Glen Helen QuadCross Round 11, Devore, CA 12-5-04
- Updated: December 5, 2004
ITP QuadCross Round 11
Glen Helen Raceway
Devore, CA
Dec 5, 2004
Alba Yamaha’s Kory Ellis finished the ITP QuadCross series in fifth overall. He says the two year old series has been a great addition to the sport of ATV racing.
150 riders were treated to perhaps the best track in the ITP QuadCross’ two-year history. A very slight drizzle kept the track perfect all day long. Pro riders ran the entire track, including the legendary Mount St. Helen hill climb. Promoters said they will use this exact layout for the GNC opener on Feb 6. “The track really suites me today. It’s fast and smooth”, said ’03 ITP QuadCross champion, Jeremy “The So Cal Hick” Schell, who came into the final round with a comfortable 11-point lead over Darrel Patton. “I want to try to hang with Kory today, but at the same time, I’m not going to push too hard. I want to save the quad and make sure it finishes.”
Moto 1
In the first moto Lone Star’s Keith Little pulled the trigger the fastest and led the 18 pro rider field into the high-speed right hand sweeper, known as “Talladega Turn”. Little later distanced himself from the pack as Ellis (Yamaha/Alba) battled behind his fellow Alba Action teammate, friend and roommate – Jeremy Schell. Ellis finally passed Schell but by this time, Little was too far ahead to catch. “Jeremy and I were racing for who cleans the bathroom, so he seemed to be trying pretty hard”, commented Ellis. Ellis made up some ground, but could not catch Little. Earlier in the race, Yamaha’s test rider, Dustin Nelson showed some speed and caught up to third, but came to a stop after his kill switch malfunctioned.
Yamaha’s ATV Product Planner, Travis Hollins and test rider, Dustin Nelson.
Jeremy Schell leads Dustin Nelson and Kory Ellis in moto number two.
Moto 2
Dustin Nelson roared out of the hole first and led the second moto on his stock powered YFZ. Schell followed with Little and Ellis fighting for third side by side. In first lap action, Schell found room to pass Nelson for the lead. Schell went on to lead for a few laps and looked like he had been eating his Wheaties lately. “It was good to get out front and lead for a few laps. I think this helps my confidence. All I need now is more conditioning and I think I’ll be able to run respectably at the GNCs this year”, said Schell after the race.
As laps progressed, Ellis worked past his roommate to take the lead. Little rode in second with plenty of room to spare. In later laps Nelson worked his way by Shell, who was riding as conservative as possible. He went on to win his second consecutive ITP QuadCross Championship. “I had problems at three or four rounds this year. I’m happy it all worked out in the end though. Switching to the Alba Yamaha half way through this season really helped me”, said Schell. Darrel Patton ended the season with a respectable second place. Patton raced the final round on a barely broken-in Golden West Cycle/Duncan Racing Honda 450R. Rounding off the top three for the season was Arizona’s Ricky Nickell.
Jeremy Schell said he loved how fast the track was on this day.
LSR’s Keith Little owned moto one and looked ready for the GNC opener on Feb 6.
“They’ve built the ITP QuadCross up really well. It’s no longer a local race series. I’m proud that I was able to win it, especially this year. I will be returning to the GNC series in 2005, so I wont be chasing points in this series next year, but I look forward to racing a few rounds when I can. ” said Schell about his championship season. For more on Schell and his return to GNC racing click here.
Dustin Nelson leads Jeremy Schell and the pack through Glen Helen’s “Talledega Turn”.
Jealous? You should be. This YFZ, complete with GYTR components and ITP tires and wheels is worth over ten thousand dollars.
Who won the Yamaha YFZ?
In an effort to lure more riders and attention to the already rapidly expanding series, Yamaha was nice enough to donate a 2004 YFZ450 to the series. This was no ordinary stock YFZ however. Yamaha decked it out with most of their GYTR bolt-ons, and ITP answered by mounting up a set of their rims and tires. Each time a rider signed up to race any of the eleven rounds of this year’s series, they received one entry into the year-end raffle. After all the contingency and year-end awards were distributed, the winning ticket was drawn by Yamaha’s Steve Nessl. Since the rules of the drawing stated that the winner must be present, – the chances of winning the shiny new YFZ were pretty good for the 150 riders gathered around the quad.
Yamaha’s PR Manager, Steve Nessl and ITP’s Brett Wulff award Jason Young with the ultimate ATV prize!
The winning ticket went to Jason Young of Oznard, CA. “I’m so excited. I can’t believe I won this thing. I was trying to figure out how I could come up with the money to get a quad for the nationals this year. This helps tremendously. I’m so happy right now! I can’t believe it!”, said Young after receiving the keys.
