Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127852
By Greg Robertson
BAKERSFIELD, CA, JULY25
ormer Yamaha factory rider "Doc-
tor" Doug Duba ch turned a couple
of good sta rts into runaway victories a nd we nt hom e $5000 richer after
wi nning both the 125 and 250cc ma in
eve nts a t the Bill Wright Toyota /Kern
Kiwanis Founda tion-sponso red Supercross, held at th e Kern Co u n ty Fairgro unds .
Two hundred truckload s 01 primo
d irt we re used to scul p t a double- and
triple-jump-filled course that received
p raise Iro m m o st riders . So ld-ou t
bleach er sea ts, a hu ge standing-roomonly crowd, and a good rider tu rnout
mad e promoter David Rogers a happy
man, too. "This is a concept race," said
Rogers. "The Kiwanis Found ation is
using thi s ra ce to ra ise fu nds to aid
young children's progra ms he re in the
county of Kern. We're trying to mimic
an AMA Supercross , just on a smaller
scale. We' re tryi ng to promote pri vateer
racing so that non-fa ctory rid ers ca n
make lots 01 money. Next yea r we wa nt
to do a $50,000 race, and the lollowing
yea r a qu arter-million -d ollar, live-race
series ."
A pa ir 01 six-lap qualiliers lor both
the 125 and 2SOcc classes were used to
determine gate positions lor the main
events, with [iri Dostal nailing the first
125cc qu alilier holeshot on his Suzuki.
Chris Wheeler and Terrance Malan ran
second and third, respectively, lor a lap
belore Tyler Evans passed th em bo th.
Evans inched close r to Dostal an d by lap
lou r was on his back lende r, looki ng lor
room to pass.
"I just mad e a mis take in the whoo p
section and he (Evans) got aro u nd me,"
said Dostal.
.
"[ iri was going pretty las t," said the
FMF/ Smith/ American Suz uki-backed
Evans alter pickin g up the win. "I was
lucky to get around him when I did."
Wheeler linished third, Malan fou rt h,
and Honda rider Brian Sweany rounded
ou t the top five.
Jell Pestana shot his KXl25 in to the
lead in the second 125cc qualifier, followed by Tommy Harrison, Dubach an d
Dean Matson. Dubach d isposed 01 Harrison within the first few turns, then
dove underneath Pestana in a tight
right-hander to take the lead within the
first lap. Pestana also passed Harrison
on the opening lap and would stick with
Dubach lor the first lew circuits. Dubach
upped the pace towards the end to greet
the checkers with live seconds to spare
over Pestana. Jerry Aleman came from
his sixth-place start to pass Matson lor
third. Yamaha rider Tim O 'Brien
worked up Irom a poor sta rt to finish,
Iifth behind Matson .
Ju stin Tiea rney led the Iirst 250cc
qualilier lo r about three tu rns belore
going down and Iinding himself in last
place alte r a restart. Ray Crumb ran out
front, wi th Wheeler, Lex Ma la n and
Evans juggling posi tions behind. Malan
railed around Crumb and led lor a lew
laps before bobbling in a berm , allowi ng
Evans to slip underneath . Evans w ent
on lor the win , with Malan a very close
second . Cru mb lended 011 the late-mote
challenge 01 Ter rance Malan lo r third,
with Wheeler finishing Iilth .
"The track is really tight," Evans said .
"You have to make passes when you can."
"Evans had a last pace an d he go t
me," Malan said. "This track is good for
passing, obvious ly."
Th e se co n d 250cc qual ilie r sta r t
b el on ged to Pestana, with Na tha n
Woods, Mat son a nd Dubach in close
fo rm a tio n. Woods was pressur ing Pes -
(Above) Team Yamaha Testin g's
Doug Dubach went home $5000
ri cher aft er w inning the 125 and
250cc Pro classes at the "BiII
Wright ToyotalKern Kiwanis
Supercross, held at the Kern
County Fairgrounds in -
Bakersfield, California.
