Woods got a great jump off the start and put his Husaberg in 6th position around the first turn. He dropped back one spot on the end of the first lap and then maintained that position for the first half of the race. By the first gas stop, Woods was sitting in 10th overall when he rolled into the pits.

This round marks the first race for Woods in nearly a year after sitting out most of the 2009 season with injury. “I have only been on the bike for four weeks and I knew that my endurance would be lacking. Overall, I felt pretty good but my hands started blistering pretty bad at the end and I know it is just going to take more training and time on the bike to get to where I need to be,” remarked Woods.

With about three laps left, Woods caught up to the 7th, 8th and 9th place riders and began dicing back and forth with that pack. At one point he had moved into 8th position and was maintaining his pace. With two laps remaining, he came into the EnduroCross section and made a mistake that caused him to crash. He recovered and made it into the pits for one last splash of fuel. When the checkers flew he crossed the line in 13th overall for the day.

“I am glad that Nathan got the first race out of the way. He struggled a little today with his endurance but each race will be an improvement for him and we know that by the end of the season he should be a top five contender,” commented Husaberg Team Manager Antti Kallonen.

Next Event: Round 2 – Primm, NV – February 28, 2010

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
13. Nathan Woods