FMF/KTM rider Russell Bobbitt placed 2nd overall after leading the majority of the race at the fifth round of the OMA Winter Nationals held in Nashville, TN.
Bad weather in the Nashville area convinced all riders to weather-proof their bikes heading to the Nashville OMA. “I had prepped for the worst. I changed my tires to Dunlop 31’s, added roll-offs to my goggles, and wet weather prep my entire bike,” commented Bobbitt. “When it was all said and done, I should have spent less them weather-proofing my bike and more time prepping it for the extremely rocky conditions.”
Race day turned out to be a nice day for racing with only a few slick spots. Bobbitt got off to a great start nailing the holeshot aboard his FMF/KTM. KTM rider Shane O’Banion was putting up a fight in the beginning but dropped back about 30 seconds near the halfway mark. The course was five miles long with a mix of open, loose-rock and grass track plus some tight single-track with slick flat rock.
With only one lap to go, Bobbitt felt secure with his lead and was unaware that O’Banion had begun to close the gap. O’Banion soon crept up on Bobbitt and was able to make a pass for the lead after a bad line choice by Bobbitt. The two riders were elbow to elbow all the way to the checkered flag but Bobbitt was unable to find his way around. O’Banion took the win, followed by Bobbitt and KTM rider Dustin Gibson finished 3rd making it a KTM podium sweep.
Bobbitt’s next race will be the National Hare Scramble in Georgia this weekend before he heads to Salley, SC for the first round of the AMA National Enduro Series on February 26th.
Overall Results –
- Shane O’Banion
- Russell Bobbitt
- Dustin Gibson
- Hunter Williams
- Zach Klamfoth
- Ryan Morphew
- Micah Seale
- Chris Huddleston
- Harvey Whitaker
- Nathan Thornhill