“ I needed this ride so bad . I worked really hard after I got everything sorted with my body for a solid month before this race . So , I ’ m just honestly so blessed to be up here and see all the hard work and just everything come into action .”
Phoenix Honda ’ s Ruy Barbosa rounded out the top 5 in the XC2 250 Pro class , and ninth overall on the day .
In the WXC class , the series battle between AmPro Yamaha ’ s Rachael Archer and BABS Racing Yamaha / Fly / Maxxis / Pro Circuit ’ s Becca Sheets , with Archer taking a five-minute lead over Sheets for the win , as well as earning her a three-point lead in the 2021 series championship . Enduro Engineering / Fly Racing KTM ’ s Mackenzie Tricker would round out the podium .
“ I was third around the first corner and Korie [ Steede ] and Mackenzie [ Tricker ] went real wide and I got into the lead ,” said Archer . “ Then I rode by myself the whole race , basically . I had a 35-second lead on the first lap . Then this last section from the eight to the ten , I pulled another minute and just kept making the gap bigger and bigger and managed to win by five minutes . I think I was riding a bit better in the really technical rocky sections . I had a couple of run-ins with a lapper , but other than that , I had a perfect race .”
RACHAEL ARCHER
VOL . 6 ISSUE 10 - OCTOBER 2021 // PAGE 139