Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Action Sports Arenacross Series, Rounds 7·9 • Events By David and lora Patton HUNTINGTON, WV, JAN. 8-10 ~ ike Katin put his Kame's Sports/ Andrews Suzuki/Pro Circuit/Sinisalo-backed RMs in the winner' circle in four of the six Pro main events at rounds seven through nine of the 1998-99 Actions Sports Arenacross Series. Katin continued his mastery of the 125 and 250cc Pro classes, winning the 2S0cc class on Friday and Saturday, and both mains on Sunday. Katin has won 10 of tl,e 18 main events in the series. He holds a huge points lead over F&S Team Racing's Davey Yezek. Yezek scqred his second win of ilie series in Friday's 12Scc main, and Jim eese picked up his second win, also on a 125, on Saturday night. A talented field of 125cc Pros lined the starting gate for the first Pro main of ilie weekend on Friday. When the gate dropped, Mark Burkhart and Yezek jumped into ilie lead. Vince Karnow led ilie rest of the field while Katin and Robbie Horton tangled. in a first-turn crash. Horton suffered a broken clutcll lever in~ ilie crash and pulled out, while Katin set after the pack. Burkhart 'and Yezek quickly pulled ahead of a three-way battle for third. Vince Karnow led Neese, Chad Woodrum and Tommy Collier. Collier dispatclled Woodrum in the left-hander before the grandstand whoops, and ilien he tried to catcll eese. For four laps, ilie top five ran head to head until eese attempted to make a move down the straightaway after ilie triple. Instead, eese lost the front end and fell and was caught under the bike. His crash held up Karnow and helped Collier. "When eese went down and Karnow went around him, I went outside and passed iliem boili," said Collier. Collier and Karnow held on to third and fourth, but Neese lost many positions while restarting his bike. Neese and Mike Katin hooked up and tried to get back up to the front, but Yezek and Burkhart were too far out front. Lapped traffic, however, started to take its toll on the leaders. "A lapper wouldn't move over and I wasn't sure he would jump the step-up on the back side of the track," said Burkhart. "I didn't jump the double and Yezek jumped past me." Yezek's pass for the lead came with two laps to go, and he worked his way through traffic to take the first Pro win of the weekend. "Mark (Burkhart) and I were running about the same speed," said Yezek. "He just had bad luck with ilie lappers." Burkhart took second ahead of Collier, Karnow and Morgan, who came from way back. eese took sixth, and Katin ended up eighth behind Shane Lawson. In the 2S0cc main, Katin and Yezek were the early leaders ahead of Doug Rinner, Neese and Kamow. Robbie Horton, Collier and Morgan were bunclled up behind the leaders but were on the move as well. Katin quickly opened up a gap over second-placed Yezek and the two took ad vantage of a clear track to pull away from iliird place. Flinner wasn't able to handle the peed and pressure of the iliird spot and he drifted back into the pack at the halfway point. eese was the first rider to jump the triple, and he used that move to set up Karnow to take third. Fifth-placed Horton was also tripling and was able to separate himself from Collier and then set out after fourth-placed Kamow. At the front of the field, Kalin and Yezek held secure leads, but Neese was ilie fastest rider on ilie track and was closing on the leaders. Neese ran out of time, however, as Katin took ilie clleckered flag Mike Katin (63) grabbed the holeshot in Sunday's 250Cc Pro main event at the ninth round of the Action Sports Arenacross Series. Katin won four of the six Pro main events throughout the weekend. allead of Yezek, Neese, Karnow and Horton. "I was prettY mad after the 125 race, and that start really helped a lot," said Katin. "I heard Yezek behind me but I relaxed a little and pulled away." Katin has gotten great starts throughout the series, and he blasted to the front of Saturday's 