Press Release –
While Yamaha Factory Snocross’ Iain Hayden took a top-10 finish at Canterbury Park Racetrack in Shakopee, MN his teammate Steve Taylor suffered through an illness-handicapped weekend.
Even while suffering the effects from severe stomach flu, Taylor stepped up to race, but a hard crash while making a pass through the rough whoop section effectively ended Taylor’s weekend right then and there.
That put the pressure on Hayden. He rode with confidence in the final, moving up through the field to capture a top-10 in the Pro Open final.
“My main goal this weekend was to make the front row in the main, but a prototype component problem meant I had to get in through the LCQ. It would have been nice to have a better starting position, however, because it’s difficult to connect with the front runners from the back row,” said Hayden. “But we’ve made a lot of headway with developing the sleds and we’re in the points now.”
Both Hayden and Taylor managed top-three starts in their final bid to make the main but only Hayden would prevail when all was said and done.
While Hayden laid claim to the last transfer spot after a heated battle for the win, Taylor’s massive crash, which saw the race red-flagged, got him an ambulance ride to the local hospital to be checked out.
Taylor feels he will be at 100% soon and is looking forward to the upcoming Winter X-Games competition.
“I knew it would be tough to win this weekend because I hadn’t been able to keep any food down and I felt a bit weak. But my sled was running really well and I didn’t want it to sit idle in the paddock because I happened to be feeling under the weather.”
With his teammate on the sidelines, Hayden took the full weight of the team on his shoulders and he didn’t disappoint. From a back row start, he charged hard the entire race which consisted of a grueling 26 laps. A tenth place finish would be the reward for his tenacity.
“We’re very pleased that Iain rode with confidence throughout the full 26 lap final. This should give him the momentum to keep getting into those mains and onto the front row. Our objective for this season is still to finish in the top-five,” said team manager Andre Laurin. “Both Iain and Steve are contenders and the FX Nytro® sleds have all the power we could ask for. We’ve been doing a lot of testing and development as the season progresses and it’s paying off.”
Yamaha Factory Team would like to thank the following sponsors for their valuable support: Yamalube®, FXR®, Fox® Shocks, Camoplast®, GYTR®, Fly Racing® and Stud Boy®.
