JUNE 13–OMA Round 3 – The Moose Run

KTMHutt.com/FMCRacing.com sponsored Shane Watts had victory snatched from his grasp with less than a quarter mile to go of the Moose Run, round three of the Parts Unlimited OMA Championship, held in Morrison, Illinois over the weekend.

The Moose Run has a notorious reputation as being a race of survival, and is often billed as America’s toughest offroad race, however this year’s event didn’t live up to the reputation. Sure there was some gnarly log crossings, steep climbs, and the occasional deep mud bog, but other than that conditions were perfect.

Watts began the race with a mid-pack start but had moved into the lead at the two mile mark of the first lap of the 35 mile course. For the remainder of that lap Watts and Jimmy Jarrett trail blazed through the thick undergrowth at the head of the field. The commencement of the second and final lap saw Brian Garrahan join these two by taking the lead, and together they broke away from the rest of the pack to set up an exciting finish over the final two miles of fast field sections. Although mounted on his KTM 200EXC, Watts was able to overtake his 250cc mounted rivals and hold the lead coming onto the final motocross section. However, due to the uncertain direction of the course during this transfer onto the moto track Watts went the wrong way, overshooting the corner and opening the door for Jarrett to steal the victory.

‘I’m somewhat disappointed in myself with what happened there,’ Watts commented from the finish line. ‘I just wasn’t looking and concentrating far enough ahead and thus missed the turn. Other than that I happy with everything and how things turned out for what I’m trying to achieve this year. Plus it’s the second year that this race hasn’t been a sloppy mess so you gotta be stoked about that!’

‘Last year I struggled at this race with fatigue and dehydration so this time I made sure I sat down heaps and drank a lot. Hydration wasn’t a problem but I now have got a major case of monkey butt. Overall though, The Moose Run was an extremely enjoyable event and my hat’s off to Bill Gusse for his tireless effort in promoting this Championship.

OMA Round 3 – The Moose Run (June 5)

1. Jimmy Jarrett (SUZ)
2. Shane Watts (KTM)
3. Brian Garrahan (SUZ)