Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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Chaparral U.S. AMA Pro 125/250 Shootout Championship By Beth and Bob LaRock SAN BERNARD£NO, CA, DEC. 27 hat kind of odds would you give a 19-year-old who just turned Pro a year ago against 125cc star such as Yamaha of Troy's Casey Lytle, Suzuki's David Pingree, Yamaha's Ivan Tedesco, and FMF/Honda rider Tallon Vohland? And that's not all. What if you threw in 250cc stars such as Chaparral! Yamaha's Jeremy McGrath, Kawasaki's Jeff Emig, Yamaha of Troy's Stephane Roncada, FMF/Honda rider Brock Sellards, and Chaparral' Steve Lamson? Can you say "longshot"? . Apparently, Shae Bentley can't. At the third annual Chaparral U.S. AMA Pro 125/250cc Shootout Championship at Glen Helen Raceway, Kawasaki/Pro Circuit/SplitFire-backed Shae Bentley became the first 125cc rider to win the Pro Invitational. Prior to the Shootou t, Ben tley said, "I'm going to get out there and start a good pace and maybe everything will go my way." As things turned out, it could not have gone any better for the young competitor. . The Pro-Am consisted of 20-lap 125 and 250cc main events. The top 10 qualifiers of each main advanced to the 20lap 125/250cc Shootout. Michael Brandes captured the holeshot in the 125cc start. Pursuing Brandes were Andy Harrington, Pingree, John Sereika, Scott Sheak and Bentley. Before the first lap was over, Brandes rode off the track and Sereika crashed. Pingree took first, with Harrington, Sheak, Tedesco and Bentley close behind. Pingree built up a comfortable lead during the next four laps. Tedesco and Bentley both passed Sheak, placing them in third and fourth. Tedesco then passed Harrington to take the numbertwo position. Charging deliberately, Bentley passed Harrington in lap nine. Cutting to the inside of a turn in lap 11 moved Bentley in front of Tedesco. to take second. Bentley closed· the distance on Pingree over the triples that Pingree chose to double. On lap 17, Pingree and Bentley bumped, and Bentley captured the lead and held it to the checkered flag. Pingree came in econd, followed by Tedesco. The tension built as the 250cc riders prepared for their main event. At the start, McGrath nailed the holeshot, with Errug right behind and Sellards, Ryan Terlecki, Tony Amaradio and Roncact,a in hot pursuit. Roncada came through the pack to take the number-four slot on the second lap and then took third away from Sellards four laps later. On the eighth lap, McGrath developed clutch problems and was forced to slow and relinquish the lead to Emig, who cruised through t1,e last 12 laps to capture the win. Roncada followed him home in second. Lamson, after falling in lap five, managed .to take third, while Moto XXX/Pro Circuit's Phil Lawrence took fourth, and SelJard took fifth. McGrath officially recorded a ONF but didn't let it get him down. "1 felt really good," he said. "The bike's running really good - I just had a little mishap there. 1 had Emig covered. Unfortunately, tl10se things happen once in a while." . Emig said, "1 felt like I was in control the whole time. 1 felt like 1 was squeezing behind him (McGrath)." McGrath's bike was repaired using W -.~ . --- (Above) Shae Bentley was the surprise winner at' the Chaparral U.S. Pro Shootout at Glen Helen Raceway. Here, Bentley is flanked by Jeff Emig (lett) and Jeremy McGrath (right). (Lett) Bentley (47) grabs the holeshot in the 125cc class over Ivan Tedesco (118), Scott Sheak (26) and Casey Lytle (33). ~ ca· c: ca ::::I .., 26