Maxxis 6 Hours of ATV America
Round 2
Daniel Boone MX
London, KY
June 10, 2007
Believe it or not, DJ Shrum (17) and Devon Jarrett (16) knocked off all competitors at the first annual 6 Hours of KY.
“Those Yamahas just can’t keep up with us,” exclaimed factory Can-Am rider Michael Swift. Yamaha sport rider Cody Miller, doing his best Ricky Bobby impression, replied: “We piss excellence here, and we’re blowing the doors off of those Can-Ams!” Thus, the trash talking began at the halfway point of Sunday’s Maxxis 6 Hours of ATV America at Daniel Boone Motocross Park. In the end, however, talk was cheap as teenagers Devon Jarrett and DJ Shrum had speed when it counted and won Round 2 of the ATV endurance series.
The Shrum duo picked up their lap times to the sub-nine-minute range around 3.5-mile combined motocross and cross-country course late in the event to take the overall victory and the Pro Class win on their Honda 450R. A-Class riders Jake Yates, Rick Stanley and Justin Wright finished second overall, also on a Honda. Interestingly, a Can-Am utility quad earned its second consecutive top five, finishing third overall and first in the Ute Expert Class with the two man team of Clifton Beasley and Michael Swift.
Team MWR (Jake Yates, Rick Stanley, Justin Wright) put it to the stops and won the A class after routinely taking all the extreme option lanes throughout the race.
“We just tried to stay consistent,” said Shrum, 16. “When I saw the Can-Am out front, I was surprised, and from there, I didn’t think we were going to win. We were happy to come out in front.
“I had a lot of fun on the course,” added Shrum. “The woods were especially challenging.”
“I had a little trouble at the start,” said 17-year-old Jarrett. “I crashed and that put us back quite a bit. But we ran well, taking turns every three laps. This was a fun event.”
The race was certainly one of historic significance when, for the first time in 6 Hour racing history, a utility quad led the event overall. The Can-Am team of Swift and Beasley were actually running away from the Yamaha YFZ450 ridden by Thomas Brown, and Cody and Hunter Miller for the first three hours.
“This track did a lot to equal out the competition,” said Swift. “We were a bit slower on the motocross part of the circuit, but we gained time in the woods. The organizers did a great job setting up the course.”
Here’s a first. Since when does a 4×4 team dice it out with a pro level sport team? June 10, 2007 that’s when. At the three hour mark Team Can-Am (Outlander) actually led Team Yamaha (YFZ). Pictured here is Cody Miller (22) and Michael Swift (217). Beasley and Swift ended up with a third overall, the best 4×4 finish in 6 and 12 Hrs history!
Ironman Class rider Craig Conely proved himself a worthy competitor on his Cannondale, as he rebounded from an early mechanical failure while running fourth overall, and overcame a two-lap deficit to win his class by three laps. The Ironman Class is run by riders who compete during the entire six-hour race by themselves with one ATV.
“I don’t have any fast friends,” quipped Conely regarding his decision to go at it alone. “I run cross country races, but those have more of a sprint-race format, and I really like the endurance part of it.”
Team Gravel Hill, consisting of riders James Davis, Jason Young and Denny Carson won the +30 Class. RT Racing won the B-C Class with riders Alec Richerson, Kevin Tuggle, and Jarrod Dodson.
The next race for the Maxxis 6 Hours of ATV America, the 6 Hours of Wisconsin, is scheduled for July 14 at Arkansaw Cycle Park in Arkansaw, WI.