(Left) SpUd Walters finished
second in t he 2SOcc Pro class.
tana as Dubach passed Ma tso n on the
firs t lap. Dubach squared 011 a corner
under Woo d s a la p lat er to ta ke over
second place, then ou tju mped Pestana
d own the front straight lor the lead on
lap lour. Dubach quickly pulled away to
collect the win. Matson came across in
third , wi th Jerry Aleman wo rking
around Woods lor lourth.
"I don't like to let up on these guys;
they're going pretty last," Dubach said .
'The main is a long race and the track is
developing ruts. I like ru ts, so maybe it' s
my track."
"1' m gonna try to put this Kawie on
the podium in the main," said secondplace Iinisher Pestana. " Du bach goes
good in the ruts. "
When the gate dropped for the 125cc
main, it was the KX 01 Pestana leading
Evans, Lex Malan, Dubach and Wheeler.
Evans lollowed Pestana lor a little over
a lap belore making his wa y into the
lead. Dubach passed Malan, then moved
into second when Pestana messed up in
a comer. A lap later , Dubach sailed past
Evans. Evans kept Dubach honest lor a
couple of laps belore the Yamaha testrider disappeared into the night w ith
the win.
'T d like to thank everyone
lor pu tti ng o n this ra ce ."
Dubach sa id afterwards . "I
know it's for cha rity, an d these
even ts are grea t. Supercross
see ms to be gain ing momen tum, and I'm glad to see everybody out here to support us."
Ha lfway th rou gh the race, Pestana
was able to pass Eva ns and run in the
runne r-u p position, bu t only lor a lew
laps, as Pestana retaliated wi th a couple
01 laps remaining to pick up the secondplace mon ey.
Hit was an awesome race," Pestana
said. "It puts a little money in the privateers' pockets. It was a hell 01 a race,
with Evans putting the pressure on me
and Dubach in front 01 me."
Evans Iini shed third , a head 01 a
great battle for lourth that saw Wheeler
jus t edge out Matson and Spud Walters.
Lex Malan, Andy Harrington and Aleman fini shed se ve n th through ninth
respectively, with Tommy Harrison
grabbing the final cash-paying position
in 10th.
It was all Dubach in the 2SOcc main,
as the former Vet Pro World Champ and
AMA Supercross winner exited the first
turn with the lead and never looked
ba ck,
'The track builders did a great job,"
Dubach said to the crowd alter the race.
"I'd like to thank Bill Wrigh t Toyota and
the Kern Kiwanis lor putting on this
race, and I have to thank my wile and
six-week-old baby lo r pu tti ng up with
the hea t all day and waiting lo r me to
get done racing ."
Walters chased down Crumb, getting
around him on lap five to collect the second- place money.
"It's kind 01 bee n a bad night," said
th e White Bro s./Stone Racing /MSRba cked Waiters. " I spen t most of my
night on the ground. In the 125cc main, I
got a really bad start and worked up to
sixth. It su re helps a lot when you get a
good start and just ride smooth and stay
ou t front."
Crumb he ld 011 the cha rges 01 Pestana lo r the second half 01 the main to
hold on to third .
"I had Sp u d (Walters) there, but I
made a mistake, bottomed ou t real hard,
and my hand came ofl the bars and he
got arou nd me," Crumb explaine d . " I
just didn' t have anything left to get him
back. "
Matson brought his Suzuki across the
line fo r fifth , ahead 01 Swea ny and
Tiearney. Evans spent the moto working
up Irom a bad s tart to eighth, with
Wood s and CR -moun ted Erik lindstrom filling out the top 10 positions. 0
Kern County Fairgrounds
Bakersfield, California
Results: ~uly 25, 1997
125 QUAL: 1. TylrT Eva m (Suz); 2. liri IJn<;taI (Suz);
J. Chri5 WhtTkT