IN
THE
WIND
P42
SUTHERLIN SCORES AT VIRGIN VOYAGE
R
eigning WORCS Champion
Gary Sutherlin may not be
100-percent healthy, but that
didn't stop him from taking the
win at the 28
th
Annual Virgin
Voyage, hosted by the Vikings
Motorcycle Club, the fourth
round of the Kenda/SRT AMA
Hare & Hound National Champi-
onship Series.
"I'm probably 90 percent right
now; my wrist is still pretty sore,"
Sutherlin said. "I don't mean that
in a bad way—I'm definitely hurt-
ing—but I just rode a smart race
today."
Consisting of three loops (40,
28 and 32 miles long) around
the Johnson Valley Off-Highway
Vehicle Area and based near
The Rockpile, the Virgin Voyage
closed out the first half of the
series in much the same way as
it started: Sutherlin on top of the
podium flanked by defending
series champ Ricky Brabec and
FMF KTM Factory Off-road Rac-
ing Team's Ivan Ramirez. Round
four, however, found Ramirez in
the runner-up spot with THR Mo-
torsports/Precision Concepts/
Bonanza Plumbing's Brabec
third, unofficially moving the KTM
racer into joint possession of the
points lead at 101 each.
However, it was Skyler
Howes who rocketed off the
start aboard his Blais Racing
Services KTM 300 XC, enjoy-
ing a few miles of a helicopter
carrying a videographer as his
closest companion.
Before too long, Sutherlin
went to the front on his Dunlop/
Motorex/Fox-backed 450 XC-F,
though he was unable to hold
off the charging Brabec, who
sprinted away.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
MARK
KARIYA
