Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left)After three perfect heats, Mike Faria's (foregro und left) run at a third National Champions hip was dera iled by losses to Larsen an d Brad Oxley. Faria finished fourth with 11 points . (Below) Ermolenko (middle), Larson (left) and Hicks (right) let the cham pagne fly on the victory podium. Ermolenko would be on a plane bound for England , and another race , the very next morning. (Left) Gary Hicks (left) clawed his way back from disapp ointing rides in the early round s to finish third overall with 12 points. Reigning American Anal Champion Greg Hancock (right) led the standings ea rly before s uccum bing to mech anical problems. Hancock tied for fifth. (Below) National Disaster: Charlie Venegas was tebbed as the rider who could take It all. Ins tead, he suffered through two falls and a tape exc lus ion before rebou nding to score five points. "I just have to keep my nerves down and pray for God to help me make one more s tart," Larsen said. And while Larsen isn' t known for being religious , by his own admission, he was ge tting there. With Faria's misfortune, th e chase would be broken wide-open in heat 14. Hancock would come out of gate two, and Ermolenko out of four, in a titanic battle to remain tied with Larsen for the ev ent lead. Ermol enko got the nod going into tum on e, with Ha ncock right on h is tail as th e two blazed through turns three and fou r. But Hancock's championship drive unraveled when his ignition box failed, leaving him without power and without points. Ermolenko finished out the heat in first place, followed by Hedden and Bast. In the p its, Ermolenko remained somewhat philosophical about his good fortune. " It comes down to making some gates," Ermolenko said. "This is a funny track, but everybody's got the same chance. Mike got stuck in a rut there trying to go for first place, instead of going for second, and it cost him." Schwartz posted his only victory of the night in heat 15, and Hicks was starting to raise eyebrows by winning heat 16 to pull back into contention for a podiu m spot. After a disa p p ointing th ird-place finish in heat three, Hicks, who fi nished th ird in the 1986 U.S. National w hen he was just 17 years old, had backed up a second-place finish in heat five wi th two wins in his next two eve n ts. And he was prim ed to p la ya much larger role in heat 18. After watching Venegas win heat 17 to open the final round, Hicks rolled out to face Larsen, who was still tied with Erm olenko for the lead. A win by Hicks could mean a third -p lace finish, and a win by Larsen could force a run-off for the title with Ermolenko, provided the defending champ won his last ride. But Larsen's shot at National glory ended w he n Hicks won the race to tum one. McCo nnell also beat Larsen, but Larsen qui ck ly brushed hi m aside to se t after Hicks. The Oakley/STP/KG/Answer/ Silkolene /Bell /Russell/UnifilterlOury /Troy Lee Designs/Kelly Inman Race Paint/Blomfeldt-backed Larsen tried every trick in the book to pass Hicks, all to no avail, and he had to settle for second place in the race, and on the podium, as well. Larsen was furious as evidenced by the unholy four-letter words spewing from under his helmet as he returned to the pits. Later, Larsen, who finished with 13 points, was more calm but no less disappointed. "It's good to be on the podium, " Larsen said. "But second place is only first loser. I wanted to win." But the Blevins Fast Design/Hood Pontiac/Cirello Racing/Mike Reed/ Steve Be ck er / Fig u e ro a and family backed Hicks was back in the National limelight for the first time in eight years. " It feels wonderful to be on the podiu m again," said Hicks, who scored 12 p o in ts . "My mechanics have worked really hard for this, and I wish I could have done bett er for them. If not for that first ride, I'd be 'racing Sam Ermolenko in a run-off for the championship." Faria's slim cha nces at retaining a finish in the top three were destroyed in heat 19, when both Oxley and Hancock came alive to spoil his bid. Faria led the race off the sta rt before Oxley and Hancock got under him, but Faria ca me roaring back to challenge Oxley again in tu rns three and four. When Faria drifted in one and tw o again, O xle y took the lead - again. Faria battled back and chal- lenged once more in three and four, but, when he slid off the pole this time, Hancock also ducked under him at the finish to strip the one point from Faria that cou ld have forced a run-off with Hicks for third overall. When Ermolenko came on tap for the final heat of th e night, only Schwartz wa s standing in his way. But the Blomfeldt & Associates/ Antig/Shoei/Motos p or t/GTS/O' Nea l/ Ta lon/ Troy Lee Desi g n s / Si Ik ol en e / CTi- b a ck ed Ermolenko spoiled Schwartz's cha nce at being the spoiler by stea lin g the start and saving his fou r smooth est laps for last, en route to joining Mike Bast, Bru ce Penhall, Kelly Moran and Faria in winning back-to-back National titles. "If you knew what I've been through this year, last year, and how I faked it so metimes. It has been difficult, " Ermolenko said. "But I worked my butt off in the gym just to participate here as the reigning champ. That was a battle in itself, b u t it paid off because I'm here D again." Orange County Fairgrounds Costa Mesa, California Results: Octobe r 1, 1994 . I. Sam Enn olenko (GM) 14; 2. Josh Larsen (GM) 13; 3. Gary Hi cks (Wes) 12; 4. Mike Faria (GM) 11; 5. (TIE) Greg H ancock (GM)/Jim Sise more eWes) 10; 7. Brad Oxley (Wes) 9; 8. Bobb y Schwartz (We.) 8; 9. (TIE) Robert Pfetzing (Wes)!Cha ,lie Veneg as Uaw)! And y N or thrup (Wes) 5; 12. (TIE) Bart Bast (Wes)/C hris Ma nches te r (G M) / Sh a w n McConnell (G d n) 4; 15. Bobby Hed de n Uaw)/ Do ug Nicol (Gd n) 3; 16 . (TIE ) Don Odom (Gd n)/Dw;tin Schroeder (GM) O . ~ 0\ 0\ .... '0\ ""' ...... l-< OJ B u o 19

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