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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128128
grabbed second, over Stiles, local Husqvarna rider Alan Alford, and Kevin Walker. Smith was again setting an incredibly fast pace right off the bat, and it only took three laps into the moto to see that nobody was going to touch him. With Smith out front and on cruise control, the crowd's attention turned to the great battle going on for the second-place spot between Stiles, Gibson and Walker. Stiles found the groove that he showed last year at the track when he swept both motos and looked good as he slowly inched away from the battling pair of Walker and Gibson. By the time Smith passed under the checkered flag, Stiles was again riding almost by himself, and he just finished out the lap with a steady ride for second place. Gibson edged out Walker at the finish by a scant two seconds, making the top three in the moto. However, it was Walker who made the podium with third overall, behjnd Smith and Stiles. Mason showed that consistency pays off by turning in a pair of fifth-place rides to net fourth overall over Gibson's 8-3 tally. eN Bin:ll Creek Matllrsparts P8It IIlIDville, Virginill Results: September 1S, ZUUl lHaDnd Zl 4-STRK NATL: I. Kelly Smith (KTM); 2. Clark Stiles (KTM); 3. Kevin Walker (Yam); 4. Brian Mason (KTM); 5. Jeff Gibson (KTM); 6. Michael Campbell (Vam); 7. Mark Wagner (Vam); 8. Matt Shue (Hus); 9. William Bry~lOt (Yam); 10. Thomas Burton (Yam). AMA fall Classic Nationals Round 2: Birch Creek Motorsports Park Smith Takes Two Bv JAV HAUSER DANVILlE, VA, SEPT. 16 K TM big-bore specialist Kelly Smith had already run off with the Fall Classic Four-Stroke win earlier in the day, so he figured, Why not take two class wins for the day? That's exactly what he did, running off and hiding for two moto wins to take the AMA Fall Classic 250cc Proclass win at round two, held at Birch Creek Motorsports Park. The AMA Fall Classic is quickly becoming the premier "after Nationals· series, and it has grown every year. The event runs the Four-Stroke Nationals, along with 125cc Pro-Am and premier 250cc Pro-Am classes, paying out more than $ 12,000 in Pro purse and contingencies. Riders came from more than 15 states to compete for their share of the glory. Very few people can match the speed that Kingsport, Tennessee, Yamaha rider Kevin Walker can produce around the Birch Creek track. When the 125cc class got off the gate in both 125cc Pro-Am motos, the 25rider field of 125cc pilots (with six riders fielding YZ250Fs) found out quickly why it's so hard to catch Walker: They cant see him! As soon as the gate hit the ground in both motos, Walker blasted his YZ250F to the front and was gone, out of sight, checked out! Seven riders went at it for the remaining podium positions. The real battle was between two-stroke riders Josh Summey, aboard a Team Green Kawasaki; Maryland's Aaron Day, aboard a standard YZ; Jeff Gibson, on his Suzuki; and the field's only Husqvarna pilot, Jim Neese. When the dust settled for the day, Walker was standjng atop the podium. Summey bettered a distant fourth-place finish in moto one with a strong second-place run in moto two to grab second overall. Day slipped a few spots back in the second moto but still grabbed a top-three overall by turning in a score of 2-5. Gibson also slid back a few spots from his first-moto third-place showing to hold on to a sixth in the final moto for fourth overall. North Carolina's Neese put his Husky in the top three of the final 125cc Pro moto, but his firstmoto eighth-place finish killed him overall, just allowing him to squeak into the top five. When the 250cc class hit the track, you could tell they meant business. More than 30 riders pounded into the first turn, some six of those being Nationally ranked. Just as he did in the Four-Stroke National on this same day, KTM's Kelly Smith took control of the holeshot aboard his National number-35 KTM 520, beating National number 66, Kevin Crine, to the punch. Crine performs quite well on the National circuit and he was ready to give Smith a good battle in the first 250cc moto, but no matter what he tried, he just could never get within striking distance. Crine may have been distracted while chasing Smith, however, due to the fact that 125cc winner Walker was hounding rus rear fender the entire moto. Jeff Gibson kept rus KTM 520 on the pipe, just a few seconds back from Walker, for most of the moto before giving way to the ever-stylish Clark Stiles. Late in the moto, Stiles displaced Gibson back to fifth, leaving him to fend off Summey and Ballzee's Chad Lough for his top-five spot. The second 250cc Pro-Am moto was more of the same. Smith pulled four perfect holeshots on the day, which was the final nail in the coffin for the competition. Stiles stepped it up a notch in moto two after pulling a strong second-place shot out of the Birch Creek Motorsports Park: Red BulVKTM ace Kelly Smith was untouchable at the AMA Fall Classic National in Danville, Virginia, winning both 250Cc Pro motos for the overall. gate and proceeded to try hjs final attempt at shutting down Smith for a moto win, but it was not to be. Smith waited until the halfway mark and reached in one more time for that last burst to send himself to the checkers, taking his fourth and final moto victory over a distant Stiles_ Crine did a good job of making up from a semidecent start to work into third by moto's end, but he was never a threat to the front-runners, although his third was good enough to put him on the second step of the podium. Stiles netted third overall. Brian Mason only managed to finish eighth in the first moto, but he came back strong for a fourth in moto two, which worked him into the top five overall. Fourth fell to the steadfast Walker, who rode a conservative race to land in sixth place, behind Neese. IIn:II Creek Matersports PIIrt 1IlInville, Virgini.l ......Ils: SeptalDber 11, ZUUl lRauad Zl 125 PRO: 1. Kevin Walker (Vam); 2. Josh Summey (Kaw): 3. Aaron Day (Vam); 4. Jeff Gibson (Sul); 5. Jim Neese (Hus); 6. Kevin Cnne (Hon); 7. Jon Boruff (Suz); 8. William Bryant (Vam); 9. Mark Wagner (Vam); 10. Doug Earls (Suz). 250 PRO: I. Kelly Smith (KTM); 2. Kevin Cnne (Hon); 3. Clark Stiles (KTM); 4. Kevin Walker (Vam); 5. Brian Mason (KTM); 6. Josh Summey (Kaw): 7. Jeff Gibson (KTM); 8. Matt Shue (Hus); 9. Chad Lough (KTM); 10. A.ron Day (Yam). Ballzee Grand Championship Series Round 6: Birch Creek Motorsports Park FitzV\Tater Waxes Birch Creek Bv JAV HAUSER DANVlLLE, VA, SEPT. 16 T he Ballzee Grand Championship made a stop back at Birch Creek Motorsports Park for round six of the 13-race series, running in conjunction with the AMA Fall Classic and FourStroke Nationals. Joining up with a National event always brings out some top-notch Amateur racing, and this race day cue I e n was no different. KTM/Red Bull's Kelly Smith had a virtual stronghold on the 250cc Pro Fall Classic and the Four-Stroke National, turning in a four-moto sweep for the double victory, and he was one of only two riders at the event to do so. Reidsville, North Carolina's Sam Fitzwater, riding a Kawasaki KX80, had the same idea. Fitzwater joined Smith as the only other rider to sweep two different classes on the day. Fitzwater aced e _ S • OCTOBER 31, 200t 75