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
Eddie Mulder's West Coast Vintage Dirt Track Series Round 5: Willow Springs International Raceway Steffen, Hinton and Bradford pulled up behind. By FRED WIN DUM PHOTOS BY JAMEY BLUNT ROSAMOND, CA, OCT. 13 ob Nolin dominated the Modern 500cc class and Paul Herman dominated the Modern 750cc class at the penultimate round of Eddie Mulder's West Coast Vintage Flat Track Series on Willow Springs Raceway's half-mile oval. With Willow's notorious "gentle breeze" on hold, the banked cushion track stayed damp and fast throughout the day, giving the fans and racers some great racing. Marshall Jennings led the Barnett Clutch/A&A Racing Super Senior/ Senior Novice race, with Ron Gould on his tail. Gould and his Gold Star settled into the lead, but Jennings had his hands full with Cliff Nagatani, who pulled alongside at the finish. Gould took the win, Jennings held on to second, and Nagatani was third. The C&J Racing Frames/Maxxis Tires/Brown's Cycles Vet A Main belonged to Richard Pollock and his XR650 Honda, with Steve Fortune, Richard Held, Travis Petton and Jim Steet giving chase. Held dropped his ride on lap two. Brian Coakley followed Held's move, also losing it in turn two a lap later. Both riders were unhurt and quickly up. Keith Bradford made his way past Steet, as Petton added to the attrition in the race, lowsiding in turn three. Pollock held on to the win, with Fortune, Bradford and Steet following. Steet took off to lead the Oregon Cascade Water/Megacycle/Maxima Modern 250 race on his XL250 Honda, followed by John Lindsay, Steve Ferguson and Nagatani. Steet continued to run out front while Ferguson worked his way past Lindsay, but he was too late to catch up to Steet. Nagatani closed on Lindsay, but at the finish it was Steet with the win, over Ferguson, while Lindsay held off Nagatani for third. Tom Sahli rolled in fifth. Nolin ran away with the Bartels' Harley/The Shop Modern 500cc class, pulling out a 10-bike lead on The Progressive Suspension/ K&N/Saddlemen's Pro 600cc main started out like another Richard Pollock benefit as he put his Honda in the lead, ahead of Donnie Harrell, Fortune, Shawn Raggio and Jim Wood. Wood slid up high in turn one and bounced off the hay bales, coming back into the fray in ninth place. Harrell took over the lead on his Wood-Rotax on the front straight at the end of lap two, with Raggio passing both Fortune and Pollock for second. Pollock drove inside Raggio at the same time Fortune ran up high, sandwiching the Northern California rider and dropping him back to third as Pollock stole second. Harrell was out front by a straightaway, while Fortune passed Raggio for third, and Jim Wood joined them in fifth after working his way back from ninth place. Fortune began to pressure Pollock, taking second as Bradford went down hard on the exit of turn two. "I saw little birdies," Bradford later said. With the red flag, Harrell took the win, with Fortune getting credit for second, ahead of Pollock, Raggio and Wood. eN (Above) Rob Nolin dominated the Modern 500cc class at the penultimate round of Eddie Mulder's West Coast Vintage Dirt Track Series. (Above) Chris Rudy scored the Classic 500cc victory at Willow Springs International Raceway. (Left) Ron Gould rode his Gold Star to the Super Senior win in Rosamond, California. Willow Springs International Raceway Rosamond, California Results: October 13, 2001 (Round 5 of &1 (RIght) Paul Herman was victorious