125cc Pro main event, but eese was right on his rear wheel. Neese forced his way under Katin in a turn to take over the lead. Burkhart and Yezek, meanwhile, were in a battle of ilieir own, with Horton and Kamow in tow. Collier and Morgan were near the back of the pack but were moving up rapidly. eese rode flawlessly up front and ran away with the win, leaving Katin in second. Yezek held iliird after Burkhart bobbled, and Horton took fourth. Morgan worked his way up to £ifili after Kamow made a mistake and fell back to eventh. Neese was pumped after his win. '1 knew it was hard to pass, so I wanted to get by early," said Neese. "I didn't mean to go in that hard. It was a clean pass, though. I rode tight the first few laps but I started to ride my own race after iliat." In Saturday's 250cc main, Katin again had the fastest reflexes at the start. Collier and Neese were locked up with Yezek, Morgan and Kamow in a battle for second. Horton had a midpack start and he almost fell on ilie first lap, but he recovered and was shooting for the top five by midrace. Katin pulled away from Collier early in the main, while Collier had Neese and Yezek cllallenging him in every turn for ilie second spot. The action got intense on lap five as Neese outran Collier down the grandstand whoops to claim second. Horton went way inside in the turn before the triple to block-pass Morgan for fifth. As eese tried to reel in Katin, Yezek also blitzed Collier in ilie whoops on lap six to move into iliird. eese and Yezek alma t caught Katin near ilie end when a lapper held up the leader. eese tried to dive under Katin in ilie left-hander before the grandstand whoops, but Katin held him off. Regardless, Katin took the win, wiili eese in second. Yezek, Collier and Horton rounded out the top five. Still on.a roll, Katin never let up when it came to Sunday's Pro main events. Katin took the holeshot at the start of the 12Scc main and ran away with the win. Collier hoped to race witll Katin but ilie Suzuki rider gave way to Milligan, who took over second. Wiili Katin way out in front and Milligan in second, ilie action was back in ilie pack, as Sam Williams charged to the front. '1 got a bad start, but you have to ride aggressive in iliese things, and I was able to move up," said Williams, who worked his way past Chris Carte and Rodney Phillips to move into iliird; he soon went after Milligan for second. Williams made his move over the step-up before the triple-double section and took second. Katin took ilie win, wiili Williams in second, Milligan third, and ilien Phillips and Carte. Katin put the Kame's Sports/ Andrews Suzuki up front and ran away wiili ilie win, iliis time in Sunday's 250cc main. Collier and Mitch Ward battled over second, but Collier eventually pulled away. '1 was racing wiili Collier but I made some mistakes in ilie whoops and I lost time," said Ward. "You can't make it up in iliese small arena ." The top five were set early, as Kalin took the win over Collier. Ward took third, ahead of Richard Prather and J. Reas. Kalin's fourth win helped his chances of wirUling ilie 12Scc and 2S0cc Series Championship. '1 tried to get good starts and hi t ilie good lines and have fun," said Katin. '1t was a great weekend." CI/I 1998-99 Action Sports Arenacross Series Huntington, West Virginia Results: January 8-10,1999 (Rounds 7-9) Friday PIW JIC 1. Ryan Wolfe (Yam). 50 (4--6): 1. Aaron Adkins (Lem). 50 (7-8): 1. Colton Bailey (Cob); 2. Jordan Strickland (Cob); 3. Ronnie Frye (Cob); 4. DilJan Parsons (KTM); 5. Dahon Parsons (KT'M). 65: 1. Jordan Strickland (Kaw); 2. Eric Woods (Kaw); 3. Rob White (Kaw); 4. Levi Kilbarger (KTM); 5. Christopher Tracy (}(aw). MlNI JR: 1. Troy Stuart (Kaw); 2. Corey Arthur (Hon); 3. Jordan Oxley (Yam); 4. Adam Lester (Suz); 5. Kyle Tumer (Kaw). MINT SR: r. Christopher Robertson (Suz); 2. Tyler Grubb (Suz); 3. Kyle Mdntosh (Yam); 4. J

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