Payson Hosts AZOP's Muddiest Event of Year

Round 10 of AZOP Championship Series Races in Payson, Arizona

Race report provided by Jonathan Barrett, photos by Kelly Zimmer. (October 2018)

2018 AZOP Series, Round 10, Payson Grand Prix, October 13-14, 2018

The Arizona Offroad Promotions Payson GP in Payson, Arizona proved to be the most challenging race of the year with torrential rain and resulting mud. The GNCC-esque race was a rare sight in Arizona and the first muddy race the series has seen all season.

The youth of the series started on a clear and rain free morning with the Peewee Bikes taking the track first. In the 65cc C class, Miles Mchugh took the win with Danny Baca and Colson Skersick rounding out the podium. In the 50cc 4-6 Years Old class, Brayden Almendarez took the win with Jace Letner and Emek Letner right behind. The older 50cc 7-8 Years Old class had Cooper Skersick, Luke Utterback and Ryder Yates on the podium on a fresh track.

The Mini Bikes were next, with Collin Steele taking first in the 65cc B class, with Bryce Petrie and Marley Kuhn in tow. Representing the women were Ruby Valadez, Emilee Carter and Rebecca Lowery taking the top spots in the Women’s C class. Keegan Hardy won his 80-150cc A class, and Brett West, Porter May and Matt Bernabe took the podium in the 80-150cc B class. Trevor Supalla, Brooke Grinter and Heath Stillwell ran 1-3 in the 80-150cc C class and Danny Baca won the Open Mini class. Top 10 in Mini Bikes are as follows: Brett West, Keegan Hardy, Porter May, Matt Bernabe, Trevor Supalla, Brooke Grinter, Heath Stillwell, Gunner Deatherage, Evan Roslan and Jason Trubey.

The Peewee Quads came out next, with Lane Johnson taking first in the 50-79cc 4-6 Years Old class, followed by Emma Martinez. Brenden Turner, Brayden Earlewine and Jack Wilson rounded out the podium in the 80cc+ Beginner class, and Tavin Freeman, Landen Johnson and Gabriel Simmons took the podium in the 80cc+ Advanced class.

The Mini Quads were next up with Carly Center taking first in the 250-400cc class, followed by Tyler Tsosie and Dakota Hibler. Kolbie Lang won the 91-300cc 10-15 Years Old class, followed by Robert Dearth and Kasey Snyder. Top 10 finishes for Mini Quads are as follows: Kolbie Lang, Robert Dearth, Carly Senter, Tyler Tsosie, Kasey Snyder, Dakota Hibler, Wyatt Rock, Noel Brock and Tyler Savage.

The Big Bikes took the track in the rain, with the track turning slick as ice and the flat portions filling with massive water holes. Austin Alexander won the 125-250cc A class, and the top three finishes for 125-250cc B were Hunter Guiboa, Collier Martinez and Tate Van Voort. The 125-250cc C class saw more competition with Anthony Luna, Joshua Utterback and Tyler Snodgrass taking the top three spots. Dave Van Voort ran his first race in years and won the Master 50+A class, followed by Brandon Roberts and Gary Peterson. Richard Heyer took a win in the Master 50+ B class, with Ken Eldridge finishing close behind. Billy Dipley, Brian Perry Jr and Jesse Belcher finished top in the Open A class, and Greg Vander Voort, Tim Dana and Dustin Queen took the podium in the Open B class. Open C was taken by Grant Sanders, followed by Weston Atwater and Jesse Powers. Wyatt Perry was the only Pro to come and ran a clean race. Jason West and Tom Estella took the Senior 40+B class, Nason Benson took Senior 40+C, Cody Perry took the Vet 30+A class and Brad White took the Vet 30+B class. Lastly, Mike Kamminga, Ryan Kohl and Travis Steinfadt took 1-3 in the Vet 30+C class. Overall top 10 are as follows: Wyatt Perry, Billy Dipley, Hunter Guiboa, Collier Martinez, Brian Perry Jr, Jesse Belcher, Curtis Bradley, Donovan Gross, Greg Vander Voort and Brad White.

Racing through even deeper mud and more rain, the Big Quads took to the muddy track. Francisco Lizarraga won the Sportsman class followed by Mike Morgan and Nick Helton, Travis Tarno won the Expert class with Todd Ellsworth and Austin Snyder right behind, and Andrew Simmons, Ron Suor and Erin Simmons finished closely to round out the Pro class. Top 10 results are as follows: Andrew Simmons, Ron Suor, Travis Tarno, Erin Simmons, Todd Ellsworth, Francisco Lizarraga , Mike Morgan, Austin Snyder, Nick Helton and Michael Tsosie.

Lastly, the UTV’s took to the muddy track and blasted through the deep pools and thick mud. Tom Wilson won the scarce Pro class, Todd Waling won his 850cc class, Chase De Sousa Dias won the 900cc class, and Robert Olander took his 1000cc Non Turbo class with Kody Winiecki and Barry Bennett right behind him, Last but not least, Kali Kinsman took the 1000cc Turbo class, with Neil Carse and Chad Fisher taking second and third. Top 10 results for UTV’s are as follows: Kali Kinsman, Robert Olander, Neil Carse, Tom Wilson, Chase De Sousa Dias, Chad Fisher, Kody Winiecki, Jeff Kery, Clay Winiecki and Todd Waling.

The Payson GP proved to be a challenging course with conditions rarely seen on the west coast. Next race is the Havasu Havik Grand Prix on November 3-4 at Crazy Horse in Lake Havasu City, AZ. More info at AZOPRacing.com