Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

of trouble in the places where it was really slick," said Richardson. "I should've gone with a softer-terrain tire; it was all over the place. It wasn't really that physical, but it's just 100 miles of tight, and I'm 6-foot-6. Swinging it around through all that stuff just gets old after a while." At the end of the first 45 miles of racing, the lead was in the hands of Greg Zitterkopf, who was racing on unaware that he had been disqualified at the end of the bomb run. Brown was almost a minute back in second, Pearson was 20 seconds behind him in third at the head of the 250cc pack, and Destry Abbott's KX500 powered into the pits in fourth. Shane Esposito's KX500 was fifth overall, just ahead of Oakley Lehman, who was running second 250cc Expert aboard a Pro Circuit/Kawasaki Team Green-backed KX250. Richardson led the Vet Experts through in seventh, Donnie Book stopped for gas in eighth, and Ed McCoy, Jeff Capt, Ty Davis and Dave Hamel followed in his wake. For Donnie Book, who missed round two of the series due to injuries, the race was already all but over. "It's basically the first time I've ridden a bike since I got hurt, and my back was killing me - I was getting sharp pains and I was going nuts; finally, I just couldn't hold on anymore," said Book, who decided to retire, but not before insult was added to injury when he ran out of gas just shy' of pit row. "It was.a really good course: no dust, and the only place that gets really chopped up and whooped out is coming into the pits. Other than that, it was awesome. They ran us up in some snow and rocks and stuff. This club always does a phenomenal job." Pearson also experienced gas problems. "My floatbowl was leaking, so I had to top," said Pearson, "and some guy gave me some gas from his bike and then it was jUst kind of a fumble at the pits, but [ ended up first 250 anyway." The disqualified Zitterkopf was out in front as the riders made their way around the second loop. Brown grabbed the lead every now and then when Zitterkopf took a spill on one of the slick sections in the high country, but he soon decided he was happiest hovering a place or two behind the leader. "After a while, I just wanted to catch back up to Zitterkopf so I could key off some of these people so I wouldn't get so tired," Brown explained. A few positions back, Capt had given up hope of keying off the leader in his class. "I had caught Richardson; [ was behind him in his dust and I would see him ahead of me - I had a good ride going but I hit a ditch," said Capt, who dropped out after crashing hard. "The ditch was full of tumbleweeds, so you couldn't see the hole. It took me like 10 minutes to get out of it and it knocked the wind out of me. I'm pretty sore." Zitterkopf was just a few seconds ahead of Brown at the end of the second loop, and Abbott was just half a minute back in third, with Esposito snapping at his heels. Pearson was still out in front of the 250cc Experts in fifth, and Davis, Richardson, Lehman, McCoy and FourStroke leader Taber Murphy rounded out the top 10. . "1 make the trip down here every year to enjoy a great race," said Murphy, who lives in Schelan, Washington. "The Sage Riders put on an awesome show - a great course - and they always make the weather cooperate real well. I really didn't have too many problems other than the tree don't move very (Above) Ty Davis could never recover from a bad start but stili finished third overall. (Left) More than 400 riders took the Utah National challenge. much when you tag them, so my arms are kind of sore." With 90 miles already behind them, the grueling terrain of the third loop was soon taking a toll on the racers. Zitterkopf made a mistake just a few miles into it, which put Brown through into the lead, and some of the other close battles also started to unravel. "Going into the last loop, I was in third and they told me I was a little over a minute down, so I turned it up really good, trying to 'catch the leaders, and then crashed really hard on the third loop," said Abbott. Esposito's knee, which he had tweaked earlier in the race, was giving him problems. "Whenever I put pressure on it, it just started throbbing, so, in the tight stuff, Pearson and Abbott passed me," said Esposito. "I'd pass them back in the open, and they'd get me back in the tight stuff. The last lap was just too tight for me." . Even a traditionally strong finisher such as Oakley Lehman was feeling the pinch. "I've been sick the last couple of weeks and I haven't really ridden, and it showed today," said Lehman. "In the last loop, I just faded back, which is usually not my style, so I'm kind of upset abou t that." But Brown showed no sign of fading. The KXSOO racer set a steady pace that lasted all the