McCleary, WA – FMF/KTM rider Kurt Caselli was the man to beat at the seventh round of the WORCS where he won the race and walked away with a 1 point lead in the overall Championship point’s chase. 

Prior to the first of two Washington WORCS rounds, Caselli and his team tested and determined that it was best for him and teammate, Mike Brown, to run the KTM 250 XC-F race machine rather than the 450 XC-F bike they have been racing the majority of the season.

“Since the racing in Washington is much tighter than we are used to, we thought it would be best to race on a bike that was a little easier to throw around and ride hard through the tight trees. Plus, the 250 XC-F still has a big tank and gets better gas mileage than the 450 which allowed us to pit much later than the other racers,” remarked Caselli.

In the main event Caselli started 3rd off the line while teammate Mike Brown was positioned around 10th. Caselli quickly moved to 2nd place by the end of the first lap and then stayed close to race leader Ricky Dietrich. On lap five when Dietrich decided to pit for gas, Caselli was able to easily move around him and take over the race lead.

“We had a different pit strategy this week which allowed us to stay out about two laps later than everyone else. Once I passed Dietrich during his gas I was able to get a sizable lead before I needed to stop two laps later,” stated Caselli.

Caselli went on to win the race by 51 seconds over Dietrich and now holds a 1 point lead on Dietrich in the series point standings.

As for the defending WORCS Champion, Brown, was able to pass up to 4th place by the third lap and stayed behind RPM/KTM rider Brenden Ritzman who was sitting in 3rd. When Ritzman pit for gas on the fifth lap Brown made his way around and never looked back. Brown climbed into podium position and finished 3rd overall for the day putting both FMF/KTM riders on the podium.

Fans of the Women’s Pro class witnessed the closest Women’s Pro race all season as RPM/KTM teammates Maria Forsberg and series leader Kacy Martinez raced neck and neck all day. Reigning Champion, Martinez, pulled the holeshot with 2010 GNCC Women’s Champion Forsberg in tow. At the second corner, Forsberg clipped Martinez’ wheel and went down. By the end of the first lap Forsberg was back on the rear tire of Martinez.

The two girls remained glued together for the majority of the race until the final lap when Martinez slid out and let Forsberg get around and take over the lead. Martinez quickly recovered and caught up to Forsberg just as they were crossing the checkered flag to give Forsberg the win and a hard fought 2nd for Martinez. With seven rounds now complete Martinez holds a 29 point lead on the series.

Next Event: Round 8 – August 6-8, 2010 – McCleary, WA

Overall Results Pro –
1) Kurt Caselli – KTM
2) Ricky Dietrich
3) Mike Brown – KTM
4) Justin Soulè
5) Nathan Woods
6) Brenden Ritzman – KTM
7) Colton Udall
8) Gary Sutherlin
9) Destry Abbott
10) Kevin Rookstool – KTM

Overall Results Women’s Pro –
1) Maria Forsberg – KTM
2) Kacy Martinez – KTM
3) Jessica Smith – KTM

Overall Point Standings Pro –
1) Kurt Caselli – 154
2) Ricky Dietrich – 153
3) Mike Brown – 128
4) Justin Soulè – 121
5) Colton Udall – 88

Overall Point Standings Women’s Pro –
1) Kacy Martinez – 158
2) Holly Breck – 129
3) Sarah Whitmore – 50
4) Jessica Patterson – 43
5) Nicole Madsen – 40