Written by Christy Carter  – Photo by Kashaeda Sutton 

AZOP wrapped up the 2023 season with an exciting two day event at Shorty’s Sports Park in Blythe, CA for the Blythe GP II.  The crisp mornings and warm afternoons made for a perfect weekend of racing under the blue skies.   

The big quads had a loaded field with 32 racers showing up at Shorty’s to show what they can do.  Diego Urrea and Ian Kubik showed impressive skills as they battled in the Pro class, with Diego just edging out Ian by 2 seconds to take home the first place trophy.  Layne Fryar was hot on their tails, finishing third overall.  Ryan McKinney and Ron Suor rounded out the Top 5, with each finishing within 1 minute of each other. 

The minis are always fun to watch – with both quads and bikes in on the action.  On Saturday Sage McKinney, Ty Thompson, and Jesslynne Preslar finished at the top of the 91-300 cc 10-15yr old quad class.  The 71-150cc 8-11 year old class was won by Jace Verkuilen, followed closely by Prestyn Raue and Lucy Giles.  Kate Proctor took the gold in the 250-400cc class. 

The peewee quads were just as excting to watch as the bikes with three stellar classes of competitors!  The ATV 80cc-150cc Advanced class was won by Kyle Wade, followed closely by Cain Llamas and Emma Martinez.  The ATV 80-150cc Beginner class was so close, with Jace Verkuluilen just edging out Brantley Addison and Robert McRoy.  Ricki McRoy and Avery Thompson took the podium for the ATV 50-79cc 4-6 year olds. 

The UTV race cars are always fun to watch and the excitement started off with the 170cc UTVs.  The beginner class was won by Blaine Proctor, just in front of Addie Atteberry, Mason Naughton, and Maisyn Atteberry.  Robert Grimes was right up there with the leaders before he ended up on his top and taking him out of the race.  Spencer Gibson, Kinley Sutton, and Rylee White put on an impressive showing in the Intermediate class, while Chloe Hurn took the win for the Advanced class.  The 570s were quick around the track with Spencer Gibson, Blaine Proctor, and Braxton Sherman all taking to the podium.  The Big UTVs had quite an assortment of classes competing, with Bruce St. Germain taking the win for the Pro Turbo, Dan Hurn the Pro Open, Jacob Mueller winning in the 1000cc Turbo class, Jeff Garrity taking the win in the 1000cc N/A class, and #808 Chace Crawford taking the win not only in the Youth 1000cc/RS No Restrictor class, but also the win overall for the day.

 The second day of quad action continued on a beautiful warm November afternoon.  Ryan McKinney and Ron Suor came in first and second respectively, finishing just seconds from each other.  Glen Brazatis and Ron Suor also continued to shine as they completed the race in great time, rounding out the top four racers of the day. 

The minis continued their action on Sunday morning as the sun was rising over the horizon.  Sage McKinney, Jesslyne Preslar, and Payson Raue finished top 3 overall in front of a cheering crowd.  With a crowded mini-bike race, Tanner Sutton took the overall win.  Jacob Saganitso and Ryland Fugitt were battling for 2nd place, Saganitso just edging out the victory.  Phillip Kraxberger and Jake Pennington wrapped up the top 5 overall for the day. 

The action continued as the peewee bikes and quads headed to the track.  Those little guys can go FAST!  Jaxon Fontes, Royce Pendleton, and Gracin Tallman placed in the top 3 overall on the peewee bikes, with Wyatt Parent and Danny Jarmon hot on their heels.  The little quads looked quite impressive as Emma Martinez was the overall winner.  Prestyn Raue and Lucy Giles completed the top 3 for the day. 

UTV actions contined on Day 2, with Bruce St. Germain, Dan Hurn, Jacob Mueller, Chace Crawford, Braxton Sherman, and Blaine Proctor all hitting the podium for the second day in a row!  Hurn looked super impressive as he took the overall win for the day.  The 170s looked great as Kinley Sutton took the overall win, followed closely by Ryder Wilson, Addie Atteberry, Mason Naughton, and Allanna Fernandez rounding out the top 5 for the day. 

The 2023 season comes to a close, but not without the many great memories along the way.  The AZOP Race Team would like to thank the racers, families, sponsors, and spectators that make our series so special.  Here is to an amazing year and we can’t wait to see everyone in 2024 as we kick off the season at Shorty’s in January! More info on race azopracing.com