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/128139
AMAlEA Sports 1 25cc Western Regional Supercross Series Round 3: Edison International Field paged from the back of the pack like a young man possessed, picking off sometimes two or three riders at a time until landing himself in second, only to run out of time to catch the velvety KTM rider. Boost Mobile/ Yamaha[Troy Racing's Ivan Tedesco stayed relatively out of trouble to complete the podium. When the 22 riders_ left the gate at the start of the main event, it was indeed Stewart with the lead, but it only lasted for a few feet. "I had the holeshot and carried too much speed into the first turn," Stewart said. "Maybe I was too anxious, but I think it was more about [me] not getting off the throttle early enough." Inheriting the lead was The Racer's Edge-sponsored, YZ250F-mounted Casey Lytle - himself no stranger to the front position, having won the 1999 Phoenix 125cc Supercross and suffered a mechanical failure while leading at San Diego the same year. Lytle was followed closely by Pingree, KTM Red Bull's Billy Laninovich and another former 125cc "hot prospect" By STEVE Cox PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN ANAHEIM, CA, JAN. 19 t a full 27 years of age, KTM Red f.iJ, Bull's David Pingree is perhaps the oldest rider ever to win a Western Regional 125cc main event, whereas his antithesis (and closest rival at Anaheim II), Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's James Stewart Jr., became the youngest rider to ever win any 125cc main last week in San Diego. Throughout the 15-lap event, Pingree was nothing short of cool, calm and collected - as smooth as can be in the sl ippery Anaheim marbles whereas Stewart, after grabbing the holeshot in the main, promptly fell and 'handed his competition an immediate head start. And the opposed riders went about their job in completely different fashions as well - Pingree starting inside, and the top five, and then slowly and methodically picking off riders and capitalizing on others' mistakes until he was leading, while Stewart ram- 1;1 12 JANUARY 30.2002' cue I • n e _ s who's been all but written off as a contender lately: Casey Johnson, on the Plano Honda. Johnson immediately went to work, first passing rookie Laninovich, then his teammate Pingree, and then setting sail after Lytle. On lap two, at the end of the first whoop section, Laninovich got together with Honda-mounted roundone winner Travis Preston and started a major traffic jam, involving Mach 1 Motorsports' Craig Decker, Plano Honda's Travis Elliott and many more. This actually worked out to the advantage of the leaders, and a few others who made it through the jam cleanly, as they got a chance to put some real estate between themselves and their pursuers - chief among them, Stewart. Johnson found his way by Lytle on lap three and seemed t<;> be checking out, only to go down in the whoops a lap later, handing the lead back to Lytle. Pingree inherited second and was pressuring Lytle, while simultaneously being pressured by Boost KTM Red Bull's wily vete...n DIIVId Pingree scored an upset victory at Anaheim II after riding 15 laps about as smooth as glass. Mobile/Yamaha[Troy Racing's Rodrig Thain. It became evident that Pingree didn't fancy being the meat in a 250F sandwich, and he began to chase Lytle down, ditching Thain in the process. By lap five, Stewart had already found his way into 10th, and he was closing fast. On one lap, he passed Mexico's Erick Vallejo and Elliott, moving into eighth, and then began to close rapidly on Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki's Matt Walker in seventh. At the same time, Pingree smelled· blood, as Lytle appeared to tire slightly - after having qualified for the main through the LCQ. Pingree finally made his move on the eighth go-around, passing Lytle smoothly, but aggressively, through the rhythm section following the newly resurrected sand trap. On the same lap, the Stewart/Walker freight