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District 36 Western Regional Cross Country Championship Series Round 16: Gambonini Ranch Hare Scrambles ~®fi~~ arru® OOfirnJilTI®1f~ illl® (Left) After crashing out of the previous two races, Rod Kreiss came back to win the 16th and final round of the District 36 Western Regional Cross Country Championship Series. By With Kreiss no longer pressuring him, Marshall began to pull away even further. After the first lap, Marshall came around in the lead, with Kreiss about 20 seconds back. Zimmerman, who had suffered from a mediocre start, had moved his Yamaha into third by the end of lap one, getting around Ducray in the process. After the first lap, the top positions remained pretty much the same for the next lap. Marshall extended his lead on Kreiss to just over a minute, with Zimmerman about another minute behind. In the middle of the third lap, Marshall was forced out with mechanical problems. "I saw Cole sitting on the side of CHRIS GHIONE AND MICHELLE LEE PHOTOS BY MICHELLE LEE PETALUMA, CA, NOV. 12 ~or Posey Racing's Rod Kreiss, the third time was the charm at the season-ending Gambonini Hare Scrambles. After frustrating crashes took him out of the lead in the two previous races, Kreiss showed his resilience by taking the win at the final round of the Moose Western Regional Cross Country Championship Series. Finishing in the second spot was Race Tech/MSR/Clarke-sponsored Rob Zimmerman, who had more than just a second-place finish to be happy about; with his finish, Zimmerman took home the series championship. Going into the final race of the year, the series championship had come down to Zimmerman and Suzuki rider Cole Marshall. In order for Marshall to take the series, he would need to win and Zimmerman would have to finish worse than third. The Marin County Motorcycle Association created an interesting course that wound its way through the Gambonini cattle ranch. The area received a little moisture the previous week, but by race time most of it was gone and the course was dry and dusty. More than 100 riders lined up for the start of the race. A unique handson-the-rear-fender, dead-engine start caught many riders off guard. One rider who was not caught off guard was Arai/FMF/White Brothers-backed Eric Ducray, who took the holeshot and the early lead. However, Ducray's time out front would be short-lived. "I worked my way up to third real quick and stayed there almost all day," explained Zimmerman. "I knew that if Cole was in first and I was in third that I could still win the championship, so I kind of cruised back there. It was real dusty." Coming in third was Yamahamounted Ducray. "Aaron Youse put in a good ride today," said Ducray. "I could see him behind me the whole time, and he kept me honest. I had to keep it on the gas or he was going to pass me." The Mach 1 Motorsports-backed Youse put in a good ride, finishing fourth on the day. Coming in fifth was Vet-class winner Eric Mashbir, who finished just ahead of Honda riders John Webster and Robbie Fouts, who battled for much of the race. Rounding out the top 10 were Honda rider Ron Picken, Kawasaki rider Nick Thorn and Yamaha pilot Steve Silvestri. With Marshall's DNF, the final series standings came out with an interesting twist: Zimmerman finished in first, but with his win, Kreiss overtook Marshall in the series standings, finishing in second; Marshall finished third, and defending series champion Craig Wesner finished fourth after missing the final race of the series. In the Vet-class standings, Ron Picken took top series honors, followed closely by Nick Thorn. eN IT the road, and he gave me the thumbs-up," said Kreiss. With Marshall out, Kreiss was in the lead, and he began to feel the pressure. "My hands started to sweat," Kreiss explained. "I was like, 'Holy shit!' It took me about a lap and I finally relaxed and I just rode smooth the rest of the day." (Above) Rob Zimmennan was the runner-up at the Gambonini Ranch Hare Scrambles but captured the series championship. (Right) Eric Ducray finished third after taking the holeshot but missing a turn early in the race. "I actually got the holeshot until the third corner on the track after the moto section," said Ducray. "I didn't walk the course, so I didn't know that it turned right, and Cole [Marshall] and Kreiss got around me." Marshall and Kreiss quickly moved away from the rest of the pack and began what would turn out to be a short battle. Kreiss moved his Tag Metals/Smith Optics-backed Kawasaki to Marshall's rear fender and challenged him for the lead around a short motocross section about a mile into the course, but he could not make a pass. "We kind of diced for a little bit," said Kreiss, "and as soon as we hit the high-speed, dusty ridge, I had to slam on the brakes because I couldn't see." 6ambonini Ranch Petaluma, califomia Results: November 12, 2000 IRound 16 of 161 O/A: 1. Roderick Kreiss (Kaw); 2. Robbie Zimmerman (Yam); 3. Eric Ducray (Yam); 4. Aaron Youse (Yam); 5. Eric Mashbir (Suz); 6. John Webster (Hon); 7. Robert Fouts (Hon); 8. Nick Thom (Kaw); 9. Steve Silvestri (Yam); 10. Russell Pereira (Yam). A 200: I. Robert Fouts: 2. Matthew Teegarden. A 250: 1. Roderick Kreiss; 2. Robbie Zimmerman; 3. Eric Ducray. A 4-STRK: 1. Russell Pereira; 2. Kubi Hucek; 3. Tod Burleson. A VET: 1. Eric Mashbir: 2. Ron Picken: 3. Nick Thom. A SR: 1. Charles Marshall; 2. Cliff Bagot: 3. Mark Maldonado. A S/SR: 1. Pete Prichard; 2. Fred Sumrall; 3. Fred Cameron. 200: 1. Bryce Olson; 2. Seth Martinelli. a 250: 1. Pete Kasten; 2. Chris Zito: 3. Walter Lunn. OPEN: I. Donald Chamblee: 2. Marcus Matthews; 3. Michael Romanowsky. 4-STRK: 1. Brian Toline; 2. Dustin Soldano: 3. Gary Quigley. B VET: 1. Marshall Gordon: 2. Joe Paz Jr.; 3. Howard Dingman. S SR: I. William Scott Englebrick; 2. Dave North; 3. Jeffrey Void. S/SR: 1. Larry Thomas; 2. Brad Bird. 200: 1. Garrett Medeiros; 2. Jim Perreira; 3. Nolan Irwin. 250: 1. Joel Ray; 2. Joel Burkett; 3. Dennis Barone. C OPEN: I. Brian Ruckert: 2. Robert Correllus: 3. Michael Durlinger. 4·STRK: 1. Topher Otis: 2. Jeff Nickson; 3. Wayne Skicki. C VET: l. Paul Danrich: 2. Allen Yturralde; 3. Robert Blackard. SR: 1. Donald Melvin; 2. Roby Dow; 3. Dennis Porter. C S/SR: 1. Terry Fish; 2. Joe Butler: 3. Jim a a a His smooth riding not only kept him in the lead but also helped him pull away even further from the rest of the field. Kreiss took his second win of the year, finishing nearly three minutes ahead of the next rider. The next to finish was Zimmerman, the new series champion, who pretty much rode alone for the entire day. cue I e a e e e e Ezell. n e vv S • JANUARY 17, 2001 33