Shock Tech/Kernz Racing’s Dylan Parsons Achieves First Win of Season in 1600 Single Buggy at Round 8 of Championship Off-Road

Colin Kernz Takes Top-Five Finishes in Pro-Am Side-by-Side at Dirt City Motorplex

MANITOWOC, Wis. – Shock Tech/Kernz Racing’s Dylan Parsons piloted his buggy to his first win of the season at Dirt City Motorplex in Lena, Wisconsin, and remains second in points for the 1600 Single Buggy class. Teammate Colin Kernz took fifth and second at Round 7 and 8, respectively. He also regained the points lead headed into the final two weekends of racing. Both drivers were also featured on Championship Off-Road’s podcast prior to the event.

Round 7: Saturday

Pro-Am
After a solid practice in perfect track conditions on Friday, Kernz and fellow racers headed to the host city’s downtown for a parade and time with fans. On Saturday, the rookie started seventh. He then had to encounter some of the worst track conditions of the season from an over-watered track. Feeling like he was driving on ice, Kernz struggled to have control of his car throughout the race. However, he was able to stay within the top five when the checkered flag finally flew. His finish also regained him the points lead.

“It was probably some of the worst control I’ve ever had,” said Kernz. “I ran out of tear-offs before halfway, and it made for a brutal second half. I was happy to keep all four tires on the track and finish fifth.”  

1600 Single Buggy
Continuing to hunt down the championship, Parsons knew another solid weekend of results would be needed to stay in the chase. Despite loose and slippery dirt at the facility, Parsons set the second-fastest time in practice on Friday, just .4 seconds off of the leader. He entered Saturday feeling confident, especially when the points leader drew an invert of two which positioned Parsons on pole. His starting strategy of beating everyone into the first corner almost came together, but he had to settle for second after the start. He continued to chase the leader, but eventually crossed the line in a hard-fought second.

“I knew all I had to do was beat everyone to the first corner into the right split-lane,” said Parsons. “I made it to the split-lane first, but Fitzgerald had a great slide job on the outside and got by me.”

Round 8: Sunday

Pro-Am
Sunday’s track conditions were vastly improved over the day prior, and Kernz — starting fourth — jostled in the top five for the first half of the race. He then powered his Yamaha YXZ around a few drivers to move into second and was hungry for the lead. Despite multiple efforts to overtake the leader, he claimed second at the line.   

“I was in the hunt for first but just couldn’t find a way around the leader,” Kernz said. “I set the fastest lap time on Sunday, so I knew I had the speed. I couldn’t find a clean way to make the pass for first. After a couple weeks of being off the podium, it was nice to be back up there!”

1600 Single Buggy
With the points leader drawing an invert of six, Parsons started in fifth for Sunday’s race. By the first turn, he had made his way into third. A spin-out by a competitor then allowed him to move up to second by the end of Lap 1. Parsons began to test out different line options, which allowed him to find the best place to make a pass for the lead. He pulled a gap on the rest of the field and held strong to the finish line in order to claim his first win of the season.

“On the second lap, I found that the outside cushion of the track was very slick and wet,” said Parsons. “The inside was already drying out. So, in Turn 1, I ducked low and made the pass going into the split-lane and never looked back. My spotter, Matt, kept me calm, and we had about two-to-three car lead the rest of the race to get our first win of the season!”

Looking Forward

Twenty-nine points separate Parsons and the leader in 1600 Single Buggy. After selling his side-by-side that he used to compete in Pro Stock earlier this year, the focus on 1600 buggy has paid off for Parsons thus far.

“Next is Bark River, where we swept the weekend with two wins in 1600 last year and a third in Pro-Am Side-by-Side,” Parsons said. “l’m looking forward to keeping the momentum going and focusing on putting more of a dent in the points.”

Kernz continues to rack up top five results in Pro-Am Side-by-Side and battle for the championship. Now sitting just eight points ahead of his competitor, he aims to hold onto the lead.

“I want to have two more good, clean rounds of racing,” Kernz said. “I want to keep doing what I have been.”

Two weekends of racing remain. The next race takes place August 13-14 at Bark River International Raceway in Bark River, Michigan. Watch all the action of the 12-round series at floracing.com.

Standings (After Round 8)