51FIFTY Energy Drink Yamaha Oakland Supercross Race Report – Bell Injured – Mellross 13th

Courtesy of 51FIFTY Energy Drink Yamaha


Livingston, CA. (February 2, 2016) – The 51FIFTY Energy Drink Yamaha Team headed north to Oakland to take place in Press Day activities, get more track time, and prep for the Saturday night race.

While the rain and covered track unfortunately kept Zach and Hayden from riding, they did interviews for a local Fox News team at the stadium. They spoke about the sport of Supercross and how the 51FIFTY Energy Drink Team seeks to bring Autism Awareness to the action sports community through the Race For Autism. Overall it was great experience for the riders and strong exposure for the team.

The #65 Yamaha YZ250F of Zach Bell lined up for Heat #1, using his Dunlop Tires to sneak around the first corner and into 5th. He latched onto the leaders pace and turned consistently fast laps. On lap 4, Zach caught an edge on the dragon-back section and was slammed into the ground. He remounted, put in a strong effort, but came up short of a transfer position.

In Heat #2, rookie Hayden Mellross rocketed off the gate into 4th place showing skills beyond his years behind the top leaders while landing quality TV time. When the checkers flew, Hayden had sealed his spot for his 4th consecutive main event.

Zach Bell came out of the gate in good position in the LCQ but went down after connecting with another rider in the second corner. With his “never give up” attitude, Zach jumped back on the bike and set his sights on the lead group. He quickly came through the pack but a mistake in the whoops bucked Zach off his YZ250F. Zach suffered a broken collarbone and will have surgery this week and the timetable for his return is unknown at this point.

In the 250 Main, the #72 Yamaha carried the flag for the 51FIFTY Energy Drink Yamaha squad. Another great start put Hayden towards the front with the lead pack. A mistake early dropped Mellross to the back of the pack but that just fueled his fire. The Australian put in a solid effort, passing his way up to 13th position at the finish line.

“I feel like the entire program here has everything we need to succeed.” said Mellross. “I made one small mistake in the main that caused me to work extra hard through out the race. Together we’ve shown effort, speed, and determination. There are a few things I need to work on this week with Red Dog {Tim Ferry} and the team, but I’m ready for that top 10 finish.”

“I’m just bummed as my speed was there was from Qualifying throughout the night,” Bell added after the race. “In the LCQ, after getting knocked down right off the start I knew making the Main was doubtful but I wanted to pass as many guys as possible. There was no way I was going to quit or not put in 100% and then I made a mistake and that was it. I’ll get the collarbone plated and be back asap.”

51FIFTY Energy Drink Yamaha could not do it without the support of our great sponsors including Yamaha, Allied Packaging, Bolt, BDO, Carlos Vieira Racing, Costa Rica Unlimited, Cycra, Crank Works, Company West, CV4, Dunlop, DT1, Evans Cooling, FMF, Galfer, GET, GYTR, Hinson Clutch Components, HJC, Hot Cams, iBOOSTER, IMS Products, Magik Graphics, Matrix, Mechanix Wear, Motoseat, MotoXerciser, ODI, olloclip, O’Neal, Push Marketing Agency, Renegade Fuels, Ride Engineering, RK Excel, SDI, Sikk Shades, Supersprox, TM Designworks, Twisted Development, Works Connection, and Yamalube.


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