Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

_ ,EV N S ET EDITED BY CAMERON COATNEY 0·37 Desert Racing Series, Round 1 r.--~----"---------- --- ------ -_---..J (Left) Team Green 's Dave Ondas started the 1998 0-37 Desert Rac ing series by w inning the Jackrabbits MC Hare & Hound in Red Mountain , California, wh ich also doubled as the ope ning r ound of the Best in the West series . (Right) Erik Hallgath led briefly before even tually fi ni shi ng sixth ov erall and first 200cc Expert. By Matt Freeman 2 REDMOUNTAIN, CA,JAN.l1 ave Ondas started the 1998 District 37 racing year in the same w inn in g fo r m in whic h he ended his ' 97 seas on . After overalling the final race of '97 at Red Mountain, the Team Green speedster returned to h is victorious s tom p ing grounds a mon th later to tak e the wi n at the Jackrabbits MC Hare & Hound. Traditionally th e fir st event on th e District 37 racin g calendar, the Jackrabbits MC also ad d ed their even t to th e pre st igi ou s Best o f th e Wes t seri es, which mad e the level of compe tition one notch high er . Ondas, on his KXSOO, no doubt felt th e heat as several talented front-runners cha llenged for th e lead through out the 74- m ile, two-l o op course. In a spo rt where bar-to-bar racing is usually separated by dust , th e recent d ownpours of EI Nino proved to be a huge factor from the starting line to the fin ish. As th e banner dropped fo r the Expert line, dust was th e last thing on an yone's mind and the wheel-to-wheel scra m ble for th e early lead wa s p ro of that the only thing that would separate one rider from the next would be pure riding ability. " I got th e h o le s h o t off th e start," Ondas sa id . "Then Abe (Bau man) and Erik (H a llga th) p a s sed me after th e bo mb ." The KX500 of Bauman, the M/XC200 of Erik Ha llgath and American Honda's Johnny Campbell all challenged Ondas for the lead early on . "I was seco nd to th e bomb beh ind Ondas," said Bauman, wh o admitted to having had th e flu for the past week. "We were going b ack and forth , a nd then Hall gath flies by us like he was a motocross er . It was nice, w atching his riding style." Whil e H allgath w a s m akin g an impressive run out front, Ondas went to work on Bau ma n and eventually passed him for good, taking ov er second place and setting his sights on Hallga th. "Some how I got into the lead abou t three miles past the bomb," said KTM of Mojave-backed Hallgath. "I led for a while and then Ondas passed me back so fast it was like I w as sit ting st ill. I could n' t believe it." As Ondas go t by Hallgath to take the le a d, KX250 rider Dou g Chia p uz io,. Campbell and newly recru it ed Tea m G ree n KX500 pil ot Jeff Capt were also mak in g a cha rge for the fro n t. By the mid way point of the first loop, the thr ee had man aged to sneak by Bauman , and they eventually mad e their way aro und Hallgath when he blew his rear shock. " My a rms wer e pumpin g u p rea l · bad, but I go t a lu cky break and go t a ro u n d Bauman a n d Hal lga th ," said XR628-mo u nted John n y Cam pbel l. "Then I p ass ed Dave (O ndas) for the lead just before the pit s." Right afte r crossing T ro n a Road , Ond as passed Campbell bac k bu t, as the two mad e their wa y