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Parts Unlimited World Off-Road Championship Series Round 5: Clarks finish out the race (on the 14th lap) in fifth place. "I kept thinking of the points," Smith said. "I kept charging, but it's hard to charge when you're by yourself. I'm amazed I got back up to fifth. " Despite suffering suspension problems, KTM's Pat Garrahan soldiered on to finish sixth, ahead of Pearson, Brown, Caselli and Naughton. eN Branc~ MX Park Curt Caselli (53) nabs the hoi_hot. Clarks Branch MX Park Rosellu'l. Oregon Results: November 4. 2001 PRO: 1. Shene Wlltts (KTM); 2. Steve Hatch (Suz); 3. Mike Kiedrowski (Suz); 4. Brian Garrahan (KTM); 5. Rodney Smith (Suz); 6. Patrick Garrahan (KTM); 7. David Pearson (Yam); 8. Brian Brown (Kaw); 9. Kurt Caselli (Yam); 10. Robert Naughton (Suz): 11. Kellon Walch (Kaw); 12. Eric DuCray; 13. Peter Russell (KTM); 14. Jason Sigrid (Yam); 15. Andy Grider (Kaw); 16. Taber Murphy (Hon); 17. Erik Kohler (Yam); 18. Rory Sullivan (Hbg); 19. Jason Dahners (KTM); 20. David Rees (KTM). VET 30+ AA: 1. Travis Bamford (KTM). VET 30. EX: 1. Jon Parks (GG); 2. Mike Geiser (Yam); 3. Brad Hitchman. 250 AA: I. Peter Russell (KTM); 2. Kellon Walch (Kaw): 3. Jason Sigfrid (Yam); 4. Eric DuCray; 5. Bobby Garrison (Yam). 250 EX: 1. Haydon Fenwick (GG); 2. Brian Turner (Yam): 3. Bobby Steffan (Yam); 4. Erik Bee; Jankowski (KTM). VET 30+ AM: 1. Kevin Wilton (Hbg); 2. Kit Palmer (Suz); 3. Chris Jonnum (Kaw); 4. Don Melvin 5. Luke Baca (Yam). 250 AM.: 1. David Boaz (KTM): 2. Tony Weiser (GG); 5. Richard Johnson (Yam). (Yam); 3. Chilly White (GG); 4. Terrance McDowell. VET 30+ NOV: I. Kevin Farrell (Yam); 2. Eric Thompson (SUI); 3. Doug Brown. 4/STRK AA EX: I. Mike Kiedrowski (Suz); 2. Steve Hatch (Suz); 3. Rodney Smith (Suz); 4. Taber 250 NOV: 1. CJ (rim (Han); 2. Ben Crawford (Kaw); 3. Brian Zastawniak (Yam); 4. Brian Cameron (Kaw).. OPEN AA: 1. Dale Walsh (KTM); 2. Dan Thoren (Hus). Murphy (Hon); 5. Rory Sullivan (Hbg). 4/STRK EX: 1. Trent Sandoval (Yam); 2. Ted Huskey (Hon); 3. Bart Uding (KTM); 4. Rex Mike (Yam); 5. Jeff Johnson (Yam). OPEN EX: 1. Brian Barrington (KTM); 2. Brian Smith (Hus). OPEN NOV: 1. Peter Pappas; 2. Erik Jensen; 3. Brian Rayman; 4. George Allen. TEAM: 1. Jason Raines/Shane Watts (Yam); 2. Patrick Garrahan/Brian Garrahan (KTM); 3. Erik Kohler/Eric DuCray (Yam); 4. Bobby Garrison/Dave Hamel (Hon); 5. David Pearson/Trent Sandovel 4/STRK AM: I. Bo Harris (Yam); 2. Luke Suva: 3. Todd Miller (KTM); 4. Donny Bailey (KTM); 5. Williams Carol. 4/STRK NOV: I. Kevin Farrell (Yam); 2. Vem Ward; 3. Eric Monroe (Yam); 4. Timothy Hudson. SR 50+: 1. Dave Russell (KTM); 2. Richard Wilson (KTM); 3. Robert Whitecomb; 4. Mike Portus (Suz). WMN: 1. Carol Williams; 2. Brenda Jankowski (Yam). rounds): 1. Mike Kiedrowski (117/1 win); 2. (TIE) Steve Hatch/Rodney Smith (99); 4. Destry Abbott (88/1); 5. Shone Watts (86/2); 6. (TIE) Kurt Caselli/Brian Garrahan (66); 8. Patrick Garrahan Parks (KTM); 3. Pierce Wirthiin (KTM). (64); 9. Ty Davis (54); 10. David Pearson (39); 11. Shane Esposito (33); 12. Russell Pearson (29); 13. 60 NOV: 1. Sean Geiser (Kaw); 2. Brandon Reed (KTM); 3. Kody Monroe (Kaw); 4. Ryan Goodwin Ryan Teriecki (24): 16. Kellon Walch (24); 17. (Kaw). Oakley Lehman (23); lB. (TIE) Luca Trussardi/Peter Every WORCS round offers a $10,000 purse for the Pro class. Winner Shane Watts took home the biggest share of the pot. pocketing $5000. Runner-up Steve Hatch took home $1500, while third-place Mike Kiedrowski left $500 richer. The remaining $5000 gets distributed down to 20th place. Yamaha rider Jason Raines. who teamed up with Shane Watts to win Saturday's team race, was circulating the Clarks Branch track near the front of the pack before slowing and pulling off into the pits around the halfway point. It tums out that he reportedly had an encounter with another rider that left him with an injured wrist and a