Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128119
The Sarge's Cycles/Pro Action of Kentucky /Moose/FMF /IMS-backed Allen jumped to the lead right from the start. On his dad's KTM 400 EXC, he grabbed for the holeshot and flew into all the right places. After the start, he proceeded up an incline straightaway, swerved into a 360, and came back around one bike length ahead of Mike Sampson. When he disappeared, he set his sights on the 200cc A riders - the class that was one minute ahead. "I really didn't have any problems today," Allen later reported. "It was fine. I got by the 200 A leader [Derek Bratcher] halfway through the first lap. I simply followed him for a while, then I passed him." Once out front, Allen stayed there. He made five laps in an hour and 39 minutes and claimed the fastest lap time for every lap. He claimed first place in the 250cc/Open A class and first overall with a minute and a half to spare. Carsten Cagle grabbed the strong lead in the 200cc A class and, despite a few dilemmas, he was the next person into the score tent. After the House of Cycles/Shift/Bridgestone/Spectro-supported Cagle passed Bratcher, he managed to sustain his lead. He got a flat tire during the third lap and went down several times thereafter. Determined, he pulled a good four-minute lead ahead of Bratcher, who took second place in the 200cc A class and seventh overall. Cagle claimed first place in the 200cc A class and second overall. "I thought it was fine," said Cagle. "It wasn't rough at all riding on a flat." The next rider through the score tent was 250cc/Open A rider Lance Smith. He was the second rider off the start, directly behind Allen. "I told P.A. before the start that I was going to take the lead away from him when we got up that hill," Smith said. "I did. Until I blew the turn and gave up my place to Sampson and [Steve] Gordon. After that, Gordon let me by, but I had to work my way around Sampson. There was no way I was going backwards on this course!" Smith steadied his Yamaha into second place in the 250cc/Open A class and third overall, riding smoothly and smartly. A minute and 25 seconds later, David Turner maneuvered his KTM into fourth overall. "I had a poor holeshot because I was expecting it to spin more out of the first turn," said Turner, who recounted that Ruel Jones pushed him back to fourth, but that two miles into the course, he retaliated. "Ruel went a little hot into a turn, and I cut in. The rest is history!" Turner, the 1981 Mid-South champion, felt no pressure in winnLng the Vet B class. He flew like an A rider in a B class, but that was because there PICK UP $5.00 OFF ENTRY COUPON AT SAN BERNARDINO. CA 909-889-2761 cue. e n e _ S • AUGUST 29, 2001 67