Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127251
eICE RACE e AMA Invitational Pro Indoor Ice Race Series: Final ronod Dan In gram tu rned in a perfect night at the Erie Civic Center, winning a ll five of hi s mat ch races and th e main event, to successfu lly defend his series title. Bryan Villella (24) and T im Mert ens (53) wer e tied at th e top of the point sta nd in gs going into th e final round, but both ca me up short in th eir quest for th e ti tle. T im Mer ten s, a veteran Camel Pro Series cam p aign er, wa s co ns ist ent th ro ughout th e series and finished secon d to Ingram in th e final poin t stand ings, 64 to 63. Ingramices title at Erie _-'- --;u By Staton Loren z Pho tos by Fred F iedl er ER IE, PA. FEB. 16 a n In gram of Ind ia na po lis, In d ia na , defe n ded hi s 1989 seri es ti tle wit h a co me- fro m-behi nd cha rge o n h is Ho n da o f Blo omin gt on sponsored , Byron Mol lo sea u -tu n ed H onda , a fea t th a t required a pe rfect l 5-point nigh t in a n even ing o f racing tha t took the title fight ri ght down to th e last sched u led mat ch race o f the ser ies. Ill ino is rider T im Mert ens a nd Michigan's Bryan Vill ell a wer e tied for the lead go ing into th e fin al ro u nd a t Erie 's Civic Ce nter and both were co nfiden t tha t th ey o n ly had eac h o the r to heat . even th ough six o the r rid er s were wi thi n four points o f th e lea d. But In gram wo n eac h o f th e five mat ch races he co m pe ted in , end in g th e series with 64 points, wh er ea s Merten s ca me up a point short o f a lie for th e series crown by post in g two wins. two runner-up finishes a nd a third. Vill ella fell orr the pace by pi ck ing u p only one point in each of tw o mat ch races he fini sh ed third in . Hi s two wi ns and a seco n d pl ace fini sh were n 't enough a nd he had to sett le for third in th e fin a l series point stand in gs, a poin t down o n Mert en s with a total o f 62 points. BUI numbers a lo ne do n 'I tell the D 46 who le story. In gram a nd Ville lla were tied after eac h had run four o f th eir five ma tch races a nd in Vill ell a 's final out ing. he was knocked down in a move by Sco tt Stu mp th at the officials deemed int enti on al. Stum p was fined 50 as th e rule book ca lls for . b u t Vill ell a 's till e h opes we re a ll but dashed as he had to restart from th penalty lin e a nd th e best he co u ld' manage was a third. Ingram encou ntered. sim ilar takeo u t a tte m p ts from former series cha mp Da ve H ebb in th e final mat ch race of th e year. H ebb had the pol e but didn 't ge t the ho lesh ot a nd in a n ea rly la p he go t ins ide Ingram and rod e him wa y to the o u tsi de. But In gram held h is bik e up and th e two sta yed g lued ' togeth er partwa y down th e front straigh t before Ingram was a b le to br eak a wa y a nd go on a nd win despite p ressure all th e way from H ebb. H ebb was fined for h is move even th o ug h it didn' t result in a cr ash. Mer tens ' undoin g ca me earl ier in th e prog ram wh en he lost hi s th ird round ma tch . H e wo n hi s fin a l two ma tch ra ces bu t had 10 swea r o ut tha t final ra ce between In gra m an d Hebb , a race that saw th e win a nd title go to In gra m .