Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

10 Katin was pleased with his third-place finish, as well . "I was having a good battle out there with Jeff [Willoh], but when he ate it on the triple, it kind of scared me, and I s tarted dou bli ng it ," Katin sa id . "That hurt me la te r in the race . I think I could've won the thing." Perhaps inspired by Wilson's win, privateer riders Wallace, Barry Carsten and Jim Chester made their w ay to the front of the pack early in the 250cc main, but they stilI had on e "b ig wi g " ahead of them - Antunez. A battle between Carsten and Wallace soon ca ug ht the crowd 's attention, as w ell as An tunez's, because their dogfight had carried them up to the champ's rear fender. At the halfway mark, Carsten drew a bead on Wa llace an d s ne a ked by the Yama ha rider. The pa ss fired up Wallace, w ho turned on the boost to get back by the new second -p lace holder , but Wallace ended up crashing. Carsten kept Antunez honest the rest of the way, but Antunez was in charge. The cha mp scored the win over Carston, fo ll o w ed by Ped erson, Su zuki rider Charlie Bogard and Katin. "It feels good to be up here," Antunez said. "Especially since I am injured . I can only get stronge r as the season wears on. If I a m winning this early on, it looks good for the futu re." "I got a good start and hun g tou gh, " said Carsten. "Hopefully I ca n ma ke it more of a habit [making the podium]," third -place Pederson said. "I haven 't bee n riding as much as I'd like, but I hope that by the middle of the seaso n, I will be in the hunt for the championsh ip . I'm just taking it one race at a time." The fastest heat race winners lined up for th e crowd-donated Dash For Ca sh . W ils o n to o k th e ea r ly lead but wa s p ro m ptly stuffed by a n out-of-control Go nzalez. Wilson tipped ove r after the two riders touched . In the process, Wilson to o k out Wallace , giving Speed y room to breathe. Katin, however , ran Gon zale z do wn an d passed the surprised leader. Gonzalez ca me right back and stuffed Katin in th e nex t corner, only to have Ka tin stuff him rig h t back again . Gonzalez th en waited u ntil the la st poss ible moment to repass Kati n two turn s from th e checkers. Gonzalez sped off to th e win, follo w ed by Ka ti n, Carsten a n d Wilson. Jeff Willoh faced a new cha llenge r in the Pepsi Jump-Off Con test. Ca nad ian Bonoit Mil ot performed a o ne-ha nded can-can, which stunned the crowd, as did Willoh and Husqvarna-mounted Jimmy Bell. Bell ended up crashing over the barriers trying to make the landing after his jump. Milot won the contest and the $500 priz e, while Willoh , who was s o impres sed by the Canadian's performance, didn't even bother to enter the contest the following night. SATURDAY Pederson got th e ball rolling in the 125cc main event. H e grabbed the early lead with Jim Ch ester got on his tracks, but soon it wa s.Go nz alez running in seco nd after forcin g his w ay past Chester in the wh oops. Go nzalez then p icked up the pace and set afte r Pederso n, while Antunez, Wa llace and Katin chased from be hind . Go nza lez w a s ' on fi re, as h e bega n pu ttin g heavy pressure on Pederson. A co u p le of ti mes Gonzalez nearly lost contro l of his bike, and, a t one poin t, w as nearly flu ng off his bike. Somehow he managed to stay aboard his Kaw asaki, and even ge t aro un d Pederson. Gonza lez wen t o n to score th e win, w hile Ch e st er w as h an gi n g o n to third , putting in th e rid e h is li fe . H e even reeled in Pederson and passed him for second place. Chest er was rid in g h igh, but his dream ride wou ld corne to a cra shing end when he threw it away in a turn. A t the finish, it was Gonzalez scoring the win over Pederson, Antunez, [eromy Buehl, Katin and Step hen son. "I just tried to rid e a good race," Gon za le z said. " I mean , I crashed in both mains yesterday and jus t wanted to d o good tonigh t. I hope to do the same thing in the 250 main." "My Thor / Pro-Circ u it/ H o nd a was working good," second-place