Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

got by Destry going into the corner, but he squared it up and got me back," Esposito said. "And then, in the next turn, 1 slowed down to get behind him and squared off the next corner. So it was back and forth for the first couple of turns; then he stayed with me after that." Abbott rode valiantly to keep Esposito in sight, but Esposito was just on. All the while, Montclair Yamaha's Ty Davis was sneaking up on Abbott in third, where he started. But it didn't seem like he quite had the speed to make a move on either of the KX500-mounted riders. "I was, like, third off the start," Davis said. '" chased Destry around. You know, it's a KX500 course, and I just go out here and do the best I can, see what I can pull off. I think if I was on a KX500, it'd be a different story. But the Yamahas are doing good for what they have." Also racing valiantly in fourth was Honda's Johnny Campbell, who wasn't all that far off the pace of the top three at the end of the first loop. "I was about fourth on the start," Campbell said. "I wanted to be in front because it's so dusty, but we had some wind to help us out with that. And I got kind of fatigued from the dust on the second lap." The fatigue didn't really show, as Campbell stayed just a few seconds behind the top three for the first few laps and seemed to be waiting for the race to come to him. The top four stayed in the same order throughout most of the first half of the race; then Abbott started dropping back. Davis passed him for third on lap three and began pulling away, and as Campbell was getting ready to make a move as well, Abbott pulled into the pits and was done for the day. "The bike just keeps shifting into neutral," Abbott said. "I'm out there in the last gear, just wide open, and it goes into neutral, so I don't know. It's a detent spring, I guess - that's what they're saying. But I scared myself so many times, I'm going wide open, going through chop, then it just shifts into neutral. I just don't want to go out there and get hurt right now. I thought I had a good chance of winning, but Shane was riding really good. He probably would have beat me anyways." That might be true, as Esposito even had enough of a lead that he was able to pit the same lap Abbott was forced out and still kept the lead over Davis, who hadn't yet pitted. "I knew it was going to be real close on the first pit, taking that much gas," Esposito said. "And I really figured Ty [Davis] would get around me, but I guess I had enough time that he didn't." The top three remained the same as Esposito steadily pulled away from Davis, eventually holding a 50-second lead going into the final lap. At that time, however, Davis was less worried about catching Esposito than he was about getting passed by Campbell, who was pressuring him hard. A local favorite, Ty Davis won three classes - Four-$troke, Vets and 250cc and backed those up with second In the Team Race (partnering with Aussell Pearson) and third in the Pro race. As the riders came back into the motocross section, Campbell had indeed made the pass on Davis, and Esposito took the checkered flag. "Destry started having problems, and he was dropping back and I finally got him," Campbell said. "Then I just had to wear down Ty. He took a different line in the back, and I just in some lappers and I pulled off the trail, and he had a good trail, and actually I passed him back, but we came in side by side, and he actually had the advantage. I let him by, but I couldn't reel him in. His bike's just too fast. I gave him hell while I could. I gave it my all, so to pull off a third I'm pretty happy with that." ", guess he had a problem," Esposito said of his teammate Abbott, "so I just wound up pulling away from there." In the Best in the Desert Pro Team Race, Esposito's speed would have to be matched by Abbott if he was to get the victory, as the two were teammates in the event and would both ride the same KX500. Abbott started the race for the team, as Davis did for the Davis/Russ Pearson team, and Campbell for the Campbell/Steve Hengeveld team. Abbott grabbed a clean holeshot as the pack headed off into the desert from the asphalt start, and he was followed closely by Davis, Brian Brown, Campbell, and Danny Cooper. Davis actually squared the first turn off and made a run at Abbott, but it wasn't to be. "[Davis] didn't get me [off the start]," Abbott said. "He got really close to it. He knows this area really well. He's a great rider. I just luckily got the start, and the start was going to be really crucial because it's really dusty out there in the back section." Abbott and Esposito had a plan to pit after four laps and switch riders, but Abbott would have to keep holding off Davis and company for that long if he was going to give Esposito the bike with the lead. After the first lap, it became apparent that, if nothing crazy happened, Abbott would be able to do just that, for he led Davis by about 15 seconds as they headed through the motocross section. Brown, Campbell and Cooper all still filled the top five, and Goat Breker was riding the wheels off the firstplace 250cc machine, Joey Lanza's KTM. Mike Healey was doing likewise on his RM 125 entry, as they both led their respective classes early on. The top five stayed consistent throughout the next couple of laps, and Abbott was the first into the pits, handing his machine off to Esposito, who left the pits with the lead, even though Davis had yet to pit. Davis was chasing him in second, while Campbell had made a move around Brown for fourth, before Campbell handed the machine over to teammate Hengeveld and Brown did likewise with his teammate. Abbott complained to his mechanics that the bike was vibrating, but he thought it might just be the skid plate. "It's really rough out there - a lot of square edges, a lot of whoops," Abbott said. "You know, the Race Tech suspension is absolutely working great; I'm stoked with it. I'm feeling good. I gave Shane the bike with a four-second lead over Ty and them, so I think we're looking good. He's a kind of hung in there and just pinned it on the course and got him going into the chicane back there. Then I held him off - barely." "The last lap, Campbell was gaining on me on the roads," Davis said. "I just couldn't pull away. He was just reeling me in, reeling me in - that's all my bike had. We came up and got cue' e n • _ S • MARCH 13.2002 57

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