Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Nearly 600 entrants attacked the six-mile course hoping to take home some of t he $15 .000 in cont ingencies given away . Dusty berms helped Mike Tripes (191 to blind Jeff Haase (2 1 t o keep him at bay so that Tripes could clinch the Vet Expert class win . Mike Seely (131 XI grabbed the lead at the start of the 500cc Beginner class. See ley f inished f irst with Dane Anderson (0 2 31 taking second . Joe Waddington gives a thumbs up on his way to the 125cc Expert class win and second overall to Gary Chaplin in the 125/500cc race. Brad Lackey Christmas Grand Prix Tripes fills his stocking at Carlsbad By Nate Rauba Photos by Brian Catterson and Rauba CARLSBAD, CA, DEC. 10 Mike Tripes edged out Jeff Haase for the Vet Expert class win at the Coast Racing Associa tio n' s 2nd An n u a l Brad L ackey Ch ri stmas Grand Prix a t Carlsbad R aceway. Fo llowing the success of last yea r's in a u g u ra l even t, th e en try li st swelled to nearl y 600 e nt ra n ts for th e second h appening. T he Christm ~s spi rit was a live -a nd well a t Carl sbad , as a host of spo nsors donated $15,000 in co n tingency prizes to be given away to th e top riders in eac h class. Some Vet a nd Sen io r class riders m ay have sacr ificed th e glo ry of a victory for a third-pl ace fini sh . which wa s good for a case of San Migu el Beer. Add in g to th e Christmas sp irit were decorat ed Christm as treesat th e sign u p area a nd at a few locations on the cou rse, a nd br igh t red a nd white-painted tra ck ma rkers. T he re was no snow for a wh ile Chris tmas since the GP too k pl ace during o ne of so uthern Ca lifornia's December h eat spe lls . And since a co ntracted wat er truck fail ed to appear. severa l parts of th e six -m ile co urs e became ver y dusty. La ckey, Am erica 's o n ly 500cc MX World Champion, wa s o nce again th e gr and marshall o f th e ra ce and dr essed up as Santa Claus to sta rt th e Vet classes. Wh en La ckey wav ed th e green fla g for th e first row o f th e Vet class , th e Vet Experts, Gary Chaplin led th e p ack onto the six-m ile co u rse, which used portions of th e old U.S. GP MX track . th e mad e-for-television Su pe rbik ers co u rse. th e dra gstrip. .a nd severa l tight sections ca rved th ro ug h Carlsbad 's chapparel. Tripes passed Ch aplin ea rl y on th e first la p a nd quickly moved aw ay . About ha lfway through th e 45minute race, Tripes dropped his Hond a , allowing Ha ase to clos e in . " I hit a berm that was just wat ered and went over th e LOp of it and dropped it, " sa id Tripes. Althoug h Haa se got close, Tripes kep t him a t bay for th e rem ainder . of th e race. often using th e dusty sect io ns of th e tra ck to blind hi s op po ne nt. '" just hit every ' poofy' berm th ere was so th e guy behind me co u ld n ' t see," said Tripes. " At lea st I had a clea r track. " Haase fi n ished abo ut five seco nds beh ind T ripes . a nd well ahead o f thi rd -placed Craig Adams. Chaplin finis hed o u t o f th e top five a fter he developed m ech anical probl ems. Chaplin was back lat er for th e 500cc Expert race a nd eas ily won a fter lead in g th e en tire di stance. T he l 25cc Expert cla ss sta rte d a ro w beh ind th e 500cc b ikes. a nd J oe Waddin gt on push ed hi s KTM ' to seco nd overa ll. David Dem an go s was third o n a I25cc Suzu ki. fo llowed by seco nd -p lace 500cc Expert class ride r Dann y San ch ez. • Results 80 BEG: 1. J imm y O' Neal (Han); 2. A aron Altamirano {Suz); 3. Dvlon Kingston (Kaw); 4 . Bud Hamm et (Yam); 5. Shawn Fortier (Kaw ). 80 NOV; 1. Reed Bowman (Kawl; 2. Larr y Linkoya (Kaw); 3. Don Bu nnell (Han). 