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/127930
GRAND PRIX BIG SIX G AND PRIXSERIES R Round 1: Adelanto Grand Prix I"t:-- - - - -- -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - -' (left) The kids ' race gets ready to blast off at the 18th annu al Adelanto Grand Prix, where more than 2000 racers participated In this year's event. (Below) After breaking his ankle at last year's event , Johnny Campbe ll won the highly competi tive Pro and Unclassified races and picked up a second and a fourth In the Four· Stroke and Open Expert classes, res pectively. .. By Matt Freeman Photos by Cameron Coatn ey and Freeman ADELANTO,CA,jAN.31-FEB.I f a nyone racer had some thi ng to p ro v e a t the 18th ann ual Desert Vipers MC Adelanto Gra nd Prix, it was American Ho nda's johnny Ca mpbell. Cam pbell left las t year's even t with a bad ly broken ankle, which he suffered in a high-speed crash while com peting for a pod iu m finish during the Pro race. The injury req uired surgery, two screws and near ly thr ee mo nt hs of recu peration time before Campbell raced again. This yea r Campbell bounced back by wi nning the Unclassified race and the highly competitive Pro race, and finishing second in the Four-Stroke race and fou rth in the Open race . I However, Campbell did not get the nod for the most race wins in a weekend. The unofficial title of "King of Adelan to" wen t to Montclair Yamaha's Ty Davis, who proved he could win aboard his new crop of YZS by taking the checkered flag a total of thr ee times for the 0200cc, Four-Strok e and 250cc races . Defending the crown he has held for the last fou r years, Davis' weekend was no t flawless . A seized engine while lead ing the Pro race and a bad start in the Open ra ce were th e decid ing factors in the killing of a perfect race record. Regardless, Davis dazzled the thousands of spectators who turned out with huge leads and big air . The traditional hosts of the largest race in the District 37 Big Six Grand Prix Series - the desert town of Ad elanto and the Desert Vipers MC - spared no expense for this year's even t. Food vendors, carniva l rides and spectator bleachers co mplemented the 9-mile racecourse, a nd approximately 2000 competitors sig ned up for the pleasure o f racing over pavement, dirt roa d s, desert terrain and the famed Adelanto water-hole ju mp . W hen t he ba n ne r dropped on Satu r day mo rn ing at 8 0 ' clock for the Unclassified race, more (left) Ty Davis se ized In the Pro race, but stili picked up wins In the D-20OCc, 250Ccand Four-Stroke races. He also got second in the Open race. than 300 riders screamed down Bartlett Ave nue and hung a right in to the d esert, kicking off two days of fast and furious racing. While some used th e Unclassified race as a cha nce to di al in their sus pensio n and learn fast lines on the course, o t he rs wen t a ll o ut fro m the d eadengine sta rt to the finish. Ne w Kawasaki Tea m Green recruits Destry Abbo tt and jeff Ca p t took differen t ap proaches to the opening race. "I'm just practicing to know where the lines are and to test my bike," Capt said. Abbott, on the other hand, jumped out to an early lead , but only tempo rarily.