Taberlay defeats Wells and Horgan-Kobelski

Sunday's H2O Overdrive Triple Crown All Mountain Series started off with the short track race. The 15-minute plus one lap race would prove to be a full throttle affair.

In typical fashion of short track, attacks started coming from lap one, with everyone trying to take a shot of going off the front.

Race leader Sho-Air/Specialized's Max Plaxton hit the deck hard on lap three and was trampled by Kona's Ryan Trebon and others, who had no where to go but over Plaxton and his bike. Plaxton would rejoin the group with a badly twisted up bike, but would claw his way back to the top five.

Out front, Todd Wells (Specialized), Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru / Gary Fisher), Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale), Sam Schultz (Subaru / Gary Fisher), Sid Taberlay and Geoff Kabush (Rocky Mountain - Maxxis) were drilling the pace. Plaxton and others were in a chase group just a few meters off.

With one to go, the riders began to size each other up, looking to set up an opportunity to lead into the races final chicane into the finish.

Newly crowned Austrailian National Short Track Champion Sid Taberlay of the Sho-Air/Specialized team jumped out of the field with an eighth of a lap to go and made the move stick taking a big win over Wells, JHK, Bishop and a banged up Plaxton.

The stage was now set for a Sho-Air/Specialized shootout, as both Plaxton and Taberlay went into the Super D event with one win a piece.

If Plaxton wanted the title, he was going to have to hang it out on to take the win, otherwise his teammate Taberlay had set himself up for a win.

In the women's short track - a 10-minute affair plus one lap - all guns were firing.

This time it was Subaru/Gary Fisher rider Heather Irmiger, fresh off her Hawaiian vacation, who took the win over Specialized's Lene Byberg, Giant's Kelli Emmet, with Chloe Forsman (Tokyo Joe's) and Pua Sawicki (Team Mata) rounding out the top five.

Full Results