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GFI Racing Winter Series North Round 1: Prairie City AMP National Track [VohlandlCaI;;! t...... .e.... .... u_r. . . s ... Season Opener By JIM AND JUSTIN ENOS PHOTOS BY JIM ENOS RANCHO CORDOVA, CA, JAN. 13 ometown hero Tallon Vohland snagged the top honors in the 125cc and 250cc Pro classes at the opening round of the GFI Winter Series North, presented by Swift Auto World. Descending upon the Prairie City AMP National Track were some of Northern California's fastest Pros, including Evan Laughridge, who made Vohland work hard for his victories. In fact, in the first 250cc Pro moto, the American Suzuki/Roseville H at all the amateur races. But that was just the first moto, and we'll see how things go the rest of the day." Piloting his Kawasaki/Scott/Acerbis-backed machinery, Vohland made sure the rest of the day went his way. Although Laughridge continued to get great starts in the second 250ccc Pro moto as well as in both 125cc motos, Vohland turned on the afterburners and took all three wins. However, _ ..... ..................... . ._ _ ... -..It .... ..,. cI.- 'billa Yin • ,...., .... 1111111.e fill . . 1800 , (7tt) 1 ... _ .. ,.,_1.... . lIlIIOoc II • I 1 •• .e ......... CIIw " . 1 81n' TnIcII; .. R 1lII' ,C W • . , Cu. Cycle/IRS/Thor-backed Laughridge utilized a holeshot to open up a sizable lead over Vohland early on. But no matter how far behind he may be, Vohland is never out of the picture, and the seasoned veteran caught and passed Laughridge on the white-flag lap. However, incredibly, Laughridge did what no other rider has done in years at a GFI North event: He repassed Vohland and went on to take the checkered flag. "I've been practicing a lot and got a great start in that moto," Laughridge said. "We had a pretty big gap back to third place, and after Vohland passed me, I just pinned it and figured if I went down, I would still have time to get up and hold second place. When I passed him back, I just hugged all the inside lines to the finish and pulled it off." Vohland seemed more thrilled than anything else that he actually had someone to challenge him. He conceded that he was a little rusty after not racing for the last few months, but - being the gentleman he is - he still felt happy for Laughridge. "I'm glad to see Evan riding so good out there," said Vohland. "I got a little arm pump late in the race, and it a was good race for both of us. He's got a good sponsorship, and I think he's going to do really good this year 38 FEBRUARY 6, 2002' eye Laughridge checked in a solid second and never lost sight of Vohland in every race. With factory contingency up for grabs from Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, there were more than 550 riders in attendance, and the AMP crew carved out yet another challenging track. After tons of rain-soaked mud were removed during the week, the track was nearly perfect, and the sun even peered out of the clouds late in the day. Dominating the Intermediate ranks was Eric Nye. The Mach 1 Motor1 e n e "'" S sports/FMF/Fly rider couldn't buy a good start all day, yet within a few laps he was up front and battling for the lead. Nye ended up acing all four motos for a clean sweep of the 125cc and 250cc Intermediate classes. "I was kind of down on myself for not getting good starts," said Nye. "I was spinning off the cement start, and I need to get that down before the Nationals. But my speed is definitely there and I feel real comfortable on the track." His closest 1:ompetition was All American Suzuki of Santa Cruz/Bur- dette Racing-sponsored Joey Rodriguez, who led both 250cc motos early on after a pair of holeshots. Although Rodriguez couldn't hold off Nye, he still managed a welldeserved runner-up spot on the day. Oakley Sport-sponsored Nick Davis put his Suzuki on top in the Schoolboy class with a pair of backto-back wins. Davis got challenges on the day from Casey Hinson and Cory McDaniel, yet he consistently clicked off flawless laps en route to the victories. In Mini action, Yamaha pilot Dustin Enochs took the 80cc Intermediate victory with a pair of wins ahead of Kramer Patterson, who finished out the day second overall with a 3-2 score. Enochs had suffered a nasty crash in a previous race at the facility, but he returned in top form and appears to be the one to beat in that class. Charlie Moore, who recently made the switch from KTM to Kawasaki, won the 60cc Novice class via a 2-1 tally. While first-moto winner Crystal Layton suffered mechanical woes while leading moto two, Moore capitalized on the situation and took the win. Josh McPherson followed up with second overall on the day with a 3-3 score. Prairie City IMP Nmonal Track Rancho Cordova, Califomia Results: January 13, 2002 [Round 11 Pee Wee Track 50 FIT: I. Derek Schwaiger (Hon). 50 (4-6) P/W JR: I. Daniel Gonzales (Yam): 2. Jonah Locks (Yam); 3. Cody Fendley (Suz); 4. Nikolie Ambriz (Yam). 50 (4~6) STK: 1. Gunner Sigler (Yam); 2. Jesse Janco (Pol); 3. Kinser Endicott (Pol); 4. Josh Ticknor (KTM); 5. BHly Adams (KTM). 50 (4-6) MOD: 1. James Sacher (Cob); 2. Blame Franke (KTM); 3. David Beebe (Cob); 4. Corey Everett (Hon). 50 (7·8) STK: I. Elric Flory (Pol); 2. Derek Bee (Cob): 3. Cody Evens (Pol); 4. Jer~miah Elv~n (KTM); 5. R.J. Mendez (KTM). 50 (0-8) OPEN: 1. Chris Arroyo (Cob); 2. Aaron