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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128119
when gating off a concrete pad. However,
unlike a lot of motocross jockeys, he exhibits
a special knack for being able to pick his way
through a pack and run away with moto wins.
His bike is red. His number plate is red. His
pants, jersey and helmet are red. He's a
Honda man - as if one couldn't tell. It's in his
blood (which, of course, is also red).
At the Mid-South Motoplex/Milan Pawn
Shop/Suzuki of Paris/Chris Grissom
Racing/Bob's Honda/Elliott Sign and Designsponsored Powerline Supercross track in
Atwood, Tennessee, 125cc C rider Kelly found
himself sandwiched in the holeshot pack in
the heat and the main but managed to knock
off rider after rider in the early stages of each
to take the top podium spot for the evening.
Yamaha man B.J. Sauls of Bruceton, Tennessee, took the holeshot in the heat race,
with Honda-mounted Hunter Sykes running
second. and right on Sykes' rear knobby was
another Yamaha rider, Jason Hornsby. Kelly
was sardined in the middle of the 12-racer
field. With patience, persistence and an
uncanny knack for making the right move at
the right time on each rider in front of him.
Kelly began to work his way through the pack.
By the end of lap one, he'd put three contestants behind him and was working on Sykes
and Hornsby. Kelly then passed Hornsby and
Sykes and then, near the end of lap two, put
leader Sauls in his back pocket and sailed
away to a comfortable lead and the heat win.
In the main event, Suzuki man Jason
Gamble of Jackson, Tennessee, bolted off the
concrete launch pad and smoked the pack to
the hole. Running second and third, respectively, were Hornsby and Sykes. Once again,
Kelly found himself squeeZing around the hole
back in sixth or seventh place. By midway
through the first lap, Kelly had managed to
slither around three riders, Sykes and holeshot
man Gamble included, and was on his way to
overtaking the front-running Hornsby and
Sauls. In the whoops, Kelly looked a~ if he'd
eaten all the Powerline dirt he cared to swallow, and he jetted by Sauls and Hornsby so
fast that Sauls ,took a nose dive and a soil
sample. Hornsby shook his head at whatever
that red thing was thot just passed him wide
open. At the end of lap one, the main was
more or less over, with Kelly pacing himself in
a line and rhythm that brought him through
lapped traffic and to the checkers for the win.
Screaming to be bumped up out of the
Beginner ranks, J.D. Schendel, although slow
off the line, won the Beginner Stock contest
outright and took an overall second in Beginner Modified competition after crashing in the
last turn of the last lap in race one. The word
on the street is that Schendel is getting the
boot up to Amateur after Sunday's race.
Expert Stock competition offered up the
best duel of the day, with a two-stroke-vs.four-stroke twist to add spice. From flag to
nag in race one, James Mann was all over
Brian Jackson for the point, followed closely
by Blair Sullenger and Jason Takamoto. In a
seesaw battle for the lead, Jackson stretched
his four-stroke's legs on the straights, only to
have Mann catch hjm up in the tight comer,
using the quick snap of his two-stroke. In the
end, Jackson was able to fend off Mann's
unrelenting attack for first, with Sullenger
hanging tight for third and Takamoto a distant
fourth.
Race two was a carbon copy of race one,
with Jackson and Mann riding magnificently.
Pressing Jackson to the finish for the lead,
Mann drove hard through the last tum, but his
ponies pulled up short, giving Jackson the
victory, followed once again by Sullenger and
Takamoto. On today's battlefields, the courageous little two-strokes fight hard for their survival with a two· for-one four-stroke formula
that doesn't seem fair - but that's racing.
Results
BEG STK: I. J.D. Schendel; 2. Joshua torst; 3. Syimphia Vue; 4.
Scott Cohea; 5. Reuben Waters.
BEG MOD: 1. Phoog Vue; 2. J.D. Schendel; 3. Craig Granados;
4. Joah Kirst; 5. Yasuyo Nakamura.
AM STK: I. Alan Mortenson; 2. Rick Lasch; J. Scott Carrera; 4.
Takeidii Ayuma; 5. Torno Kobayashi.
AM F·50: I. Damian Saavedra; 2. Travis Violette; 3. Takelchl
Ayuma.
AM F·GP: 1. Jason Van Styke; 2. Rick Lasch; 3. DamIan Saeve.
dra; 4. Mike Kelty; 5. Dan Cashen.
EX STK: 1. Brian Jecbon; 2. JarTle'S Mann; 3. Blair Sullenger; 4.
Jason Takamoto; S. Jon ScMnde:l.
EX F·GP; \. Quentin Wilson: 2. Rlchy Headley; 3. Jason
Takamoto; 4. John Ig@l"tic:5. Frank Rodriguez.
VET STK: I. Leigh Crawford: 2. Alan Mortenl()l'l; 3. Blelr Sullenger; 4. Jason Takamoto; 5. Jack O'Dell.
VET MOD: I. Jason Van S1yke; 2. Rkk Lasch; 3. Ben Morse; 4.
Damian Saav~; 5. Frank Rodriguez.
SR $TK; 1. Tommy Crawford; 2. Nick TIerno; 3. Bill Lawless; 4.
Jeff Barton; 5. Terry Vance.
AM 80 GP: I. Mike Kelly; 2. NormM Simon; 3. Cory Peterson; 4.
Shawn 1gercic; 5. Ray Pichette.
EX 80 GP: I. Allron Hammel: 2. Montaka KJna; 3. Ben Merle; 4.
Jon Schendel; 5. Jeff Russell.
F·3 125 GP: I. Patrick Lonnie; 2. Jeff Russell; 3. Allron Hanvnel;
4. Morltaka Kina; 5. Shane W~ks.
F·IN$ANE: I. Ko Kaglya; 2. Sylmphla Vue: 3. Anh Tutln Tran; 4.
Joson Van Slyke.
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Motorcycle Raceway: Scooter Webb caught the Over 30 Amateur win at the annual
Kawasaki Night-Time National In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
16·24: I. Jason P~rry (Hon); 2. Shane KI"ier (Kaw): 3. John
Hutcha$Ol"l (Kaw): 4. Eric: Powell (Yem); 5. Justin K~lIy (Hon).
125 A: 1. Jamtlel Bond (Hon).
125 B: 1. Shane Kiasiar (Kaw); 2. Charles Brooks (Hon); 3. John
Hutchason (Kew); 4. A!on Weatherford (Yam); 5. MelisSlll Bailey (Sw.).
125 C: 1. Justin Kelly (Hon); 2. B.J. Sauls (Yam); 3. Hunter
Sykes (Hon); 4. Don CtlfSlde (Hon); 5. Jason Oable (Suz).
125/BEQ: I. Ronnie Ramsey (Hon); 2. Adam Rivers (Kaw); 3.
Jon Thomason (Hon): 4. Jesse Tolley (Hon); 5. Daniel Arant (Kaw).
250 A:. 1. Jatnltel Bond (Hen).
250 B: I. Casey Johnson; 2. Greg Hammond' (Hoo); 3. Todd
Shetrlll (Yam): 4. Eric Powell (Yam); 5. Lee MaMlng (Suz).
250 C: I. Caleb Deweese (Yam); 2. Larry Jones (Hon): 3.
Nathan Cooke: 4. Pete Klynstra (Kaw): 5. Brian Wheeler (Suz).
2SO/BEG: I. Shane Hart (Hon); 2. Jonathan Sellers (Suz); 3.
Barry Jon