Team Monster Energy-Yamaha-OTSFF Racing was in full force at the event with Iain Hayden mounted on the potent four-stroke Yamaha FX Nytro®. After rigorous testing for the past month, Hayden and the entire crew were eager to get out onto the track and back into racing action. Durability tests had shown that the equipment was absolutely amazing and the weekend’s results were proof positive that the team is ready to be a major title contender in the premier Pro Open division.
Hayden let it be known from the start of the first heat that he has every intention to add another CSRA title to his resume this year, his first full season on the Canadian circuit since 2007. The Espanola, ON native shot off the start line like a missile to nail the holeshot and convincingly take his first win of the season. In the remaining two heats, Hayden again took control from start to finish making it an impressive three for three.
In the final, Hayden pulled yet another holeshot to take the field in tow. The race was short-lived, however, after a crash brought out the red flag. On the restart, Hayden again nailed the holeshot quickly pulling four to five sled lengths ahead of the chase group. By the end of the second lap, he had doubled that distance.
While on the gas, he briefly got in trouble on a rough section of track that had already felled a number of other riders. The incident winded Hayden and jarred his shoulder, causing him to pull off the track to regroup before getting back into the fray. Rejoining the action dead last, he put on a clinic harnessing the FX Nytro’s® awesome power to still make his way into a seventh place finish, which together with the three heat wins saw him collect enough points to leave Round 1 of the title hunt at the top of the scoreboard.
“We’re here to win this Canadian national series. We’ve got the equipment and the team to do it with. Race to race is important but we’re here for the long haul. We picked up some valuable points this weekend and we know we have the sled to get the job done,” said team owner/manager Andre Laurin. “It’s unfortunate that Iain got a little shook up but the good news is that he didn’t re-injure the shoulder which gave him so much trouble last season.”