in the Modem 750Cc contest. the back straight. Dave Harness was charging out of turn four, close on Held's back tire, when Held suffered a mechanical failure, leaving Harness nowhere to go; he caught the back of Held's machine and went down at the start/finish line, leaving Bob Thomas in second, with Jim Keeler and Bob Gerberich bringing up the rear. Marty Lewis led the Berkeley Yamaha/JRC Engineering 750cc A main through turn two, but it was Steve Miller who led down the back stretch. In turn three, Donnie Harrell took over, with Miller second. Paul Herman charged through the pack and passed Miller for second but slipped up in turn one, letting both Miller and Lewis past. Herman was quickly back on the gas and took second back, gaining on Harrell, and taking the lead coming out of turn two on the fifth lap. Harrell tried a YTH 60: I. Logan Johnson (Cem); 2. Billy Myers (Rok). YTH 80:1. Frankie Garcia (Kaw); 2. Andy Wood (Yam); 3. Devin Booher (Hon); 4. Jess Garcia (Kaw); 5. Eric Sigmon (Rok). VET A: 1. Richard Pollock (Hon); 2. Steve Fortune (W-R); 3. Keith Bradford (Yam); 4. Jim Steet (W-R). VET B: 1. Jim Wichert (Tri): 2. Bill Kolkman (Yam); 3. Steve Ferguson (Hon); 4. Gary White (HD); 5. Dave Harness (Kaw). SR: I. Eddie Mulder (Tn); 2. Marty Lewis (Tn); 3. Dick Slusher (Tri); 4. Bob Thomas (BSA); 5. Mike Boal (Yam). SR NOV / S/SR: I. Ron Gould (BSA): 2. Marshall Jennings (Hon); 3. Cliff Nagalcni (Bul); 4. Doug Phelps (Rok); 5. Dave Cheney (Tri). INO ROC: I. Mike O'Neill: 2. Eddie Mulder; 3. Jim Rosa: 4. Michael Hesse; 5. Marty Lewis. eLSC 250: I. Dave Cheney (H-D). CLSC 500: I. Chris Rudy (H-D); 2. Clark Edgington (Hon): 3. Alan Shaw (Rok); 4. Eugene Smith (Hon); 5. Matt Campbell (Tn). MORN 250: I. Jim Steet (Hon); 2. Steve Ferguson (Hon); 3. John Lindsay (V8m); 4. Cliff Nagatani (8ul); 5. Tom Sahli (Bul). MORN 500: 1. Rob Nolin (Yam); 2. Bob Thomas (Yam): 3. Jim Keeler (Yam); 4. Bob Gerberich (Hon). M.ORN 750 A: 1. Paul Herman (Tri); 2. Donnie Harrell (Tri); 3. Steve Miller (Yam): 4. Marty Lewis (Tri); 5. Gary White (H-D). M.ORN 750 B: 1. Bob Graves (Tri); 2. Stu Cardott (Tri); 3. Reuben Malaguarnero (H-D): 4. Jim Wichert (Tri); 5. David Nicholson. 250 OPEN: I. Alex Wood (Yam); 2. Hershel Meyers (Rok); 3. Steve Ferguson (Hon); 4. Ian Foulds (Yam). 500 sap: 1. Robbie Nolin (Y~m); 2. Jim Wood Jr. (Suz); 3. Joe Steffen (Yam); 4:Ron Hinton (Yam); 5. Keith Bradford (Yam). OPEN AM: I. Rod Sexton (Hon); 2. Nick Moore (W-R); 3. Alex Wood (Suz); 4. Ron Moore (Hon). PRO 600: I. Donnie Harrell (W·R); 2. Steve Fortune (W·R); 3. Richard Pollock (Han); 4. Shawn Raggio (CCM); 5. Jim Wood Jr. (Suz). high line by the bales to get a drive onto the front straight to get the lead back, but Herman's new SB Enterprises Triumph was hooked up and moving out, finishing about six bike lengths ahead of Harrell at the flag. Miller and Lewis kept third and fourth, with Gary White fifth. Nolin took the high line in the Rod Lake Racing/Nesbit Insurance 500cc Support race, with Joe Steffen, Bradford and Ron Moore close behind. Nolin checked out once again, leaving Steffen to contend with Moore, Ron Hinton and Jim Wood Jr. Wood found Nolin's high line, passing Hinton, Moore and Steffen in one lap to take over second. By the final lap, Wood had gained enough on Nolin to pull up alongside coming out of turn four. Nolin squeaked out the win in the drag race to the finish in one of the closest races of the day, while cycle n e "" S • NOVEMBER 14, 2001 59