12 minute read
AZOP Shorty's Grand Prix 1
The desert sands roared to life as off road enthusiasts and skilled riders and drivers from across the southwest converged for an exhilarating weekend of desert off road racing. The AZOP Racing 2024 season kicked off with Shorty’s Blythe Grand Prix 1, held in the vast and challenging desert terrain, which proved to be a true test of skill, endurance, and the indomitable spirit of the competitors.
The race kicked off at the break of dawn, with the ever popular Stacyc E-Bikes. Zoey King was flying on the course – taking the overall win and the top of the 6-7 year olds. Taxson Watson placed second in the same category. In the 4-5 year olds, Noah Ambriz, Elias Martinez, and Nathaniel Hindmarch made the podium. And the 2-3 year olds had quite a showing with Maverick Atteberry, Kyrie Perez, and Mackenzie King taking home trophies. After the Stacyc, we had the start of the PeeWee races – Dirtbikes, Quads, and 170 UTVs. The engines roared to life, and the first wave of participants sped off. Spencer Gibson, Gannon Balderamma, and Danny Jarman each had 15 laps to finish at the top of the 65C class. For the 50cc 7-8 year olds, Reed Honberger, Riker Griffith, and Elijah Lennon led the pack. The 4-6 year olds on the 50cc bikes were won by Fynnigan McConnell, Liam Ambriz, and Parker Gibson. For the quads, Westin Loan and Ricki McRoy took first and second in the 50-79cc 4-6 year old class. The ATV 80-150cc Beginner class had a great showing, with Jace Verkulian, Robert McRoy, and
Maxson McKinney taking home trophies. Emma Martinez, Lucy Giles, and Jesse Llamas were dominant in the 80-150cc Advanced class. The 170cc UTV cars are always fun to watch, and these kids did not disappoint! Allanna Fernandez and Chloe Hurn took first and second in the advanced class. Blaine Proctor and Braxton Furnell battled it out in the Intermediate group. For the beginners, Addie Atteberry just squeezed by Kaysen Stowell to take the gold, while Kaysen got 2nd place. Mason Naughton rounded out the top 3 in the class.
Up next was the biggest race of the day and a crowd favorite – the Big Bikes. Shorty’s never ceases to amaze as the course, meticulously designed to challenge even the most seasoned riders, featured a mix of motocross, sandy washes, and treacherous whoops that demanded precision and nerve. The Pro class had Chase Gunderson taking first, with Braxton Grosse in 2nd place, and Austin Alexander in 3rd. Open A was not only won by Samuel Campbell, but he also took overall for the entire race group. Hot on his heels was Chad Goodsell and Austin Nordgren that finished in the top 3. Joshua Caton, Sebastian Girello, and Cole Fryar were the top finishers in the Open B class, and Drew Johnston, Preston Burr, and Mason Madewell led the Open C. Joseph Giles, Lane Makrdichian, and Logan Skaggs were flying to finish atop the 125-250 A class. Meanwhile Joseph Greenlee, Bryton Bluth, and Devin Weller finished in the top 3 for 125250 B.
The 125-250 C class had a large turnout with Luke Sutterfield getting the 1st place trophy, followed by Crew Griffoen and Owen Ward. Todd Jarman did great, winning the Vet 30+A class, with Tono Bluth, Mike Vega, and Alex Van Bogart taking the lead in the Vet 30+B class. Cody Raue, Albert Moskalski, and Zach Brennan-Muller took 1st-3rd place in the Vet 30+C class. The Senior 40+ class had quite the showing, with Kyle Jones, Heath Mitchell, and Sam Christenson taking top prizes for the A group, and Nathan Waunch, Jason Lankford, and Joshua Bennett being the fastest of the C group. The Master 50+A group had Robert Barnum take the 1st place trophy, with Todd Johnson getting 2nd, and Tim Wussow getting 3rd. Our Super Senior 60+A group was won by Brandon Roberts, with Ken Tapert, and Michael Jarmon rounding out the top 3.
As the day progressed, a cloud of dust hung in the air, testament to the intense battles taking place on the track. The mini-bikes are always full of exciting battles, with the top two finishers just seconds apart. Luke Sutterfield just edged out over Christian Granados for the overall win, and they took 1st and 2nd respectively in the 80-150cc B class, just finishing in front of Ryder Yates who got 3rd. Ryland Fuggitt had a good showing, taking first in the 80-150cc A class, and Brody Holtzman held off Ethan Maggard and Rush Wermes to top the 80-150cc C class. Royce Pendleton, Wyatt Parent, and Blake Arsuga were the top finishers in the 65cc B class, and Blake Kistter and Ryker Castillo did great in the Mini-Open. Savanna Nordgren looked good out there – taking first place in the Women’s C, while Eric Troutman did a phenomenal 4 laps on his E-Bike.
