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/128130
was scary. I think I got them back in some of the tight stuff. I didn't really have to battle with anybody." Pearson, on the other hand, spent much of the race dicing with people. "I ended up getting, I think, between 12th and 15th on my start," he said. "I just kept trying to ride hard. It seemed like the 50Os were killing me in the valleys." Pearson made up time on the second loop, then made several passes on the tight third loop, holding off Paul Krause despite a problem with his power valve in the last five miles. "For a bad start, I was happy," Krause said. "I was probably 20, maybe 25th at the end of the [first] valley. I'm just scared to go fast in the dust. Once we got out there and everyone kind of settled down, I kind of Relatively out-gunned until the final 4O-plus-mile loop, David Pearson raced his VZ250 to third overall, moving up to fifth in the final series points. stuff. I went down a couple times on that last loop." Despite his minor tip-overs on the worked my way through. I guess I was eighth or ninth going out on the last (Above left! Paul Krause's fourth overall matched his best National finish from two weeks ago - also in Luceme • but he did it the hard way by coming through the pack after a bad start. (Above) Steve Hengeveld was unable to match his best National finish of third overall of two weeks ago • also believed to be an XR best - but he recovered from a hard crash and slashed through the pack to place fifth, weeks earlier. "Coming out here this weekend and getting fifth - that's not so bad because I think I could've got- loop, and I passed three more guys." His fourth overall matched his finish from the last National two weeks ago, also at Lucerne, as a best National finish. Hengeveld fumbled a good start (about sixth) when he hit a rock in a last loop, Abbott maintained a com- sandwash and fell. "I swear, like fortable lead all the way to the finish. With Brown out, Walch bumped up to everybody and their mom passed me," he said. "I couldn't start the second place. "Shane Esposito and I bike; my arms were real sore; I was kind of battled for the same line off thinking, 'Should I just go in or the start, but that was about [the only what?'" dicing I did]. I think I was fourth on though, and worked his way back up to fifth - two places worse than the They were hair-balling it - dang, that his best-ever National finish two end just because guys like David [Pearson] and Paul [Krause] passed me after I was laying there for a little bit, all crashed out." eN lOO's MatlIn;ycle Club Luceme Velley, Celifamle Resuns:Octaber28,2001 AMA NATIONAL C'SHIP HARE & HOUND SERIES FINAL POINTS STANDINGS (After B of B rounds): 1. Destry Abbott (180/6 wins); 2. Brhm Brown (137/1 win); 3. Russell Pearson (122/1 win); 4. Shane Espos~o (110); 5. David Pearson (93); 6. Kurt Caselli (87); 7. Lucli Trussardi (82); 8. Kellon Wlilch (75): 9. Andy Grider (74); 10. Steve Hengeveld (63). O/A: 1. Destry Abbott (KlIw): 2. Kellon Walch (KlIw); 3. David Pearson (Yam); 4. Paul Krause (KTM); 5. Steve Hengeveld (Han); 6. Ron Shuler (K.w); 7. Kirk Stephensen (Kaw); B. Johnny Campbell (Han); 9. Luke Dodson (Kaw); 10. Dam;en Galford (Kaw). Hengeveld pulled himself together, the start, but a couple guys just banzaied past me! I was like, 'Whoa!' ten second or third again this week- Sporting the same orange mohawk he first showed off at the GNCC finale in Indiana, Shane Watts made his desert debut at the 1OO's M.e. National on the same electric-start KTM 520 MXC he'd won with the previous week. Asked what prompted him to venture to a region that rarely sees woods racers from "back East," Watts replied jokingly, "I don't know!" The Australian continued, "You always hear about the National Hare f, Hound [Series). I just wanted to come out and see what one's about. and this is the only one that fit into my schedule. We missed out on a big party I"st night for Halloween, but that doesn't matter. We'll go out and have a shot today. Whether I like it or whether I don't, we'll find out. It's a bit sketchy out there with all the dust and that, but I'll just ride to my own safe speed and see what happens. I'm really just here to check it out and see what these hare f, hounds are about" Come race time, the Aussie - who confessed he'd never ridden in the barren outback of his home country - lined up a few feet away from former series champ Brian Brown and desert veteran Paul Krause, and