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tracks and they race for 45 minutes; he is very strong." The second heat saw a group of less-experienced Pros take to the track. Kawasaki Pro Circuit-backed Andrew Short got the win after an actionpacked race with Billy Laninovich. Shane Bess looked very fast, too, and shot down Ivan Tedesco for third late in the race. The final 125cc qualifier was the LCQ that saw Chris Sprenkel get the job done despite falling on the last lap. Sprenkel, Oscar Valdez, Sean O'Connor and Mathieu Lalloz transferred to the main event. (Above) Vulllemin (934) cuts underneath Greg Schnell in their battle for the 125cc class lead. (Left) KTM's Brock Sellards took third in the 125cc main. (Right) Jimmy Nelson won the aGee main. Danny Carlson (and his FjS Suzuki) was a surprise leader early in the 125cc Pro main event. Carlson, who only about eight years ago raced his first ever race at Perris Raceway as an 80cc Beginner, seemed right at home in the lead. "After I got the holeshot, I had this big lead right away and I was thinking what happened to all the guys," said Carlson. Carlson led for the first 10 minutes without issue, while other things began to sort out behind him. The first incident occurred when Langston ran Tedesco off the track in what appeared to be an overly aggressive pass attempt. Then Langston suffered his own misfortune when he cased a big triple jump and was thrown over the bars. Langston complained about chest and shoulder pains but did not appear to have any major injuries. Still, he called it a day from there. Carlson, meanwhile, had company near the halfway point, when Vuillemin came looking for the lead. "Me and my friends decided to race the 125s today," Vuillemin said. "This is not a factory bike, it's an FMF 125. I wanted to go out and have to race hard and make passes. I thought the 250cc class was too easy, so that's why I raced the 125s today - for the competition." "I saw him coming," Carlson said. "He showed me a wheel then I held him off until I got to the whoops, but my shock was fading out and wasn't rebounding at all, so he passed me there. tt Vuillemin went on for the victory; winning with a big lead, while Carlson gave up a few more spots late in the race. "When I saw that Schnell and Sellards were making time," Carlson said, "I decided 1 better start jumping the triple. That was a bad idea because I cased the jump and hit my Adams Apple on the crossbar and just knocked the wind out of myself." Carlson's 12-second lead over Schnell all but evaporated during the last two laps, while he rode around a bit stunned from the hard impact. In the end, both Schnell and Sellards were able to get by Carlson at the end, leaving him a disappointing fourth at the finish. KTM's David Pingree posted the fifth spot, while the race for sixth was a heated battle for top rookie honors, with Laninovich getting the nod with a last-ditch-effort pass on Suzuki rider Shane Bess 100 feet from the finish line. The 250cc Pro race was pretty much a sleeper, with Yamaha's Tim Ferry posting both moto victories despite bike trouble before the first moto. The race did not require any qualifiers, since there were only eight riders, so two motos were run. Team Thousand Oaks racer Robbie Reynard was a second-place finisher, while Mike Craig rounded out the top three. In addition to the Pro schedule, an invitational-only amateur program was included to showcase some of the top amateur talent in the region. In the 50cc class, the Cobra's of Johnny Jelderda and Nick Paluzzi were very strong all day, with Jelderda proving to have a sharper edge. Jeff Alessi topped the 65cc class, while Michael Hall and Dustin Pipes produced some impressive finishes. Nearly 100 85cc racers tried to qualify for the 30 gate positions from three divisions. Team Thousand Oaks racer Mike Alessi was the divisionone winner, Team Green's Kelly Tedder won division two, and Dennis Jonon won division three. In the main event, Jimmy Nelson swooped past both Alessi and Jonon while they were battling for the lead. Once around Jonon, Alessi made up ground on Nelson but ran out of time. In the end, the top five were set: Nelson, Alessi, Jonon, Chris Nihan and Cale Wallace. eye I e In the 125cc Intermediate class, Tim Weigand and Richie Owens provided the action, with Weigand proving to be stronger by taking both motos. Sean Collier looked fast but crashed hard and broke bones in his lower legs during the second moto. Richie Owens returned and raced mostly unchallenged in the 250cc Intermediate class, topping Josh Bagge and Tim Weigand. eN Perris Raceway Perris, Califomi. Results: JIIlUlUY 1, 2001 50 D·A: 1. Johnny Jelderda (Cob); 2. Nick Paluzzi (Cob); 3. Dllkota Garner (Cob); 4. Bryce Stewart (Cob); 5. Paul Nelson (Cob). 50 0-8: 1. Tllnner Kranenbuht (Cob): 2. Dylan Smhoke (Cob); 3. Cody Zeenickow (Cob); 4. Tyler Uttle (Cob); 5. Tommy Madden (Cob). 60 D-A; 1. Jeff Alessi (KTM); 2. Mich.el H.II (Kaw); 3. Webb Massey (KTM): 4. Johnny Jelderda (KTM); 5. Terren O'Dell (Kaw). 60 0-8: 1. Dustin Pipes (Kaw); 2. Kyle Cunningham (Kaw); 3. George Jeffers (Kaw): 4. Nick Paluzzi (KTM); 5. MlIrcus Carillo (Kaw). 80 MAIN: I. Jimmy Nelson (Yam); 2. Mike Alessi (Yam); 3. Dennis Jonon (Kaw); 4. Chris Nihan (Su,); 5. Cale W.II.ce (Y.m); 6. Daryl Ecklund (Hon); 7. Joshua Grllnt (Hon); 8. Kelly Tedder (Kaw): 9. Jarred Brown (Yam); 10. Bob Kinary (Suz). 125 INT D·A: I. Tim Weigand (Hon); 2. Richie Owens (Kaw); 3. Josh Hansen (Y8m); 4. Shane Kelly (Yam); 5. Chad Fronk (Yam). 125 INT D-B; 1. Cl.yton Miller (Yam); 2. Johnny Nicoll; 3. Adam Bisso (Suz); 4. Spencer Meineke (Yam); 5. Donnie Weber (Kaw). 250 (NT: 1. Richie Owens (Kaw); 2. Josh Bagge (Hon); 3. Tim Weigand (Hon); 4. Micky Griffin (Yam); 5. Donnie Weber (Kaw). 125 PRO: 1. David Vulllemin (Yam); 2. Greg Schnell (Yam); 3. Brock Sellards (KTM); 4. D.nny Carlson (Suz); 5. David Pingree (KTM): 6. Billy Laninovich (Yam); 7. Shane Bess (Suz); 8. Andy Harrington (Yam); 9. Ivan Tedesco (Hon); 10. Gerrit Ordelman (Yam). 250 PRO: 1. Timmy Ferry (Yam); 2. Robby Reynard (Yam); 3. Mike Craig (Hon); 4. Donald Upton (Suz); 5. John Sereika (Y8m): 6. Darcy Lang; 7. Kevin Townsend; 8. Scott Sease. n e _ 50 • JANUARY 17, 2001 31