Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

2S0/0PEN C: 1. Jeff Huey (Han); 2. Brandon Freeman (Yam); 3. Adam Nichols (KTM): 4. Chris Jewell (Han); 5. Ryan Shepherd (Han). 200 C: 1. Mike Hamilton (Kaw); 2. Russell Green (Kaw); 3. Charles Jaghab (Kaw); 4. Tim Kelly (Hon); 5. Steve Lassilier (KllW). VET C: 1. Scott Lynch (Kaw); 2. Tony Rion (Yam); 3. Todd Lovett (KTM); 4. Chance Blackwell (Hon); 5. Demetrius Reedy (Yam). SR C: 1. Lewis Webb (Yam); 2. Joe Allen (Kaw); 3. Jerry Martin (Kaw). Salem Arenacross Pro Challenge Leach, Graves let loose By CLAY LIGHT SALEM, OR, DEC. 18 A Trail of Tears: Mid-South racer Steve Ezell came in second in the Vet A class in Jonesboro, Illinois, site of the sixth round of the AMA Mid-South Championship Winter Hare Scrambles Series. six laps. Midwest Motorsports/Fox/ Niehaus Performance-supported Roth grabbed the holeshot, and about halfway through the first lap, Allen took a better line and passed Roth on a hill. "I could always see him," Roth said, "and I hung with him." When Allen stopped for clean Oakleys, Roth made his move, but the battle was not easy. All of the 250cc/Open A riders hung tough to the finish, with Nesbitt and 200cc A rider Mike McCrea joining the fray. Alan Westerfield was the winner of the 250cc/Open A battle, but Team Kawasaki's McCrea topped everyone but Ricketts. McCrea pulled into the score tent in second place overall. "About a mile into the course," McCrea reported, "someone T-boned me, and I lost three or four positions. I got around [Four-Stroke A rider] Clint [Robinson] on the second lap. After that, I tried to ride a smooth race. I stayed out of trouble, and it paid off." Westerfield, the 250cc/Open A leader, came through next. "I guess everybody has their lucky days," Westerfield said. "We all rode hard, and fortunately for me, I came through before anyone else." Westerfield claimed third place overall, while another 250cc/Open A rider, John Roth, ran fourth overall and second in the 250cc/Open A class. Chris Nesbitt filled out the top five overall, but he came in second in AA class. Several riders in other classes made it into the top 10 overall, including the Four-Stroke A winner, Clint Robinson, and the Vet A winner, Mark Wood. Nine riders finished the entire race, and Sarge's Cycles' Gibson was the last rider to make the full grueling six laps. He looked tired, wet and cold, but his effort paid off, because he was MA National Pros Ryan Leach and Tony Graves went head to head in two classes at the second annual Northwest Pro Challenge Arenacross at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem, in which Leach scored a pair of tional-Iaps-Ied money, it was Leach who led from the fourth lap to the finish, challenged by Graves on the majority of the fast-paced circuits. Leach pocketed nearly $600 for 20 minutes of work by holding off the advances of Graves, who eventually had to face challenges from SMP/Hillsboro Motorcycles' Mike Storm, who was riding a 125cc Honda. Storm ran in the third position from the get-go and stayed there to the finish to nab the third-place paycheck and the plaudits from the gallery of spectators for his efforts. While the Herb's Cycletown of Cottage Grove team was well-represented with a 1-2 punch in the final standings, Storm shook off the advances of Suzuki-mounted Dustin Lenaburg to net third. Lenaburg, who hadn't ridden since suffering a serious injury at the AMA Hangtown 125cc National earlier this year, finished a solid fourth, ahead of fellow RM rider Gary Terlecki. Yamaha rider Russell Chace, Roby among the top 10 overall - not bad for a 16-year-old. "The track was tight and slick, but it was great," exclaimed Robbie King, who came in sixth in the AA class. "I would have loved to have seen this track dry, because it was great." Paul Michels (the Senior A winner), John Giles (the Super Senior winner) and Ricky Doores (the Four-Stroke C winner) had no problems with the thick stuff. Michels was glad to be able to race alongside his son Marty, who took