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heat. Charlie "The Edge" Venegas has got his speedway legs back, and he also came away with a win, in the third heat. "Flyin'" Mike Faria finished out the first round with a win in the fourth heat. Chris "The Kid" Manchester had problems in the first round but they weren't evident in the second round, as he blew away the competition in the first heat. Venegas put in another great ride and won his second-round heat. Shawn "Mad Dog" McConnell came out of the four gate and battled "Fast" Ed Castro all the way to the checkered but notched one in the "win" column. Scott Brant, who came back late in the season, has been totally on track, and he proved it by taking the final heat of the Costa Mesa Speedway: Bill Matherson and Dale Leeder proudly display their trophies for repeating as the National round. With two rounds Sidecar Champions In Costa Mesa, California. in the books, only Venegas· was unbeaten. McConnell was one point back. Brant, Randy "The Rocket" Venegas closed the door on all DiFrancesco and Carrillo were attempts to get by. The fickle finger two back. of fate stepped in as they came out of One more round and only 10 ridfour on the last lap. Venegas hooked ers would move up the program to up out of the turn and it sent him the semis. Dukie. Ermolenko felt it high, and that was all Larsen needed was time to step up, and boy, did he, to get by and take the win. Venegas with a great final ride; it would be was limping as he headed for the pits. enough to put him in a semi. Larsen, The Sidecar main was a barnafter a goose egg in the second burner. Matherson and Leeder came round, knew what he had to do to off the pole and took the lead from move up, and he did, coming out of the get-go. Jones and McElroy were gate three and never looking back; out second but were really being he, too, would move on. Venegas saw pressured by Danny and Chris Jones. his win streak come to an end as It was all-in-the-family time. Millar McConnell rained on his parade; they and Straw were waiting in the wings, ended the heat racing tied for the and they got their chance as the points lead. Faria, like Larsen, had a white flag came out. Danny and Chris zero in his second heat, and the man oversteered out of two, and it put from Reno knew what he had to do them in the infield. Millar and Straw and he did it, finishing on top in the got by and went after Jones and final heat of the night. McElroy. The crowd was on its feet Faria and McConnell got the direct for the boyfriend-girlfriend team, and transfer from the first semi as they went they managed to hang tough, and one-two. Larsen and Venegas made the second was theirs. transfer from the second semi. John DeFries won the Support In the last-chance qualifier, Scott main, topping David Lynch and Jeff Brant came out of the two gate and ran Blaydes. eN away from the rest of the field. He would Costa Mesa SpeedwlY be the final man in the Scratch main. Costa Mesa, california They drew on the line for start Results: September 29, 2001 positions for the main. The pole went SCR: 1. Josh Larsen (Jaw); 2. Charlie Venegas to Venegas, with McConnell in two (Jaw); 3. Shawn McConnell (OM): 4. Scott Brant and Larsen in three. On the outside were Faria and Brant. Venegas was on his game and cut a beautiful gate and went to the head of the field. Larsen was right behind bim, but (GM); 5. Mike Faria (Jaw). SOeR NATL: 1. Bill Matherson/Dale Leeder (Yam); 2. Joe Jones/Brandi McElroy (Kaw); 3. Ross Millar/Jack Straw (Yam); 4. Ollnny Jones/Chris Jones (Yam). SOP: 1. John DeFries (Jaw); 2. Dzwid Lynch (JllW); 3. Jeff Blaydes (Jaw); 4. Gerry Duttweiler (Jaw). AHRMAlSpeed & Sport National Vintage Trials Series Round: 18 Willow Creek Motocross Park - Dangermond Perfect at Willow Creek BY CLAY LIGHT /llADRAS, OR, SEPT. 29 R andy Dangermond, riding a Yamaha TY175, devoured the competition in the Modern Classic Novice class at round 18 of the AHRMA Speed £, Sport National Vintage Trials Series, held in the canyons near the Willow Creek Motocross Park in central Oregon. Dangermond, a first-year trials competitor, netted the day's lowest score - a perfect zero - to post a victory in the largest class of the day on the four-line course, which was laid out by Pete Fisher and his crew. Several other riders had scores close to Dangermond's, including BSAmounted Marty Paulson, who tallied a single point in his Premier Heavyweight-class victory, and Premier Lightweight Expert-class winner Martin Spriggs. Spriggs, who was also a winner at the Chehalis, Washington, round six weeks earlier, double-dabbed on his first of three loops but rebounded to zero the remaining two circuits. Like Modern Classic Intermediate winner Len Sims, Spriggs tallied just two points at the end of the day aboard his 1961 250cc Greeves. Spriggs finished ahead of fellow Canadian Ken Bumingham. Sims, riding a Yamaha, scored the win in his class after breaking a tie with local rider Aaron Hohman. Jon Wall, who, like Hohman, would garner success at the motocross portion (both won two classes), placed third in the competitive Modern Classic Novice class with scores of three and two on his first two loops. Things improved for Wall on the third loop with a perfect run to finish with five points to trail Dangermond and Mike Salsman, who topped the class at Chehalis. Salsman finished second with one point (0-0-1). Rounding out the top five were two other riders known for their motocross prowess, Neil Giertsen and Dallas Nyblod. Oregon's Bill Row, who rode a Honda TL250, placed fourth in the Modern Classic Intermediate class, although the rider from Springfield had the best scores on the final two loops. It was Sims, also a winner at the earlier Chehalis round, who won the class with just two points, ahead of Hohman, John Wilkes and Row. Row went 6-0-0 on the day to finish ahead of the fifth-place finisher, Mike Falcioni, who had consistent double-dabs on each lap for a final tabulation of six points. "I don't get any practice at this [trialsl all year long, so it took me the first loop to get comfortable," Row said. "After that, I finally figured it out, but it was a little too late." The high-desert course featured 10 sections, ranging from deep, off-camber, sandy lines to mud and bare tree roots, as well as a hillclimb on the eighth section. Section five was one of the most picturesque of the series, featuring a small waterfall and a creek crossing. The most challenging, though, was section seven. There were several creek crossings and muddy, slippery rocks. Willow Creek Motocross Park: Californian stunt man Gary Davis received runner-up honors In the Premier Heavyweight Expert class at round 18 of the AHRMAISpeed & Sport National Trials in Madras, Oregon. cue •• n __ S • NOVEMBER 14,2001 71