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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127738
. . ~~~~. Carlsbad Raceway (Above) Ryan Hughes (9) leeds the peck through the InflImous Carlsbad first tum. He won both Pro motos. (Left) Husaberg-mounted Terry Fowler won the Sound of Thunder race on Sunday. (Below) Gordon Ward and Pete Murray hooked bars while dicing In the Sound of Thunder class. By Scott Hoffman CARLSBAD, CA,JULY 17 or the second year in a row, Team SplitFire!Pro Circuit! Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes pounded the competition at Racing Enterprises' 8th Annual SayOw Commotion By The Ocean. In a Pro lineup that featured 12Sec through 500cc machines, Hughes roosted his KX250 to convincing, back-to-back moto victories. Except for some early pressure by KTM's Tony Amaradio and some late charges by Doug Dubach, Hughes led both motos from start to finish hasslefree. "1 just jumped out in front and rode my own," said Hughes following the first-moto win. In the Vet Pro class, Dubach was able to recover from a first-tum crash and another bad start to claim victory. F 26 Dubach battled with the likes of Terry Fowler and former I25cc National MX Champions Marty Smith and Micky Dymond. The final round of the Sound Of Thunder Series saw Husaberg-mounted Terry Fowler sweep the field, winning both motos going away. Former 250cc MX World Champion Donny Schmit had a tough day after having to come from behind in both SoT motos on his CCM, but he was still rewarded with second place. At the start of the firsf 20-minute moto, Hughes led the field into the first turn followed by Mike Brandes and Willy Musgrave. Hughes made it apparent from the start that he would be the man to beat. Local favorite Amaradio moved into third during the opening laps and quickly set his eyes on the Kawasaki-mounted Brandes. Back in the pack, Hughes' teammate Mickael Pichon gated poorly and started to ride well before running into problems and going down. "1 was wide open around a rutted turn and my foot got hooked up and the bike flew out from under me," said Pichon. The Frenchman was able to regroup quickly, but his hopes for his first win at Carlsbad were out of reach. By the third lap, Hughes had extended his le!ld, while Amaradio was starting to put some pressure on Brandes. Brandes started to slow because of mechanical problems and Amaradio easily moved in for the kill. '1 never got tired during the race, but on the second lap my clutch perch came loose and my lever was all over the place," said Brandes. Back in the field, Dubach was on the gas and all over fourth- and fifth-place riders Musgrave and Ron Lechien, another former 125cc National MX Champion. Dubach first picked off Lechien and continued his charge past Musgrave, Brandes and finally Amaradio. Once Dubach had control of second, there was no way to close the gap on Hughes. By the finish, Hughes.had pulled out a I5-second lead over Dubach and Amaradio. In the second moto, Pichon pulled the holeshot over Hughes and Amaradio. From the start of the first lap, Hughes was all over Pichon. On the uphill, the two teammates were side by side as Hughes made the mad dash down the ultrafast downhill to take the lead. Hughes made it look easy and instantly started to pull away. "The track was getting rough, but there were still a few good lines out there," said Hughes. Pichon was hampered with more bad luck in the second moto as the slick Carlsbad surface took him to the ground once more. The Eastern Regional 125cc SX Champion, Pichon, remounted but would eventually finish back in the pack. During the opening laps, Amaradio was riding a great race, and at one point .started to reel in Hughes. Amaradio was pushing himself to the limit, but Hughes soon countered and started to pull back out on the KTM rider. Amaradio soon realized that his chances for the win were all but gone and settled into the second spot at a leisurely pace. '1 was just trying to ride smooth. 1 think 1 did well, 1 normally have bad luck here," said Amaradio. Back in the pack, Dubach was aiming his way through the field after another so-so start. "On the first lap, some guy fell in front of me and 1 had nowhere to go. By the time 1 got through everyone went by," said Dubach. He slowly picked off riders until he had a lock on third place. When the checkered flag was out,