Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

(Left) KTM Red Bull's Grant Langston bit the bullet an d decided to race In spite of h is inj u red s hou l d e r . The South Af rican rode to a remartca b l e 5 -1 to take third ov e rall. (Ri ght) Suzu ki's Travis Pastran a was h ot and cold (okay, lu k e w a rm) at Red B ud. Th e series lea der went 1-4 f or second ove rall. tr y ing to g et th is th ing st ra ig ht a nd strong , a nd it' s b e en wo rk ing well ," Langston explained. "I'm feeli ng a big difference si nc e Budds Creek. Th er e wa s no wa y th a t I cou ld rid e t here , even with an in j e c t io n . T oda y , I strapped it up and to ok s ome pa in killers and it fe lt o kay ." Fourth went to Rancho Cucamong a , Californ ia's Greg Schnell. Th e MotoworldRa cing .com/ Answer/HJC s p o n s o re d Schn ell rode to h is best pe rform a nc e of the season by roosting to a 3- 8 moto score. Also aboard a Yam aha YZ2 5 0 F , S c hne ll grabbed th e holeshot in moto o ne and led the race fo r two la p s befor e be ing ove rta ke n by Pa strana and then Ward. He battled with Ernesto Fonseca and wa s able to ho ld the thir d pos ition wh en th e che c kers flew . " I got t he h o le s h o t and led t ha t th ing for awhi le ," Schnell s a id after h is first -moto performance . "Ernie got me early a nd then p ulled away , and I put on a second c ha rge and was ab le to g e t him . It ' s go o d to be u p he re on the pod ium ." Yamaha of Tro y /F o x 's E rn e s t o Fons e ca wa s fifth overall with a 4-11 s co re . Amsoil / Dr. Marten 's Branden J e s se m a n rode to his best overall of th e season , as he took six th with an 11 -6 ride. J e s s eman wa s one of the hottest I 25cc ride rs at the end of the '00 sea son, but injuries and crashes have held h im ba ck so far this ye ar. Seventh o vera ll was Fast by Fe rra c c i/Husq va rna /Troy Lee 's Ste ve Lam son . After m iss ing several rou nds with a rib injury, Lams on loo ks to be ba c k on h is g am e , especially in the s econd m ot o , where he finished fifth . He e nded up 13 -5 o n the day. Te am Suzu k i's Dann y Sm ith wa s eighth o verall (9 -9) a nd Ya m a ha o f Troy 's Nathan Ramse y was ninth (8 13 ). Rou nding out th e top 10 with a lopsided 23 -3 ride was SplitFire/Pro Circuit/ Kawa saki's Mike Brown . Th e ov eral l winn er at Budds Creek tw o we e ks earl ier suffered a rear flat tire in moto one that ended any chances for a repeat pe rfo rm a nce . He holds a solid third in the points going into th e second half of the season. MOTO ONE Schnell nailed the holeshot with Team Suz uki's Akira Na rita, Pas trana , Ward and Fonseca on his ta il. Langston was several positions ba c k , and Brown started in 15th but was up to 10 th by th e e nd of th e first lap . Schn ell led for the first two laps before Pastrana took over the lead in the off -camber S-turn section. Ward then got by S chnell for second a lap later. Langston was up to ' fifth and Brow n was right behind him in sixth a s th e y beg an the fourth la p . Bro wn p a s s ed La ngst o n for fifth , but shortl y th e reafter lost h is whee l in a rut and went d own , lo si ng s ev eral pos itions. " I just los t my whee l from und e r me ," Brown later said. "O nc e I got up a nd goi ng , I notice d th at I had a flat. I just tried to ride the be st that I cou ld after that, but it's hard ou t he re with all those big jum ps. " Th e now-wounded Bro wn started dr o ppin g ba ck throu gh th e p a c k qui ck ly a s th ere wa s n o t much h e could do under his c irc um s ta nc es. Up front , with s everal laps to go , Wa rd w as chas ing Pa s tr an a at a reacha b le dista nce. Fo nseca had pa ss e d S c hne ll for th ird , but S c hne ll h ung with th e Costa Rican a nd chal len ged him as well. Lan gston held his groun d in fifth, and h is t eamm a t e Da vid Pingree follo wed in s ixth . S chn e ll got ba ck around Fo ns ec a for th ird after Fonseca slid out with t wo laps to g o . Wa rd