Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker Reaches a Rocky Mountain High with Denver EnduroCross Win
- 7 Oct 2016
Colton Haaker passed Cody Webb on the penultimate lap of the very tough Western Events Center course to take the win in the EnduroCross main event in Denver. The battle was so intense, and the pair was so fast, that they lapped the eventual third-place finisher Max Gerston. Haaker acknowledged the difficulty of the win. “This one was hard. I kept messing up the matrix (a section with spaced logs) and Cody was nailing it. Soon, I got over making mistakes in the beginning and started racing smoother and kept on it through lappers. Then, Webb had a mistake after the firewood and I got in there. I just needed to get in front on the last lap and I’m glad I made it happen,” he said. Although it didn’t come easily, Haaker’s dominance of the Denver EnduroCross was complete. He won his heat race to start his night, and he later claimed the fast time in the event’s Hot Lap. He even won the holeshot (and the resulting $500 check from an event sponsor) in the main event. Clearly Haaker loves the thin, cool Rocky Mountain air.
Webb had to work through the pain of a bad tumble in his qualifying race to garner his hard-fought second place finish. “Honestly, it was a rough day for me after going down really hard in the heat race and had to ice both my wrists, my shoulder and tailbone and take some Advil to get out here,” Webb revealed. Despite the injuries, Webb felt that this was a race he let slip away. “I was riding at the top of my game and know I could have had it tonight,’ he said. “After the two-week break, I know I’ll be ready to be back.” The third place finish marked the first podium of the season for Gerston. While he couldn’t match the blistering pace of Haaker and Webb, Gerston was clearly elated. “I am super stoked. I got off to a rough start but I was able to find some cool lines through the firewood pit and get by some guys,” Gerston said. He went on to acknowledge the dominance of the top two finishers. “I honestly don’t know how I could go any faster than I was and I was still lapped.”
Nagging injuries continue to limit five-time EnduroCross Champion Taddy Blazusiak who did not compete in the Denver event. It has been reported that he will compete in the next leg of the season series. After a 2-week break, the season will continue in Everett, Washington at the XFINITY Arena on October 22. It will then move on to Nampa’s Ford Idaho Center on November 5. The season will move south to its final race on November 18-19 at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. Denver EnduroCross Main Event Results |
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