Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Austin Kimbrell Starts LOORRS Season on Podium

Starting Fresh

With two seasons under his belt, Kimbrell came into the season not sure where he stood against the competition. Friday’s qualifying put Kimbrell on top with a time almost one second faster than his closest rival and in good position for the weekend of racing. In Saturday’s eight-lap race, he was out front nearly the whole race, but finished second after a minor water pump issue.

“At the first race, you don’t really know where you are going to stand up against everyone,” said Kimbrell. “We went out pretty good last year and since we went with the same motor package for this season, we thought we would do well. We were definitely relieved that our work paid off.”

#607 Kawasaki Teryx Austin Kimbrell

Quick Thinking

During the second race on Sunday, Kimbrell jumped out to the holeshot, but on the second jump his throttle cable broke. He used quick thinking to use his hand to push in on the throttle body. With one hand on the throttle body and one hand on the wheel, Kimbrell worked his way through the field to finish in fourth.

“It was not the easiest thing to hold the throttle body and steer with one hand,” said Kimbrell. “I did get a little break since we had a red flag and the mandatory caution. It wasn’t too fun, but being able to still race and not DNF was the positive side to it.”

#642 Kawasaki Teryx Chad George

Looking Ahead