Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

HARE &HOUND AMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HARE &HOUND SERIES By Matt Freeman Photos by Mark Kariya LUCERNE VALLEY, CA, APR. 26 t was deja vu all over again for Montclair Yamaha's Ty Davis at round four of the AMA National Championship Hare & Hound Series, held in Lucerne Valley, California. At round one of the series, which was also held in Lucerne, the defending champ got off to a four-kick start on his fresh YZ400F and found himself back in 60th place near the end of the bomb run. In 70 miles, Davis charged his way through the dust to steal the victory away from KTM's Nick Pearson just 100 yards from the finish. At round four, when the Vikings MC dropped the starting banner for their 80mile course, Davis was once again left in the dust, this time with a seven-kick start. But instead of waiting until the home stretch to take the lead, Davis worked his way through the pack and then passed race-long leader Paul Krause 15 miles from the checkered flag to take his second win in the series. "It's not that I can't kick it and get it started," said Davis, who has already proved this year that he can more than handle his new four-stroke. "I think 1 just got the kickstarter a little past top dead center, and that's why it wouldn't start right away. It was just a fluke thing. It's not like 1 enjoy riding through everyone's dust." Davis did not ride through everyone's dust for long, however, as he charged to midpack of the Expert line before the end of the 2-mile-long bomb run. Team Green's Krause was the first man to reach end of the bomb, which funneled through the saddle of a hill and then down into a rocky sand wash. "The best thing I could have done was to get the hoieshot and run wi th it, and that is what I did," explained the always fast-starting Krause. "When I got to the end of the bomb, 1 looked both wa ys, beca use [ was afraid of getting Tboned from riders coming in other directions. But when I looked over, there was no one even around me. Later, some guys told me that I had gone through the saddle and dropped in to the wash before second place had even cleared the bomb. I was that far in front." Krause's KX500 teammates Dave and as, Destry Abbott, Brian Brown, Dave Hamel and Jeff Capt were all bunched up behind Krause, bidding for a top spot early on. Abbott's stint up front did not last long. "I had a third-place start but, going up a hill after the start, I crashed and ended up about 20th," said Abbott, who won round three of the series in Delta, Utah, earlier in the month. "I hit a rock that I couldn't see in the dust." Davis' Montclair Yamaha teammate, Donnie Book, was holding the 250cc lead in seven th, followed by the KX250s of Doug Chiapuzio and Steve Hengeveld. Like Abbott, Book's stellar start did not last long, as he got pinched off in a wash and ended up back with Abbott. "I had a good start and was running in seventh until a bunch of guys came in from the side," said Book. "I got going and passed Steve Hengeveld and Destry (Abbott). I passed him once in the rocks, and then I caught Abe Baumann, and that's when Destry got back by me. We both passed Abe, and then 1 got around Destry." Round 4: Vikings Me Davis was not the only speedster to suffer from a bad start. American Honda's Johnny Campbell was outside of the top 10 due to a poor line at the bomb, and KTM-mounted Mike Healey was back in the dust, experiencing the first rna s desert start of his life. "It was crazy and I got a crappy start," said Healey, who rode a 125 for Vosburg/IMS Racing. "I started seeing people going in all directions. I was just trying to make up time in the dust. I saw Davis a little ways in front of me, making his own lines, so I started to follow him, but then he just disappeared." Team Green's Oakley Lehman also tried to make up for a bad start by following Davis. "I had a horrible start," Lehman said. "It felt like I was like 40th, but then I started working my way through the dust. Ty passed me about five or six miles out, and I followed him for a while. I actually made up a lot of time that way, but after about two miles, he was out of sight. He was on a mission." As Davis worked his way through the pack, some riders worked their way out of the race. Ondas crashed and burned himself on his pipe badly enough to call it a day, and Abbott seized his engine at the end of Johnson Dry Lake, less than five miles from the pits. "I got right across the dry lake and seized," Abbott said. "I was in fifth and Ty was right behind me at that point." Krause pulled into the pit after dashing through the 39-mile first loop with more than a minute on second-placed Brown. Book worked his way back to the pit in third, just moments behind second place. When Chiapuzio pulled in for gas in fourth, he had Davis right on his tail. "I did a lot of passing in those gnarly rocks on the first loop to get there," said Davis of his first-loop attack. "I had to take some chances." Luckily, taking 'chances paid off for Davis, especially when he got out of the pit quicker than Chiapuzio, making 11 the easiest pass he made all day. Baumann was sixth to the pit, leading the Vets, followed by Campbell, KTM M/XC-mounted Eric Hallgath, and Hengeveld, the latter two running fourth and fifth in the 250cc class. Openclass racers Capt and Hamel were next to pit, followed by the 250s of Lehman and Summers. Defending 125cc champ Dana Van Stee found his way up to the class lead in the pits, but 125cc-class dominator Shane Esposito was not far off of Van Stee's pace. Rex Staten had to make a front-wheel change due to a flat on his KX500, giving up the Senior-dass lead in the pit. Just out of the pits, the second loop wound its way through some highspeed, bushwhacking trails that made for some close racing. Brown, Book, Davis and Chiapuzio all found themselves in a four-way battle for second place. I "I caught Brown and Donrue (Book) just after the pits. Those two were dicing it out," Davis said. "Donnie passed him, but Brown held me up, and I could not get around him for the longest time." i WIllie Davis was trying to take third place away from Brown, Book was making up serious time on Krause. Brown finally moved over long enough for Ty Davis came from behind and scored his second win of the National Hare & Hound Series in lucerne Valley, California.

• Cover