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/127941
off another jump and hurting an ankle,
which would retire him for the day on
lap seven. Things were almost as bad
for his other Premier Motorsports
Husqvarna teammate, Ty Kady, who
started in 25th position, charged up to
17th by lap two, then stalled the Prototype TC410 on lap three. Kady had one
tough time learning how to refire the
thumper.
Lap seven also laid claim to Husqvarna's Gordon Ward, who stalled and
eventually finished a dismal 22nd.
Amazingly, Dubach would return to
mount a nearly unstoppable charge.
After 'catching and passing Nelson on
lap 11, the duo freight-trained it together. They passed Canoy, Anaya,
Naughton and Healey to finish fifth and
sixth, respectively, by moto's end.
Up front, Smail was looking like he
had it on cruise control, but he was
stunned when Walters made some time
on him.
"1 was curious about his lines and I
!&lew the pace was little slow," Smail
said. "I felt it was just right for this first
race. Then I got a little squirrelly. He
came inside and bumped me out of the
first turn just after the halfway signal.
Then I just made a pretty aggressive
block-pass in the next comer and never
felt him again until he took me high after
that quad-roller section a few laps later."
"It was going real good after a second-place start," Waiters said. "1 rode
with Smail and then passed him and
then I went a little high in a turn and he
took me higher; then I got him right
back. Then he passed me again. It was a
good race, and I just feel that a second
place in the first moto is good. Maybe if
1 can ge.t out front the next moto and
ride smooth with this unbelievably fast
motor, me and my mechanic, Richard
Sawitskas, will get a win. I would like
to thank John Anderson and White
Brothers for all their support."
'1 really had the nervous race jitters
the start and dido't get off the line
like I wanted," Kalos said after finishing
up in third place about four seconds
back of Walters. "1 reeled them in a little, and I think my speed is good
enough to win the second moto. I have a
lot of friends and family here, and it will
be pretty prestigious when I can do
good at my home track."
I
Greg Schnell said: "I had a great
start, but a few guys swooped inside me
in turn two. I got a little arm pump and
j]Jst ran fourth throughout the rest of the
way. 1 think if 1 can do 35 minutes hard
on a four-stroke in these Nationals, I
a
on
should do good in the AMA 125cc
National Motocross Series coming up."
MOTOTWO
Smail captured the moto-two
holeshot, coming from just left of the
starfer's box when the gate dropped.
Walters was within a couple bike
lengths, trying to sneak inside Smail in
turn two. Naughton was just to Walters'
right in a close third, as he followed
Smail's lead and went just a little bit too
wide. Kalos jammed it hard inside
Naughton and sped past him down into
the next tabletop to garner third.
aughton then had nipping at his tire a
pack that included Schnell, Nelson,
Drew, Myers, Carter Gurnee, Grayson
Hart, Healey, Canoy, Anaya and Graves.
aughton then carved back inside
Kalos and went for the rail in turn three
as Myers made a perfect outside-inside
move to also get by Kalos. Naughton
launched off the double but then landed
a little sbort, which caused him to slow
considerably. Heading back out of the
valley section, Kalos took advantage of a
Naughton/Myers bar-banging battle
royal to slip back into third. Smail had it
going on, and he stepped up to a foursecond lead, while Walters had a clear
run in second.
Nelson was right where he was in
moto two, running fourth, with a freight
train consisting of Myers, Healey and
Drew in pursuit. Dubach, meanwhile,
was nowhere to be seen, as the frontrunners jetted past the pit-crew area just
after the green flag.
Naughton pulled in beside Barry
Noblitt after hanging on in seventh, as it
seemed there was something wrong.
"I just came up a little short over that
massive jump and I think the shock linkage broke, which puts me out,"
aughton said with a grimace.
Gurnee, Anaya, Canoy, Woods,
• Graves, Schnell and Ward were all running together on the race track, but they
were all losing ground, as the leader
Smail began to step it up another notch,
holding a five-second lead during lap
two.
Kalos crashed in the upper section of
the course. Nelson also bobbled and was
relegated to sixth after being caught up
. following the epic battle of Myers,
Healey and Drew, who stepped right
into the top five.
On lap three, Kalos was hanging it
out and pulling off passes left and right,
but then he crashed again, with the
resulting impact being hard enough to
knock him unconscious.
(Top left) SpUd Walters (left) flies in fonnation with Mike Healey (right). Walters put together
solid 2-2 moto scores and came away in the runner-up position for the day. Healey was
seventh in moto one and 26th in moto two, finishing a disappointing 14th overall.
(Above) Greg Schnell was one of 26 competitors in the a&-rider field who were astride
Yamaha VZ400Fs. Schnell rode the machine to a 4-3 finish for third overall.
(Below) The Premier Motorsports machines of Tony Graves (73) and Robert Naughton (5)
garnered attention for team owner Barry Noblin. They were the lightest thumpers in the
field, each tipping the scales at under 242 pounds.
It was evident that Schnell was stepping it up a notch, too. By lap four he
had made it past Graves, Woods and
Canoy to sit in eighth. Healey then
slipped into a tank-slapper, yielding to
the charging Drew.
Just before the halfway mark, the two
leaders had worked up a 28-second lead.
Then Walters took a soil sample. After
Smail was given a pit board saying plus
30 seconds, he relaxed and began playing to the crowd with some aerial acrobatics that really got them gOing. The
next few laps seemed to be total chaos as
the grueling heat placed a premium on
rider stamina, which tilted the odds in
favor of the strongest pilots.
Smail Simply was in another league
as he flew past the mechanic's area time
and again, just standing up and leaning
forward as he crossed the line comfortably ahead of the rest of the field.
Schnell and Ward were picking off riders quickly. Eventually Schnell moved
through to finish third, just up on teammate Nelson. Ward himself motored up
to finish fifth. Nathan Woods would get
the nod in front of a disciplined group
of riders for sixth, just inches ahead of
Canoy, Graves, Myers and Kady.
Smail was visibly happy, as was
mechanic Russ Fletcher, after nailing
two perfect motos for the overall victory. Pace Motorsports USA Off-Road
champion Walters' 2-2 tallies won out
over Schnell's 4-3. Nelson (6-4) and
Nathan Woods (12-5) finished in fourth
and fifth, respectively.
l~
Speedworld MX Park
Phoenix, Arizona
Results: April 19, 1998 (Round 1 of 9)
O/A: 1. Lance Smail (Hbg); 2. Spud Walters (Yam);
3. Greg Schnell (Yam); 4. Dustin Nelson (Yam); 5.
Nathan Woods (Yam); 6. Craig Canoy (Yam); 7. Tony
Graves (Hbg); 8. Andy Anaya (Yam); 9. Shaun Kalos
(Vam); 10. Scott Mye.. (Yam); 11. Billy Bincldey (Yam);
12. Doug Dubach (Vam); 13. Gordon Ward (Hus); 14.
Mike Healey (Yam); 15. Robert Naughton