Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

CMC Golden State National Series'South, Round 3 Events By Tony Alessi PALMDALE,CA,jAN.31 amaha's Doug Dubach scored an impressive win in the 250cc Pro class during round three of the CMC Sunstar Sprockets Golden State Nationals, held at Los Angeles County Raceway. Dubach joined some 600 other racers who, despite the prediction of bad weather, showed up on Super Bowl Sunday to compete, but Dubach's plan was to not ride when he showed up at the track. "I came here today with Team . Yamaha Venezuela's national champion, Edw,!rd Novos," said Dubach. "Then they started to bag on me like I was scared, so I decided to ride." Not one to back down from a challenge, Dubach threw on some gear, grabbed his YZ400 and was on the line for the first 250cc Pro race. "I really didn't get any practice, and I got last-place pick on the gate," Dubach said. "011., well." When the gate dropped, it was two four-stroke Yamahas in the lead, and neither one was Dubach's. "I started way too inside and just got pinched out," Dubach explained. Terry Fowler and TRE-backed Billy Joe Mercier led the early laps, while Dubach closed in from a midpack start. Dubach quickly picked up on the lines and began to reel in the leaders by upping the pace to 1:35 per lap.. ear the midway point in the race, Dubach squeezed inside Mercier for second place, and then made a similar pass a few laps later on Fowler by outbraking hi? four-stroke counterpart before a sweeping right-hand turn to take over the lead. Dubach went on for the moto win while Fowler maintained second in front of Mercier, Robert Naughton and Pro Circuit-backed Ty Kady. The second mota saw Dubach take control of the race early on, and he went on to post the overall victory, while Suzuki rider Naughton posted a strong second in the moto, followed by Fowler and Kady. The 125cc Pro race had an international flavor, with riders present from the Czech Republic, Sweden, Jipan and Venezuela. In the end, little-known 20-year-old Czech racer Jan Zarvena used a pair of runner-up finishes to score the overall victory over rookie Pro Nick Metcalf. "After winning Loretta Lynn's this year, [ turned Pro," Metcalf said, "but [ broke my wrist and got set back a little, so my dad brought me here to Southern California to ride for the winter. We live in an RV Park and practice and race every week. It seems like today, it's starting to payoff." Metcalf topped third-place finisher Masaki Hiratsuka, second-moto winner Ty Kady and Hawk White for the day's overall finish. Sean Hamblin topped the charts in both the Schoolboy and 125cc Intermediate classes, but only after facing heavy opposition from Team Green racer R.J. Thompson. "[ spent most of this week as a guest instructor for the Donnie Hanson MX Academy, teaching here at L.A. County Raceway," Thompson said. .Obviously, the extra time on the course paid off, as R.J. simply ran away from the field during the first Schoolboy competition, turning lap times some two seconds per lap faster than the day's fastest Pros. The second moto looked like a repeat performance for Thompson, who again led with authority aboard his Thousand y; (Above) Mike Blose'(82) and Shane Bess (34) fight for the lead in the 80cc (14-16) class. Blose ended up the winner while Bess finished second. (Right) Doug Dubach signed up last but finished first during 250cc Pro action at round three of the CMC Golden State Nationals in Palmdale, California. Oaks Kawasaki-sponsored KX12S. But Hamblin had other ideas, staying within striking distance the entire moto and plotting his move for the final lap. Hamblin cut inside Thompson in a turn, forcing him outside. The end re ult was a textbook block-pass that forced Th0!l'pson to brake and allowed Hamblin the opening he needed to take the lead. Though Thompson tried in vain to retalla te, Hamblin held on for the win in front of Thompson and Team NCY Yamaha's Billy Laninovich, who was making both his 12Scc-class debut and his "comeback" to racing after breaking his leg during minicycle competition at the u.s. Open of Supercross held in Las Vegas last autumn. Hamblin posted top honors in the 12Scc Intermediate class in front of Thompson and Laninovicll. The two Mikes dominated the action in the minicycle program. Team Yamaha's Mike Blose was the winner of both the 80cc (14-16) and Supermini cia ses, while Team Green's Mike Alessi swept aU four motos of both 60cc (9-11) and 80cc (7-11) classes. Arizona's Blose kept his cool all day, stayed away from many of the heated race confrontations, and made smooth, clean passes en route to two class wins. "Shane Bess was faster through the whoop section today," Blose sala, "but I think I had a little better lines on the rest of the course." Blose topped Bess and Team Thousalld Oaks Kawasaki's Dylan Lord in the 80cc (14-16) class and Lord and Brandon Layton in the Supermini competition. In both the 80cc (7-11) and 60cc (9-11) contests, 10-year-old Mike Alessi took care of business, leading every lap of all four motos. Robert Memoli and Mike's brother Jeff Alessi waged an all-out war in the 60cc (9-11) class for the runner-up position, with Memoli finishing second in the first moto and Jeff Alessi fighting back for second in the all-importallt final moto. Mike Alessi also recorded top honors in the 80cc (7-11) class, in which he finished in front of Chris Blose, Daniel Sani, Pablo Quintanilla and Jeff Ale si. Blake Baggett stamped his authority on the SOcc (4-6) class by scoring the overall win. "Former Mini Champion Mike Healy has been working with Blake three times a week," said Baggett's father. "It's really starting to show." Baggett took his MSR/Smith-backed Cobra to a 2-1 finish, topping his Cobra counterpart, Nic Paluzzi, and Wisecosponsored Cody Farrar. _ Los Angeles County Raceway Palmdale, California Results: January 31,1999 (Round 3) SO (4-6): 1. Blake Baggett (Cob); 2. Nic Paluzzi (Cob); 3. Cody Far.... (KTM); 4. Chris Plouffe O

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