The pit bikes and pull starts are always a blast to watch – and Jeff Lewis edging out John Horner on the Pull Starts, while Gunner Deatherage beat Chase Gunderson on the pit bikes. Mini-Quads took to the track next and some impressive racing was happening. Kohyn Perry took first place over Kate Proctor in the 250-400cc Class. The 91300cc 10-15 year olds was won by Sage McKinney, with Ty Thompson getting 2nd, and Mason Mulgrew taking 3rd. The 71-150cc 8-11 year olds had Cutter Gehrts, Jace Verkulien, and Emma Martinez taking the top spots.
Next up, it was time for the Big Quads and Trikes. Ian Kubik was the lone Pro, taking home first place. The Vet Pro battle ended with Ron Suor in first, Jeff Wright in second, and Michael Morgan in third place. Wyatt Rock not only won the Expert class, but took the overall win. Julyssa Pesquiera got second in the Expert class, with Evr Loan taking third. Sportsman class had Jared Johnson in first place, local Ryder Nugent in second, and his brother Cooper Nugent in third. With the 3-Wheelers, Ed Hicks took the win, with Rob Parsons in second, and Paul Airey in third.
One of the highlights of the event was the diversity of vehicles on display. From sleek and modified UTVs to purpose-built off road machines, each participant brought their unique flair to the competition. The sheer variety of vehicles added an extra layer of excitement, with fans eagerly cheering on their favorites as they navigated the challenging course. Blythe native Chase De Sousa Dias took the overall win and dominated the Pro Turbo class. He beat out Bruce St. Germain and Parker Melton. Drivers skillfully maneuvered through tight corners, conquered towering dunes, and faced unexpected challenges that tested both their machinery and their mettle. The desert's unforgiving nature added an element of unpredictability, keeping both drivers and spectators on the edge of their seats. Thomas Melton got first in the Pro N/A class, while Dan Hurn topped the Pro Open. The 1000cc Turbos were won by Jacob Mueller, with Rigel Woida and Nate Pearson taking second and third. Dustin Dooley put on quite a show, but unfortunately only completed two laps in the 1000cc N/A class. Carter Shull is one fast kid, taking first place in the Youth 1000cc/RS1 No Restrictor class. The 570 race had four racers battling it out in the Beginner class, with Spencer Gibson taking home first, Braxton Sherman in second, Blaine Proctor in third, and Chloe Hurn rounding out the class.
Day 2 kicked off with the Staycic E-Bikes back on the track. Zoey King took the overall win, followed by Noah Ambriz, Elias Martinez, Taxon Watson, and Brooke Parker finishing in the top 5 overall. Mackenzie King, Maverick Atteberry,and Ben Proctor all showed they aren’t afraid to get after it in the 2-3 year old group. The mini-quads were next with Sage McKinney taking the overall win for the day, also dominating the 91-300cc 10-15 year olds. He was followed by Mason Mulgrew and Ty Thompson. Cutter Gehrts and Kate Proctor also showed their strength, winning their prospective classes. The mini-bikes had another large group of racers, with Luke Sutterfield, Ryder Yates, and Jake Pennington winning not only the top 3 spots in their 80-150cc B class, but also the top spots overall. Ethan Maggard, Keegan Bott, and Hayden Griffith battled it out in the 80-150cc C class taking the top spots, while Royce Pendleton and Wyatt Parent finished first and second in the 65cc B class. Blake Kistter won the Mini-Open, with Karina Pendleton just beating Hailley Waunch in the Women’s C class. John Horner took the victory over Jeff Lewis in the pull-starts.
