Story and Photos by Stephanie Hulsey
May 3, 2008 - Race day returned in Westphalia, Missouri, welcoming 139 racers for the fourth round of the Ozark Cross Country ATV Racing series. In the morning PeeWee and Women’s classes, 15 racers battled against their competition and chilly, windy conditions. Women’s class Hannah Payne took her second win of the season and a commanding point lead while PeeWee Pro class point leader, Travis Gromowski, clinched his third win this season.
In a tight battle at the first turn, off the start of the afternoon classes, it was once again Kyle Martin who motored ahead of the Pro pack to clinch the Fastrax Motorsports hole shot award and begin his four-lap lead over the remaining eight Pro racers. Spectators scattered over the 7.5 mile course to watch the racers battle the tight twists and turns through the woods.
In a five-lap race for the podium’s top spots, it was Carson Coffman in an early battle behind Martin with Derrick Schrock, Zac Johnson, and Todd Senger closing in. On lap two Johnson moved ahead of Schrock and they continued to have a tight race. As lap three came to a close, Senger, who had a last place start off the line and problems early in the race, had charged through the Pro class to take control of second place, less than one minute behind Martin. In the late stages of the race, spectators saw Coffman fall to fifth place with Schrock in fourth and Johnson securing the third spot.
As the Pro-Am class mixed into the race for the overall, spectators saw a lead change in the final lap when leader Kyle Martin found himself out of the race with mechanical problems. It was Todd Senger, aboard his Precision PowerSports Honda 450R, who took home the Pro class and overall victory, followed by Zac Johnson, Derrick Schrock, Carson Coffman, and Matt Olson closing out the top five overall.
Top 10 Overall
1. Todd Senger Pro Honda
2. Zac Johnson Pro Honda
3. Derrick Schrock Pro Yamaha
4. Carson Coffman Pro Honda
5. Matt Olson Pro Honda
6. Josh Eaton Pro-Am Honda
7. Tony Friga Pro-Am Honda
8. Justin Wright Pro-Am Honda
9. Frankie Musarra Pro-Am Honda
10. Jeff Range Pro-Am Honda
