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/128138
AMA/Chaparral U. S. Pro/Am Championship Glen Helen Raceway Park SAN BERNARDINO, CA, DEC. 28·30 acers from all over the country celebrated the end of 2001 at the sixth annual AMA/Chaparral U.S. Pro/Am Championship, held at Glen Helen Raceway Park. The unusual thing about the Pro/Am is that the event tests each rider's ability to compete and excel in three different forms of racing. Stadiumcross, com· plete with steep pitches, triple jumps and treacherous stadium whoops, kick off three days of racing. Fresh from the arena, racers awake the next morning to face the park's highspeed grand prix circuit, with each class being treated to 45-minute races. Finally, Sunday's schedule consists of two motos of traditional outdoor motocross on Glen Helen's National track. In the end, each rider's scores are tallied and class championships evolve out of three drastically different days of racing. And if your name happens to be Mike Alessi, you've won multiple Pro-Am championships. Several riders put in dominant performances throughout the three events, but no rider was as convincing as Honda's mini phenom Mike Alessi. The eldest of two brothers, Mike started his winning spree on Friday during stadiumcross competition, in which he posted 1-1 moto scores in the 80cc (12-13) class. However, when it came to Supermini competition, brothers Mike and Jeff traded moto wins. Mike took the first moto, while Jeff settled for fourth, behind Kawasaki pilots Andrew Petrie and Kyle Kent. When moto two rolled around, Jeff put his CR80 up front, with Mike finishing second. The over- 28 .JANUARY 23, 2002' (Above) Mike Alessi topped both the 80cc (12-13) and Supermini classes at the AMAIChaparral U.S. Pro/Am Championship. 1Ab0ve) Jeff Alessi won the 80cc (4-11) contests on all three days of racing in San Bernardino, California, and was runner-up in the Supermini class on all three days for second overall. (Left) Josh Grant was top dog in the 80cc (14-16) class at Glen Helen Raceway Park. all Supermini win went to Mike due to his 1-2 score. Jeff and Kent rounded out the podium. Jeff wouldn't settle for only a runner-up spot on the day, so he went out and won both motos of the 80cc (4-11) class in convincing style, while another Honda rider by the name of Josh Grant turned in a 1-1 performance in 80cc (14-16) competition. Results didn't change much for Saturday's grand prix, but the weather took a turn for the wet. The skies opened up early in the moming, creating a muddy but near-perfect track. Mike went on to take the 80cc (12-13) and Supermini honors, and Jeff did n e _ lIS c u e I ... likewise in the 80cc (4-11) class. Grant backed up his stadium performance with the 80cc (14-16) win. Mark Tilley had a rough day on Friday during stadiumcross competition, posting a third-place finish in the 250cc Pro class. However, when the green flag dropped for Saturday's grand prix, Tilley definitely changed gears. Racing a YZ426F, Tilley outran American Honda's CRF450R-mounted Johnny Campbell and Vertematimounted Jimmy Lewis, both grand prix specialists, to post the overall in the 250cc/Open/Four-Stroke event. Tilley was done for the day on the grand prix circuit; however, Campbell and Lewis were not. With his goggles off due to the muddy conditions, Lewis took the 125cc honors before entering his third 45-minute event of the day, the Vet Expert race, which Campbell won hands down. Lewis finished runner-up, while mountain-bike legend John Tomac put his new CRF450 in third. A second-place finish in stadiumcross had put Tomac in the driver's seat for the Vet Expert overall championship, but Johnny T's results still were not as impressive as those of his son Eli. Armed with a KTM, Eli Tomac went 1-1 in the 60cc (0-8) class during stadiumcross competition and then ran away with the grand prix class win as well. A smart ride during Sunday's motocross format would almost guarantee a championship for the younger Tomac. Track workers prepped the National track Saturday night to make conditions perfect for Sunday's 16-moto schedule. The day started off with the 250cc Pro moto, in which Tilley got the jump, but at the end of the second lap, the Wind Racewear-backed rider went down, letting North County YamahajTroy Lee Designs-sponsored Jesse Casillas by to take the lead and the eventual win. Tilley fought back to finish second. In moto two, it was Casillas from the ge~:90' while Tilley nursed an injured arm from his previous crash and finished second. Tilley's finish, however, was good