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town fans, but left the track in perfect condition. 125cc Donny Schmit (9) grabbed the holeshot and ran away with the win in the first 126cc mota. ----'------------- Jeff Stanton (7) and Jeff Ward battled in both 250cc motos. Ward won mota one but Stanton passed him with two laps to go in mota two. AMA National Championship 125/250cc MX Series: Round 2 Holland, Stanton storm Hangtown By Nate Rauba Photos by Ken Faught SACRAMENTO, CA, APR. 23 Honda teammates George Holland and Jeff Stanton used identical 2-1 moto finishes to score overall victories in the 125 and 250cc classes at the Dirt Diggers North M.e. 's 21st 8 Annual Hangtown Motocross Classic at Prairie City OHV Park. Holland, the defending 125cc National Champion, trailed Pro Circuit privateer Honda rider Donny Schmit across the line in moto one after taking advantage of a last-lap crash by Honda teammate Guy Cooper. Cooper remounted in time to salvage third in the moto over teammate Mike Kiedrowski and Yamaha's Damon Bradshaw. In moto two Holland took the lead from Cooper on the first lap of the 30-minute plus two lap moto and was gone as he motored out to a seven second lead that Cooper could never diminish. "I was riding 100%, and he was going 100% too and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't make up time," said Cooper. "This win really boosts my confidence," said Holland. "I went into the first round and wasn't 100%, but this time I was." Schmit held second early in moto two before being passed by Cooper but stayed in third for the remainder of the race to take second overall with his 1-3 score. Kiedrowski rode to fourth in the second moto for the same overall, while Suzuki's Jimmy Gaddis, in his best ride yet, took sixth in the moto behind Honda's Larry Ward and, combined with a firstmoLO sixth, earned fifth overall. In the 250cc class, Stanton outdueled Team Kawasaki's Jeff Ward in the second moLO for the first National win of his career. Stanton led much of the first moto until Ward powered by with five laps remaining and scooted 0[[ with the win. Team Suzuki's Johnny O'Mara finished a distant third after battling with Yamaha's Doug Dubach for the lead early in the moto. Kawasaki's Ron Lechien charged up to fourth in the moto, while Dubach fell in the last corner and gave fifth to Suzuki's Ron Tichenor. Stanton gave the lead to Ward early in the second moto when he went off the track, and Ward maintained a steady margin over the Honda rider for most of the race. But Stanton charged late in the moto and passed Ward with two laps remai?ing. Ward then made several nustakes which prevented hilJl from making a late run at Stanton. "It feels real good inside LO win my first National, beller than when I won myJirst supercross at Atlanta," said Stanton. "I really had to work hard for the win." Ward was second overall and O'Mara once again finished a distant third for the same overall. Dubach was fourth in the moto and fourth overall, and Tichenor rounded out the top five overall with another fifth. An overnight storm kept the crowd down to about 7000 diehard Hang- Schmit grabbed the holeshot at the start of the first moto followed by Jeff Matiasevich, Gaddis, Holland and Denny Stephenson. Matiasevich fell on the first lap and Holland moved up to second with Gaddis right on his tail. Cooper was on the . move as he climbed up to fourth. Over the' next few laps Schmit, who finished the 125cc Nationals second in points last year, blitzed away to a IO-second lead. Holland, Gaddis and CDoper battled for second, and Cooper eventually worked around both riders. A large gap separated Gaddis from Stephenson, who had Bradshaw in his tracks. By the seventh of what would tum out t . e 15 laps, Schmit was comfortably out front with a 10second lead while Cooper, who thought he had the lead, began to break away from Holland. Gaddis, who usually starts well but quickly fades, was giving it his all as he stuck to Holland, and Bradshaw was slowly closing from fifth. Local favorite Tallon Vohland was next as he led a tight pack consisting of Matiasevich, Michael Craig, Kiedrowski, Stephenson, Erik Kehoe and Larry Ward, who had crashed on the third lap while running sixth. Schmit continued to ride flawlessly throughout the second half of the moto and at one point had put nearly 15 seconds on Cooper. HoIland slowly closed the gap on his Honda teammate while Gaddis began LO slip off the pace and fell to Bradshaw's charge. Holland kept inching closer to Cooper, and his opportunity came on the final lap when Cooper stepped off in an uphill turn. "There were some holes that I was carrying the front end over," Cooper said. "That time the front end dropped into one and I highsided." Cooper got going just in front of Bradshaw and held third behind Holland and Schmit at the finish. Kiedrowski passed Bradshaw on the last lap for fourth, Gaddis was sixth just in front of Matiasevich, while Vohland, Craig and Ward rounded out the LOp 1O. "I knew I was pulling away," said Schmit. "Once I pulled away I watched my pit board, and figured that when they gained I'd turn it up and pull away." "I thought I had the lead, I didn't even see Donny," said Cooper. "I:Ie was on the gas." Cooper got the holeshot in moto two, but Holland passed him a few turns after the start. Schmit also got by quickly and tailed Holland, leaving Cooper to lead the pack of Steve Lamson, Jeff Beckington, Ward, Ty Davis, Kiedrowski and Kehoe. Holland soon pulled away from Schmit, and Cooper moved in over a couple of laps and zapped Schmit at the beginning of the sixth circuiL "You were nuts'" Schmit would later joke with Cooper. "I stuck my elbow out and you went right under it." Once into second, Cooper could get no closer to Holland than seven seconds. "Once I passed Cooper and got by myself I relaxed," said Holland. "I could've gone faster if I wanted to." Holland didn't need to though since Cooper gave it all he had and still couldn't dose in at the end. Schmit played it safe and let Cooper go in order to get third in the moto and second overall. Kiedrowski worked his way to fourth and in the middle of the moto bad Ward challenging him. Ward