Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

rear mousse melted. Capt got plucked off his bike by a stray branch as he dodged through the trees and Baumann had his heart in his mouth all the way down the steep, rocky downhilJ. "I kind of psyched myself out because last weekend I went down crashed on a downhill like that - and twisted my knee," Baumann said. "Plus, I could hear Campbell's four-stroke behind me - thump, thump, thump. He was behind me through ail those rocks just hammering, then we got on a dirt road that's kind of twisty along the side of a mountain. It's really rocky, we're both blinded by dust and I hear him winding up his four-stroke trying to pass me. It's like who's crazier than the next guy to keep it pinned." Zitterkopf enjoyed a trouble-free, dust-free lead for another hour and 10 minutes, then charged in to take two overall wins - the overall for the event and the overall in the best-five-of-sevenraces National Championship. . "I thought Davis was back there so I just tried to hammer as fast as I could in the first loop, but after that I just rode my own race," said Kawasaki Team Green's Zitterkopf. "I had no problems and my bike worked perfect. I think it was a really. good expert course. It was a little hard for a novice guy, but for a good expert rider it was really challenging because it never gave you a chance to rest. It had big whoops and then, if it didn't have whoops, it was like off-camber, side hill, first gear. It was like a National enduro, a lot of it." Second overall, coupled with Davis' failure to finish, gave KX500~racer Paul Krause a championship title in the Open Expert division. '''For sure I can't win the overall title, but after today, I might get second," said Krause, who like Zitterkopf thanked his wife, family and pit crew for a year of hard work. "No problems at all - none; just rode smooth and easy. FMF just built me a good motor and it ran smoothly all the way." Krause described the course as "really, really whooped out but fun to ride. There was a lot of neat stuff on the first loop when we got up on the ridges and in the second loop there were some good washes, but I now know that Lucerne Valley is not the only place in the world with three-foot-deep whoops as far as you want to ride." A determined ride turned Abbott's midpack start into third overall and first 250cc Expert, which put him just out of reach of yearlong rival Book in the race for the 250cc Championship title. • ''I'm real happy with where I finished," KTM-backed Abbott said. "I won the title - the 250 title - and that was my main goal for the year. It's my first time for the title and it feels good.' "The new '97 KTMs are just working . great - they're awesome," Abbott continued. "I had no problems at all. I went down once but it wasn't a big deal, and that was it." KX250 pilot Brian Brown worked his way up through the pack to grab a fourth-place finish, ahead of fellow KX250 racer Pat Garrahan, who misplaced his kickstarter somewhere along the way. "I noticed it when I gassed," Garrahan said. "1 looked down and it just wasn't there, but I never fell down or stalled, so it wasn't any problem." Campbell brought the first thumper home in sixth, nine places ahead of Honda' teammate Capt, who nad wrapped up the Four-Stroke Championship before the event began. "I got a bad start, but at least it was one kick, so I was probably in the top 20 this time instead of the top 30 or 40. I iust worked my way up through the dUSt. It was real dusty for ... shoot... the whole first loop," said Campbell, who was forced to change a clogged filter at the end of loop one. "It was very rough, pretty tough on a four-stroke, but the XR did a fine job. Seems like I've been stuck in sixth for a while, but I was way ahead of Capt so I'm pleased with beating him He does real good in the Nationals and any time I can beat him in a National 1 feel good about myself." Oakley Lehman's Yamaha crossed the finish in seventh overall after running as high as fourth in the early stages. "I got lost when I was in fourth," Lehman said. "I just overshot a turn and didn't know I'd done it, then I 'got stuck behind Baumann until halfway through the second loop." Baumann was in his usual place second Vet - but the eighth overall finisher was not complaining. "I'm very happy," Baumann said. "I didn't have any get-offs and this gives me second overall in the series in the Vet class, so I'm happy with that. Zitt looks like he's probably going to overall the series, so ,there's nothing wrong with being second to him." . Steve Hengeveld attributed ninth (TOp left) Ty Davis needed a win at both this round and the final one In Lucerne Valley to take the title. Unfortunately he suffered a raceending crash In the early going. (Top center) With his sacond-placeoverall finish and Davis' DNF, Paul Krause clinched the Open Expert class. (Above) Despite a melted foam tube in his rear ,tire, Brian Brown rode fo a fifth-place finish. (Left) First Four-Stroke and sixth overall at the finish was XR628mounted Johnny Campbell. (Below) Destry Abbott nailed the 250cc-elass win to take the championship in the class. Abbott was third overall. overall to a wide-open throttle on the bomb and some aggressive passing. . "Off the start 1 backfired and had to kick the bike twice, so I was like last off the line and coming up to the bomb, I just had to banzai it through the dust," the KX250 rider said. "I had walked it so I knew it was pretty smooth and there were no rocks, so I took the chance. I did a lot of passing, too. I guess I was justa little bit more crazy in the dust than other people were." Hengeveld was followed home by KX250 racers Key, Tommy Ady, whose sprocket selection left him lagging in the fast sections, and Aaron Sykes. Allan Cassara finished 13th overall to take third Vet. Rocket Rex Staten wrapped up the Over 40 championship with yet another class win and Nick Fain topped the Amateur racers. "That was a good course," Staten said. "It had whoops, technical sections, some fast sections - a bit of everything. It was just so dusty it was like a fog bank the whole time. I didn't want to banzai it and get hurt, so I held back waiting for it to clear, but it never got any better." {~ Reno National Hare & Hound Reno, Nevada, Results: October 6, 1996 (Round 6 of 7) OVERALL: 1. Greg Zitterkopf (Kaw); 2. Paul Krause (Kaw); 3. Destry Abbott (KTM); 4. Brian Brown (Kaw); 5. Pat Garrahan (Kaw); 6. Johnny Campbell (Han); 7. Oakley Lehman (Yam); 8. Abe Baumann (Kaw); 9. Steve Hengeveld (Kaw); 10. Sam Key (Kaw); 11. Tommy Ady (Kaw); 12. Aaron Sykes (Kaw); 13. Allan Cassa,ra (Han); 14. Kevin Brown (Hon); 15. Jeff Capt (Han); 16. Mark Lundgreen (1

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