Peewee action continued, starting with the 170cc UTVs. Allan Fernandez took first place over Chloe Hurn by less than 1 second in the Advanced Class! What an exciting race to watch!! Blaine Proctor just beat Braxton Furnell in the Intermediate, while Blaine also took the overall win. Meanwhile, Addie Atteberry, Mason Naughton, Kaysen Stowell, Robert Grimes, and Maisyn Atteberry were the top 5 to finish in the 170cc Beginner class. Peewee Quads continued on the track with Zane Gehrts, Emma Martinez, and Lucy Giles taking the trophies for the Advanced class. Right behind them, in the Beginner class, Jace Verkulien, Robert McRoy, and Maxon McKinney showed that they were ready to battle and took home some trophies. Westin Loan and Ricki McRoy got first and second in the 50-79cc 4-6 year olds. The Peewee Bikes had a huge turnout! Spencer Gibson took the overall win out of 36 racers, also finishing on top of the 65C class, just in front of Gannon Balderrama and Conner Daffern. The 50cc 7-8 year olds had Riker Griffith taking home first place, with Reed Honberger in second, and Elijah Lennon just inching out Robert Grimes for third place. The 4-6 year olds had Fynnigan McConnell on top, with Parker Gibson in second place, and Liam Ambriz in third place for his class.
Seventy-seven Big Bikes returned for day 2 action, with Chase Gunderson taking the overall win. He was followed in the top 5 overall by Braxton Grosse, Douglas Nordgren, Lane Makrdichian, and Jeremy Nash. The overall Pros were Chase Gunderson, Braxton Grosse, and Austin Alexander. Some other notable showings in their class include Gunner Deatherage in the 125-250B, edging out Joseph Grenlee. Lane Makrdichian won the 125-250A, an entire lap ahead of second place Logan Skaggs and third place John Smallhouse. Luke Sutterfield showed he is a powerhouse, taking first place in the 125-250C class ahead of Ashton Stowell, and Cooper Nugent. Both Sutterfield and Nugent raced multiple races throughout the day, showing their endurance is unmatched. Douglas Nordgren took the win in the Open A class, finishing just ahead of Jeremy Nash and Skyler Rainer. Open B saw Sebastian Girello take the lead, with Cole Fryar in second, and Austin Kistler in third.
The best race, in my humble opinion, to watch during the day was the battle that took place in Open C. With Skylar Wallace taking the win, the true battle was for second place between Beau Balderrama and Mason Madewell. Everytime through the scoring chute, these two were on each other’s tails, with Balderrama just inching out ahead of Madewell. Todd Johnson was victorious in the Master 50+A class, with Tim Wussow and Robert Barnum rounding out the top 3. Senior 40+A had Kyle Jones on top, with Cary Wallace in second, and David Dyck in third. Hector Enriquez took the win for the 40+B, with Nathan Waunch winning over Jason Lankford and Jared Louis in the 40+C class. Super Senior 60+A had Brandon Roberts in first place, with Michael Jarmon in second, and Gary Peterson in third. Todd Jarman won the Vet 30+A class, while Mike Vega beat out Steven Harmon for the victory in the Vet 30+B class. Vet 30+C was won by Cody Raue, with Zach Brenna-Muller in second and Michael Baxter in third. Savanna Nordgren showed she could hang with the boys, getting first place in the Women’s category.
Ian Kubik showed what he can do on the Big Quads, taking the overall win and winning the Pro Class. Ron Suor dominated the Vet-Pro class, just beating out Michael Morgan and Paul Airey. Evr Loan took first place in the experts, leaving Ryan McKinney in second and Glen Brazaitis in third. Jake Marlatt showed that he was here to race! He took first in the Sportsman class ahead of second place James Thompson, third place Ryder Nugent, and fourth place Miguel Navarro.
Finally, the UTVs took to the track for the last time of the weekend. It was a battle of the locals as Clayton Winiecki put on an aeronautical spectacle, flying though the air and into first place overall! Racie Moore was hot on his tail, ending in second place overall by only 4 seconds! Jacob Mueller, Carter Shull, and Bruce St. Germain rounded out the top 5 finishers overall, while Dustin Dooley showed his stuff, finishing 6th. The 570s were back into battle mode, with Spencer Gibson taking the win over Chloe Hurn in second, and Braxton Sherman in third.
Throughout the weekend, the event showcased not only the physical prowess of the drivers and riders but also the camaraderie and sportsmanship within the off road community. Participants shared stories of triumphs and challenges, and spectators witnessed the true spirit of off road racing - a celebration of a shared passion for adventure and the thrill of conquering the elements.
The AZOP Shorty’s Grand Prix 1 proved to be more than just a race; it was an immersive experience that united off road enthusiasts, showcased the capabilities of these rugged machines, and left everyone eagerly anticipating the next thrilling chapter in the world of desert off road racing.
Make sure to check online for upcoming races at azopracing.com
