Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Missouri Hare Scrambles Championship Series: Chris Nesbitt was the overall winner al round 14 in Smithville, Missouri - his second win of the season. Missouri Hare Scrambles Championship Series Round 14 Nesbitt Hantnters at Smithville By FRANK LEIVAN SMITHVIllE, MO, OCT. 7 hile he might not have led much during round 14 of the Missouri Hare Scrambles Championship Series, Team Green rider Chris Nesbitt led when it mattered most - at the checkered flag. After two kicks on the starting line relegated him to the rear of the pack, Nesbitt fought his way into contention and collected his second win of the season. An 11-mile course laid out along the banks of Smithville Lake by the Platte County Trailriders treated some 235 competitors to several open field sections, as well as many tight woods trails. It took 30 minutes for the leaders to negotiate the course, although Nesbitt and runner-up Doug Stone were able to slide in four laps just under the two-hour time frame and head out for a fifth lap. It was this fifth lap that would decide the race. A rather depleted field of AA riders were led into turn one by Stone, on his Dells Honda/Works Enduro Rider CR250, and Yamaha rider Aaron Shaw. Nesbitt left the line last, but within a mile he had worked his way into fourth, behind Carl Hansen. Shaw worked his way around Stone and into the lead while Hansen gave way to Nesbitt in the battle for third. After the first lap, the top three riders were nose to tail, with Hansen just a few ticks back. Stone was pushing hard and put a high-speed pass on Shaw in the grass-track section. Nesbitt then followed suit and pressured Shaw into making a mis- W J) take just a few seconds later, and he took over second. From that point on, it was effectively a two-man race. Shaw, who was feeling the effects of a recently injured knee, wisely backed off in an effort to salvage points, and he lost touch with the leaders. After an hour, Stone and Nesbitt were still hooked together; Shaw was a safe third, Hansen was fourth, and Kevin Borts held fifth while leading the A class. At the start of lap four, Nesbitt tried to overtake Stone for the lead but wound up in some barbed wire. This allowed Stone to open up a small cushion, and it would take Nesbitt the entire lap to make up the deficit. "After I got out of the fence, I rode as hard as I could, because I knew this might be it," Nesbitt later explajned. "I fmally got him in sight at the last woods check and followed him all the way to the pits. I sure was glad to see we had another lap to go." In fact there was another lap, as the two riders had turned up the pace and knocked nearly a minute off their previous lap times. Stone blasted through the pits and opened up a bit of a lead while Nesbitt stopped for a splash of fuel and a goggle change. Behind them, Shaw soldiered on in third. The man on the move was Borts, who was riding his strongest race of the year and had hjs DR400 up to fourth, with Hansen in fifth. Nesbitt was hard on the gas and he caught up to Stone near the 4mile mark, but he was unable to find a way around. Both riders were putting in a nearly flawless final dash hammered his way to fourth, just 50 seconds from a trip to the podium. Hansen finished fifth, in his second appearance of 2001. CN through the woods. Stone seemed to have an answer for every pass attempt Nesbitt made, and he held the Kawasaki rider at bay for nearly the entire last lap. Then, with less than a mile to go, Stone slowed and pulled off to the side of the track. He was out of gas. With a dry fuel tank, Stone could only watch as Nesbitt scooted by and headed for the finish line to claim victory. With an "oh, well" shrug of the shoulders, Nesbitt took the win on his Moose/Renthal/ Alpinestars/Scott/ Dunlop-backed KX250. "I wasn't sure what was going on, so I looked back one more time, and he was just sitting there," Nesbitt said. "So I just cruised in from there. That's all right, though - I've had it happen to me before." After having some friends bring him some gas, Stone rolled in to take second. He was a bit disappointed in the end result but upbeat nonetheless. "I didn't have anyone helping me, so I went for it," Stone said. "We were on the main jet a lot today, and that made the difference. I rode good, though, and proved to myself that I can run with these guys." Shaw rounded out the top three, holdjng off the charging Borts, who Misso ri H.... Scrambles CIwIIpDIIship Series Smitltvifle, Missouri Results: Oetllber 7, 2001 [Round 14J O/A: 1. Chris Nesbitt (Kaw); 2. Doug Stone (Hon); 3. Aaron Shaw (Yam); 4. Koy;n Berts (SUl); 5. Carl Hansen (Hon); 6. Bill Gold (KTM); 7. Lars Valin (Hon); 8. Trayis Pilant (Hon); 9. Zach Mab

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