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(Left) Raymond Peters finished third on Saturday, with a score of 100. He slipped to sixth on Sunday, however. (Above) David Chaves followed an opening-day sixth-place finish with a career-best third on Sunday. (Right) Canadian Ryon Bell was consistent, finishing fourth on both days. able sections. In the end, Aaron posted 11 clean rides - one more than Crosset, but his seven 5s compared to only three for his Belgian counterpart sealed his fate. When the mudfest was over, Crosset had posted a 14-point win over Aaron, 76-90. Ray Peters was another 10 points back with 100. Ryon Bell and Poland's Jozef Topor-Madry rounded out the top five with 1 11 and 120, respectively. SUNDAY On Sunday, the sun appeared and quickly dried the sandy soil and the day's sections were left as originally intended by the NTTA and would prove to be the most technically difficult faced so far this year. Sections one through six were merely warmups for the "big boys" and the top five contenders arrived at section seven with clean cards. The next group of sections was very similar in structure, consisting of very large boulders spaced so that riders either had to jump from one to the next or drop down into the cracks in between. Section eight would prove to be a turning point on lap one with its most difficult segment - the exit - consisting of three large, jagged rocks located less than a bike-length apart. To exit cleanly, a rider had to jump the gaps, being careful not to overshoot and fall into one. Aaron was clean to the exit and brought a cheer from the crowd when he leaped across the first gap on the rear wheel. Although he required two dabs to get across the final gap, Aaron still posted the best ride on loop one. Crosset made an equally impressive ride but was carded a five when he passed on the wrong side of a marker. He returned on loop three to post one of the few cleans scored on the section all day. Chaves was the king of section nine and was the only rider to log three cleans on its massive rock slabs. Aaron appeared unbeatable early on, riding with his trademark bold and aggressive style. In section 10, perhaps the hardest of the day, Aaron was the only rider to score better than a three, taking a single dab on the difficult exit. After one loop, Aaron led with 10 points. Crosset and Chaves were tied for second with 17. Bell sat in fourth with 19, followed by Team Sherco's Travis Fox with 20. On lap two, Aaron's fortunes changed for the worse and Crosset's for the better. Crosset found the intensity he had lacked on the first lap and dropped only four single dabs, scattered at different points across the loop. Aaron, on the other hand, suffered a series of 5s - one when he stalled his engine in section nine - to post a 20-point loop, drop· ping him nine points behind Crosset after two laps. For all intents and purposes, the battle for first was over at this point, with Crosset needing only to take eight or less on his final go-around for the win. His seven-point final lap did just that. Aaron dropped 15 more on his final lap for a total of 46, giving him second by one point over Chaves. Bell again finished fourth with 49, while Travis Fox had a good ride to finish fifth with 53.5. Crosset was all smiles after the event, but too exhausted to celebrate. "I'm very tired now," Crosset said. "The event was very difficult but very good. I had some problems, but now it is good." "I love this place," Cl)aves said after posting his best-ever National finish. "Yesterday, I flood in the river and there's water in the airbox and carb, but today is very good. I like the rocks and the sections are very technical and difficult. Yes, I am very happy." CN Muenster, TtIlUll Resuhs:ApnI13·14.Z00Z Saturday C'SHIP: 1. Fred Crosset (76); 2. Geoff Aaron (90): 3. Raymond Peters (100): 4. Ryon Bell (III): 5. JozefTopor-Madrey (120): 6. David Chaves (123): 7. Wilson Craig (123): 8. Chris Florin (128): 9. Andy Johnson (138); 10. Dennis Sweeten (155). Ex: 1. Jesse Wellenstein (99); 2. Brad Villand (104): 3. Nick Mantzoros (113): 