Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Castle Rock Harley Nite Castle Rock Race Park (Left! Eli Price (35W) leads Beau Z. Brown (7W), Kurt Hawk (2SW) and Eric Beers In the SOOcc Expert Dash For Cash at the Castle Rock Race Pari< in Washington. Price won the Dash For Cash and the SOOc,? Expert and Open Pro main events. STORV AND PHOTOS BV CLAV LIGHT CASTlE ROCK, WA, AUG. 18 n only his second race back since a horrifying crash nearly a year ago, Eli Price showed that he hasn't lost any speed. At the penultimate round of the AMA District 27 TT Championship Series, which also doubled as the 14th annual Harley Nite, Price took the 600cc Expert and Open Proclass victories at Castle Rock Raceway Park. Price snared the lion's share of the large purse provided by the hosting Mount St. Helens Motorcycle Club, as, in addition to his two main-event victories, Price also topped the fourrider, four-lap Expert Dash For Cash. Price darted ahead of the contestants in the DFC and remained in the lead to post his first of three wins on the night in front of the largest crowd of the season, aboard his Kell Enterprises/Vince Holt/Motorcycle Worksbacked Rotax. Washington's Beau Z. Brown kept close tabs on Price and finished second, ahead of Kurt Hawk and Eric Beers. Jeff Annen led Brown. Price, Hawk and Aaron Weston on the opening lap of the Expert/Pro Sport main event, but when Pro Sport rider Jerry Hansen crashed, the race was redflagged. Hawk sliced to the inside of Annen to take the lead on the restart, and both Brown and Hawk quickly dropped Annen to fourth. Brown, a third-year Expert, was quick to challenge Hawk for the lead. That is, until Price came knockin'. By lap four, Price had scooted past Brown to close in for the kill on thirdyear Expert rider Hawk. Price overtook the former Pro Sport sensation for the lead in the dogleg section, but then he faced the looming advances of Brown, after Brown also dropped the tiring Hawk back a position. Perhaps the fastest rider through traffic was Scooter Vernon, who has established himself as a top contender while contesting the Formula USA National Dirt Track Series. Vernon I (Rlghtl Jeff Annen (40W), Hawk (2SW), Aaron Weston (S8W) and Brown (7W1 head up the 800cc Expert main event, which was won by Price. Brown finished second, ahead of Hawk, while Annen crashed out. (Left! Sam Halbert topped the 250cc main event at the penultimate round of the AMA District 27 TT Championships, which doubled as Castle Rock's annual Harley Nlte. (Below) Gary Beach led the Pro Twins main event from start to finish. charged from near last to settle into fifth midway through the 15-lap final. Positions stayed much the same until the final lap, when Annen and Hawk tangled in a squabble over third place, sending the veteran, Annen, sprawling to the ground. Price edged Brown for the top money, while Brown and Hawk filled out the podium positions. Vernon moved up into Annen's vacated position to nab fourth, ahead of Weston, Pro-Sport rider Tim Ricketts, Expert Steve Pruczinski, Hansen and Ricky Warmbo, who rounded out the top 10. Price came back several main events later to do the same in the Open Pro final. Hawk initially led but succumbed to the pressure from Price, who finalized his sweep of the night with the win. Beers ran a solid third, followed by a multiple-rider battle for fourth between Weston, Vernon, Hansen and then Dan Bennett. who rode a remarkable race, considering he hadn't ridden dirt track in 18 money. Norton rider Dick Slusher finished third, followed by Yamahamounted Cam Todd and Triumph rider Steve Sprague. ATK-mounted Gary Moore has been impressive all season long in his quest for the District 27 Over 30 and Over 40-class titles. On this night, Moore carted off a win in the competitive Over 40 final, beating last year's champion, Vince Holt, and Sportsman of The Year Allen Morinville. However, Moore suffered a poor start in the Over 30 final and finished third to Kawasaki-mounted Garry Roller and former AMA Expert John Bredfield. Mitchell Pierce overcame what must have been the scariest moment of his young and promising career to finish second in the final race of the evening, the Open A main. While leading the opening lap of the final, Pierce's Rotax sputtered to a halt. The field behind him had nowhere to go; Rotax rider Jim Morinville got the worst of it while trying to avoid Pierce. While Pierce stayed upright in the mayhem, Morinville and several others weren't as lucky, although all riders walked away unscathed. Pierce led for much of the race after the restart, but Jethro Halbert forged through traffic to post a win. Another of the racing Halberts, Sam, decimated the competition in his 250cc-c1ass win. Halbert, who recently won a class title at the West Coast Amateur Championships in California, scored a wire-to-wire win ahead of 125cc rider Elliot Oquist, 250cc pilot Derick Oquist, Yamaha-mounted Amy Pruczinski and her brother, 125cc rider Dustin Pruczinski. CN Castle IIoclc IIlIce PlIrk Castle 1Ioclc, WashinglDn Results: August 18, ZOOl years. However, the former AMA Junior National Champion's ride went awry on the final lap when he and Hansen tangled. Hansen, who was the top Pro Sport-class rider, trailed Experts Price, Hawk and Beers, but finished ahead of fellow Pro Sport competitors Vernon and Ricketts. Gary Beach won the final Pro race of the evening, the Pro Twins class, in a wire-to-wire performance. The multi-time AMA District 27 Champion fended off challenges from fellow Triumph rider Dale Parks to nab the top II: U II: •• n EX/PRO·SPT: 1. Eli Price (Rtx): 2. Beau Z. Brown (Rbt); 3. Kurt Hawk (Rbt); 4. Scooter Vernon (Rtx); 5. Aaron Weston (Rbt). OPEN PRO: I. Eli Price (Rtx); 2. Kurt Hawk (Rbt); 3. Eric Beers (Rbt); 4. Jerry Hansen (Rbt); 5. Scoot~r Vernon (Rtx). OPEN A: I. Jethro Halbert (Rtx); 2. Mitchell Pierce (Rtx); 3. John Bredfleld (Han). 125: 1. Elliot Oquist (Han); 2. Dustin Pruczjnski (Vam). 250: 1. Sllm Hllibert (Hen); 2. Elliot Oquist (Hon); 3. Derick Oquist (Hon). 125/250 DTX: I. Derick Oquist (Hon); 2. Elliot Oqulst (Han); 3. Dustin Pruczinski (Yllm). PRO TW: I. Gary Beach (Tri); 2. Dale Parks (Tn); 3. Dick Slusher (Nor); 4. Cam Todd (Vam); 5. Steve Sprague (Tri). VINT SOL: 1. Garry Roller (SU%): 2. Scott Shipley (Hon); 3. Cody Sprague (Hon). VINT TW: I. Dick Slusher (Nor); 2. Cam Todd (Vam); 3. Steve Sprague (Tn). 30+: 1. Gllrry Roller (Kaw); 2. John Bredfield (Hon); 3. Gary Moore (ATK). 40.: I. Gary Moore (ATK): 2. Vince Holt (Rtx); 3. Allen Mannville (Rtx). EX DFC: I. Eli Price (Rtx); 2. Beau Z. Brown (Rtx); 3. Kurt Hawk (Rbt): 4. Eric Beers (Rbt). __ S • SEPTEMBER 19.2001 57

• Cover