got a good jump off the line. Despite getting dusted out, he figured he was fourth or fifth at one point, but his race came to a premature stop when his chain came apart on the first loop, requiring an estimated half hour before he could scrounge parts and tools to repair it and get back underway. By then, of course, the leaders were long gone, so he just cruised the remainder of the race. "I could see the lead guys when we got over into the rocks, and a rock must've hit the joiner clip [on the chain's master link) and busted it off," Watts said. After effecting temporary repairs, Watts cruised back to the pits to have the problem fixed correctly by KTM's Revelle Harrison, then set out to complete the race. " I had good fun," Watts said. "I really enjoyed it It would've been good to be still up at the front there and seen how fast [the leaders) went across there and what sort of pace they ran for the whole race. I don't know if I could race it all the time because it sort of compromises what I believe is a fair race • how far you can go off the track [course markers) and stuff like that I'm not such a big fan of that, but the actual ride today was worth it and fun. I could do it [as a] once-a-year-type thing; it was a fun thing to do, for sure. The speed was nice, it was real nice. It was heaps good [fun], getting off the side of the line and blazing your own trail. I loved itl" BRIEFLY••• Of his first National on a 500, Kellon Walch exclaimed 'It's so awesome [riding that! out herel You just sit down and give it gas, and you're gone! It's a lot easier than a 250. - Welch finished an impressive second overall on the bike, but will take a two-year break from racing as he goes on a Mormon mission to Cleveland, Ohio. "I love this so much," he said. 'The last couple weekends, I've just been haVing so much fun, it was a tough decision. I've been working hard to really go out good, so I'm happy with today." Walch thanked his parents. Price Racing, Kawasaki, Todd Hicks at Fox Racing, Dunlop, Pro Circuit. BRP and Twin Air. Asked if he'd get a chance to ride while in Ohio (close to GNCC rounds), Walch laughed, "You're not supposed to! We'll see what happens. - Honda's Johnny Campbell hadn't ridden a National Since January of last year, but he decided to enter the 100's event despite the upcoming SCORE Baja 1000 being Just two weeks away. "I just wanted to get some exercise. and thought r d come out and ride and cruise around, [yet notl take any chances," he said. -I've got the 1000 around the corner, and I definitely can't mess that up for Honda. Maybe for the future, in the next couple months, I might be dOing some local stufftesting. maybe some CRF450 testing - so it was good to come out and familiarize myself again with Luceme Valley." Honda director of racing Chuck Miller made the trip out to Lucerne. both to break in a CRF450R and watch team riders Johnny Campbell and Steve Hengeveld, who would leave the following morning to start pre-running for the 1000. However, Hengeveld won't be pre-running in Baja straight-through until the race. He'll be returning home in order to race a District 37 grand prix next week in an attempt to wrap up the number-one plate over KTM's Paul Krause. Ron Shuler's Vet-class win and sixth·overall finish unofficially gave him the AMA District 37 class championship and, he believed, second in his class' final standings behind Luca Trussardi. who did not ride the finale, as he was preparing to return to his home in Italy. Instead of racing. Russell Pearson helped cousin David in order to give his wrist injury more time to heal. However, Russell had enough points to ensure himself of third in the final points. Former series champ Ty Davis was a no-show. as he is recovering from recent surgery. Luke Dodson's ninth overall, second 250, was his first National top-10 finish. -I never thought I would run that high up in the pack.' he admitted. 'I was just waiting for something to break or go wrong, but it just went good." Destry Abbott ended up winning all four Nationals held in Lucerne, as well as the two in Utah. His worst finishes? A pair of seconds· in Idaho behind Idaho's Brian Brown and in Nevada behind Nevada's Russell Pearson. Next year's eight-round series will also start and finish in Lucerne. In between. though, one race has been added in Idaho. bring that state's number of Nationals to two. Utah will also host two, Nevada one. Luceme is the venue for three. cue I e, n e _ 50 NOVEMBER 14, 2001 53