DNF. "That was one of the best races ever." said KTM rider Pat Garrahan. who finished out the race in sixth place. "It reminded me so much of back home [Northern California]. There were uphills, downhills; a perfect mix of everything. But all of the [WORCS] races have been great." Garrahan's ride. however. didn't go as smoothly as he would've liked. "1 had to pit twice." he said. "One time. I was running fourth and had the shock go out. I had to come in and change the shock. We had to pull one off another bike." Pat Garrahan's brother. Brian Garrahan. had an even better ride. finishing fourth. "I ran Rodney's bike over on the start and then just charged the first couple of laps. But Shane [Watts] came through on a rail: he blew us away! After that I just settled into a good pace." Garrahan agreed with his brother about the course. "It was awesome." he said. "There were some good uphills and they [CRAl did a good job on the course. It's really good to have a National off-road series like this on the West Coast. " The somewhat faster-than-expected racecourse at first appeared to be a disadvantage for Walls bone-stock KTM 200 EXC, especially when you compared his machine to the Yoshimura DRZ430s that Rodney Smith. Mike Kiedrowski and Steve Hatch would be riding. But as It turned out. Watts and the small-bore 200 were a perfect match for the somewhat fast Oregon course. "The thing hauls ass." Watts said of the 200. "You just keep it pinned and it hooks up and goes. The only time that I really didn't have the power was on the start. On the track you can carry momentum on the fireroads, but it doesn't have the power from a dead start [against the 400s and 250sJ. It's completely stock; I haven't touched a thing. I don't even know what clicker the forks • e 60 EX: 1. Ronnie Goodwin (Kaw); 2. Daniel 80 EX: 1. Justin Soule (Yam). are on." Walls added that he enjoyed the fireroad sections of the race. ,. When I went to Europe. i used to ride on fireroads like that. I was the king of the fireroads. Thafs what I like to ride, you can go so fast and just bury it." BRIEFLY••• cue Sailors (Hon); 3. Jeff Jackson (Yam). 80 NOV: 1. Corey Coyne (Yam); 2. Curtis Bradley (Suz); 3. Andrew Clough. PARTS UNUMrrED WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OFFROAD SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 5 of 6 50 P/W: 1. Killian Wader (KTM); 2. Tallon Taylor (KTM); 3. Zachary Harris; 4. Cemeron Cunningham: 5. Jeremy Wilton (KTM). MSTR 40+ EX: 1. Jemes Miller; 2. Tim SUIliVflO. 125 AM: 1. Nathan Wood (Kaw). 125 NOV: 1. Spencer Van Slyke (Yam); 2. Derek NOVEMBER 21, 2001 • MSTR 40+ AM: I. Craig Bowman (Yam). MSTR 40+ NOV: 1. Kevin Greear (Suz): 2. Mike (Yam). 125 AA: I. Kurt Casselli (Yam); 2. Bobby Garrison (Yam). 125 EX: 1. Robert Fouts (Hon); 2. Cliff Jennings (Yam); 3. Kevin Jennings (Yam). 20 (RIght) Rodney Smith crashed a few tums Into the race. Nearly a lap down, the GNCCchamp worked his way back up to fifth overall. n e While Shane Walls mighfve enjoyed the racecourse in Oregon, he wasn't too pleased with the way Cross Roads Adventures decides who gets to pick in what order for starting positions, which is based on results from the previous WORCS race rather than overall series points. '1 DNFed the last round.· Watts said. "And then after all of those riders [the previous round finishers] picked their positions. then they [CRAJ go by when you get your entry in. I didn't get here until yesterday. so I had to pick just about last. Thafs not right. it should be by what place you're in in the points, not by how you finished in the last race. I've offered to give up my first pick in the next race if they start going by points there. " After receiving the official lap times from race officials. the Yoshimura Suzuki team said that Rodney Smith posted most of the quickest lap times throughout the 14·lap Pro race while he was charging back up through the pack on a