way to the checkered flag and dashed home to take the second overall National Hare and Hound win of his career. '1 won the National in Idaho - Rabbit Creek - in 1998, but this is more important, because I think it puts me in the lead (in series points) right now; hopefully I can hold it," said Brown. '1t was a lot of fun, a lot of differen t terrain, and the slime was a lot of fun. I went down a couple of times in that." Zitterkopf crossed the finish in sec- ond overall and was philosophical when he learned he had been disqualified. "I missed the rider's meeting, so I didn't know," said the KX500 racer. "I will ride the rest of the series." With Zitterkopf out of the running, second overall passed to Destry Abbott, who reported being pretty happy with his finish. ''I'm definitely out of shape and I've definitely got to work out, work on my running and stuff like that," said Kawasaki Team Green/Pro Circuitbacked Abbott. "I thought the course was great. I wish more Hare and Hound were like this. They did a great job making tight, technical sections and then fast sections, and the Ka wasaki worked awesome. I just didn't ride the way I could have." An obviously tired Ty Davis crossed the finish in third. o problems other than getting a bad start - just worked my way up," was all the Yamaha YZ400F pilot had to say. Shane Esposito ba ttled hi bad knee all the way to fourth overall, and Russ Pearson took the 250cc win in fifth. "1 think my chances in the series are pretty good," said Pearson. "I took third (in class) in the first one - I had a bad day, but I've won the last two, so it's looking good." Dan Richardson took the Vet-class honors in sixth. "I got really tired in the third loop and was just trying to make it. in," the KX500 racer reported. "Other than that, I had a real uneventful ride." Oakley Lehman finished in seventh overall and earned second 250cc Expert. "l had so much fun out there; that's the only thing that kept me going," said Lehman, who was recovering from the flu. "It was just a great course. You couldn't ask for better weather, better conditions or anything." "It was marked good, too," agreed Ed McCoy, who took second Vet in eighth overall. "There was no dust, it was an awesome course, and the markings were excellent - as good as I've ever seen." KX250-mounted Erik Griffith 10 t time to th.e larger-displacement bikes in the early going but still finished a respectable ninth overall, just ahead of Rob Zimmerman, who claimed the Four-Stoke Expert honors aboard a Hu aberg. '1 got a horrible start and had to fight my way back up, but it was a great course for me because I live up in orthern California, so the trees were good," said Zimmerman. '1 fell a couple of times, hurt my shoulder a little bit, but nothing that would set me back at all." Taber Murphy took second in the Four-Stroke class in 11 th; Mark Lundgreen brought his brand-new ATK home in 12th, just ahead of Ron Ragler; and Dave Hamel finished 14th, despite taking some time off to help an injured rider early in the race. "This kid got off in front of me real hard," said Hamel. "Myself and David Pearson stopped for him and we sent somebody back to a check. After that, I just couldn't get back into it." Local hotshot K.c. Bogue from Delta, Utah, brought his KTM 380 home in 15th, and Brandon Gerber, Jeff Lundgren and Aaron Huntington rounded out the top 18. The Senior-division win went to Steve Pitts. "The race was excellent; this has to be the best ational of the year, so I think we can go ahead and declare it that and cancel the rest of the year," said Pitts with a laugh. "I had a couple of tired tip-<>Vers towards the end there - a couple of times in the mud - but that's about it. I think I might have picked up the lead in my class today." _ Little Sahara Recreation Area Jericho, Utah Results: April 10, 1999 (Round 3 of 7) O/A: 1. Brian Brown (Kaw); 2. Oestry Abbott (Kaw); 3. Ty Davis (Yam); 4. Shane Esposito ()(aw); 5. Russell Pearson (KTM); 6. Dan Richardson (Kaw); 7. Oakley Lehman (Kaw); B. Ed McCoy (Yam); 9. Erik Griffith (Kaw); 10. Rob Zimmcnrum (Hbg); 11. Taber Murphy (Hon); 12. Mark Lundgren (ATK); 13. Ron Aagler, 14.. Dave Hamel (Yam); 15. KC. Bogue; 16. Brandon Gerber; 17. Jeff Lundgren; 18. Aaron Huntington. EX, 1. Brian Brown (Kaw); 2. Destry Abbott (Kaw); 3. Ty Davis (Yam); 4. Shane Esposito (K."w); 5. K.C Bogue; 6. Jeff Lundgren (ATK). 250 EX: I. Russell Pearson (KTM); 2. Oakley Lehman o<.1W); 3. Erik Griffith. 125 EX: 1. Jason Orndorff; 2. Travis Sluder; 3. BiLl Kosh. 30+ EX: 1. Dan Richardson (Kaw); 2. Ed McCoy (Hon); 3. Jeff Bell. 35+ EX: 1. Mike Doris; 2 Kevin Bogue. 40+, J. Steve Pitts (A TK); 2. latTy Wright 4-STRK: 1. Rob Zimmerman (Hbg); 2. Taber Murphy; 3. Mark Lundgren. 31

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