Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127996
Events
•
Steve Leivan (1) and Chris Nesbitt (4)
finished first and second at a muddy
round three of the Missouri Hare
Scrambles Championship Series.
WERA National Challenge races, was
reportedly trying out a Honda 250cc GP
bike in the Saturday Solo 20 races; he
took a second place to Hayden, who
rode a Suzuki GSX-R600.
In the Novice Production and Superbike classes, Jeff SeLbert equaled Hayden's accomplishment of four out of five
sprint-race wins on the day. SelQert, on
the venerable Suzuki GSX-R600, took
wins in Band C Production, C Superbike, and Formula One Novice, as well
as a fourth place in the B Superbike race,
which was won by Bruce Ostrander.
Tim Barker and Michael Merrill had
two wins each. Both won the lightweight Twins and Clubman classes in
their respective ranks, Barker in the
Expert and Merrill in the ovice. Stewart Aitken-Cade, after settling for second behind DiSalvo in the 125cc Grand
Prix class, was able to use his Michelinshod Honda RS125 to beat former TKO
endurance team owner Steve Doolin,
riding a Ducati 750, in the Heavyweight
Twins race. Aitken-Cade also won the
Lightweight Solo 20 on Saturday on his
125cc Grand Prix bike.
CIII
Indianapolis Raceway Park
Indianapolis, Indiana
Results: April 24-25, 1999
A S/STK: 'I. Roger 'Lee Hayden (Suz); 2. Travis King
(Suz); 3. Paul Ducnto (Yam); 4. WiUiam Mrklas (Yam); 5.
Jim Vancil (Suz).
B S/STK: 1. Roger Lee Hayden (Suz); 2. Travis King
(Suz); 3. Steve Campisano (Suz); 4. Troy Yeomans (Suz);
5. Todd Snyder (Suz).
C S/STK: ]. Roger Lee Hayden (Suz); 2. Mark C.
Junge (Kaw); 3. Mike Milshewske (Kaw); 4. Dan Wade
(Suz); 5. Troy Yeomans (Suz).
o PROD: 1. Jeff Seibert (Suz); 2. Jason H.
Bockelman (Suz); 3. Robert Culp (Suz); 4. Derick Young
(Hon); s. Charles T. Allen (Suz).
C PROD, 1. Jeff Seibert (Suz); 2. Donald Crayne
(Hon); 3. Robert Culp (Suz); 4. Sam Whitton (Suz); S.
Derick Young (Hon).
32
B S/BK EX: 1. Roger Lee Hayden (Suz); 2. Steve
Campisano (Hon); 3. Rob Austin (5uz); 4. Jess Roeder
(Yam); 5. Trent L. Thompson (Suz).
C SlBK EX, L Mark C. Junge (Kaw); 2. Roger Lee
Hayden (Suz); 3. Mike Mashewske (Kaw); 4. Rob
Uecker (Suz); 5. Dan Wade (502).
o S/BK EX: I. Robert T. OiCeUo (Yam); 2. Mark
Sweeney (Lav); 3. Terry L Abbott (Suz); 4. Matt· Splroff
(Hon); S. Troy Montgomery (Yam).
B SIBK OV: 1. Bruce Ostrander (Suz); 2. David W.
Lacavich (Suz); 3. Charles T. Allen (Suz); 4. Jeff SeIbert
(502); 5. Derick YounS (Hon).
e SlBK NOV,!. Jeff SeIber. (Suz); 2. Derick Young
(Hon); 3. Sam Whitton (502); 4. Cad Peltzer (Hon); 5.
Charles Dozois (Suz).
o S/BK NOV: 1. Rob Stevens (Hon); 2. Michael
Merrill (Kaw); 3. Bill Brcitong (Hon); 4. Kenneth R.
Dunson (Han); 5. Kent Flanery (Hon).
F~l EX: 1. Mark C. Junge (Kaw); 2. William Mrklas
(Yam); 3. Matthias Schaub (Yam); 4. Paul Ducato (Yam);
S. Todd Snyder (Suz).
.