4. Chuck Sullon (118): 5. Mitch Reichardt (121). EX/SPRTSMN: 1. Bill Ibsen (115): 2. Will Ibsen (118): 3. Tim Fastle (122): 4. Christy Williams (129): 5. Jeremy Cox (131). SPRTSMN: 1. Ken Melody (47); 2. Brian Brower (118): 3. Chad Kimbrell (120): 4. Kevin Moran (124): 5. Vaughn Cady (128). HIGH SCHOOL: 1. Cody Webb (84): 2. Trevor Clancy (115): 3. Biake Binder (116): 4. Max Malsbary (119): 5. Adam LeGere (120). WMN: 1. Kerry Williams (120); 2. Andrea Davis (140): 3. Kerrie Brokaw (158): 4. Nicole Bradford (159): 5. Jessica Mizell (176). SR 30: 1. Keith Busch (107); 2. Lance Butler (119): 3. Paul Philbrick (141). SR 35: 1. David Bleck (72); 2. Kevin Busch (73): 3. Ron Commo Jr. (93).5. 4. Mike Wehling (97): 5. Scott Williams (112). SR 40: 1. David Rohrschneider (107); 2. Ken Pedersen (116); 3. Brock Sattelmeier (126); 4. Leslie Mizell (140): 5. Anthony Herald (141). SR 45: 1. Adrian Lewis (89); 2. Wayne Galvin (103): 3. Mike Komer (105); 4. Bruce Bolander (117): 5. Allen Guyot (119). SR 50: I. Nils Mantzoros (126): 2. Gilbert Reed (127); 3. Mervin Edgington (133); 4. Cerl Hopkins (138.5): 5. Dennis Moran (161). SR 55: I. Ted Gansberger (117): 2. Dale Malasek (118): 3. Bob Bell (121); 4. Jim Watson (150). SR 60: 1. Bill de Garis (95). YTH (7): I. Sam Fastle (21). YTH (8): I. Adrian Cooper (51): 2. Preston Nelson (63). YTH (9): 1. 60 Ibsen (4); 2. Marcus Banister (31): 3. Levi Williams (46). YTH (10): 1. Taylor Duval (46). YTH (11): 1. Austin Williams (53). YTH (12): I. Christina Bechard (51). Sunday C'SHIP: I. Fred Crosset (28); 2. Geoff Aaron (46): 3. David Chaves (47): 4. Ryon Bell (49): 5. Travis Fox (53.5); 6. Raymond Peters (57); 7. Chris Florin (67); 8. Wilson Craig (71); 9. Jozef ToporMadrey (89): 10. Adam Holbrook (94). EX: 1. Jesse Wellenstein (56); 2. Chuck Sutton (57): 3. Eric Tidmore (64): 4. Mitch Reichardt (65): 5. Brad ViUand (68). EX/SPRTSMN: 1. Tim Fastle (33): 2. Bill Ibsen (33): 3. Adam Blumhorst (40): 4. Will Ibsen (41): 5. Christy Williams (42). SPRTSMN: 1. Brian Brower (25); 2. Ken Melody (36); 3. Kevin Moran (43); 4. Rick Agans (64); 5. Devin Canady (64). HIGH SCHOOL; 1. Cody Webb (7); 2. Jake Wieland (29); 3. Trevor Clancy (35); 4. Adam leGere (36); 5. Max Malsbary (40). WMN: 1. Kerry Williams (43); 2. Laura Bussing (63); 3. Andrea Davis (66); 4. Kerrie Brokaw (75); 5. Nicole Bradford (99). SR 30: 1. Keith Busch (33); 2. Blaine Heppner (44); 3. Lance Butler (53); 4. Paul Philbrook (67). SR 35: 1. Ron Comma Jr. (6); 2. Kevin Busch (14); 3. David Black (18); 4. Ron Lee (20): 5. Scott Williams (35). SR 40: 1. David Rohrschneider (17); 2. Ken Pedersen (23); 3. Brock Sattel meier (28); 4. Ray Reser (42): 5. Kelly Echterling (47). SR 45: I. Keith Adams (12): 2. Howard Galbreath (17); 3. Mike Komer (19); 4. Garry Hoover (25): 5. Adrian Lewis (26). SR 50: 1. Gilbert Reed (37): 2. Nils Mantzoros (37): 3. Carl Hopkins (42): 4. Marvin Edgington (51): 5. Brian BehJing (112). SR 55: 1. Dale Malasek (24); 2. Gorden Bowden (43): 3. Ted Gansberger (45): 4. Bob Bell (64): 5. Jim Watson (68). SR 60: 1. Bill de Garis (22). Crosset negotiates a muddy rock on Saturday. Notice the weakening rear fender. BRIEFLY••• In his spare time, Geoff Aaron has been testing a new tire for Dunlop. The new rubber, though still designated the DBO 1. has a much softer sidewall and is significantly lighter than the production model. Aaron says the new tire gets great traction in spite of the fact that he is run- ning almost two pounds more air pressure. Colorado's Nicole Bradford was a new entry in the Women·s class in Texas. Bradford. who won a bronze medal at the 2001 ISDE in France. is selling her sights on new goals and wants to be the first American to qualify for both an ISDE and the Trial des Nations. Lightning. which is always a threat in the flatlands of North Texas this time of year. struck a motorhome in pit row. sending sparks into the air like an arc weider. Luckily. all the occupants were inside and well grounded when the lightning hit and the only damage was a nasty looking bum mark on the roof and a blown CB antenna. cycle n e _ s MAY 1, 2002 67