Cycle News

Puerto Rican Road Race Championship Final Round; Mudafort Sports Road Race Concepcion Wins Puerto Rican Superbike Final By JOHN LONG SAUNAS, PR, NOV. 5-6 'The final round of the Puerto Rican Road I Race Championship took place in Salinas, Puerto Rico. Just a two-hour flight from Miami, Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory as a result John Long won the 600cc Superlport race at the final round of the Puerto Rican R_d Race Championship. of the Spanish-American War in 1898. It is an island I 10 miles long and 3S miles wide, with a central mountain range that towers 4]00 feet above the sea. Spanish and English are the offidol languages. The track is primarily a drag strip with a counterclockwise road course consisting of hairpins, esses and chicanes at either end of a half-mile straightaway. The last comer, a large 180-degree left-hander, joins the drag strip at the launch area, with the surface changing from asphalt to concrete and built up with an inch of rubber. The rubber gets very slippery when it gets wet, so they cancel all activity when it rains. Unfonunately, it rained most of Saturday, limiting practice to about 20 minutes and pushing qualifying back to Sunday morning. The race promoter, Mudafort Sports, decided to invite AMA Supersport rider Barrett long to the races to add some excitement to the festivities. Other competitors came from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The Dominican riders take a ferry across Mona's Passage. a notorious sea crossing; they are usualty seasick when they arrive in Puerto Rico. Supersport race on a Ducati 749 sponsored by Desmomaniacs and Ducati de Puerto Rico. John was followed by former Cuban racing champion Francisco "Panche" Fuentes and Long captured the pole position on his Tomas Santiago. Fuentes' position enabled Ducati 999R, learning the track qUickly after him to become the 2005 Puerto Rican 5upersport Champion. In the 1000cc Superstock race, Juan Gonzalez barely edged out Juan Crespo and Luis Ortiz. All were on Suzuki 1000s. limited practice. Jones Concepcion was one· half-second behind. Concepcion won the Superbike race on his ex-Larry Pegram CBRIOOO. He led every lap after his main competition, fast quaJifter Long, saw his Ducatj's chain break at the starting line. Concepcion drculated just one second ofT the track record and built up a 12-second lead by the finish. He was followed by Franklin Dominguez and Manuel Moya. Concepcion's win gave him the 2005 Puerto Rican Championship. He also competes in the United States, in AMA and CCS races. He plans to race in the AMA Superbike Championship next year. Barrett's father, John Long, won the 600cc AMA District 36 Moose Western Regional Cross Country Championship Series Motul Western Regional B/C Cross Country Series Round II; Lilliputian Hare Scrambles at MUDAfORT 5Pottrs ROAD RACE SAUNAS, PuERTO RICO RESULTS: NOVEMBER 5-6, 2005 (FINAL ROUND) S/BK: I. Jones Concepcion (Hon); 2. Franklin Dominguez (Kaw); l. Manuel Moya (Hon); 1. luis Rodriguez (Suz); 5. Julio Fuentes (Due); 6. Barrett long (Due). 600 SISPT; I. John Long (Due); 2. F.-ancisco Fuentes (Due); 3. Tomas Santiago (So'l); 4. Peter Roman (Suz); 5. Edwin ReyeJ (Suz). 1000 SISTI(, I. J"'" GonuJez (5oz); 2. J"'" C,..po (Suz); l. luis Ortiz (Kaw); .... Miguel Beuncourt (Suz); 5. Marcelo Ruiz (Suz); 6. Juan Ruiz (Yam); 7. Deroll Centeno (Suz); 8. Edward Henriguez (Due). PHOTO BY JOHNNA DAVIS Garrahan Goes Big Among the Little People! By K. FERRAR PRAIRIE CITY, CA, NOV. 6 P atrick Garrahan did it again! Taking advantage of a good line early in the race, the Maxxix/KTM/Hlebo Suspensionbacked rider slipped into first place shortly after the start and never looked back. First out of the first corner was Moose/Alpinestars/Scott USA-backed Garrison Gragg, but he got hit from behind. "I looked back because I thought my brother hit me," Gragg said. But it was actually Ryan Powell, who went down, causing a pileup of the top riders. They quickly "unfolded" themselves and got going again, but not before Kawasaki rider Damian Galford