Royal Enfield’s Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Flat Track program rolled on at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, where the ladies took on their toughest race to date. The rough and rutted Laconia Short Track was the biggest challenger for eventual winner Jaycee Jones, who had to conquer the technical track surface before she could best her rivals. Makenna Hiatt and Zaria Martens joined Jones on the overall podium.
The second full-grid race of the season was short a few riders, namely round-one winner Jillian Deschenes and Nean Kiskela, who unfortunately tested positive for COVID and were forced to stay home. Of the remaining 13 BTR women, nine would qualify within 120% of the top qualifying time, set by Jaycee Jones, and line up for the BTR main event at Laconia.
Zaria Martens grabbed the holeshot, the 18-year-old battling Jones for the early lead, but at the green flag, it was Jones already in control of the race, with Martens breathing down her neck. The 81 of Makenna Hiatt was a surprise front-runner, as the 22-year-old pulled up on Martens in the fight for the runner-up position on the second lap. Martens had a scary moment when the rear of her INT650 kicked sideways and nearly pitched her off, but the teenager was able to gather it back up and maintain control. From there, however, Martens backed it down and Hiatt secured second place, moving up to pressure Jones for the lead. In the end, Jones took the victory by a mere half second over Hiatt, who was the breakthrough performer of the day.
Martens was left to fend off a late charge from Stephanie Pietz for the final podium position. In a near photo-finish, Martens was able to maintain the point by 0.078 seconds, leaving Pietz to settle for fourth. Lanakila MacNaughton rounded out the top five, followed by Alex Bumpus McDonald, Malary Lee, Anna Serena and Erin Ferris.
“The Build and Train aspects of the BTR program were once again major factors today,” said Breeann Poland, marketing and communications lead, Royal Enfield Americas. “Dialing in suspension setup was the key to unlocking speed here at Laconia. The BTR ladies really put their heads down during practice and qualifying and focused on suspension setup, and then came out here and attacked this course. That was a wild race, and you could see them pushing their comfort zones. We had some great battles and some wild moments, but everyone kept it on two, so we’re very proud of all the women today.”
Royal Enfield BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. Flat Track Laconia Short Track Results
- Jaycee Jones (No. 33)
- Makenna Hiatt (No. 81)
- Zaria Martens (No. 08)
- Stephanie Pietz (No. 57)
- Lanakila MacNaughton (No. 88)
- Alex Bumpus McDonald (No. 2)
- Malary Lee (No. 6)
- Anna Serena (No. 800)
- Erin Ferris (No. 909)