Pederson said . "[ Bu t ] I just don ' t k now if I'm go nna be able to han g on in the 250. My wrist is hurting bad , an d I was just strug- gling out there , try ing to rid e good but not jam it up again." "My Suzuki was working good, and I tri ed to pu t a few aggressive moves on Pederson," Antunez said, "but I d id n't want to do an ything that would put us both o n the ground, so I rode it clean after tha t." Sore wri st and all, Ped erson carne out s win gi ng in the 250cc main, but the entire Primal Impulse /Bill's Pipes Suzuki team wa s right behind him . Pederson rod e a valiant race for four laps but had to pack it in . He w as visibly in pain when he let the pack by him. Gon za lez , m ean while, w a s o n th e m ove as he ch a rged to the fr ont. H e eventually fou nd his w ay to th e fro nt, while Katin held down seco nd place, but no t fo r lon g . Fee li ng pre ssure fro m Antu nez, Katin woul d soo n ge t a close look at the Centrum Coliseum d irt . Wit h two laps to go, la p ped traffic was beginning to make thi ngs in teresting, as Stephenson wo rke d his way u p to Antunez's rear fender. Stephenson eve ntu ally go t aro und Antunez, mak ing the final finishing order Gonzalez, Stephenson, An tu nez, Katin an d Hod ges. "I d id it aga in," Gonzal ez said. "I am so h appy . Last ni ght I had a terrible night, w ith two cra shes in both mains. I lost the po ints lead [Saturday night], bu t it is a lon g run, a long series , and I need to be up there as many times as I can. I am pr etty happy." "Seco nd isn't where I want to be ," Stephenson said . "It is a long series, and Budd y kn ows how to win championships. Pedro is new to the whole thing, so he is very enthusiastic. I' m just trying to use my experience to kee p this thing tight and not le t anyone of th em get away from me." " I ju st go t off to a shaky s ta r t, " An tunez sa id . "It took me a whil e to get going, but once I d id I could see Denny up there and made the pass on Karin." Stephenson still pulled off a wi n in the Dash For Cash. Hodges and "Kati n were on the lead er' s ta il and d ueling whe n H o d g es bobbled i n t h e huge whoops and ha nd ed second to Ka tin. Gonzalez scooted through as well bu t cou ld nev er pass Katin. Milot again topped the Jump-O ff contest. The larg e crowd enjoyed the Kawasaki 65cc main. A hard-charging Kyle Hutson w as the fas test, if not wildes t, rider o n th e track. Un fo rtu na tely, with two laps to go, Hutson threw it away o n a jump section. Robert Marshall cam e from fif th p lace to win the main o ver Jake Ericcso n and Troy Bapp. CN Centrum Coliseum Worche sler, Massachusetts Results : Novem ber 19-20, 1999 (Rounds 5-6 of 34) Friday 125 MAI N: 1. Jimmy Wilson (Yam); 2. Ty Wallaet.> (Yam); 3. Mike Karin (Kaw); 4. Buddy Antunez (Suz); 5. Travi s Hod ges (Kaw): 6. David Kratz (H us) : 7. Chad Pl,!t.. J"SOn (Hon ): 8. Brad Woolsey (Hon ): 9. Jim Ches ter ( > (Suz); 10. Barry Carsten (Suz); 11. Dennv Stephenson (5u7o); 12. Nick Metcalf (Suz); 13. Pedro GOnzalt....l (Kawl , 14. Jdf Willoh (Hun); 15. Marro Dubc (Suz) . 2SO MAIN: 1. Buddy Antunez (Suz); 2. BarryCa rs ten (5uz); 3. Chad Pederson (Hon): 4. Charley Bogard (Suz); 5. Mike Katin (Kaw): 6. Ke vin Crine (H en ): 7. Den ny Stephenson (5u7. ; 8. Pedro Gonzalez (Kaw): 9. Keith ) Johnson (Yom): to. Travi Hod ges (Kaw ): 11. Jim Chester s (5u z); 12. Nick Metcalf (Suz); 13. Tv Wallace (Yam); 14. Jimmy Wilson (Yam). " DFC: 1. Pedro Gonzalez (Kaw ): 2. Mike Katin (Kaw): 3. Jimmy Wilson (Yam);4. Barry Carsten (Suz) . JUMP-OFF: L Beno it Mi lot (Suz); 2. Kenn y Bell (Hus); 3. JeffWilluh (Hen). Saturday . 125 MAIN : 1. Pedro Go nzales (Kaw) : 2. Chad Pederson (Hen ): 3. Buddy Ant unez (5 u7.); 4. Jerem y Buehl (Kaw); 5. Mike Katin (Kaw): 6. Denn y Step henson (~uz); 7. Barry Carsten (Suz); 8. Charley Boga rd (Suz); 9. Jim Che ste r (S u z) : 10 . Ty Wallace (Yam) ; 11. Brad woolsey Il-lon): 12. Kevin Crine Il-lcn): 13. Travis Hodges (Kaw): 14. Nick Metcalf

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