Round 1: Glen Helen Raceway Park
WMUAMA NA TIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MX SERIES
By Beth laRock
SAN BERNARDINO, CA, MAY 8
.
omen were out in force at the
1999 Chaparral AMA Amateur
Motocross Championships for
the Women's Motocross League National Motocross Series opener, held at Glen
Helen Raceway Park. According to Debbie Matthews, event director for the
WML, the Glen Helen event had the
largest group of women rac~rs assembled for any event thus far this year.
Fifty-four women from 14 states and
four countries competed in two classes,
Expert and 125cc Amateur.
Italian Steffy Bau swept the Women's
Expert class with 1-1 finishes. Bau' said
she came to the United States because
she needed better competition.
"I won too much in Europe, so I
decided I wanted to race the women
here," Bau said. "I won two weeks ago, I
won the Ladies World Cup, so I am the
World Champion, but I want to win the
II American World Championship."
Capturing the holeshot in the first
moto was Shelly Kann, followed by
Tania Satchwell, Brookie Renker and
Angie Keuntjes. Bau skidded off the
III concrete starting pad, resulting in a
fifth-pface position coming through the
..
II first turn.
:iii
"In Europe, they do not put cement
behind the start line," Bau said. "So I
Q need practice on the cement."
•
By the end of the first lap, Renker
and Satchwell had fallen off the pace,
;;; and Bau was in third.
N
Bau continued her pursuit, passing
~ Kann off Animal Leap and immediately
~ starting to put p.Iessure on Keun tjes.
32 Mom & Dad/IMS/CTI/FMF-sponsored
w;
!!!Ii
g:
(Above) Shelly Kann (4) grabs the holeshot In the 125cc Pro class
in the Women's National at Glen Helen. Kann ended up fourth
overall.
(Left) Ashley Baham topped the Women's Amateur division.
(Below)' Steffy Bau was the big winner. She topped both motos en
route to the Pro-ciass win.
Keuntjes held the lead until lap five,
when Bau passed her in the turn following the spectator tabletop jump. Bau
held the lead to the finish, followed by
Keuntjes and Satchwell.
Bau was pleased wi th her performance following her shaky start, adding
that she really liked the long and steep
hills on the course.
Keuntjes, who traveled from Wisconsin for the race, was pleased with her
performance. She explained how she got
into racing.
"I got s" ck of sitting, watching my
brother race, so I decided to try it," she
said. ''I'm glad I did."
In mota two, Kann seized the
holeshot. Kristy Shealy, Satchwell, Traci