F-2 EX: 1. jason DiSalvo Oion); 2. Or. Aaron Stein
(Yam); 3. AI Hall (Han); 4. Chuck Batinovic (Hon); 5.
Scott Meyer (GP).
125 GP: 1. jason DiSalvo (Hon); 2. Stewart Aitkcn~
Cade (Hon); 3. Chuck a.,tinovic (Hon); 4. Scott Meyer; 5.
Steven J. Cherney (Han).
F-l NOV: 1. Jeff SeIbert (Suz); 2. Bruce Ostrander
(Suz); 3. David W. Lacavich (502); 4. Charles T. Allen
(Suz); 5. Derick. Young (Hon).
. F-2 NOV: 1. jnson Peters (Hon); 2. Mitchell Stein
(Yam); 3. Gary Waggoner (Apr); 4. Karen E. Reilly
(Yarn); S. Too Loxley (Yam).
H/W TW EX: 1. Stewart Ailken·Cade (Hon); 2.
Steve Doolin (Due); 3. Al Hall (Hon); 4. Chuck Batinovic
(Hon); S. Terry L. Abbott (Suz).
1JW TW EX: 1. Tim Barker (Ynm); 2. Mark Sweeney
(L.w); 3. Terry L. Abbott (Suz); 4. Jay McMackin (Yam);
5. Rich Graver (So2).
HI\\' TW NOV: 1. Don Dewees (Suz); 2. James L.
Knipp (Duc); 3. Neal N. Gray (So2); 4. Robert Burn; 5.
Jason Peters (Han).
tJW TW NOV: 1. Michael Merrill (Kaw); 2. Rob
Stevens (Hon); 3. Bill Breitong (Hon); 4. jeff Wilder
(Suz); S. Jame;; Lewis (Kaw).
CLBMN EX: 1. Tim Barker (Yam); 2. Mark Sweeney
(Lav); 3. Paul F. Morris (Hon); 4. Rich Graver (Suz); 5.
jay McMackin (Yam).
eLBMN NOV,!. Mchael Merrill (Kaw); 2. Robert
Terando (Rtx); 3. Mitchell Stein (Yam); 4. Robert Zum
Mallen (Hon); S. Jeff Wilder (Suz).
Missouri Hare Scrambles Championship
Round 3
Leivan
keeps
rolUn'
By Frank Leivan
MARSHFIELD, MO, MAY 2
t took more than two hours for
SCR/Yamaha rider Steve Leivan to
make it to the front of the pack during
round three of the Missouri Hare Scramble Championship, but when the
checkered flag flew, Leivan had his
third consecutive victory in hand, due to
a last-second pa s for the lead on Chris
Nesbitt.
A 9-mile cqurse tha t was in perfect
condition early Sunday morning turned
into a 6.S-mile rutted quagmire due to a
thunderstorm that started around 9:30
a.m. and continued on throughout the
afternoon. Of the 116 riders who started
the event, nearly half failed to take the
checkered flag, and only four riders - alJ
AAs : completed seven laps.
When the 14-rider AA class blasted
off the line, Chris Thiele controlled the
first turn, with KTM rider Mike Windmann and Brock Busenbark, on a borrowed Husky 360, in pursui t. Jerry
Hemann, in his first race in several
years, held fourth, with Leivan close
behind. Just minutes into the race,
Hemann and Leivan went down.
"Hemann fell in a turn and I must
have clipped his rear wheel when I tried
to go around, because I went down,
too," said Leivan. "It was bad enough to
go down and lose positions, but I had a
hard time passing guys back."
The running order after the first 19minute lap was esbitt (who had come
back from a two-kick start), Windmann;
I
Busenbark, Brandon Forrester and
Hemann. Leivan completed lap number
one in 12th position, but he moved up a
couple of spots when some of the riders
in front of him missed the scoring lane
and had to loop back around.
