Davi Haagsma Wins WORCS SxS Round 3 and Takes Series Lead in Taft, California

27 Feb 2017

Davi Haagsma on the podium at the WORCS 3rd round in Taft, California

Davi Haagsma ran a clean race on his muddy home track, capturing the win and the series points lead

For all of his success in the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS), a win at one significant venue had eluded Davi Haagsma. That anomaly ended in February as Haagsma stepped onto the top podium spot at his home track of Honolulu Hills Raceway in Taft, California.

K&N-sponsored Haagsma of H&M Motorsports decisively won the SxS Pro race on a rain-soaked and treacherously muddy southern California track. With the third-round win in Taft, Haagsma garnered the overall points lead in the SxS Pro series. Haagsma now possesses a 12 point series margin going into round 4.

The initial SxS race start in Taft was aborted due to a problem with the course markings on the Honolulu Hills track. However, Haagsma charged to the lead in the restart and refused to relinquish that position for the rest of the race. Nic Granlund finished second, and Larry Heidler rounded out the podium.

Davi Haagsma's SXS at the WORCS 3rd round in Taft, California

Haagsma's non-turbo SXS proved reliable in the Honolulu Hills Raceway mud

Haagsma won in Taft the old-fashioned way – driving a naturally aspirated car to the win. There had been some talk that Haagsma would run a turbo in Taft after struggling to keep up with the top competitors with forced induction in the SxS World Finals in Primm, Nevada, in the first two rounds of the series. However, Haagsma again rolled out a non-turbo in California.

Interestingly, the turbos struggled in Taft. What Haagsma's naturally-aspirated SxS gave up in top-end horsepower was more than made up for in reliability. While several of his main turbocharged competitors dropped off with mechanical issues, Haagsma stayed fast, intact, and consistent throughout the race.

Despite his success in Taft in a non-turbo car, Haagsma is working on getting a turbocharged SxS ready for ensuing rounds. Dryer tracks later in the season will certainly require the higher turbo horsepower.

We will see what Haagsma runs in the next round at the always exciting and challenging course in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The WORCS 4th and 5th rounds are scheduled for March 17-19 at Crazy Horse.

Remaining WORCS SsS Schedule:

Rnd 4&5 Mar 17-19 Crazy Horse – Lake Havasu, Arizona

Rnd 6 Apr 1-2 The Orleans – Las Vegas, Nevada

Rnd 7 Apr 21-23 Sand Hollow – Hurricane, Utah

Rnd 8 May 19-21 Iron Mine – Cedar City, Utah

Rnd 9 June 16-18 Summer Festival – Stater Brothers Stadium – Adelanto, California

Rnd 10 Sept 8-10 Glen Helen – Devore, California

Rnd 11 Oct 6-8 TBA

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