Quad X Pro ATV Motocross Racer Dustin Nelson

San Bernadino, CA (9/30/2014) – Round 8 of the 2014 Yamaha Quad X Series took place at Glen Helen Raceway.  The track layout was the same as the last two Quad X races.  We had amazing weather for September at Glen Helen with mostly cloudy skies and temps in the mid 70’s.  This marked the final round of 2014 and there was an awards ceremony and BBQ to follow the races.

Moto 1:  I wheelied slightly off the grippy new concrete start pad and watched Beau Baron pull away as we raced toward the first turn.  I slotted into 2nd as we came thru Talladega, ahead of Garrin Fuller.  The first couple laps were intense as I tried to pressure Baron into a mistake.  The track was fast and by the halfway point I was behind by about 4 seconds when I realized I had some oil spilling onto my left foot.  I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from so I pulled into the pit area to have Pops check it out.  Luckily the problem was only a breather hose that had cracked and I quickly re-entered the race just ahead of Fuller.  For the rest of the moto I pushed hard but had no chance of catching Baron out front.  At the finish it was Baron, me and Fuller.

Moto 2:  My #94 Yamaha YFZ450R pulled much better of the gate for moto two but Baron once again had me covered as he held the preferred inside line through turn one.  I tried to square Baron up in turn two but couldn’t quite get up next to him as we raced up the hill.  I pushed hard in moto two, this was the last Quad X moto of the year, I had the Championship wrapped up, and I wanted to win.  Flat, slippery corners and acceleration were my weak points while bombing down the hills and late braking seemed to be my strong points.  Baron and I had a bit of a yo-yo effect going on until I cooked my brakes just past halfway.  Glen Helen has a couple scary hills with no brakes so I lost a couple seconds while trying to cool them for a lap or two.  Once I got some brakes back I pushed hard again to try and close the gap Baron had over me.  Things got a little interesting as our super-fast pace led us to lap through the entire Pro-Am class, but when all was said and done Baron won the moto by about 5 seconds over myself, with Fuller taking another 3rd.

Round 8 of the 2014 Yamaha Quad X series was fun. Honestly, I rode my fastest and smoothest race of the year in the second moto and finished the year proud of how I rode and our bike performed all season.  There will be some big changes for 2015 in the Quad X series with a shorter season and all rounds being held at Glen Helen.  I’m still unaware of where my racing will be concentrated for 2015 but am very appreciative of all the support we received throughout this year and I’m proud to share my 6th Quad X title with the people and companies that have given me the best team and products a racer could ask for.

Thank you for a great season and another championship!