Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) Greg Zitterkopf (1) passed Gordon Ward (12) early in the second moto. The two finished second and third overall, respectively. (Right) Eventua l winner Michael Protzman (29) leads Ray Groom (15) and Dan Malfatti (1) in 300C Intermediate c action . (Left) Alex zapata (861) leads Todd Broussard (32), Darin Nishimu ra (1) and the res t of the Open Novice class through tum one. w ho turn ed in an impres sive performance aboard the borro wed machine. "These things are a blast," said Kady, who enjoyed a one-day rid e; courtesy of Premier Mo torsports. "Sixth isn ' t bad." Mike Cha mberlain was the fastest off the line aboa rd a White Bros-prepared Kawasaki KLX650 R, but the former Team SplitFire rider went wide in the firs t turn and nearly took himself and Wa rd out. Schmi t jumped at the cha nce and cut under the tw o en tangled leaders, but had to swerve vio lently to the right when bo th riders regained control. Nevertheless, Schmit had assumed the lead for good, and would disappear within a ma tter of tu rns. Chamberlain would finish an eventual eighth. . . By the secon d lap, Schmit had established a 12-second lead over the rest, and appeared to be in a class all his own as he pulled ou t to an eventual 22-second win. " I ju s t got out fro nt and started tripling the whoops," sa id Schmit. "I still have the speed, and I felt great out fro nt. I had no idea what was going on behind me. I didn' t think I had a shot at the overall, but I figured I'd put on a sh ow in the second mo to." Meanwhile, a four-rider freigh t train developed in the battle over second. Zitterkopf led Ward, Taylo r and Smail, and the fou r ra n wit hin inches of each other throughout most of the ra ce. Smail suffered a terrible start, but joined the pack by the fifth lap. "W e co uldn't figu re ou t what was wrong wi th the other bike," said Smail. "We ha d to borrow an enduro mod el from a dealer that was here with a display, and it took me half the race to get used to it. The suspension was too soft and the motor wasn't as fast as my race bike." While the four riders battled over the lead , all we re signaled by their pit crews that they needed to make only a single pass for the win .That's right - had War d passed Zitterkopf, he would have had t h e overaIl, and had Taylor passed Ward,etc... Try as they might, none of the racers were able to make the pass, and the run. ning order remained the same to the checkered flag . Schmit scored a land s li d e win, well ahead of Zit terkopf, Ward, Taylor and Smail. "I can ' t believe how close it was for the win," said a disappointed Sma il. "To thi nk, one pass could've ma de the difference between fifth and first overall for me." American Honda 's Drey Dirks scored the top honors in the 30+ Pro class, piloting what looked to be a rela tively stock Honda XR600. Pete Murra y earned the win in the opening moto ahead of Dirks, but was not able to run hi m down in moto two. Murray was secon d aboard his La Habra Husky, ah ea d of th ir d -p la ced Willy Musgrave. The huge 37-rid er 30+ Novice class was topped by Kawasakirider Todd Broussard. The Simi Valley Kawasa ki rider traded moto wins with min i pilot extraordinaire Bob Langin, and na bbed the overall by virtue of his second-mote win. John Keefer was third in both motos. Former 250cc National Ch a mpion Gary Jones borrowed Schmit's s p a re CCM and u sed it to destroy the 40+ Expert class. Jo nes won both mo tos hands down, beating out Tom White in the first moto and Alan Olson in moto two. O lson was second overall, while Tracy Hrach nabbed thir d overa ll wi th 3-5 finishes . The second-largest class of the day w a s the Open Novice division , and Kawasaki riders ruled the top positions. Broussard returned to the track after his Vet class win and used 1-2 moto scores to secure his second overall win of the day. KLX650R riders Shawn Howard and Alex Zapata rounded out the top three, .w hile Darin Nishimura pilot ed a bonestock Honda XR600to fourt h overall. The Formula 100 Expert class was a Bobby Langin benefit, as he romped to both moto wins aboard his Kawasaki KXSD-framed Honda XR100. Brian Cal houn was second overa ll, the massively muscled rider turning in 2-3 moto finishes aboard his similar machine. Local pro Ray Hensley was th ird overall aboard an ancient stoc k twin-shocked Honda. l."N Glen Helen Raceway San Bernard ino, California Res ults: May21, 1995 OPEN PRO, !. Donny Sc hmi t (CCM ); 2. G reg Zitterkopf (KTM) ; 3. Gordo n Wa rd (ArK) ; 4. Ric h Tay lor IH us ): 5. Lance Smail IHbg), 6. Ty Kady (Hbg); 7. Mike Ch am berlain IKaw) : 8. Do n Boe splug (Hbg): 9. Will y Mu sgrave (KTM ); 10. Britt Woodring (Jibg>, SOUND OF THUNDER SERI ES POINT STANDINGS (After 2 of 4 rounds): 1. Donny Schmi t (7612 wins) , 2. Lance Smail (72) ; 3. Greg Zit terkcpf (68); 4. Gordon Ward (62 ); 5. Terry Fowler (42); 6. Bri tt Wood ring (33); 7. Gary Beyer (33); 8. Rich Taylor (32); 9. Don Franklin (32); 10. Cliff Cook (29). I SO STK, I. Mi ke Hanley (H e n ): 2. Glenn Scott (Ho n); 3 . Eric H a rri son (Han); 4. Da vid McM an gu s

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