Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

GFI California Winter MX series South, Round 4 By Greg Robertson RAMONA, CA, MAR. 22 OUtld four of the Mazda Truck/Goat/GFI Eyewear/Circle 76/GFI Racing-sponsored California Winter MX Series made its way down south to the Barona Oaks race track, where Pro Circui t / SplitFire /Ka wasaki -backed Casey Johnson came out on top of a couple of hard-fought moto. wins to sweep the 125 and 250cc Pro classes. When the gate dropped for the oneshot, 20-minute 250cc Pro moto, it was Billy P.ayne getting the jump off the cement starting pad to lead Dustin Evans, Spud Walters and Johnson behind. Walters quickly pushed Evans back to third and closed in on Payne. ohnson then dropped Evans another position and then proceeded to blow past Walters in a whoop section a short time later to run second. A few turns later, Payne fell victim to the hardcharging Johnson as the latter used an inside move in a tight corner to steal the lead. Walters pushed Payne out of a turn for second place and set out after Johnson. Five laps into the race, Walters had his YZ400F all over the KX250 of Johnson in a duel that continued for a couple of laps until Johnson went down. "On the top of the hill, in one of the rutted corners, I came into the corner and the back tire wasn't quite in the rut and I got on it and just kind of spun around and Walters got by," Johnson said. ( Walters suddenly had a four-second lead, but Johnson was quickly back up tq speed and reeling him back in. With a lap and a half remaining, Jolmson flew past Walters off a triple jump, looking over at him. as he sailed by to retake the lead and the win a short time later. "The track was really good and there .were a lot of different lines that made for good passing today," said Johnson after the win. Walters hounded Jolmson right up to the checkers for a clo~e runner-up finish. While Johnson and Walters battled up front, SMP /Zing/Escondido Cycle Cen ter-backed Suzuki rider Tim Beatty q'uietly worked himself up into. an impressive third-place finish after a start tnat found him out ofthe top 10. t Dustin Nelson was another rider buried in the pack after a 15th-place start, but he finished a respectable >fourth, ahead of Suzuki riders Donald Upton and Chris Wheeler. Espen Blikstad got around Payne (who didn't look like his usual self on the bike) for seventh in the final laps. "I got hurt a little over a month ago and I haven't been riding much," Payne said. "My arms pumped up and my timing was way off, but I guess my starts are still there." . Payne definitely had his starts down today as he reeled off the 125cc Promoto holeshot, ahead of Robbie Skaggs, Doug Parsons, Josh Tarantino and Steve Andrich. Payne bobbled in a small jump section, allowing Skaggs to pull next to him and stuff him in the following corner to take the lead. Tarantino challenged Payne for second for a lap before they tangled in the same small jump section and both ended up on the ground. ~ Skaggs had a six-second lead that was reduced to nothing by Nelson within a couple of laps. Wheeler hooked up ~th Johnson, and the two riders moved I!P into third and fourth, respectively, after bad starts. Johnson outjumped IN"el~on for second and then stuffed his way under Skaggs a couple of laps later R for the lead. Wheeler matched