tweaked bike after crashing on the first lap. According to Yoshimura Suzuki. only twice did winner Shane Watts, who spent the majority of the race out in front and un-pressured, have faster lap times than Smith. Though Parts Unlimited is the title sponsor for the entire WORCS series, each round also has. several presenting sponsors. In Roseburg. those presenting sponsors were Suzuki. Yoshimura and Oregon's own Fastway. What was beginning to shape up into an interesting title battle between Mike Kiedrowski and Destry Abbott ended three days before the Roseburg round. when Abbott crashed while practicing near his home in Arizona. separating his shoulder (his KX125 reportedly seized while he was negotiating a jump). Team Green mechanic John Braasch was already halfway to Oregon when he got the news, but he continued on to work with Brian Brown and Andy Grider. Abbott is expected to be sidelined for a month or so. Some other top riders were absent as well. Team Green's Shane Esposito. who took a job in-house with Kawasaki R&D a couple of weeks earlier, wasn't on hand. nor was Yamaha rider Ty Davis, who is recovering from surgery. Luca Trussardi was missIng. as well. Trussardi is currently at home in Italy. Despite the absences of some of the top riders. there was still a healthy turnout of 33 Pro riders in Oregon. Since the Pro class _ s Robert Naughton (28); 14. Brian Brown (25); 15. Russell (18); 20. Eric DuCray (15). used the start gate. which only had 25 spots. several riders had to start on a second row. The WORCS race' s near-perfect conditions were in stark contrast to those at the Monkey Butt race held at the same venue a couple of weeks earlier. Then, the trails had been silty and dusty, but precipitation between the two events made the WORCS contest Iowan dust and high on traction. One trail gremlin still remained. however - polson oak. (Just ask Rodney Smith'> Saturday's Amateur racers competed on a nine-mile course. but the loop was altered and shortened to half that distance for Sunday's Pro race. The shorter circuit (which included grass and MX tracks). combined with the two-hour race length. meant spectators had plenty of opportunity to see the top riders in action. While getting in some track time in Saturday's Four-Stroke M race, Yoshimura Suzuki riders Mike Kiedrowski. Steve Hatch and Rodney Smith rode in a tight group far in front of the pack, taking turns leading. For the last lap, the trio tried a rolling game of rock, paper, scissors, to determine who should win. but when they couldn't remember the rules. it was every man for himself. Kiedrowski was the ultimate winner. Singing the national anthem at Roseburg was 10-year-old Megan Phillips, daughter of WORCS own Jeff and Sue Phillips. Most agreed that it was a rousing version. although Mike Kiedrowski might not have been overly fond of the timing: The Suzuki rider had just been struck by an urge to relieve his bladder while waiting at the starting line. and the spot he had chosen to do so happened to be quite near to the American flag. where everyone on hand happened to be directing their gaze. So much for privacy. One round remains in the 2001 Parts Unlimited WORCS Series. but promoter Cross Roads Adventures is already working on the 2002 schedule. In an effort to increase amateur participation. CRA is looking at multiple sanctions for several rounds. including Oregon (which will be run in conjunction with the Oregon Motorcycle Racing Association). Washington (with the Northwest Motorcycle Association and Oregon Motorcycle Racing Association). and Utah (with the Utah State Racing Association). There will also be a round at the beautiful Honey Lake Motocross Park north of Reno. and there's a possibility that the Virginia City Grand Prix will return and be a WORCS round in '02. CRA also has some other '02 news up its sleeve. but wasn't prepared to reveal it on the record. Kit Palmer and Chris Jonnum