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/128145
CMC Golden State Nationals North Round 4: Hanford Fairgrounds Nathan Woods 121 ran --r with ovenoIl YIctorIes In the 125c:c end 250cc Pro c...... 81 the fourth round of the CMC Golden Stete NetionIIls Not1h. his home, his speed is unrivaled - at least when the Alessis aren't in town. When the 125cc Intermediate and Junior classes hit the track, Sani found himself in the middle of an Alessi sandwich. Mike took the first-lap lead in both motos and set a blistering pace. Sani settled into second both times and seemed to run approximately the same times, but he never made much of an attempt to pass for the lead. Mike and Sani were in a class of their own. Jeff beat all the rest of the IntlWTIediates. The Pro classes featured a solid assortment of Northern and Central California talent. In the 125cc division, Atascadero's Nathan Woods battled with Clovis' David Boothe. Jeff Pestana, Scott Davis and Beau Baron were also in the field, but Woods and Boothe stole the show. STORV AND PHOTOS BV EDDIE GRAVELINE/WWW.MOTOPRESS.NET HANFORD,CA,FEB.3 everal of California's best motocross riders gathered at the fairgrounds in Hanford for another round of the Golden State North series. A combination of perfect loam and expert track prep provided the platform for excellent racing. Before the Pros ever hit the track, the Central California fans were treated to star-studded action. Team Honda's Michael and Jeff Alessi were in the house and riding the wheels off of their fleet of CRs. Both of them rode 80s in the 85cc (12-13), Open and Supermini classes. As you might expect, they went one-two in all of those classes. That wasn't really a surprise, but the kind of leads they opened up in their motos was unbelievable. In a typical eight-lap race, the brothers were beating their competition to the line by 15 to 20 seconds. Mike won all three of the Mini classes, while younger brother Jeff was right on his heels in second. While the Alessis romped through the mini classes without resistance, they faced a serious challenge in the 125cc class from Daniel Sani, their teammate in the Honda Amateur program. Hailing from nearby Clovis, Sani has been making a habit of racing in Southern California, opting for the tougher competition and the exposure of racing in the industry's back yard. His plan must be working, because whenever Sani races near DIMd Boothe (1ot rode m .... --aI fourth In the 1211cc ..... 250ccPro ~81the HIInford FeIrgrowIds. 66 MARCH 13, 2002· tc U tc • • In the first moto, Boothe passed Woods for the win. The second moto was basically a reversal of the first. Woods was getting great starts on his YZ250F, but Boothe stayed with him by keeping his RM125 pinned through the turns. Woods' 2-1 scores gave him the overall victory, while Boothe was second with 1-2 finishes. Pestana rounded out the podium with consistent 3-3 finishes. The 250cc Pro class ended up being even more dramatic. In the first moto, Woods got the holeshot again, only to be passed by Boothe. Despite immense pressure from Woods, Boothe held the lead until his RM250's engine lost power. He limped home to an eighth-place finish, but the damage had been done. Pestana capitalized on Boothe's misfortune and rode to second, behind Woods. Running the risk of being protested, Boothe went to the line for the second moto on his 125. No one said anything, so he just went with it. Woods nailed another start on his YZ426F and led Pestana and the rest of the field into the first turn. Dealing with an obvious horsepower n _ ... s disadvantage, Boothe got an understandably bad start, and he had his work cut out for him. Refusing to quit, he sliced his way through the pack and caught Pestana on the second lap. It was the beginning of a multilap battle that must have been frustrating for both riders. Pestana had the power advantage and was killing Boothe on all of the straights; David, on the other hand, had unreal corner speed and would close the gap back up in the turns. After a few laps of that routine, Boothe finally stayed close enough to Pestana in a straight to set him up for a block-pass in one of"- the come.rsHe made the pass 80 (7-11): I. PresIon Mull (Vom); 2. Rick Rinauro (Yam): 3. Jayme 5elo (Hon); 4. Kyle Kessinger (Yam). 80 (12-13): 1. Mike Alessi (Hon); 2. Jeff Alessi (Hon): 3. Kevin Hurt (Vom); 4. Cody Woods (Hon); 5. Andrew Desill!lgua (Yam). 80 (14-16): 1. Austin Ingolls (Vom); 2. Joke Osborne (Hon); 3. Kevin Wells (Hon); 4. Jacob Sonchez (502); 5. Robert Allquist (Vom). 80 OPEN: I. Mike Alessi (Hon); 2. Jeff Alessi (Hon); 3. Kevin Hurt (Vom); 4. Ce..r Popinok (Vom); 5. Preston Mull (Yl!lm). 5/MINI: 1. Mike Alessi (Hon); 2. Jeff Alessi (Hon); 3. Austin Ingolls (Vom); 4. Dylon Fox (Kow); 5. Andrew Desilagull (Yam). 125 BEG 0-1: I. Joe Shlpmon (Vom); 2. Brent Merrick (Suz); 3. Lence O'Brien (Yam); 4. Coty Laudenburg (Hon); 5. Eric Rlllls (Yam). 125 BEG 0-2: 1. Jock Duvol (502); 2. Cloyton Keates (Hon); 3. Anthony Terrado (Yam); 4. Sean McHenry (Yam); 5. Bradley Neeley (KlIw). 125 JR 0-1: 1. Jeff Alessi (Hon); 2. Shllwn Burk (Hon); 3. Anthony Houser (YlIm); 4. Chad Vejar (Hon); 5. Trevor Donlok (Vom). (Right) Mike Ale..1 dominated ell flve classes he entered. cleanly and rode defensively until he could open up a little bit of a gap. On the last couple of laps, Boothe's conditioning seemed to payoff_ He was able to stay pinned for the entire race, while Pestana faded a little bit. Woods cruised to the overall victory via 1-1 scores, and Pestana's 2-3 fmishes were good enough for second. Baron took third overall with 3-4 finishes. The real story was Boothe, who was, without a doubt, the hardestcharging rider on the track. The next time this group of riders gets together should be exciting. eN ...af8nI F.i'1lnlllads H.nfard. C8lifon1i. Ilesults: Februuy 3, ZOOZ [lIGund 41 50 8EG: 1. Motthew Evons (KTM); 2. Chorles Sheets (KTM); 3. Jonah Locks (Pol); 4. Jeremi