This marks the second WORCS race Caselli has competed in this season and his second podium finish. Caselli has spent his full season racing on the east coast in the highly competitive GNCC Series. Fresh off a podium finish at the Unadilla GNCC in New York last weekend, Caselli was determined to finish well near his hometown at Glen Helen.
Caselli started second off the start with fellow Shock Doctor/KTM riders Mike Brown in 5th and Justin Soule within the top ten. Part way into the first lap the riders entered into a tight single track down in the canyon where a rider went down and caused a large bottleneck that separated the field. Fortunately, all three Shock Doctor/KTM riders passed through the section before the issue began.
Near the halfway point, Caselli took a quick gas stop and was able to take over the lead upon reentering the track. From that point on, Caselli led the race and never looked back. Brown soon moved into 3rd, quickly closing in on the 2nd place rider. Soule and RPM/KTM rider Brendan Ritzman were in the hunt for the final podium position throughout the majority of the race.
Caselli, 2007 WORCS Champion, crossed the finish line in 1st, followed by Brown in 2nd. Ritzman and Soule finished 4th and 5th respectively. With only one round to go, Brown now holds a 13 point lead over Ricky Dietrich in the championship title chase.
"It feels really good to win a race. It has been a long time coming this year. I was on a bone stock KTM 450 and that really shows a lot for our bikes. KTM's truly are "Ready to Race," commented Caselli.
Next Event: Round 10 - Mesquite, NV - October 23-25, 2009
Overall Results Pro Class:
1) Kurt Caselli - KTM
2) Mike Brown - KTM
3) Tim Weigand
4) Brenden Ritzman - KTM
5) Justin Soule - KTM
6) Taylor Robert
7) Bobby Garrison
8) Destry Abbott
9) Damon Huffman
10) Joshua Strang
Overall Point Standings Pro Class:
1) Mike Brown - 191
2) Ricky Dietrich - 178
3) Justin Soule - 142
4) Tim Weigand - 136
5) Bobby Bonds - 129