The conditions were perfect. The weather was in the low 70s with clear skies all around. Although riders in the early morning complained that the track was over-watered, by the time the pro riders were on the line, the track had dried out and course conditions were near perfect.

When the gate dropped it was Taylor Roberts who jumped out front first and grabbed the holeshot. Brown got a decent jump and rounded the first turn in 4th position behind Kyle Summers and Tim Weigand. Caselli got a bit confused on the start and thought the man dropping the gate wasn’t in the box yet, and therefore, wasn’t ready when the gate dropped. Luckily, he was able to catch up to the pack and came around the first turn mid-pack.

Nearing the gas stop Brown had reeled in Weigand and passed for 3rd position. The gas stop also marked a turn around point for Caselli. He entered the gas stop right outside the top ten, found a second wind, and was able to start picking off riders at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, out front, 2nd place rider Kyle Summers ran out of gas and Brown was able to capitalize on the incident and move up a position.

Brown and Caselli continued to turn some of the fastest lap times of the day as the race progressed. Brown began to close the gap on Roberts, although late in the race, and was able to close Robert’s 40 second lead to 20 seconds by the end of the race. Caselli charged from his position outside the top ten all the way up to 3rd overall when the checkered flag flew. “I am proud of both riders,” commented FMF/KTM Team Manager Antti Kallonen. “To have both riders finish on the podium is a great start to the season. Mike and Kurt rode a strong and smart race to put their KTM’s on the box. We are looking forward to the next round.”

Next Race: Round 2 – February 27-28, 2010 – Primm, NV

Overall Results:

1. Taylor Roberts
2. Mike Brown
3. Kurt Caselli
4. Tim Weigand
5. Ricky Dietrich
6. Destry Abbott
7. Eli Tomac
8. Robby Bell
9. Colton Udall
10. Justin Soule