80 AM : 1. Mik e M etzger ISuz); 2. Steve Hen gevew (Kaw); 3. Tyler King (Suz); 4. E.J . Wrig ht (Suz). 125 BEG: 1. T. Burn ett (Han); 2. Tim Enoch; 3. Br ian Pridm ore (Han); 4. Kevin Ono (Kaw); 5. Jeff Ar ganda (Kaw ). 125 NOV: 1. Don Upton (Han); 2. Ryan Johnson (Hon); 3 . Tony Amaradio (Yam); 4 . Danny Bam for d (Han); 5. Grant Gaspar . . 125 AM : 1. Tommy Clowers (Kaw t 2. Dave Castillo (Hon); 3. James Mo reta (Hon); 4. Jimmy Salezar (Yam); 5. Rodolfo Cassaneda (Kaw). 125 EX: 1. Joe Waddington (KTM); 2. David Dem angos (Suz); 3. John Levey (Han); 4. Jeff Ma rt inez (Yam); 5. Frank Ruff (Kaw) . 25 0 BEG: 1. James Jarnot; 2. Shaw n Heit (Yam); 3 . Steve Al t (Hon) ; 4 . er ic Chr istenson (Hon); 5. Harry Buessl er (Hon). . 2 50 NOV : 1. Tim Slayton (Yam) ; 2- Ch ad Mcintosh (Hon); 3. Mark Gervais (Kaw); 4. Eric Kingston (Han); 5. Andy Bart h. 250 A M : 1. Kevin Geyer (Yam); 2. Bill Sauro (Hon); 3 . Chr is Ridgway (Kaw); 4 . Stefan Sparr ing (Han); 5. Lor Rilhimaki (Yam). . 250 EX: 1. Jon Ortn er (Hon l; 2. Fred Wi llert (Kaw l; 3. Tony Sulek (Kaw l; 4 . Todd Lehman (Han): 5. Greg Pierce (Kawl. 500 BEG: 1. M ike Seely (Kaw); 2. Dane An derson (Han); 3. Mike French (Kaw); 4. J im Pitt man (Kaw) . 500 NOV: 1. Bert Schul t eis (Han ); 2. M ike J asen (KTM ); 3. Chad M cint osh (ATK); 4 . Butc h Baum (Han); 5. Chuc k Demp sey (ATK). 500 AM : 1. Vincent Pablano (Han); 2. Larry ; Law re nce (AlK) 3 . Ma rk Dunal; 4 . Robert Gusti ne (KTM); 5. Rob Hall (Han). . 500 EX: 1. Gary Chaplin (Kaw); 2. Danny Sanchez (Han): 3. Johnny Campbell (Han); 4 . Gary Royer (Han). VET BEG: 1. Rick Nel son (Hon ); 2 . Mike Jones (C2); 3. Arn ie Fry (Yam); 4 . Jim Def ord (Yam); 5. Tom Mellor (KTM). VET NOV: 1. Ronni e Jones; 2. M ike Landegen t (Han); 3. Mar k Storr (Han); 4. Andre Abbout (Han); 5. Greg Pagman (Hon). . VET AM : 1. Larry Nannenga (Han); 2. Bob Lloyd (Han); 3 . Dale A nderson (Han); 4 . Rodolfo Castaneda (Kaw ); 5. Bob Maxwell (Han). VET EX: 1. Mike Tripes(Hon); 2. Jeff Haase (Yam); 3. Craig Adam s (Hon ); 4. Dan ny Sanchez (Hon); 5. Wayne Martin (Yam). SR BEG: 1. Manner Serrrano (Yam); 2. Denn is W ilson (Han); 3. Robert Belanger (Yam). SR NOV; 1. Frank Benacka (Han); 2. J im St evens (ATK); 3. Larry Popp (Han). SR AM : 1. W .J. Bradbury; 2. Wayn e Cornelius (Kaw); 3. Clive Cheffin s (Kaw); 4. Gary Ph ill ips; 5. Gene Dempsey (ATK). SR EX: 1. J im O'Neal (Han); 2. William Sultzman (KTM); 3. J ack McCormick (Han); 4 . J ohn Night (Kaw); 5. J im Berry (Kaw) . OTHG BEG: 1. Bob Breach; 2. Susan Wi lday; 3. Tim McCue ; 4. W arren Brown ; 5. Eric Fish . OTHG NOV; 1. Lance Brajevich; 2. Bill Schultz; 3. Hal Wildday; 4. Carlos M artin; 5. J oe Churilla. OTHG AM : 1. J ohn Churilla; 2. Carl Pow ell ; 3. Raben Fort ier ; 4 . Marty W esterm an; 5. Paul Ikeda. OTHG EX: 1. Tom Knapp; 2. Dave Simon; 3. Walt Olson; 4. Frank Thoma son; 5. Craig Breiham. TEAM BEG: 1. Dan Freash/Harr y Buesslor; 2. Ray Stau bley /Wade Baebler; 3. Mike Jo nes / Rich Dond ; 4 . Chri s Valdes/ J ames A n der son ; 5 . Cameron Steele/ Trigg Gumm. . TEAM NOV: 1. John Stro up/Ronnie Jones; 2. Mark Davenport/Andy Baron; 3. Ron Hau n/Darren Scott ; 4. Jimmy O'Neal/ Ch uck Dempsey; 5. M ike Landege nt / Alex Fuerte s. TEAM AM : 1. Chris Ridgeway/ Derri ck M eyer ; 2. Kevin Geyer / Scott Sease; 3. John Knig ht / J im , Chamber lain; 4 . Aaron Wenstrup/ Robert Gustine: 5. Robert Wilshir e/Tom Knapp . TEA M EX: 1. Fred Will en /David Demangos; 2. Mike Tripes/Gary Chaplin ; 3. J on Ortner/Keith O'Neal ; 4 . Jeff Haase/ John ny Campbell; 5. Craig Adam s/ Dann y Sanchez.

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