Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

seco nd-place finis hes to Manches ter in round tw o and Hancock in roun d three. "I we nt out there and everything was righ t for th e first two rides. I sta rt ed thinking abou t my bike and I tried to adap t it to the cha nging track co nditio ns ," Ermolenko said. " But the bike wouldn' t hold up to the changes I made. Then I sta rte d th inking abo u t myself. I've got to get my shit .together for these last tw o heats." It would get worse for Ermolenko in he at 14. Com ing off the pole, he lost one point to Ha mill and another to the event leaders with a disappoin ting third-place finish. This pu t Ermol en ko squa rely on the bubble along w ith two Southern Californ ia regulars: Venega s, who had wo n heat 13 for three big points; and Faria, who finis hed in second place in heat ~4, a hea d o f Er rno- . lenko. John Ad en picked up his first w in of the night in heat 15. Heat 16 was the quintessen tial race of the evening as it pitted t he th re e lead ers, all un defeated , against one a no th er. Larsen would come from th e p o le, wi th Mancheste r to his im medi a te right. Hed d en w as in gate three, with H ancock on th e outsi de. Larsen took the s tart w h e n the tap es wen t up but drifted h igh, allowing Hancock to drop down and tum the comer first for the lead on the back straight. Manchester got his worst start of the meeting, beating Hedden to the first tum and dropping right to the pole in an attemp t to stay with Hancock and Larsen. The dust wisping off Manches ter 's rear tire told the tale; there wasn't any traction to be had down low, and he was stuck in third place. Hancock continued unwaveringly to the checkered flag for the win and retention of a maximum score. Larsen fin ish ed second - dropping a critical point - and Manchester cruised to third. "I made a great jump on Larsen, but he beat me to the comer," Hancock said . "I just had to make it happen. I was on the back of that th ing and pressing as hard as I could for every tum." Hancock was clearly over the hump, then a runaway w in over Schwartz, John Kehoe and Oxley in heat 17 gave the PowerBa r /Oilzall/Troy Lee Designs/Bell/Eddie Bull/Cirello/Talon Engineering /GTS Leathers /Oak ley MSR-backed Hancock the vindication he had come seeking. "I feel great, obviously, because I wanted to win it full stop, and I didn't want to lose an y points. That's what I did," Hancock said . "I try not to think about (the past). I'm more concerned with tomorrow rather than yesterday. Instead of getting run over, we ran over everybody this time." Hancock may have locked up th e title, but the remaining four qualifying spots were still up for grabs. Larsen was assured on e of them when he finished second behind a rejuvenated Ermolenko in heat 18. Hamill ' s win in heat 19 drew h im even with Larsen at 11 points, ensuring at least one run-off on the night, bu t it also spelled a d isastrous end for Manchester. Looking sure to earn a spot for the next round , Manchester ga ted (Rig ht) Hancock (left) peers over his shoulder at Larsen (right) In heat 16. Larsen tried but failed to catch Hancock, finishing second and dropping a point. (Below right) Billy Hamill faltered In the early rounds before coming on strong later In the night. Hamill defeated Larsen Ina run-ofllor second place. (Below) Seconds alter this photo was taken In heat 19, Chris Manchesterclippeda hay bale and was seriously Injured In the subsequent crash. The accident ended Manchester's bid for a qualifying spot behind Hamill and drew close to him as they came back across the stri pe at the end of lap one. Manchester continued to look for a way around Hamill in turns one and two before setting up for a fateful pass attempt in tum three. Drifting to the extreme outer edge of the tu m, Manchester momentarily caught tra ction, bringing his wheels into line. He continued to try and turn th e co rner behind Hamill, but clipped the last hay bale in tum four just as his dri ve down the front stra ightaway had begun. Manchester's GM instantly made a hard left turn, throw ing h im to the grou n d. Thou gh consciou s and alert, Manchester complained o f se vere soreness in his right hip . He was taken by ambulance to the Ventura County Med ical Center wher e X-ra ys later determined there were no breaks, but Manchester had apparently d islocated his hip severe ly in the crash. Manchester ' s s u d d en m isfortune qu ickly put Faria back in the hunt for a qualifying spo t, w hich was gu aranteed when he won heat 20, the final regu lar round of the eveni ng. In the run-offs to determine the final finishing ord er behind Hancock - an d more importantly, the gate draw for the Overseas Final - Hamill defea ted Larsen for second place, w hile Faria defea ted Ermolenko for fourth place, surprising everyone, except maybe himself. "I figured it wo uld take 12 points to qualify for this thing," Fari a said . "Unfortunately, what happened to Chris made it that much easier. I just went for it. You had to go to the dirt." Hamill, though a bit d isappointed ab out the way his evening had go ne ; still offered the best summation of what the American Final was all about. "I told you it was going to take a lot of throttle," Ha mill said . "I'm through (to the ne xt round). Wha t more can I ~y?n D Larsen (13); 4. Mike Faria (11); 5. DuIde Ennolenko (11); Ventura County Fairgrounds Ventura, california Results: May 21, 1994 6. Ouis Manchester (10); 7. Owiie v ~ (8); 8.1loI>by Schwartz (7); 9. (TIE) Ed Castro/Jim 51 Sby Hed den 1. Greg H ancodt (15); Z. Billy Hamill (13); 3. Josh ". " (4); 14. John Kehoe (3); 15. (T IE) Aody No rt hr up (Wes )/Jim Estes aaw) 2; 17. Brad Ox ley (Wes) O. .' 19

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