Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

MOTOCROSS WHfTE BROTHERS VET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Glen Helen Raceway (Left) YZ400F-mounted Doug Dubach (39) leads the way at the start 01 the second moto. Ron Turner (7), Tom Carson (18), Brian Manley (51) and the rest give chase. " (Above) Yamaha's Dubach took the overall win in the racing debut for the preproduction tour-stroke motocrosser . (Below) Erik Kehoe (1) nabbed second ove rall in the Pro class , but had to work for it after getting off to slow starts in both motos. Here, Kehoe chases seventh-overall finisher Ron Gilbert. By Robert Van Damme Photos by Kinn ey Jones 'ARDINO, CA. NOV. I·2 isto ry shows that Doug Dub ach has a hab it of winning the White Brothers Vet Four-Stroke World Ch ampionship a t G len H elen Raceway. After all, since lW3, Dubach's been the man every year except '96, when he didn't partici pa te because of an injury. Well, Dubach did it aga in in '97, bu t history will show he did it different ly. H o w ? On a p re p roduction Ya ma ha YZ400F fou r-stroke, taking the all-new motocrosser to 1-1 moto scores in its official racing debut. Erik Kehoe wasn't qoite as fortu na te, havin g to wo rk up to the fro n t in eac h . mota to ultimately take second overall after finishi ng w ith a 3-2 ta lly. Sixteentime South Am erican Champion Ad ria n Robert from Cos ta Rica took third overall after holdin g back a hard-cha rging Kehoe to take second in the first mo ta and roming back from a fall in the second mota to finish fourth. This year's race lived up to its reputation of being an intern ational event, hostin g rid ers fro m a ll o ver th e co u n try (includ ing Alaska), a strong con tin gent from South Am erica, form er national champions from Japan, and so me ve ry fast riders from Canada. As ide fro m Robert competing this weekend, Koji Masu da from Japan , who was a forme r national champion, competr-, ed in both the Over 40 Expert and the Vet 0\ 0\ Pro race, an d Zo li ...... Canada were both Berenyi Sr. and Jr. of competing. Speaking a\ of the Over 40 Experts, Ron Turner took ...... th e measu re of th e high ly competitive .... field to card his 771st wi n in his 20·plus Cli years of racing. Tom Carson from O hio, a former motocross regular w ho just won Cli the title in tile Vet A division at the AMA > Grand National Cross Country Series, o was signed up for the Pro event. Also, '97 California state champion Terry Fowler was hoping to add the World Vets to his list of accomplishments. ..c E z 18 Saturday's Vet Pro winner, Willy Musgrave, p ull ed the ho lcshot over Robe rt , Turner, Fow ler, Dubach, Ron Gilbert and Gordon Ward. Robert moved into th e lead by go ing past Musg rave on th e u p hill. w hil e Dubach worked aro u n d Fowle r and Turner for third . Ward, rid ing a '98 TM 250, moved by both Turner and Gilbert corning out of "Bud's Creek" to tak e over fifth . Defend ing cha m p io n Kehoe was co ming throug h the pack from a 12th-place start and got around Turner at the drop-off jump before the scoring section. '1 had a decent jump, I thought, off the gate, and then I kind of got pinched off go ing in to the firs t turn and a bunch of guys piled u p," Kehoe said. "After everythin g set tled d own, I was abo ut 10th or 12th place." Gilbert was Kehoe's next victim, but it took almost a third of a lap for the pass to happen, w ith Kehoe getting the ins ide position on Gilbert and going by on the u phill . A hea d, Du bach ca ught u p with Musgrave and put the pressure on as they came d own the hill. Musgrave, who .wo u ld la ter a dmit to no t ha vi ng his Honda CRSOO dialed in yet, went wide on the next turn, and Du bach was ab le to square off the turn und erneath him to move into second. Robert had an eigh t-seecond lead ove r Dubach, hut w he n they came ba ck into view from Bu d's Creek, the gap ha d shru nk to three seconds. "I was concerned and I slowed the pace, an d that's when Dubach caught me," said Robert through an interpreter. Kehoe used the outside of the wide righ t-hand tu m before the big tree and passed Ward for fifth . Midway th rough the third lap, Dubach move righ t behin d Robert an d bega n applying press u re. The two went to the north section side by side and as they reappeared from the creek, Dubach was in the top position. "He (Ro ber t) went in there (Bu d 's Creek) and kind of drifted a little wide," Dubach" said. "Well, w ith the fourstroke's power, I was able to square and come back and miss the bumps so that I had him set up . So as he cu t across the track, I went back to the ins ide and just made a switch-out pass." Kehoe moved by Fowl er before th e en d of lap three, advan cing to fou rth, but was behind the lead er, Dubach, by 12 secon ds. Manley , af ter ge tting a fair start, was now up to sevent h and ca tchi ng Wa nd. The two got together at the top of the hill, wit h Wand going down an d Man ley taking over sixt h. Wa rd remounted, but was a little sore from the fall a nd pulled off. Kehoe. meanwhile, caught Musgrave and wa s trying to find a way around him . Kehoe tried the ou tside corner just past the big tree but did n' t have enoug h room to get by Musg ra ve . Th en Kehoe tri ed down the san d pit across from the bleachers , but Musgrave's 500 outpowered him . Finally, Kehoe was able to get a wheel und erneath Mu sgrave as they went up "A ni m a l Leap," and went by on th e insid e as they came back down. Manley passed a tiring Fowler for fifth in the north section. Carson was the next rider to go around Fowler, taking sixth. . Robert had an eigh t-second cus hion over Kehoe as the hal fw ay sign came ou t. Kehoe, one of many pro riders recovering from a cold, was s low ly closing in on Robert. "I just set a pa ce tha t 1 thou ght I was co m fortable wi th," Kehoe said. "I was already a little tired a t about the third lap." Fowle r, also corning off a cold, almost succu mbed to Gilbert, b ut was given a reprieve when Gilbert cross-rutted. Fans all around the track we re urging Kehoe to go after Rober t on the last lap. Afte r 20 minutes and two laps, Dubach received the checkered flag for the win. Second belonged to Robert, just three bike lengths ahead of Kehoe. Musgrave he ld on for a lonely fourth, followed by Manley, Carson, Fowler and Gilbert, with a pair of magazine test riders . Pete Murray and Tim Telford - rounding out the top 10. Carson got the early jump for the St'C-

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