Dylan Parsons Claims Top Five Finishes in 1600 Single Buggy at ERX Motor Park

MANITOWOC, Wis. – Shock Tech/Kernz Racing’s Colin Kernz continues to showcase his driving skills in the Pro-Am Side-by-Side class, capturing a fourth and a sixth-place finish, at ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minnesota. He remains in championship contention, sitting second in points. Teammate Dylan Parsons achieved a top five finish in 1600 Single Buggy at Round 5 and a podium finish, capturing second place, at Round 6.

Colin Kernz | Photo credit: FTAO Media / Kent Nyhus

Round 5: Friday

Pro-Am
After moving into the points lead at Round 4, Kernz was determined to keep the momentum going. Placing his car in second off of the start, he then slipped to third momentarily. After regaining second place, the battle for the lead ensued. Kernz pushed hard throughout the entire race, swapping between second and third place several times before eventually taking second at the line. Unfortunately, he was docked three positions following the race, but other riders were also docked positions – leaving him with the final result of fourth.  

“Thursday practice went well,” said Kernz. “I always love coming to ERX, because it’s a motocross-style track and it fits me well. So right off the bat, I felt I would be competitive all weekend. On Friday, I was battling for first and second all race. I felt fast enough to win Friday but couldn’t find the right line to make a clean pass for the lead. I ended with a second-place finish. Unfortunately, I later got docked positions for a racing incident.”

1600 Single Buggy
Sitting second in points coming into the weekend, Parsons decided to focus solely on the 1600 Buggy class at ERX Motor Park. After experimenting with a new setup in practice, he opted to swap back to the setup he previously used at the facility. Starting Friday’s race in seventh, he immediately climbed to third. Unfortunately, a carb issue would hamper his day. He would have to settle for fourth at the checkers.

“Thursday’s practice we missed our setup a bit trying something new, so we had to swap the engine and transmission overnight to our previous setup at ERX,” said Parsons. “I was able to make my way up to third by the end of the first lap, picking up spots quickly, and I made it into first until a carb issue caused me to give up the lead coming into the competition yellow caution. After the yellow, the carb issue continued, and I lost a few spots to salvage a fourth-place finish.”

Pro-Am Side-by-Side Results

  1. Bill Berger
  2. Logan Christensen
  3. Derek Liebergen

  1. Colin Kernz

1600 Single Buggy Results

  1. Travis Trelstad
  2. Michael Seefeldt
  3. John Fitzgerald

  1. Dylan Parsons

Round 6: Saturday

Pro-Am
Putting his Yamaha YXZ into ninth off of the start, Kernz went to work passing drivers. He eventually worked his way up to fourth and was setting a great pace. Trying to avoid a yellow flag, he ended up losing a couple places to finish in sixth.

 “I started ninth on Saturday and worked my way up to fourth,” Kernz said. “Everything seemed to be going perfect, but I tried to avoid a yellow flag and that lost me a couple stops, ending with a sixth.”

1600 Single Buggy
At Round 6, Parsons started seventh in 1600 Single Buggy. He strategically made his way through the pack to reach third within the first few laps. He had to choose his lines carefully as the race continued. Eventually, Parsons was able to make the pass to overtake second in the whoops section, but was unable to chase down the leader with the remaining time.  

“Overnight, we found that our needle and seat in the carburetor had debris in it, and we were confident that was our issue,” said Parsons. “I started seventh again and was able to pick through traffic again in the first few laps getting up to third. I knew I had to continue using the inside split lane and was able to edge into second place in the whoops section. I ran out of time to pressure the leader that started on pole that race.”

Dylan Parsons | Photo credit: FTAO Media / Kent Nyhus

Pro-Am Side-by-Side Results

  1. Derek Liebergen
  2. Matthew Boerschinger
  3. Chase Kleist

  1. Colin Kernz

1600 Single Buggy Results

  1. Tony Keepers
  2. Dylan Parsons
  3. John Fitzgerald

Looking Forward

Continuing a strong rookie season in Pro-Am Side-by-Side, Kernz is well-poised to continue the championship hunt. He is currently second, just two points behind the class leader.

“Some things this weekend did not go our way,” Kernz said. “We will regroup for Lena [Dirt City Motorplex in Lena, Wisconsin] in two weeks. I’m still sitting good in second place for the championship points. There’s a lot of racing left, and I’m looking to be consistent.”

Halfway through the season, Parsons remains second in 1600 Single Buggy points. He is driven to tighten up the points gap and keep working towards the championship.

“Dirt City Motorplex is a tight, technical track with a lot of elements from every other track on the circuit compressed into a smaller form,” Parsons said. “I’m looking to put a dent in the points deficit and get closer to first in points coming into the second half of season.”

Three weekends of racing remain. The next race takes place July 30-31 at Dirt City Motorplex in Lena, Wisconsin. Watch all the action of the 12-round series at floracing.com.

Standings (After Round 6)

Pro-Am Side-by-Side Standings

  1. Bill Berger, 263
  2. Colin Kernz, 261
  3. Mike Caswell, 213

Pro Stock Side-by-Side Standings

  1. Brock Heger, 305
  2. CJ Greaves, 270
  3. Jake Kosmecki, 245

  1. Dylan Parsons, 104
    (did not compete in rounds 5 & 6)

1600 Single Buggy Standings

  1. John Fitzgerald, 292
  2. Dylan Parsons, 258
  3. Michael Seefeldt, 244