including the defending champ Fasnacht, who returns with Team Green Kawasaki for 2016. RCSX provides a once-in-a-lifetime chance for amateur racers to compete on the same course the pro Supercross stars raced on just one day before, and it was an event the contestants won’t soon forget.
After getting a poor jump off the gate in moto 1, Fasnacht found herself all the way back in sixth heading into the opening lap of the race. Meanwhile, Dunn and Stone/Fly/Scott/Cycle Shack North Yamaha rider Kaitlyn Morrow enjoyed relatively fresh air out front after grabbing the holeshot.
Morrow led Munn Racing KTM’s Taylor Higgins and Obermeyer Suzuki/MCS Racing Suzuki’s Mackenzie Tricker into the first lap, though Tricker was charging hard and soon displaced Higgins for second before setting out after Morrow.
While Morrow and Tricker battled out front, Fasnacht was on the move and eventually caught and passed Tricker for second when the Suzuki rider bobble with three laps to go.
“I pulled a wheelie off the start and I found myself at the back on the first lap,” said Fasnacht. “But I just put my head down and started picking them off one-by-one. I just kept pushing and I caught up to Mackenzie and I tried to get her around the finish line turn but I got shut down by a lapper, so I ended up getting her four turns later when she bobbled.”
With Fasnacht closing, Morrow held her ground on the rough Daytona course and took the win with a several bike-lengths to spare over Fasnacht, with Tricker crossing the line in third.
Yamaha-mounted Marissa Markelon finished fourth with Higgins rounding out the top five.
Morrow was thrilled to win the opening moto of the season.
“This is great,” said Morrow. “I just tried to time the gate the best I could and I held it on the best I could and came out with the lead. I didn't know who was behind me but I just tried to flow and stay smooth and it worked out for the win.”
Fasnacht nailed the holeshot in the second moto, making amends for her fist moto mistake. Tricker ran a close second ahead of Higgins and Markelon.
Fasnacht would say later that the start was the key to her win.
“When I went off for my sight lap I nailed my start, and I was giving myself high-fives in my mind because I knew I could do it,” said Fasnacht. “So on the race start I nailed it again and got the lead right away.”
Tricker kept the pressure on Fasnacht until lap three when she went down in a turn at the far end of the track. That allowed Morrow to move into second ahead of a fierce battle over third between Higgins and Markelon.
Morrow kept the pressure on Fasnacht but Fasnacht held steady and took the checkers with room to spare over Morrow, with Higgins coming out on top of the two-way battle for third over Markelon.
Fasnacht’s 2-1 moto tally bested Morrow’s 1-2, giving Fasnacht the initial overall win of the young season. The Kawasaki rider now holds the red plate heading into round two of the series at Freestone Motocross.
“This is a great way to start off the season,” said Fasnacht. “I’m really happy with how I rode in that second moto and I can’t wait for Freestone.”
Morrow finished second overall for the event, with Higgins’ 5-3 performance good enough to edge Markelon’s 4-4 for third.
Tricker rounded out the top five with a 3-5 total.
The series now moves on to Texas for round two at Freestone MX in Freestone, Texas, on March 19th. For more information on the WMX series check out http://racewmx.com.
Results
- Kylie Fasnacht (Kaw)
- Kaitlyn Morrow (Yam)
- Taylor Higgins (KTM)
- Marissa Markelon (Yam)
- Mackenzie Tricker (Suz)
- Shelby Rolen (Kaw)
- Amanda Brown (Hon)
- Madison Seguin (Hsq)
- Brittany Gagne (Yam)
- Jaden Carlson (Yam)
2016 Women’s MX Championship Schedule
Round 1: March 7, RCSX Daytona, Daytona Beach, FL
Round 2: March 19, Freestone Spring Championship, Wortham, TX
Round 3: April 9, California Classic, San Diego, CA
Round 4: May 20, Hangtown Motocross Classic, Sacramento, CA
Round 5: June 19, High Point National, Mt. Morris, PA
Round 6: August 28, Ironman National, Crawfordsville, IN
Round 7: September 3, Baja Brawl, Millington, MI
Round 8: October 2, Kawasaki Race Of Champions, Englishtown, NJ
Round 9: October 9, Budds Creek, Mechanicsville, MD
Round 10: November 26, Winter Olympics, Alachua, FL