FMF Makita Suzuki's Josh Strang got off to a great start at the Yadkin Valley Stomp in Yadkinville, North Carolina, launching his Suzuki RM-Z450 to his second holeshot of the season. The Australian rider ran into trouble on the second lap of the race, however, after a slight miscalculation on a jump led to a severe crash that nearly took Strang out of the race. "I landed a bit off the line and clipped a tree," said Strang. "When I grabbed the bars again, I grabbed a handful of throttle and it sent me right into another tree." Both bike and rider sustained some minor bumps and bruises, but came away from the crash without suffering any major damage. After remounting his RM-Z450, Strang worked his way back to the pits. The team quickly repaired what they could on the RM-Z, and got Strang back in the race. While the crash and time spent in the pits put Strang far behind the competition, he pushed his RM-Z450 to the limits, and managed to race his way back to a 9th-place finish. His efforts earned him 12 valuable points towards the championship, and allowed him to maintain a 19 point lead over the next closest rider. "Days like today are the reason winning those early races is so important," said Strang. "Having that buffer is key." Team manager Mike Webb also commented on Josh's perseverance during the Yadkinville race, saying, "I'm really proud of Josh today. You win championships on your worst day and he gave it everything today." http://www.grindtv.com/moto/blog/17470/josh strang maintains points lead at yadkin valley stomp/