clos e d in o n Pastran a in th e fin a l la p s, and with the wh ite flag waving , he made one more attempt. Ward went for a bon sa i pass , but ended up hitting Pa strana 's rear whee l and c ras he d in t h e proc ess . Lu ckily for him , the four strok e rem ain ed running and Wa rd remounted qu ickl y and held h is pos ition to the finish. "I got up th ere right on him and I wanted to win so bad," Ward said. "I got a little too aggress ive and I ran into the ba ck o f him and c ra s hed . Thank goodness that bik e stay ed run n ing and I made it across in second . I wou ld have been so d isappointed to have ridden that hard a nd gotten a fourth or fifth." Pastra na a n d hi s RM125 le d the four-s troke fre ig h t -trai n of Ward , S ch nell and Fonsec a across the finish for his fourt h m oto win of the year. Langston held on for fifth with Pin gree , Bo n ifa c e , Ramsey , Danny Smith and Wey rounding out the top 10 . Brown finished the ra c e on his flat , but was credited with a zero point, 23rd-place finis h. MOT OTWO Wa rd grabbed the start of the s ec ond mot o , wit h Fonseca , Lam so n , Pla no Hon da 's Pau l Currie , S chne ll, Lang ston an d Ramsey a ll clos e be h ind . Brown a nd Pa stra na d id not gate a s we ll a nd th ey e nd ed the first la p in 11th a nd 12th , res pectiv e ly. Langston wa s o n the gas e a rly on an d m ov ed a ro und S c hn ell , C urri e a nd Lamson a ll on th e second la p to get th ird . Brown and Pa strana we re on it a s we ll, but Brow n was m oving forward throug h traffic a little bit be tte r in th e opening laps. With a ll the act ion b ehind him , Wa rd began to put a small gap on the re st of the pack. Langston ca ug ht up to Fo ns e ca , and during thei r heated ba ttl e , Fo nsec a , went down in a corner a nd lo s t many po s ition s . Brow n was on the gas and was u p to fifth a nd Pa stran a was up to se venth. Lan g s t on n o w had h is sig ht s o n Ward, wh o was s o m e five sec o n ds a he a d . Brown pa s s ed Cu r ri e and Lamson and was then in th ird, and a lap later Pastrana was up to fifth . Langston slowl y closed in on Ward , but he didn 't close to with in strikin g distance until the final laps . Brown was now c losi n g in on Langston and he look ed to be one of th e fastest riders on the tra ck . Th e three now had a battle on th eir hands and the finish was near. With the w h ite flag waving , Langston and Brown wer e all ov er Ward , wh o was looking fo r his first moto wi n o f th e year. La ngsto n looked for a place to pass Ward throughout the lap , but if all else fa iled , he new of a co rner ju st befo re the finish where he would give it on e last try . cue I e Lang sto n squared off a huge off cambered bow l turn a nd b locked a surprised Ward only three corners from the chec ke rs to take the lead. Brown was not close e no ugh to take advantage o f Wa rd, and Langston took hi s fifth m o to win of the ye a r ahead of Wa rd and Brown . "He had a re a l g oo d pace going, but I had a good passing spot in that turn and I kind of got close up behind him and then snuck to the inside ," Langston explain ed of the pass. "I'm happy to have won that moto ." "I didn 't hear him back there and didn't th ink that he wa s as close a s he was," Ward said of the pass. "He just made a g rea t pass on me ." Pa str a na p a ss ed se veral rid er s in t he c losi ng laps a n d cro s se d fo r fourth. Lamson , Jessem a n, Currie and S c hn e ll c rossed next. Dan n y an d Ke lly Sm ith were ninth a nd 10th , a nd Fonseca finished a disappointing 11th after be ing an early front -runner. CN Red Bud Track & Trail Buchanan, Michiga n Results: July I, 2001 125 MO TQ 1 (3 0 mi nutes pl us t wo laps): 1. T ravis Pastrana (Sw) ; 2. larry War d (Yam) ; 3 . Gre g Schnell (Ya m); 4 . Em esto Fons ec a {Ya m}: 5 . Gnmt Lan gst on ( KTM) ; 6 . Dav id Pin gr ee (KT M); 7 . St ev e Bond ece (Hon); 8. Nathan Ramsey (Yam) ; 9 . Dann y Sm ith (Suz); 10 . Nick Wey ( Yam ) ; 