fourth place in the Four-Stroke A class. Giles looked as though he was taking a Sunday drive, pulling over to casually clean his glasses and then continuing to roll with the flow, finishing the race in four laps with no problem. eN Trail of Tears Jonesboro, Illinois Results: December 12, 1999 (Round &l O/A: 1. Shad Ricketts (Yam); 2. Mike McCrea (Yam); 3. Alan Westerfield (Kaw); 4. John Roth (Yem); 5. Chris Nesbitt (Yam); 6. P.A. Allen (Suz); 7. Clint Robinson (Yam); 8. Mark Wood (Hon); 9. Dustin Gibson (Yam); 10. Jerry Hamann (KTM). AA: 1. Shad Ricketts (Yam); 2. Chris Nesbitt (Yam); 3. Jerry Hamann (KTM); 4. Gary Hendricks (Ka.....): 5. Lance Smith (Kaw). 250/0PEN A: I. Alan Westerfield (Kaw); 2. John Roth (Yam); 3. P.A. Allen (Suz); 4. Dustin Gibson (Yam); 5. Timmy p'Pool. 4·STRK A: 1. Clint Robinson (Yam); 2. Billy Joe Proffitt (Hon); 3. Marty Michels (Han); 4. Cody Maxwell (Yam). 200 A: 1. Mike McCrea (Kaw): 2. Clay Hedgepath (KTM); 3. Sammy Gosnell (KTM); 4. John Lenard (KTM); 5. Charles Deutscher (Yam). SR A: 1. Paul Michels (Han); 2. Robert Kirchner (Su,); 3. Phillip Barker (Hon); 4. Billy Hall (Hon); 5. George Wills (Kaw). VET A: 1. Mark Wood (Han); 2. Steve Ezell (Suz); 3. Tim Baker (KTM); 4. Gregg Goglen (Yam); 5. Mark Guy (Yam). 250 B: 1. Chuck Garetson (Han); 2. Ed Boardwine (Kaw); 3. Charles Kirby (Han); 4. David Hoff (Han); 5. Ronald Skipper (Kaw). 4-STRK B: I. Jason Wofford (Yam); 2. Joel Gibson (Yam); 3. John Rye (Yam); 4. John Rawling (Yam); 5. Ryan Dare (Yam). OPEN B: 1. Dean Grewe (KTM); 2. Roger Uttle (Yam); 3. Robert Jacks (Han); 4. Chris Rickard (Han); 5. Spencer Suttan (Han). 200 B: I. Derek Bratcher (Kaw); 2. Theodore Kavich (Han); 3. David Ridgway (Kaw); 4. Kimball Clayton (Kaw); 5. Joel Byron (Yam). VET B: I. N.R. Jones (Yam); 2. Richard Working (Kaw); 3. Shannon Hayes (KTM); 4. Patrick Taylor (KllW); 5. David Granderson (Kaw). SR B: 1. Paul Allen (Yam); 2. Tommy Todd (Han); 3. Pete Buzzelli (ATK); 4. Gerald Westerfield (Han); 5. Donnie Smith (Kaw). 5/5R: I. John GBes (Yam); 2. Don Rye (Kaw); 3. Charles Koshiol (Kaw); 4. Thomas Carter (Yam). 4·STRK C: 1. Ricky Doores (Yam); 2. Giorgio Torregrosa (Han); 3. Stephen Sweet (Han). Oregon State Fairgrounds Exposition Arena: At the CMC-sanctioned Arenacross in Salem, Mike Stonn (27) howled to the overall victory in the 125cc Pro class. He also placed third in the Pro Challenge. victories despite pressure from Graves. The fast-starting Graves scored a win in the second 250cc Pro moto, but the Yamaha-mounted Leach nabbed the overall win by virtue of his firstmoto victory, coupled with his secondplace finish to Suzuki pilot Graves in moto two. Leach also won the prestigious Pro Challenge race, which featured 12 of the top Northwest Pros in a single 20-minute moto, again topping Graves. Local Pro Ryan Hageman launched his Salem Honda-backed CR to the head of the field in the Pro Challenge (which was won last year by Jason McCormick), but the veteran Pro rider's lead was of short duration, as he gradually dropped well off the leaders' pace by the end of the 36-lap moto. Although Hageman did net well over $100 for his holeshot and addin e u e I e Leach, Eric Roth, Hageman and Rick Walling rounded out the top 10. Leach got the jump on the field in the first 250cc Pro moto, while Graves, Lenaburg, Terlecki and Hageman gave chase. Graves kept the pressure on Leach for several laps but fell victim to an on-the-move Lenaburg, finishing third at moto's end. Graves got off the line fastest in moto two and held the point position pushed by Leach the entire race - to log his best performance of the weekend, although Leach (1-2) nabbed the overall win, ahead of Graves (3-1), Lenaburg (2-3), Terlecki (4-4) and Hageman (5-5). In the combined Intermediate class, Honda -mounted Bryan Clevenger aced both motos to lead KTM rider Eric Rogers and YZ pilot Raym Conkey in the top three overall positions. After his impressive third-place fine _ S • JANUARV 12, 2000 37

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