Purvines Racing’s Nick Burson finished round 1 of the AMA National Hare & Hound championship in third place. The desert veteran had to push through the dust after a bad start. He eventually lead the race at one point. Burson was aboard his new 2016 Beta 480 RR EFI.
Nick Burson- “The starting banner twitched and my bike fired immediately. Problem was the banner only twitched and didn’t drop. I had to kill my bike and when I did the banner dropped. I was left sitting on the line trying to start my bike. I got it fired but was well behind the competition. I kind of just pinned it down the start through the bushes passing people. When we finally got over the first hill and on some normal trails I was probably about 13th or 14th. I made some quick passes and then we hit the first valley crossing. I felt super comfortable and just held it pinned passing 4 or 5 guys moving me up to 2nd overall. I was really comfortable with the pace and pushed all the way up to the leader Ricky Brabec. I finally made the move on him and was in the lead!! From there the loop got technical. It was littered with a bunch of loose rock. I found myself really struggling and with the fear of hitting the ground and losing a lot of positions I backed it down. I lost two spots and ended up in 3rd.
All in all it was a good day and a good start to the series!! Looking forward to the next round already!!
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| Nick Burson aboard his new fuel injected 480 RR |
Burson’s teammate Axel Pearson had an off day starting in 30th position after the smoke bomb. Also aboard his new 480 RR, Pearson fought hard after a crash eventually finishing the day in 10th.
Axel Pearson- “I crashed into the soft sand wash! I then got up and was mad so I pushed hard and passed the few guys who got by me back! I passed up to 7th or 8th and was following Justin Morgan until I clipped a small rock with my rear tire and it sent me sideways into some bigger rocks! It was a pretty good crash and I didn’t get up too fast! I had jammed my thumb pretty good and I was struggling grabbing the throttle! I then rode a few miles and tried to pin it again but I was struggling holding on! I came in the pits around 10th and the last loop I rode as hard as I could but struggled in the fast choppy valleys! So it was a rough day for me but we’ll heal up and be ready for the next one!”
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| The calm before the storm |
Team newcomer Damon Bush had an off day after a bad crash in the technical section ending his hopes for a win in the 250 Pro class. Bush raced his Collin Woolsey prepped 250 RR two stroke to an 8th place finish.
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| Damon Bush got into a fight with some Johnson Valley rocks and lost |
Purvine Racing’s next race is February 14th for Round 2 of the AMA National Hare Scramble championship held in Coalinga, California.
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