11. Br an den Jessem an (Hon); 12. M ich ael Br and es (Yam ); 13. Steve La mson (Hus) ; 14 . Kelly Smith ( KTM); 15. Scott Sheek (Hon ); 16. Cllse y Lytl e (Kaw) ; 17. Keith S. Jo hnso n ( Yam); 18. Broc k Sellards (KTM ); 19. Paul Currie (Hon) ; 20 . Ben Riddl e (Suz) ; 2 1. Chri s Gcsseleer ( Hus) ; 22 . Demon Huffman ( Yam ); 23 . Mike Brown (KlI w); 24. Randy Valade (Hon ) ; 25 . Chase Reed ( Suz); 26 . Keith Johnson ( Yam); 27. Danny Carlso n (SUl); 28 . Joh nny Marley (Yam ); 29. Levi Reid (Yam); 30. Bobby Bonds (Kaw); 3 1. Erick Vallej o ( SUl); 32. Matt Walker ( Ho n) ; 33 . Er ic Kowalik {Yam) : 34 . J ason Flnk (Yem ); 35. Nathan Hal e ( Yam ); 36 . Tu ck er Hibbert (Suz) ; 37 . Ja cob Martin ( Yem ) : 38. Akira NlIrita (SUl ) ; 39 . Paul Veracke (Kaw) ; 40. Ju stin Buck elew (Yam) . 125 MOTO 2 (3 0 minutes plus tw o la ps ) : 1. Grant Lang ston (KTM); 2. Larry Werd (Yam); 3. Mik e Br ow n ( Kew}: 4 . Tr avis Pastrena (S uz); 5. Steve Lamso n (Hus); 6 . Branden .Jeesernen (Hon) ; 7. Paul Currie (Hon) ; 8. Greg Sch nell (Yam ); 9. Dann y Smith (Suz); 10. Kelly Sm ith (KTM) ; 11. Ernesto Fon seca (Yam ); 12. Bobb y Bon ds (Ka w) ; 13. Nath an Ram sey ( Yam) ; 14 . Nick We y ( Yam); 15 . Broc k Sella rds ( KT M ) ; 16 . Ke it h J o h n son ( Yam}: 17 . C hris Go sseleer (Hus); 18 . Damon Huffman ( Yam ): 19. Da vid Pingree (KTM) ; 20 . Sco tt Sheek (Hon) ; 2 1. Randy Valade (Hon); 22. Steve Boniface (Hon) ; 23 . Ben Riddle (SUl); 24 . Keith S. Jo hnson ( Yam ) ; 25 . Matt Wa lk er (Ho n) ; 26 . Jo hn ny Marley (Hon); 27. Jaso n Fink ( Yam) ; 28. Erick VlIlIejo (Suz); 29. Chase Ree d ( SUl); 30 . J ac o b M ar t i n ( Yam ); 31 . Er ic Kow alik (Yam ); 32. Casey Lytle (Ka w); 33 . Tucker Hibbert (SUl); 34 . Nathan Hale (Yam) ; 35. Levi Reid (Ya m ); 3 6. Dann y Carlson (Suz); 37. A ki ra Narite (Suz); 38 . Paul v ereck e (Kaw) ; 39 . J ustin Buckelew (Yam) ; 40 . Michael Brandes (Yam). 12 5 O /A ; 1. Larry We rd ( Yam ); 2 . T ravis Pastra na (Suz ); 3 . Grant Langston ( KTM); 4. Greg Schnell (Y am) ; 5 . Em e sto F on seca ( Yam) : 6 . Branden J esseman (Hon) ; 7. Steve Lam son (Hus) ; 8. Danny Smi th (SUl) ; 9 . Nat han Ram sey (Yam); 10. Mike Brown (Kaw); 11. Kelly Smi th (KTM) ; 12. Nick Wey ( Yam) ; 13. David Ping ree ( KT M ); 14 . Paul Curr ie (Hon ); 15. Steve Bonit ece (Hen ): 16. Bobby Bond s (Kaw) ; 17. Brock Sellards ( KTM); 18. Michael Brande s ( Yam); 19 . Sco tt Sheek (Hon) ; 20. Keith Johnson (Yam); 21. Casey Lytle (Ka w); 22. Chris Gossel eer (Hus): 23 . Kei th S. Johnson (Yam) ; 24. Dam on Huffman (YAm); 25 . Ben Riddle (Suz). AMA CHEVY TRUCK S 125cc U.S . MOT OCRO SS CH AMPI O NSHI P SE RIES POIN T STA ND INGS (A ft er 6 of 12 rounds ): 1. Trav is Pastr ana (2 46/2 wins ); 2. Grant Lang ston (202/2 .....ins); 3. Mich ael Brown ( 187/1 .....in) ; 4 . Larry Werd (17 8/1 ..... in) ; 5. Em esto Fon seca (1 46) ; 6. Broc k Sellard s ( 144 ); 7. Danny Smith (12 3) ; 8. Kelly Smith (11 2) ; 9. Nathan Ramsey ( 105); 10 . Scott Sheek (1 02) ; II. Nicholas Wey (95) ; 12. Keith S. J ohnson (93) ; 13 . Branden J esseman (89) ; 14. Dam on Huffman (84 ); 15. ROOrig Thain (8 1) ; 16. Bobby Bonds (80); 17. Greg Schnell (76) ; 18. Ste ve Bonifac e (64) ; 19 . Da vid Ping ree (63); 20. Paui Curr ie (56) ; 21. Mic hael Brandes (38) ; 22 . Stev e Lamso n (3 5 ); 23 . Ivan Tedesco (3 1); 24. J usti n Buc kelew (2 9) ; 25 . Aki ra Neri te (27) ; 26 . Keith R. Johnson (24 ); 27. J oshua Wood s (22); 28. Wall y Silva (1 9); 29 . Ben Rid dle (19 ) ; 30 . Tall on Voh la n d ( 14 ); 31. Ca sey L y t l e ( 13) ; 32 . Tony Loru sso (9) ; 33 . Andr ew Short (9 ); 34. Matt Welke r (8) ; 35 . Shane Watts (6); 36 . Randy Valade (82 ); 37. Chris top her Gosselear (6 ); 3 8. Marc de Reuver (5 ); 39 . Lan ce Sma il (3 ); 40. J acob Martin (2 ); 41. Eri ck Vallejo ( I ). Upcoming RoundS: Round 7 - New Berlin, New York, July Round B • Troy , Ohio, July 22 n e _ s • 15 J ULY 11 , 200 1 13

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