Things unfolded nicely with a Pro Open win for Team Monster Energy-Yamaha-OTSFF Racing’s Ian Hayden at the ISOC Amsoil® Snocross Championship Series Quick Draw Canadian Nationals in Sarnia, Ontario this past weekend. In addition to campaigning the Quick Draw National, which counts towards the CSRA Canadian National Championship, Hayden also rode Round 7 of the ISOC National Series. Despite some problems with his goggles, he still pulled a noteworthy top-10 finish out of his sleeve in that division.
«It was another banner weekend for us with Iain getting lots of track time and the resultant television exposure,» said team owner/manager Andre Laurin. «His win in the Quick Draw ISOC Canadian National and top 10 in the ISOC National put the icing on the cake.»
Thanks to the city of Sarnia, which trucked in tons of snow to Hiawatha Horsepark so the races could proceed as scheduled, the ISOC event offered up top-notch competition that saw American, European and Canadian riders vie for podium finishes at the US/Canadian border town.
In the Quick Draw Canadian National, which was Hayden’s main focus for the weekend, he again went head-to-head with defending Pro Open CSRA National champ Lee Butler. But whereas Butler managed to beat Hayden to the finish line at the previous event in Barrie, he was no match for Hayden in Sarnia and this time he was the one who had to settle for second place.
Hayden smoothly progressed through the qualifying races with a second place in the first heat and a win in the second heat. This gave him second gate pick on the starting line for the final. Knowing he had to keep Butler from a win if he was going to keep his lead in the CSRA National Championship Series, Hayden took off like a bat out of hell on his explosive Yamaha FX Nytro® to grab the holeshot and then lead wire to wire.
Although Butler mounted some challenges throughout the 20-lap race, he never really threatened Hayden for position. Still, Butler’s 1-1 qualifying heat results and the second place finish in the final gave him enough points on the weekend to tie Hayden for first place in the title hunt.
For snocross fans, the results in Sarnia have definitely set the stage for a thriller final round on April 10th at Horseshoe Valley in Barrie, where Hayden hopes to nail down his fourth Canadian National title.
In the ISOC National round, Hayden finished fifth in his first qualifying heat after a fairly routine race. In the second heat, which he holeshot, he experienced visibility problems due to a malfunction in his goggle tear-off system, caused by the roost of the rider in front of him. This liability saw him gradually drop back and finish the race in seventh place. Just missing qualifying for the final, he had to go to the LCQ in which he grabbed a third place at the checkered, and along with it a back row starting position for the final.
In the 20-lap final, incredibly Hayden was again hampered by visibility problems due to problems with the tear-offs. But he soldiered on to claw his way from the back of the 15-rider field to a ninth place finish when the checkered flag signalled the end of the race.
«Other than the tear-off problems it was a great weekend. As usual the team guys put a great sled under me and it ran like a dream. We went to Sarnia to win the Quick Draw Canadian National race and it was mission accomplished,» said Hayden. «It would have been nice to keep my lead in the points but we’ve known from the beginning of the season it was going to go down to the last round, because Lee wasn’t just going to hand me the title on a silver plate. He’s a champion, a worthy opponent and a great sled racer.»
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