Slowly but surely, Ivan Ramirez is digging himself out of the hole he found himself in when he stumbled through a few rounds earlier in the AMA/SRT Hare & Hound National Championship Series.
 
The FMF/KTM Factory Off-Road Racing Team’s desert ace is still third in points, but he’s closing the gap—fast! That’s because a win pays five more points than second place, which pays four more points than third and on down the line, so the quickest way to make up ground in the points standings is, of course, to get wins.

 
Ramirez did just that at the Sawmill Run in Caliente, Nevada. Hosted by the Silver State Trailblazers Motorcycle Club, the two-loop (38 and 36 miles long) race served as both round seven of the series and the first of three consecutive rounds in Nevada. (There will be special series-within-a-series awards for those who do all three events in the Silver State Classic, and they’ll be distributed immediately after the finish of round nine in Yerington on September 20-21.)

 
As he’d done at round six in Utah two weeks ago, Ramirez grabbed the holeshot and with it the $300 bonus Speed Freak apparel put up for the bomb run winner. From there, he and his Robbie Goolsby-prepared 450 XC-F just kept bringing in the cash. Leading at the end of the first loop earned him yet another $100 from the Bike Week Radio Show, and he finished the race more than two minutes ahead of THR Motorsports/Monster Energy/Precision Concepts Kawasaki’s Ricky Brabec for more sponsor bonuses.
 
“At first, [the course] was kind of open then the second loop went up into the trees,” Ramirez said. “I enjoy going slow where it’s tight and technical.”

 
Brabec reported, “I struggled a little bit in the trees. I caught up to Ivan and I was pretty close to him, but I just bobbled a little bit going up a hill, tipped over and just tried to regroup, tried to finish strong in second.”

Purvines Racing Beta’s Nick Burson kept his series points lead by finishing third, but that lead over Brabec has now dwindled substantially, 165-163, and Ramirez is now just 10 points back with 155.
 
“I just couldn’t keep up with those guys in the dust off the start,” Burson admitted, adding, “I just kind of rode by myself all day.”

Bel-Ray/FMF/Moose Racing Husqvarna factory rider Jacob Argubright had a horrible start when his bike didn’t fire, but he kept at it. Even after going off a small cliff and losing a chunk of time, he was able to sneak past Purvines Racing Beta’s Axel Pearson in the final miles for fourth. Pearson rode most of the second loop without a rear brake after hitting the pedal on a rock and folding the pedal to uselessness but held on for fifth.

 
The series now takes its traditional summer break and resumes on August 23 just up the road in Panaca.

Results - Round 7
1. Ivan Ramirez (KTM 450 XC-F)
2. Ricky Brabec (Kawasaki KX450F)
3. Nick Burson (Beta 498 RR)
4. Jacob Argubright (Husqvarna FC 450)
5. Axel Pearson (Beta 450 RR)
6. Brandon Prieto (KTM 450 XC-F)
7. Skyler Howes (KTM 300 XC)
8. Tallon Taylor (Beta 498 RR)
9. Steve Kirk III (Yamaha YZ250)
10. Morgan Crawford (KTM 250 XC)

Series Points Standings (After 7 of 10 rounds)
1. Nick Burson-165/2 wins
2. Ricky Brabec-163-1 win
3. Ivan Ramirez-155/3 wins
4. Jacob Argubright-98/1 win
5. Axel Pearson-89
6. Skyler Howes-88
7. Ryan Smith-83
8. Justin Morrow-77
9. Brandon Prieto-69
10. Morgan Crawford-55