Up front, Windmann moved around
esbitt, and these two picked up the
pace, knocking nearly two minutes off of
the previous lap time. Leivan moved all
the way up to third on the second goaround, but he was nearly a minute
behind the leading duo. Once Leivan
moved into third, he picked up the pace
and reeled in the leaders. As the fourth
Jap began, Leivan moved around Windmann in a rutted section, andhe thought
that he had passed Nesbitt as well.
"1 was right with those guys at the
check and got by Mike when he got a little cross-rutted," said Leivan. "That section had bikes stuck everywhere, and
when we got back to clea r tra iJ, I
couldn't see Chris ( esbitt), so I figured
that he was one of those stuck bikes. I
kinda cruised, thinking I was leading;
then, at the end of the lap, I caught
Chris and the race was on."
esbi tt had more to worry abou t
than the upcoming Leivan.
'1 had no brakes for the last half of
the race, so I was just trying to go fast
enough to keep Steve (Lei van) behind
me," said esbitt. "I had no goggles,
either, so it was better to be in front."
Leivan tailed esbitt, trying to make
a pass, but it was not easy.
"When we got to the tight sections,
he would just slow down, since he knew
1 couldn't pass him," said Leivan.
"Then, when we got to the open stuff,
he would pick it back up."
With a lap and a half to go, Leivan
made his bid for the lead. The original
trail turned into a creek bed for a few
yards, and then exited it. Most ride'rs
crossed the creek, rode along the bank,
and then crossed again. Leivan proved
that the originallin,e was fastest by moving ahead of Nesbitt, who had chosen
the more popular route. Leivan's time in
front, however, was brief.
"I finally made it to the front ~nd
decided to try and make a break," said
Leivan. "1 guess that I was trying too
hard, because 1 lost the front end and
fell. Chris yelled at me to see if I was
okay when he went around me."
With only a Lap to go, esbitt and
Leivan were in a position to settle the
race between themselves. With Nesbitt
riding smoothly and picking all of the
good lin~, Leivan had his work cut out
for him. Each time that Leivan tried a
pass attempt, esbitt had an answer
and kept his Moose/Scott/Trelleborg
YZ250 in the Jead. Then, with only a few
hundred yards left in the race, esbitt
opened the door, and Leivan was there
to go through.
"I held him off everywhere I thought
. he would have a chance to get by," said
Nesbitt. "Then, in the last section of
trail, I made a mistake and picked the
wrong rut. I didn't fall or get stuck, but
it slowed me down enough that Steve
went around. 1 thought I had it won." .
"I was waiting for a mistake' and it
took all the way to the end for him to
mak,e one," explained Leivan. "He was
just as fast as I was - maybe faster today
- and I ju~t wanted to be close enough to
take advantage if he messed up. That's
probably the best that I have seen Chris
ride, and I hope getting this close
doesn't motivate him too much."
Leivan and his Dunlop/Pro
Action/NGK/ Answer-backed WR400
crossed the line with five econds over
Nesbitt. Just over five minutes later
came Windmann, with Forrester breathing down his back. Only six seconds
separated the battle for the final podium
position, with 1998 ISDE silver medalist
Windmann getting the nod.
Tanner England finished a easonbest fifth, the first rider with six laps.
Kevin Boyle charged all day long and
was rewarded with sixth overall. The
winner of the A class, Bobby Duncan,
finished seventh overall while nursing a
poorly running machine that had taken
on its fair share of water throughout the
day. He managed to keep his bike running long enough to overtake Ryan
Wuebbeling on the final lap. Wuebbeling finished eighth, second in the A
class, just three seconds up on Suzuki
rider Kevin Borts. KTM 200 rider Leigh
Letellier rounded out the top 10.
CIII
Missouri HS Championship Series
Marshfield, Missouri
Results: Ma.y 2, 1999 (Round 3)
O/A: I. Steve Leivan (Yam); 2. Chris Nesbitt (Yam);
3. Mike Wind mann O