toward pit row for gas, it was an all-out battl e betw een pit cre ws to see who cou ld ge t thei r rider ou t on the second loop first. "Da ve got ou t on th e secon d lo op first," said Campbell, who has not raced a distric t race in nea rly a yea r. "Coming acro ss the valley after the pit s, I let him (O ndas) go . I had some person al stu ff to w ork o u t w ith m ys e lf . My a rms pumped up w orse and I was lu cky to hold on." Ca pt was th ird to pit, follow ed by Chia puzio, w ho had a huge lead in front of his next cla ss competitor. Bauman was also way out in fron t of the ne xt Vet racer as he grabbed a splash of gas in fifth overall . Hallgath limped th ro u g h the pits in sixth wi th a broken shock and the 200cc-class lead . Rex staten brought his KX500 through gasoline alley with his usual Senior-elass leading position not long af ter the seventha nd eighth-p lace spots of Donnie Morrison and Casey Longma n. As several hundred racers jou rneyed ou t o n to th e rocky, crossgrain seco nd loop of Teag le Wash , the racin g remained tight and fast for nearl y everyone except Ondas, wh o had fina lly sha ke n th e onsl au ght of cha llenge rs for the lead. Ond as crossed the fini sh line with nearly a minu te to spa re over Cam pbell. Capt's first race on his new KX500 was im pressive, as he and Chiapuzio passed one ano the r here and there through ou t the second loo p, but Chi apuzio finally go t the nod for third overall when Capt slid ou t at the bottom of the hill, let ting Chiapuzio's lead ing 250 by. Bauman d efended his number-on e Ope n Vet spo t with no prob lem , finishing in fifth. In w hat was descri bed as a high-speed co u rse , Ha llga th tu rned in an im pressive ride by winn ing the 200cc class in sixth overall. Staten continued t6 dazzle competi tors wit h his lo ngevity, finishing behin d Hallgath for the Senio r honors, and A merica n H ond a s ' Ti m Staab made his way around Lon gm an to win the Four-Stro ke class in eigh th. "E ve rythi ng w ent rea l well a n d it was a fun race," Ondas said. "Ka wasaki gave m e a g rea t b ike, and I wa n t to thank John Bras ch for build in g me an awesome motor." 0 20 0 EX: I. Erik Ha ll g ath ( KT M ); 2. Morgan Cra wfo rd (Kaw). 250 BEC : 1. Co ry Toll iver (Ha n) ; 2. K.C. Maw I Kaw): 3. David Hill (Ka w): -I. Ryan To lliver (Hen) . 250 N OV : 1. Da le Sh u tt lewo rth (Ka w) : 2. Brian Wald ba urn ( Hen) : 3. Ma r c Coss io (Yam ); 4. C h ris Esparza IKaw): 5. RobGideon (Yam). 250 AM : 1. C hris Dabney (Yam ); 2. Mike Slo ni m ( KT~); 3. Ron Wa rre n (Kaw); 4. Rob Peters (Yam ); 5. Mark Goelz (Ho n). 250 EX; 1. Doug Ch iapuzio (K.1W); 2. Ke vin Smit h (Ka w ); 3. Matt Burro u gh s (Kaw); 4. C raig Hoffma n ( Ka w ); 5. Lu ke Dod son (Kaw). 4-srRK BEC : 1. Ron Karanases (Ha n). 4-STRK NOV, 1. Ton y lA<:ordoba IHo n): 2. Greg Co ffma n (Ha n ); 3. Jeff Ha gin s (H en): 4. Brian Avers IH on): 5. Tom H odgin (He n). • 4-STRK AM : 1. Sean O ' Ket' fl" (Han); 2. David Preach (Ka w): 3. Bill Kelly (Hbg). 