It Couldn’t Get Much Closer…
We’ve got the points tallied after a stunning edition of the Dog Man Challenge! The weather turned out just about perfect and the racers took full advantage, putting down up to 15 laps in the long race. That’s serious business on the tight and challenging 2-mile loop.
We also need your input. Several Series riders are scored in a category at Dog Man that they aren’t signed up for in the Series. For example, a rider is signed up for the Short’s category for the Series but raced the Open.
These riders are RED on the sheet. At this point, we’re planning on leaving it as-is.
Check out the full results from Dog Man.
How The Points Work
On the sheet, you’ll find a column at far left that tallies the top two results for each rider. The Series is decided on each rider’s best three results, which means the points differences in the “Totals” column don’t mean too much. That also means riders like the flying Rob Richardson, sitting on just 75 points compared to the leader’s 151, still has a shot to move up the board if he wins next weekend.
Where Things Are Tight
With one race left to go, most of the categories still have plenty to fight for.
Men’s Short
George Shumar, David Rosier and Scott Ferguson look to have 1-2-3 locked down in the Men’s Short’s race, although there’s a good chance Steve Fleming could nip at Scott’s heels for the final spot; he’s 32 points down and would need a big turnout at Fatty Caddy to have a chance.
Women’s Short
It’s a Shumar thing. Piper Shumar, the youngest Series participant and one of only a few to have finished all three races in so far this year, has the category locked down. She could even give the long-distance a shot next weekend…just for training, of course.
Women’s Open
Nothing is settled here, though Heather Compton’s two wins give her a 6-point lead over Nina Waeschenfelder and just 1 further point on Anabel Miller.
Arian McNamara and Staci Zirkle are tied on 94 points, just 4 behind Haleigh Dunn. Not only is the podium undecided, but the entire top five could – and will – shuffle substantially.
Women’s Masters
Technically, no woman can officially win the category, with 5 women each with 1 race scored in the Master’s group. Still, it’s tight, and we’ll award a winner next weekend if we get 1 of the 5 ladies on the line!
Men’s Open
Surprisingly, the Men’s category is one of the smallest, which also makes it one of the closest. Wakeley’s two wins puts him on 157 points, but John Burmeister’s win at Dog Man netted him 72 points; the pair will battle for the win and the Series at Fatty Caddy.
Men’s Master’s
Based on the best 2 points totals for each rider, we have a 3-way tie for the master’s lead heading into the final race. Eric Langley, Jim Jackovatz and Paul Olson are all tied on 151; the order in which they cross the line next weekend should end up being the final podium – probably.
There are also 5 riders with 2-point tallies between 131 and 139, which means a good chunk of the top ten will shuffle after the dust (snow) settles.
Get on the Line!
Not in the Series? No sweat. Everybody counts! Each category is worth 50 points, plus 1 point for each person who races in the category. If you’re looking to make up ground, tag in a few pals to join you on the line next weekend and PUMP UP the total points haul!