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Northwest Arenacross Nationals Series Round 4: Forster Livestock Pavilion STORY AND PHOTOS BY CLAY LIGHT SALEM, OR, NOV. 18 amaha-mounted Professionals Cameron Weaver and Ryan Leach walloped the competition during round four of the 12-round Northwest Arenacross Nationals, held at the Forster Livestock Pavilion at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. Weaver, who make the trek from Bozeman, Montana, was the cream of the crop in the 125cc Pro class, where he aced both motos to snare the overall win ahead of fellow YZ pilots Paul Conner and Jeremy Scism. Leach, from nearby Albany, Oregon, used a 3-1 tally to trounce the 250cc Professional field. Leach trailed Oregon's Tony Graves and Washington's J.R. Vielle at the finish in moto one but came back strong in moto two to fend off cha lIenges from Vielle to post his biggest win of the season aboard the Herb's Cycletown/Spectro/House of Horsepowerbacked YZ. Well over 300 riders from five western states were on hand for the Lee Collins and Bob Leach-promoted event, which pays contingencies from all of the major manufacturers. Since the previous three rounds were held in Yakima and Puyallup, Washington, the assembly of riders were mainly comprised of Washingtonians. Montana's Weaver was the most impressive of the multitude of Pro riders on hand, although his moto-one came by way of a bit of a lucky break. Weaver patiently trailed Yamahamounted Scism throughout the first 125cc Pro moto and tried in vain to find a way around the Washington rider. Weaver got a fortuitous bounce in the moto when Scism slowed down after receiving the white flag twice. Weaver then capitalized on Scism's misfortune to take the lead and finish there to post a victory. Scism, urged on by the vociferous crowd, realized what had happened and got back on the gas to narrowly edge Graves, Conner, series points leader Tracy Johnson, and local Yamaha rider Eric Roth the finish. "Man, I had it won," said a dejected Scism. "I got the white flag once; then I went by and he threw it [the white flag] again, so I stopped, thinking that was the finish. Man, I'm so bummed!" Moto two was a different story, as Weaver grabbed the lead at the start and was never headed. Conner ran second, followed by Johnson and Scism, while Graves ran ninth on the opening lap. As Weaver posted an impressive performance that would earn the Northstar Yamaha-sponsored rider a double-moto sweep, the battle for second went to the finish. Conner narrowly edged Johnson at the finish to nab second place but, more importantly, second overall via 4-2 placings. Scism's 2-4 perfor- 34 DECEMBER 12, 2001 • cue (Above) Washington's J.R. Vielle finished second to Leach In the 250cc Pro class and won the first Before The Hill Pro/Intermediate moto at the Forster Livestock Pavilion. (Right) Ryan Leach scored the overall 250cc Pro-class victory at round four of the Northwest Arenacross Nationals. (Below left) Tysen Fischlin won the Husky Boy Challenge, which was held during half-time at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. (Below) Montana's Cameron Weaver dominated the 125cc Pro class in Salem, Oregon, taking a 1-1 sweep. Forster Uvestock Pavilion Salem, Oregon Results: November 18, 2001 (Round 41 • mances netted him the final podium position, followed by Johnson (5-3) and Graves, who rallied to finish fifth at moto's end, good for fifth overall. Graves had much better luck in the 250cc Pro class, as the former multitime AMA National number holder dropped the hammer on the competition in the first 250cc Pro moto and was never headed. Vielle ran in Graves' shadow for much of the moto before falling slightly off the pace and then fended off challenges from Leach to the finish. Vielle narrowly dodged Leach's last-ditch attempt to finish second. Scism finished fourth, ahead of Conner and another of the many Washington riders on hand, Hondamounted Greg Crater. Vielle pulled the trigger