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AMA National Championship Hare & Hound Series Round 3: Full Bore Racing Glen .Jones Memorial 100a Accordln to STORY AND PHOTOS BY DOUG KARCHER MURPHY, 10, MAR. 24 rian Brown had a plan and so did Ty Davis. Brown's plan was to get in or near the front at the bomb, don't let anyone run away and hide, wait till late in the race and make a dash for the win. Davis figured Brown knew these trails better than anyone else, so his plan was to let Brown lead, keep within striking distance and race for the win in the last five or so miles. After all, it was a long race (98 miles), and recent rains had made for dust-free conditions, so passing wouldn't be a problem. Plus, Destry Abbott was absent due to an injured shoulder (see Briefly... ). No sense running wide open the whole race if they didn't have to. But, then there were Russ Pearson and Shane Esposito, David Pearson and Kurt Caselli, to name a few, that had plans of their own, and they weren't about to let Brown and Davis take it all without a fight. The bomb run, thick with sagebrush and close to a mile long, was staged on rolling terrain with very few good lines. The shortest and most direct was a single-track that ran within a few feet of a barbed-wire fence for the entire length of the bomb and then dropped over a knoll through a narrow gate and onto the marked course. This situation Jed to some "discussions" as a number of riders claimed (or tried to claim) a spot near the fence. What other lines there were eventually funneled into the fence line by the end of the bomb run anyway. By the time the banner went up, many riders seemed resigned to playing it safe and lined up wherever they could. With dustfree conditions and nearly a hundred miles to race, they had time to work their way up. When the banner dropped, Davis jumped in front and then moved over, leading the field of riders down the fence line. Brown trailed the Yamaha rider by only a few yards as the trail rolled down through a shallow draw toward the end of the bomb. He must have found some more power somewhere as they came back into sight side by side. Then the Kawasaki of Brown's began pulling the former leader. Brown used the last few yards to complete the pass, leading Davis, Russ and David Pearson, Shane Esposito and the rest of the field single file into the desert. WI had a great start, right where I wanted to be," Davis said. "I could've held off Brown at the end there, but I 26 APRIL 10, 2002' cue • (Above) Brian Brown (2) and Ty Davis (t411ed the way at the end of the bomb run in Murphy, Idaho. The two went back and for1h numerous times, with Brown finally taking the win, and Davis second. (Left) Russ Pearson fought off the rest of the field on his VZ250 for third overall, first 250cc. just ret him go because he knows where he's going, I figured I'd just stay right there and let him pull me along." For the spectators, separated from the racers by only a fence, this was a unique and exciting chance to watch the start of a desert race up close. The course for the first half of the race was reportedly fast and rough, lots of whoops and sand washes. Davis and Brown pushed each other hard trying to get away from Esposito and the Pearsons and, in doing so, set a pace that the rest of the field found difficult to keep up with. David Pearson used one of the rough whoop sections to get around his cousin Russ. The Montclair Yamaha-backed YZ250 rider said of the pass: WI heard the big old, deep-sounding motor pounding the whoops, just pounding the whoops. I don't know how he [David Pearson] kept going that fast, I guess that's what Ty and Brian were doing, too. I didn't feel comfortable going that fast." Later, Russ closed the gap on the leaders again in a tight section, but fell back again when the course opened up and the speeds increased. e n e _ s