Johnson move for move and made his way into second place. Wheeler was all over Johnson during the final two laps, but had to settle for a close second at the checkers. "I don't know where I was on the start," Johnson said. "All I know is, I saw a lot of dust. I had a couple of good lines out there and the passes seemed to stick. I got into the lead and I saw Chris (Wheeler) behind me. 1 knew he was right there, and he's a good rider, but I knew I only had a few laps to go." Nelson put the move on Skaggs with a lap remaining to collect the third-place money. Blikstad and Andrich mixed it up, with Blikstad coming out on top for fifth. Bader Manneh came across in seventh, followed by Parsons, Thomas Buxrud and Danny Carlson. Walters returned later in the day to walk away with the 500cc Pro-moto win after getting around fellow YZ400F rider Tony Sulek early in the race. "I took about a lap to get around him (Sulek)," said the Yamaha Motor Corp./White Brothers/MSR-backed Walters afterward. "I knew it was going to be a long race, so I just kind of stayed behind him for a little while and checked out his lines. After I made the pass, I just rode my own race. lt was a great day. I wish I could have won the 250s, too, but you can't win them all." Sulek took second ahead of Craig Canoy, Dan Berg and Kenny Zahrt. Bryan McGavran celebrated his 16th birthday by nailing the holeshot in both 125cc Intermediate motos and running away with the wins on his NCY/Fox/Oakley-backed YZ125. "I've been training really hard lately and practicing a lot," McGavran said. "I've been working on my starts a little bit and it's starting to payoff." Sean Hamblin'worked around Josh Warner both times out for a welldeserved second overall. Masaki Hiratsuka (6-4) and Dusty Walters (5-5) rounded out the top five. (:N Barona Oaks Ramona, California Results: March 23, 1998 (Round 4) 50 STK (4-6): 1. Michael Hall (Cob); 2. Garrick Noble (Cob); 3. Richard Sterling (KTM); 4. Blake Baggett (Cob); 5: Johnny Jelderda (KTM). 50 STK (7-8): 1. Bryce Terzian (KTM); 2. Clayton Murrilla (Cob); 3. Matt Harrison (KTM); 4. Scott Noble (Cob); 5. Christopher Bradshaw (KTM). 50 OPEN: 1. Bryce Terzian (KTM); 2. Clayton Murrillo (Cob); 3. Jake Hulett (Lem); 4. Michael Hail (Cob); 5. Matt Harrison (J(TM). 60 BEG: 1. Chase Takacs (Kaw); 2. Aaron Breid (Kaw); 3. Tanner Alexander (Kaw); 4. Michael Raines (Kaw); 5. Jake Hulett (Kaw). 60 NOV: 1. Travis Christensen (}(aw); 2. Brandon Hiner CKaw); 3. Casey Hinson (Kaw); 4. Brad Masters (Kaw); 5. Chad Gores (Kaw). 60 lNT: 1. Robert Memoli (Kaw); 2. Sean Borkenhagen (Kaw); 3. Michael LaPaglia (KTM); 4.Phillip Bruscella (Kaw). 60 OPEN: 1. Cas Swift (Kaw). 80 BEG: 1. Michael LaPaglia (Suz); 2. Tyler Roberts (Yam); 3. Brian Melsheimer (Yam); 4. Matt Stavron (Yam); S. Brandon Currie (Kaw). 80 NOV: 1. Rynn Beat (Yam); 2. Chad Carner; 3. Tyler Duncan (Yarn); 4. Donnie Gritton (Kaw); S. Chase Meineke (Yam). 80 INT: 1. Daryl Ecklund (Yam); 2. Dustin Watson (Top) Casey Johnson won both the 125 and 250cc Pro classes at round four of the GFI California Winter MX series, held at Barona Oaks Raceway in Ramona. (Above) Billy Payne (95) turned in quick starts in both the 125. and 250cc Pro motos. Here he takes the holeshot in the 250cc Pro class, with Dustin Evans (8), Johnson (20), Spud Walters (4), Robbie Skaggs (45) and the rest in tow. (Suz); 3. Zac Wray (Yam); 4,. Jeremy Keiper (Yam); 5. Nick Alvarez. 