fastest to lead the moto-two freight train, but the Pro Caliber Suzuki-sponsored rider's lead didn't last for long, as Leach sneaked a wheel underneath Vielle and then vanished. While Leach was busy building up a large lead, Vielle had challenges from Roseburg Cycle Center/Sinisalo-backed Graves and his Cycletown teammate Conner. Vielle, though, posted a brilliant pern e _ s e formance, as the 21-year-old from Kalama, Washington, held off the AMA National veterans at the finish to nab second overall with a 2-2 tally. Graves (1-3), Conner (5-4) and Scism (4-6) filled out the top five overall. Lewiston, Idaho's Matt DeAtley trounced the competition to score double-class wins. DeAtley destroyed the competition in the 60cc Senior and 60cc Open classes and was the only rider under 80cc to clear the massive triple jump. His older brother Sam DeAtley won the Supermini class and finished second to Jesse Wuori in the 80cc (12-13) class. Yamaha-mounted Austin Gettel's comeback bid after nearly a two-year layoff was a successful one, as the 17year-old beat Jack Meadows and series points leader Randy Dobbins for an overall win in the Four-Stroke class. Honda-mounted Scott Wiggins dominated the Over 40 Money class, winning both motos ahead of Suzuki rider David Obaitek, while in the Amateur portion, Bob Meadows scored an overall win ahead of Husky rider Bill Farrell and KTM-mounted Michael Kivett. eN P/W (4-6): I. Hunter Crosby (Cob): 2. Garrett Christofferson (Pol); 3. Tysen Fischlin (Cob). P/W (7-8): I. Hayden Cordell (Cob); 2. Tayler Fischlin (Cob); 3. Justin Spink (Cob). 50 OPEN: 1. Hayden Cordell (Cob); 2. Hunte, Crosby (Cob); 3. Cody Mecham (Cob). 60 BEG: 1. Andrew Spink (Kaw); 2. Kody Eilers (Kaw); 3. Ryan Mullikin (Kaw). 60 JR: 1. Bobby Dean (Kaw); 2. Colton Juarez (KTM): 3. Dakota Smith (KTM). 60 SR: 1. Matt DeAtley (Kaw); 2. Jared Wood (KTM); 3. Danny Gubser (K8W). 60 OPEN: 1. Matt DeAtley (Kaw); 2. Danny Gubser (Kaw); 3. Travis McClinton (KTM). 80 BEG: 1. Ryan McLaughlin (Yam); 2. Zane Lovely (Yam); 3. Corey Hampton (Yam). 80 (9·11): I. Tevin Tapia (SUI): 2. Matt DeAtley (SU2); 3. Taylor McKee (Kaw). 80 (12-13): 1. Jesse Wuori (Han); 2. Sam DeAtley (Kaw); 3. Aaron McClinton (Yam). 80 (14-16): 1. Matt Wilson (Yam); 2. Jeff Alboucq (Hon). S/MJNI: 1. Sam DeAtley (Kaw); 2. Jesse Wuori (Hon); 3. Taylor McKee (Kaw). 125 BEG: I. Trevor Logan (Hon); 2. Nick Powers (Yam): 3. Shawn Bostron (Yam). 125 JR: 1. Tony Boughten (KTM): 2. Adam Metzler (SU2): 3. Kevin Urquhart (Hon). 125 INT: 1. David Rose (Yam): 2. Billy Boughten (KTM); 3. Tyson Blood (Hon). 125 PRO: 1. Cameron Wellver (Yam): 2. Paul Conner (Yam): 3. Jeremy Scism (Yam). 250 BEG: 1. Michael Asman (Hon); 2. Jerry Brisbin (SU2); 3. Shaun Donnelly (Yam). 250 JR: I. Mitchell Robbins (Hon); 2. Matt Mann (Yam); 3. Joey Ensminger (SU2). 250 INT: 1. Ben Morglln (Yam); 2. Jon Kauffman (Hon); 3. Tom Boze (Yam). 250 PRO: I. Ryan Leach (Yam); 2. J.R. Viell. (Suz); 3. Tony Graves (Suz). OPEN AM: 1. Bob Meadows (Yam); 2. Cliff Underwood (Yam). OPEN PRO: 1. Cameron Weaver (Yam). BTH JR: I. Tony Boughten (KTM); 2. Joey Ensminger (Suz): 3. Adam Metzler (SU2). BTH INT: 1. Ben Morgan (Yllm); 2. Pete Sannan (KTM); 3. Jon Kauffman (Hon). UTH JR: 1. Michael Forney (Yam); 2. Jay Henderson (Yam); 3. Mike McMaster (Han). aTH INT: 1. Steve Eilers (Yllm): 2. Duane Lewis (Yam). OTH BEG: I. Harold Taylor (Yam); 2. Michael Donnelly (Yam); 3. Cliff Underwood (Yam). OTH JR: I. Chad Myers (Yam); 2. David Liebich (Suz). OTH INT: 1. David Thompson (Yam). OfT AM: 1. Bob Meadows (Yam); 2. Bill Farrell (Hus); 3. Michael Kivett (KTM). O/T fe'\NY: I. Scott Wiggins (Han); 2. David Obaltek (Suz). 50+: 1. Dave Davis (Yam): 2. Ken Webster (Yam). WMN: 1. Kimberly Urquhart (Han); 2. Jeanne Van Buskirk (Kaw): 3. Jaedean Jess (Kaw). 4-STRK: 1. Austin Gettel (Yam): 2. Jllck Meadows (Yam): 3. Randy Dobbins (Yam). HUSKY BOY CHAL: I. Tysen Fischlin; 2. Brandon Barber: 3. Tayler Fischlin; 4. Garrett Christofferson; 5. Tristan Versteeg.