Andreas Bakkerud ended a winless streak stretching throughout two seasons to win the third spherical of the 2024-25 Nitrocross season at Utah Motorsports Campus.
The Dreyer & Reinbold JC driver began the Remaining from pole place alongside teammate Robin Larsson, with each having gained their heats and semifinals and the 2 choreographed their begin to perfection to stay one-two after the primary nook.
Behind them within the battle for third, Fraser McConnell — in a 3rd DRR JC machine — made contact with Conner Martell on the joker merge, McConnell having taken the alternate lap together with Kevin Eriksson and Tanner Foust on that first tour. Martell prevailed, whereas Oliver Eriksson took benefit of the bump to maneuver as much as second, having began the Remaining from final place after advancing with the Final Likelihood Qualifier.
Whereas they had been formation flying on the entrance, the duel between the Monster Vitality-branded DRR Dodges on the entrance was removed from settled. By the second lap, Larsson started to use the strain. Bakkerud responded with a string of session finest sector instances on lap three.
Martell, in the meantime, had closed as much as each as they headed onto their fourth and ultimate lap. All three had been set to take the joker on that ultimate tour, however Martell missed it, destroying his hopes of a primary podium of the season.
That handed an unlikely podium to Richmond Day 2 winner Oliver Eriksson. Martell was finally categorized seventh after being handed a 30-second penalty for his indiscretion, behind McConnell, Kevin Eriksson, and Tanner Foust.
The ultimate ought to have been an eight-car affair, however Viktor Vranckx didn’t take the beginning after struggling a motor failure 5 minutes earlier than the ultimate.
Lia Block was the opposite absentee from the ultimate after dropping out within the LCQ to Foust and Eriksson. Foust started the day as prime qualifier, however a 3rd in his warmth and a fourth in his semifinal meant he was unable to completely capitalize on his sturdy begin to the day.
With third in Saturday’s fundamental occasion, Oliver Eriksson maintains the factors lead, however his benefit shrinks from 11 factors to simply 5 forward of Larsson, who gained 10 factors on the OMSE driver. McConnell maintains third, whereas Bakkerud’s stellar day strikes him as much as fourth total.
Tommi Hallman gained the primary Nitrocross NEXT Evo ultimate of the weekend, after gapping a hard-charging Mitchell De Jong within the first half of the race.
De Jong resisted a late problem from Casper Jansson, and repassed the Swede with two turns to go to lock in second place. Jansson, who was the one one of many leaders to not joker on lap one, initially misplaced time on the top-two by battling Patrick Gruszka for third, however was in a position to get well to problem De Jong on the ultimate lap when he jokered himself and closed the hole.
In Facet-by-Sides, Travis Pastrana defeated Money LeCroy for the win, with Jacob Geisendorff finishing the rostrum. Pastrana made a poor begin, however held the lead as early challenger Kainan Baker jokered. Pastrana took the alternate lap on his subsequent tour, and due to a cleaner run by way of it than Baker, was in a position to hold forward.
A damaged rear toe hyperlink prevented Baker from sustaining his cost, with Geisendorff snatching the ultimate podium place as Baker got here to a short halt after a half spin coming off the “Talladega berm” after the joker merge.
Hailie Deegan was fourth on her return to Nitrocross, having made the ultimate by way of the LCQ, which put her behind the eight-car ultimate grid.
After an aborted begin, which value Lucy Block and Jim Jork, Greg Shapiro was victorious. Scotty Lasater had a large lead on the finish of the opening lap, however a quickest lap for Shaprio allowed him to shut in and get by. Lasater in the end needed to accept second, with Joe Terrana rounding out the rostrum.
