Ricky Dietrich Dominant at Phoenix WORCS

January 23, 2007, 6:27am

PHOENIX (January 21, 2007) – Ricky Dietrich led the charge for Monster Energy Kawasaki with a Pro class victory at the opening round of the World Off Road Championship Series at Speedworld Motocross Park in Phoenix.

Dietrich began defense of his WORCS Series Pro class title in impressive fashion with a convincing wire-to-wire win aboard his all-new 2007 Kawasaki KX450F. He grabbed the holeshot off the start and led every lap of the two-hour event. His Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate Destry Abbott put in a late-race charge and finished the race in fifth place. Nathan Woods, the third member of the Monster Energy Kawasaki team, was running up front for a majority of the race before experiencing problems with an aftermarket clutch, which ended his run at a podium finish.

Kawasaki Team Green Dealer Assist riders also cracked the top ten as Derek Costella, riding a Carter Powersports-backed KX450F, finished seventh, while Sun Kawasaki’s Matt Karlsen was tenth.

Kawasaki Team Green off-road amateur rider Josh Morros kicked off his season with two wins in the 250F A and Semi-Pro divisions.

The rain-soaked course could not slow Kawasaki’s stable of riders as 13 Kawasaki-mounted riders brought home individual class wins.

For photos of this event and additional news and race results, visit www.kawasaki.com/racing.

World Off Road Racing Series
Opening Round
Speedworld Motocross Park - Phoenix, Ariz.

Pro Class
1. RICKY DIETRICH, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
2. Ryan Hughes, Suzuki
3. Kurt Caselli, KTM
4. Bobby Bonds, Yamaha
5. DESTRY ABBOTT, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
6. Lance Smail, Husqavarna
7. DEREK COSTELLA, KAWASAKI
8. Robby Bell, Honda
9. Justin Soule, KTM
10. MATT KARLSEN, KAWASAKI

Pro Class Point Standings
1. RICKY DIETRICH, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 30
2. Ryan Hughes, Suzuki, 25
3. Kurt Caselli, KTM, 21
4. Bobby Bonds, Yamaha, 18
5. DESTRY ABBOTT, MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 16
6. Lance Smail, Husqavarna, 15
7. DEREK COSTELLA, KAWASAKI, 14
8. Robby Bell, Honda, 13
9. Justin Soule, KTM, 12
10. MATT KARLSEN, KAWASAKI, 11

Below is a breakdown of Kawasaki class winners by class:

Ricky Dietrich, Pro
Josh Morros, Semi-pro
Steve Gibson, 65cc A
Stone Hayes, 65cc C
Austin Gibson, Super Mini B
Rhett Urscth, 250F Pro
Josh Morros, 250F A
Ryan Abbatoye, 250 A
Kyle Summers, Open Pro
John Rikerd, Open C
Jeff Brownlee, Vet 30 A
Scott Kennett, Master 40 C
Danielle Thorton, Women B