In Saturday’s qualifying, Hayden piloted his four-stroke Yamaha FX Nytro® to a holeshot in the first heat of the Royal Distributing Cup, which he led till a red flag stopped the race. On the restart Hayden claimed another holeshot but by the end of the race he found himself taking satisfaction with a second place finish.
In the second round of qualifiers on Sunday, Hayden poured on the gas to nail down a win in the first race and another noteworthy second place in heat two.
Buoyed by his top qualifier results and a front row starting position, Hayden shot out of the gate in the final to secure yet another holeshot. But main rival in the series and defending Pro Open Champion, Lee Butler, had every intention of staying with Hayden and he did so from the time they dove into the first turn. It was obviously going to be a two-sled race.
The two champions set such a blistering pace vying for the lead that by the time the checkered was waved they had gapped the chase group by at least half a lap on the deteriorating track.
A couple of errors by Hayden in the heat of battle, however, saw Butler grab the lead towards the end of the race and stay there with Hayden coming in for a close second.
“The track was hard on equipment but we got through the weekend with top two finishes every time out and that says a lot about the Yamaha FX Nytro®. We’re still up there for the points chase and with two rounds left on the schedule we’re in good shape,” said Hayden.
