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eMOTOCROSS CMC Golden State Nationals: Rounds 2-3 ~ Tallon Vohland (26) racked up fouf overall wins in the 125 and 250cc Pro classes. an er eet • a SVl e By John Silva MARYSVILLE, CA, JAN. 9 allon Voh1and chose to sit out the first round, but he made up for it by putting together a perfect weekend at the second and third rounds of the 17th Annual CMC Golden State Nationals at Marysville E Street track. Vohland, who hails from nearby Sacramento, won the 125 and 250cc Pro classes on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday In the 250cc Pro class, Vohland started strong, taking charge right out of the gate in the first moto. As the T 24 leaders completed lap one, Suzukimounted Vohland had a slight lead over Kawasaki-rider Cory Keeney and Honda-mounted Rudi Van Leewen. Mats Nilsson and Lance Smail were also near the front. Ray Crumb started way bac~ in the pack, but charged through the field and passed Rick Ryan late in the race to take over sixth place. Crumb could advance no further, however, as the top five had moved out of reach. Vohland cruised to the finish with a 2o-second lead on the ba ttle for second going on behind him. Van Leewen and Keeney were the combatants and it was Van Leewen crossing the line in second place. Swede Nilsson nabbed fourth, with Smail fifth. Van Leewen set the pace for the class early on in moto two. Greg Tierheimer started well, but dropped back to fifth behind Smail, Keeney and Vohland. Van Leween rode mistakefree, but couldn't maintain his early pace and by the halfway point, Vohland had closed to the rear fender of the leader. Van Leewen fought Vohland off for nearly a lap, but Vohland slipped by and soon moved out of reach. Meanwhile, Crumb had slipped up through the pack and was applying pressure to Smail. Deep sand in the back section caused Smail to go down, moving Crumb to fourth. Smail rejoined the race, bu t could do no better than 25th by moto's end. Out front, Vohland was stretching his lead with each passing lap. Van Leewen encountered a problem with his roll-offs, which had become unrolled and were flying behind him. Keeney took advantage of Van Leewen's troubles, and took over second place. Crumb also moved by Van Leewen, but once again ran short on time. Vohland scored the win with a respectable lead, and was followed across the finish line by Keeney, Crumb, Van Leewen and Tierhiemer. In the first 125cc Pro moto, Vohland again led nearly all the way. Keeney finished second after dicing with Roy Snellingen, and Shane Esposito and Crumb finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Snellingen was hot in moto two, giving Vohland a run for the money in the early laps. Vohland was not to be denied this day, however, and he chose a better line in the sweeper to pass Snellingen cleanly. Jeff .pestana had gated well and settled into third place. Esposito and Michael Brandes joined Smail and Crumb in a midpack battle that moved them into the top 10. As the race wound down, it was Vohland securely in front, followed by Snellingen and Pestana. Crumb bailed off hard on one of the bigger jumps and retired with a cut chin and a swollen tongue. Keeney also had problems, dropping back to 21st. Esposito rode solidly all the way, holding off Brandes to maintain fourth place. At the checkered £lag, Vohland took the win by an impressive margin. Snellington nabbed second place in the moto and second overall, and was followed by Pestana, Esposito and Brandes. Smail finished sixth in both motos to earn fifth overall. The 250cc Intermediate race featured a heated battle between 0' ealsponsored Anthony Pocorobba and Team Green rider Casey Johnson. Pocorobba, from Tampa Bay, Florida, impressed many observers with his flawless riding. Johnson came on strong, especially late in the motos, but Pocorobba held on to win both times out. "Casey's a good rider, I'll give 'everything to him," said Pocorobba. "I've raced with him for years, ever since we were on 80s. Only it's maybe a little different now; He beat me more often on 80s." Pocorobba also won the 125cc Intermedia te class, wi th Johnson second and Jonny Bruhn earning third. The normally-competitive Vet Pro class belonged to Suzuki-mounted Randy Chapman. Chapman had no real challenge, twice taking the checkered £lag with a huge lead over Mike Newman. Sunday Over 450 competitors turned out for round three, and were greeted by sunshine, a welcome change from the previous day's chilly conditions. Many favorable comments were overheard regarding the E Street track, reputed to be one of the roughest on the circuit. Excellent track prep helped ensure .near-perfect conditions, prompting Master class rider Jim O'Neal to comment "Too bad we only get up here once a year." Snellingen made the most of a good start to win the first 125cc Pro moto. Smail scored second over Vohland, followed by Terry Parsons and Pestana; It was Snellingen's first moto win of the weekend. Pestana started moto two with a big holeshot, and led the race for the first lap. It was all for naught though, as officials ruled that Pestana had jumped the gate. The one-lap penalty effectively put Pestana out of the running, but he continued to set a torrid pace, apparently unaware of the officials' ruling. Pestana seemed to ease up a bit after his pit board told him that he had been docked a lap. Once Pestana was within striking range, Vohland 'wasted little time getting past, and he never looked back. The battle for the remaining top positions was a dogfight right to the end, with Nilsson coming on strong in the last lap to pass Parsons. At the fin- . ish, it was Vohland with the win and first overall. Smail, Snellingen, Nilsson and Parsons crossed the line in that order, separated by just a few bike lengths. The 500cc Pro race was one of the last of the day, and its field consequently faced the roughest track. In addition, most of the riders had also competed on Saturday, further testing their endurance. Multi Air Filter-backed Van Leewen continued his winning ways in the class, leading from start to finish. Smail rode well for a 2-2 score, and earned enough points to maintain his series lead. Fans lined the track for the 250cc Intermediate race, hoping to see a repeat of day one's bar-banging action. No one was disappointed, as Pocorobba and Johnson leaped to the front of the field and resumed their two-man duel. Although the leading duo were the center of attention, another intense battle raged beween Greg Yearsley and Shay Fretwell Pocorobba set a blistering pace, with Johnson shadowing his every· move. Pocorobba held a slight advantage on the harder-packed front side of the track, with Johnson appearing to have an edge in the sandier back section. Though Johnson tried repeatedly, he could not get by. Pocorobba held on to finish a few lengths ahead of a disappointed Johnson. Yearsley took third ahead of Fretwell and Ryan Leach. It was Johnson's tum to shine in the second moto. He started well and used smooth, mistake-free riding to build a small-but-adequate lead. Pocorobba bobbled and lost time when he picked a bad line while attempting to pass a lapped rider. Pocorobba recovered quickly enough to hold onto third place behind Michael York. The popular Johnson cruised the last lap to win handily, amid loud cheers from the finish-line gallery. Pocorobba grabbed the holeshot in the first 125cc Intermediate moto, with Shawn Highland and Johnson in tow. Pocorobba's lead was short-lived, though, as he developed carbureto:r problems. Highland flew by and assumed the lead, while Pocorobba