4-STRK EX: 1. Tim Staab (Ha n); 2. Casey Longman (Ha n); 3. Lon Bran d (Ha n); 4. Rob P0 7.noH (Hon): 5 . Jerry leighto n (Ha n). WMN NOV: 1. Cha rlotte Peters IKaw ): 2. Deanne Moore (Yam); 3. Frost y Can no n (Kaw) . WM N AM: 1. Kim Quinn (Ka w) . WMN EX: 1. Kassie Gray ()(aw); 2. Jennife r Sunker (J(."Iw) . Jackrabbits MC Hare & Hound Red Mountain, California Results: January 11, 1998 OP EN BEG : 1. Bronso n Ga r cia (Ka w) : 2. Roy Wa tson (KlM). orEN A M: 1. Mike Baskin (K.1w ); 2. Brian White (Hon): 3. DougL1S DePue (Ka w). O PEN EX: 1. Dave O nd a s ( Ka w ); 2. Jo hn ny Ca m pbell (Hen): 3. Jeff Ca pt (Kaw); 4. lam es Fowler (Ha n); 5. Chuck McBurne y (Kaw). 80 NOV: 1. Travis Rando ll (K."Iw): 80 AM : 1. Craig C ulled ge (Suz). 80 EX: 1. Kurt Case lli IKa w) : 2. Jona than Davies (Kaw); 3. Christopher Gm {H on). 200 BEC : 1. Ch ris Mah o ney (Suz); 2. Jason Mahoney (Hon); 3. Will Po rter Jr. (Yam); 4. Brian Davis (Yam). 200 NOV: 1. Bobby Lee (Ya m); 2. Ben G arcia (Yam); 3. Mike Bremn er (Ya m). 200 A M : 1. Co lby Gulledge (Suz); 2. Jason Rua ne (Ya m); 3. Ron Nozaki (Ka w). ~ S /S R EX: 1. Ra y Bandfi e ld (Ya m ); 2. 5 .B. Gaetz (Yam); 3. Ken New ton (Yam); 4.1oc Ana sta sio (KTM ); S. Paul Beckett (s uz). SR OPEN NOV: 1. Daniel Dowding (Yam): 2. Rick Overby (Han); 3. Terry CAldwell (KTM); 4. je Anders ss (Yam). SR O rEN AM: 1. Bren t Chappelle IKaw ): 2. James Sandefer (Han); 3. Thomas Enge lhardt (Yam); 4. Doug Clagg (l(TI.,f) ; 5. C lenn Sau nders (Ka w ). SR OPEN EX: 1. Rex Staten (Kaw); 2. Phil Cloward (Kaw) , 3. Don Chiapuz io (KTM ); 4. Mike Martin (Kaw); S. Rudy Abe le (Kaw). SR 250 NOV: 1. Dana Reed (Suz) ; 2. Cha rbe Hargon (Kaw); 3. William Coo k (Ha n); 4. RogerVanMatre (Suz). SR 250 AM, 1. Robert Koch (Yam); 2. Roger Beckett (Kaw ); 3. Tom Step hens (Ho n); 4. Steve Neal (Kaw); 5. Sieve Pillow IKaw). S R 250 EX: 1. C ha r lie Ba r ney ( K a w) : 2. Rhett Hig gins (Ka w): 3. Dav e Beal (Ya m); 4. Larry Geo rge (KlM); 5. John KareU (Yam ). MA G NOV, I. Terry N ichols (Ho n); 2. Jerry Neal ( Ha n); 3. Roger Gowi n (Hon ); 4. Richard Wohlers (Yam ); 5. Rich Stevens (Han ). MAG AM: 1. Ste ve Pet ers (KTM); 2. Phil White (Hon); 3. Kim Bennet (Ha n); 4. Steve Freeman (Ho n); 5. Larry Curl (KlMI. MAC EX: 1. Rich ard Ja ckson (Ke w) : 2. Ter ry McD onald (Han ); 3 . AI G u z ma n (Han); 4. Ern ie Minoivan (Ka w), 5. Greg Turk ( K.1w). VET OPEN BEG , 1. C. Mark Wi l,on (KTM) ; 2. " Brian Tho mpson (Ya m); 3. Alt. Co ntreras (Ho n); 4. Bill Vu ka novi ch (Ha n); 5. Paul Duk e IHo n). VE T OP EN NOV : 1. Ma rk Adam s ( H e n) : 2. Thomas Gi bson (Han); 3. Russ Wolff (Ka w ), 4. Micha Babcock (Hon); 5. Tim Lytle (Ka w) . VET OP EN AM : 1. Les Lehigh (Hon ); 2. Rick Co rtel yo u (Hon ): 3 . Ke vin Cooper (Kaw): 4. Dea n Teague (Ha n); 5. James Flores (Yam). VET OPEN EX: 1. Abe Bau ma n (Kaw); 2. Casey McCoy (Han); 3. Rick Daniel (Ya m); 4. Dave Bird (Ka w) . VET 250 BEC: 1. Jim Bernardi (Ya m ); 2. John Coo k (Yam) ; 3. Ra y Som me r (Ya m) ; 4 . Anthony Fue h re r (Ya m); 5. Pa trick Hamilt on (s uz). VET 250 NOV: 1. Marc Schneide r (Suz): 2. Ch illy White (Ka w); 3. Dean Man u el (Ya m) ; 4. Rub Cook (Ya m); 5. John Kerrigan (KTM). VET 250 AM: 1. Go rd o n Keller (Kawl; 2. Tim Day (Yam ); 3. Tim Spaeth (Kaw); 4, C. R. Brunson (Ya m); 5. Tim Eckart IKaw). VET 2SO EX: 1. Justin Lundin (Yam ); 2. Rick Lundin (Yam); 3. Kevin Olen (CZ ); 4. Ga ry Borstnar (Kaw ); 5. David Graham (Ya m).

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