had taken advantage of the confusion and pulled into the lead as he came out of the second corner. Galford started to pull away, but shonly thereafter he took a wrong turn and got lost, and he pulled out. The 3Sth annual Lilliputian Hare Scrambles was hosted by the Dirt Diggers and included top riders, awesome weather and a great turnout. The Dirt Diggers put on a first-class race and hosted more than 600 riders for the weekend. After the first lap, which lasted almost half an hour, the first 14 riders, running tire to tire with Garrahan in the lead, rolled in within 21 seconds of one another. Mach I/NorCal Motorsports/MSR-backed Powell again proved he's a powerhouse: Despite his crash off the start, he was ninth at the end of lap one, and then he qUickly moved into second. which he held on to (or the rest of the race. Race Tech's Eric Ducray was physically near the end of the top 10, but after time adjustment he found himself on the podium with a third-overall finish. "This is my hometown track," Ducray said. "I felt good out there. Jeff Brownlee, whom I have battled all year, unfortunately got a flat on the last lap; I was able to take advantage of that." The top riders stayed close throughout the race, with the first SO DECEMBER 14,2005 • CYCLE NEWS eight riders all finishing with seconds of one another after more than 2 I hours. Suzuki rider Brian Garrahan shifted back and forth between third and fourth place; he settled for the fourth overall at the end, followed by Nolan Irwin. "I had fun battling with Brian," Irwin said. "I made a really cool pass on him. but he got me back anyway." The next bunch finished just seconds later: Hlebo Brothers' Gragg, Suspension/AV Kawasaki Yamaha/Utopia Optics-backed Rodney Spencer Jr., and Kawasaki's Justin Soule. After a bit of a gap, Mason Harrison and Jason Voss rounded out the top 10. In the Senior Band C race, I I I riders aged 40 years and older were on the line. Charlie Marshall dominated the competition and was the only rider to get in four laps. The C race was the last race of the weekend, with 203 riders. James Lacy led the pack, stealing the lead from Eric Habenicht on the last lap; Habenicht finished in second. Also making the top 10 were two fast girls - Brooke Hodges and Kasie Creson, both riding hard for fifth- and sixth-overall finishes, respectively. CN n IJWPUTlAN HARE $cRAMIlLES PRAIRIE CITY, CAUFORNIA RESULTS: NOVEMIlER 6, 2005 (ROUND II) AlB O/A: I. Patrick Garrahan (KTM); 2. Ryan Powell (Yam); l. Eric Ducray (Hon); 4. Brian Ganahan (Suz); S. Nolan E L.ewi<. OPEN B; I. Shawn Black (KTM); 2. Robert Mills (Hon); 3. Danief Duarte (Suz). 4-STRK B: I. Kamil Ginter (Hus); 1. Pat Garrahan took the lead on lap one ond never looked back en route to the victory at round 11 of the District 36 Moose Western Regional Cro•• Country Championship Series. Matt Borup (Kaw); 3. Scott Chandler (Hon). VET B: I. Steve Thinger (Hon); 2. Mugs Hammer (KTM); l. Paul Gray (Hon). SR B: I. Richard Wilk (KTM); 2. Neal Cordeiro (Hon); l. Michael Stirling (Yam). S/SR B: I. Seott Rabeneau (KTM); 2. James Long (Kaw); l. Reggie Kesec:ker (Hus). GENTS B: I. Terry Fish (KTM). WHN B: I. Brooke Hodges (KTM); 2. Kasie Creson (KTM); l. Nkole lulis (Hon). WHN C: I. Patricia Henning (KTM): 2. Kelty Puma (KTM); l. Heathet" Pickering (KTM). COlA: I. James Lacy (Kaw); 2. Eric Habenicht (Yam); l. Vaughn Wilk (KTM); 4. Steven Godman (Yam); 5. Brooke Hodges (KTM); 6. Kasie Creson (KTM); 7. larry Matelli; 8. Jon urpenter (Kaw); 9. Greg Sheehan (Yam); 10. MJchaeI Winters (Yam). 200 C: I. James lacy (Kaw); 2. Eric Habenicht (Yam); l. Vaughn Wolk (KTM). 250 C: I. Lany Morelli; 2. ~ Speed (Kaw): 3. TheodooGittings (Kaw). OPEN C: I. Michael Winters (Yam); 2. Nick Ryan; l. Mike Marshall. 4-STRK C: I. Jon Carpenter- (!on (Yam); 2. Jeff (Kaw); 3. Jeff K..ekeJberg (Hon). S/SR C: I. Greg Omxk (KTM); 2. Mykeal Clark (H041): l. Jim Atkins (KTM). GENTS C: I. Ted BaiJey; 2. Ken Heuser. JR SPTSMN: I. Ash Bateman (Hon): 2. Cha> Rowe; 3. Krinopher """""'" (Hon).

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