ROBERT AND MARTINEZ EMERGE VICTORIOUS AT ROUND 5 OF NATIONAL HARE & HOUND CHAMPIONSHIP

JERICHO, Utah – With less than a week off from the previous round, the FMF KTM Factory Racing Team took to sands of Jericho, Utah on Saturday for Round 5 of the AMA National Hare & Hound Championship. It was a successful day for the team as Taylor Robert and Kacy Martinez both emerged victorious in their respective classes. For Martinez, an impressive comeback performance marked her third-consecutive victory in the Women’s class and increased her points lead in the championship standings, while Robert’s dominant flag-to-flag performance allowed him to take the top step of the podium in only his second race back from injury.

 

The Utah course presented dry and dusty conditions with plenty of technical obstacles and rough terrain, which made for a challenging day of racing. Robert didn’t get the best jump off the start but he was able to power his KTM 450 XC-F into the lead by the end of the bomb. On the first loop, which consisted of 40 miles of rough terrain, Robert had some close company from the 2^nd place rider of Jacob Argubright. However, Robert continued to up the pace as the race wore on, finishing one minute and 30 seconds ahead of Argubright after more than three hours of racing.

Robert: “I really enjoyed this weekend of racing! The track was an awesome mix of terrain and I felt more like myself on the bike than I did last weekend. I didn’t have a great jump off the start but I had an awesome line on the bomb and was able to make it into the lead by the end of the bomb and led the rest of the race.”

 

Martinez powered her KTM 250 XC-F to a decent start by the end of the bomb but she lost substantial time on the first loop when she got her bike stuck in a sand dune. Martinez eventually worked her way into 3^rd place by the end of loop one where she sat two and a half minutes behind the class leader. From there, Martinez put on a charge to ultimately catch and pass the leader on the final loop, where she ultimately finished 30 seconds ahead for the win.

Martinez: “It was definitely a long day on the bike with being out there for four hours and 20 minutes! And sinking my bike in a sand dune right off the bat didn’t help. From there, I rode the first loop very smart and easy and knew I would be able to make up a lot of time on the first and second loops. With the super dusty conditions I was very happy when it started raining for a bit and even another time before the race was over. That made the race a lot more fun and I was just happy to pull off the win right before the end!”

 

KTM-mounted riders Kate Schade and Britney Gallegos rounded out the Women’s class podium with 2^nd and 3^rdplace respectively.

 

Overall Results

1. Taylor Robert (KTM)
2. Jacob Argubright
3. Gary Sutherlin
4. Axel Pearson
5. Nick Burson

 

Women’s Class Results

1. Kacy Martinez (KTM)
2. Kate Schade (KTM)
3. Britney Gallegos (KTM)

 

Overall Championship Standings

1. Gary Sutherlin (118)
2. Ricky Brabec (115)
3. Jacob Argubright (105)

OTHER KTM

7. Taylor Robert (69)

 

Women’s Class Championship Standings

1. Kacy Martinez (115)
2. Britney Gallegos (122)
3. Stephanie Woolslayer (92)

Press Release from KTM 05-08-17