80 EX: 1. Brandon Staddan (Yam). B/W: 1. Jeremy Malott (Kaw); 2. Scott Buttrell (Yam); 3. Daniel Nelson (Han); 4. Nicholas Robinson (Kaw). SIMIN1: 1. Dustin Wiltson (Suz); 2. Daryl Ecklund (Yam); 3. Jeremy Keiper (Yam); 4. Micky Griffin (Yam); 5. Donnie Gritton (Kaw). 125 BEC: 1. Kyle Quantrell (Yam); 2. Tim Weigand (Yam); 3. David Kelley (Kaw); 4. Ben Hunkins (Hon); 5. Candace English (Kaw). 125 NOV D-1: 1. Derek Chase (Yam); 2. Cory MaComber (Yam); 3. Travis Frink (Yam); 4. Brian Morgan (So2); 5. John King (Yam). 125 NOV D-2: 1. Mike Horvath (Suz); 2. Kevin Chimits (Yam), 3. Kent Finckenhagan (Yam); 4. Chris Debelle (Yam); 5. Brent Denton (Yam). U5 INT: , ..Bryan McGavran (Yam); 2. Sean Hablin (Yam); 3. Josh Warner ("tam); 4. Masaki Hiratsuka (Han); 5. Dusty Walters (Yam). US PRO: 1. Casey Johnson (Kaw); 2. Chris Wheeler (Suz); 3. Dustin Nelson (Yam); 4. Robbie Skaggs (Yam); 5. Espen Blikstad (Yam). 250 BEG: 1. Brian MacAfee (Hon); 2. Michael Hull (Yam); 3. Zach Scuri (Yam); 4. Sean Webb (Yam); 5. Candace English a<.1.w). 250 NOV: 1. Carl Chase (Yam); 2. Jeff Hanzo (Suz); 3. Jason Myhren (Hon); 4. Christopher Barrett (Suz); 5. Garth Milan (Yam). 250 INT, 1. Todd Mitchell (5uz); 2. Shawn Ellis (5uz); 3. Ron Gilbert (Kaw); 4. Josh Cavarulugh (Hon); 5. Jimmy O'Neal (Yam). 250 PRO: 1. Casey Johnson (Kaw); 2. Spud Walters (Yam); 3. Tim Beatty (Suz); 4. Dustin Nelson (Yam); 5. Donald Upton (Suz). 500 BEG, 1:Jeremy Sellers (Hon>. . 500 PRO: J. Spud Walters (Yam); 2. Tony Sulek (Yam); 3. Craig Canoy (Yam); 4. Dan Berg (Yam); 5. Kenny Zahrt (Yam). 25+ BEG: 1. Sam Trout (Kaw); 2. Danny Porter (Hon); 3. Josh Larsen (Ya.m.); 4. Chad Bolton (Han); 5. Craig Koback (Yom). 25+ NOV: 1. Gary DellegaHe (Yam); 2. Brian Guerrero (Hon); 3. Scott Marlow (Yam); 4. David Troost (Yam); 5. Chris Debelle (Yam). 25+ INT: 1. Todd Mitchell (Suz); 2. Gary Trachy (Yam); 3. Duane Benner (Kaw); 4. Revelle Harrison (KTM); 5. Randy Danylo (Kaw). 25+ EX, 1. Craig Canoy (Kawl; 2. Pete Murray (5uz); 3. Martin .Klossner (Yam); 4. Jim Kuntz (Yam); 5. Ron Gilbert (Kaw). 30+ BEG: 1. Len Lurcook (Suz); 2. Milton Mize (Han); 3. Darin Murdoch (Yam); 4. John Mattera (Han); 5. Al Ga'rcia (Suz). 30+ NOV: 1. Darren Paley (Hon); 2. Vic Walker (Yarn); 3. Jay Pavlove (Hon); 4. Scott Schubert (Yam); 5. Jeff Hanzo (Suz). 30+ !NT: 1. Jon Levey (Yam); 2. Tony Bienert (Yam); 3. Randy Danylo (Kaw); 4. Scott Richeson (Yam); 5. Fred Nichols (Han). 30+ EX: 1. Jon Zahrt (Kaw); 2. Kenny Zahrt (Yam); 3. Joe Root (Yam); 4. Bob Shimp (Yam); 5. Scott Forman (Yam). 30+ PRO: 1. Bader-Manneh (Yam); 2. Craig Canoy (K.1.w); 3. Jon Z1hrt (Kaw); 4. Jim Kuntz (Yam); 5. Dan Berg (Yam). 35+ NOV: ,. Del Ocheltree (Suz); 2. Stephen Watson (Han); 3. Les Abernathy (Kaw); 4. Ed Niemela (Kaw); 5. Kev~n Barret (Kaw). 35+ tNT: 1. Darin Layton (Yam); 2. Tom Bell (Suz); 3. Fred Nichols (Hon); 4. Pryor Campbell (5uz); s. Jeff Gianni (Suz). . 40+ NOV: 1. Philip Taboada (Yam); 2. J.D. Bramlet (5uz). . 40. (NT, 1.. qel Ocheltree (5uz); 2. Pry9r Campbell (5uz); 3. David C~Jnn (SU2); 4. Jeff GianN (5uz); 5. Greg Md:arthy (Hon). ' 40+ EX: 1. Ron Turner (Yam); 2. Kenny Zahrt (Yam); 3. Mark White (Kaw); 4. Iron Ruff (Suz); 5. Joe Root (Yam). 00 0\ 0\ ...... 00 ..... I-< 0..

• Cover