Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series Round 1 : Kings Speedway and give it my best shot and win the number-one plate in the West Coast Flat Track Series." That will make Corsetti the Lone Wood-Rotax Ranger against a tribe of Bob Swanson-supported riders in CCM war paint (Swanson is the head man of CCM's flat track division), giving this year's series an added kick. It's no secret that the two specialty flat track manufacturers have been butting heads recently. Now they have chosen Romero's series as their proving ground. "I guess that's what it's about," Corsetti said. "Ron Wood has done enough for me, so I'm going to try to do this [win the championship] for him." If that's truly the case, then score the first fall to Corsetti, who shot off the starting line second, behind MotoOrthopedics.com/STE Engineering/ Pro Beauty-backed Kevin Bricker in the 16-rider A main event, which needed three attempts to get underway. Rod Spencer, who had tangled with Fresno Harley-Davidson-backed Donnie Howard and crashed on the first restart, quickly jumped into the By SCOTT ROUSSEAU PHOTOS BY KAREN GOULD HANFORD, CA, APR. 13 [0) on Wood Racing/RAB Racing IJ\S. Products-backed Mark Corsetti has slipped into quite a pattern when contesting rounds of Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series. When the 32-year-old Pittsburg, California, resident shows up, he usually wins. Corsetti did it again at the Hanford TT during the 2002 West Coast series opener. Corsetti took control of the Open Pro A main event just two laps into the running and then pulled clear of his pursuers in the late going to win the race, which was shortened to 11 laps after the dry-slick Hanford circuit became extremely dusty. Conditions were tough, but so was Corsetti. "When I come here, I want to be tough," Corsetti said. "In years past, I just rode a couple of these races during the season, but this season I'm going to try and hit 'em all. Ron Wood is my main sponsor, and me and him have got kind of a little deal where he wants me to come out here lLeftl Spencer (49) waves Donnie Harrell (54Z) by after experiencing fluid-boil in the back brake in the Open Vintage A main. Harrell won, while Spencer finished second. (Right) Defending Suzuki Novice 250cc Champion Chris Canepa started his title defense off right with a win in the class' first main event of the year. 68 MAY 1, 2002· c U co • • n e _ s Mark Corsetti (1) leads Kevin Bricker (9) and Rod Spencer (49) on his way to winning the West Coast Flat Track season-opening Kings Speedway TT. Bricker and Spencer hung on for second and third, respectively. fight as well, running third, the front three riders distancing themselves from fourth place. Bricker looked comfortable in the lead, but a small miscue was all it took to send him off the track as they slowed for the tight left-hander that led onto the infield section. That was all it took for Corsetti to make a pass. Bricker tried valiantly to retake the lead, but to no avail. "We have a [plug-in] starter kit on our bike so that you don't have to push-start it," Bricker said. "I just went in there and my foot hit [the socket] and ~ I thought that I had hit \ the shifter, but it didn't \, go down a gear," Bricker said. "Then I hit a false ..&1 neutral. J must have 1 .IIIIl had a good lead on him because, when I came back on the track, I almost got right back in front of him. It was a good start out of the box last year I got a DNF here - but it's also kind of frustrating because I know that this one was mine. We're going to make a run at it [the title] this year." Corsetti considered Bricker's mistake a stroke of good luck, as he guessed that Bricker would only be tougher as the race progressed. ·"When Kevin bobbled, I had to go for it because I figured that if I waited any longer, then it would just be a follow-the-Ieader type race," Corsetti said. "I saw a little hole, and I went for it, and the bike allowed me to make the pass." Howard would catch up and fall back from the front trio during the race. Near the end, he was barely able to hold off a charging Billy Martin for the fifth spot. Corsetti, meanwhile, pulled comfortably ahead of Bricker off the final few turns to make his win seem easier than it looked. Nonetheless, there was no containing him as he let out Scott Parker-like war woops in victory lane. "When you work all day and the bike isn't working too well, but you just keep working and then win one of these babies against all of these top riders, that's why I get so excited," Corsetti said. "It's just a feeling that you get when you beat all these professionals. It's a feeling that I can't explain." The Fox Racing/Spears Enterprises-backed Spencer finished third. "It ended up turning out pretty good," Spencer said. "We were just fighting a few mechanical gremlins all night, but we ended up in one piece. We broke a front-brake lever in that crash, so I didn't have that much to work with, but I actually wish we'd had more laps. The longer I run, the better I am. Down the straightaway, those Rotaxes have just a little bit on this 01' TT500." Spencer actually fared one better in the 10-lap Open Vintage A main and this after charging from the back of the field to take the lead in just four laps. Paul Herman had garnered the holeshot, followed by Donnie Harrell, but Spencer was a demon under the brakes as they headed toward the infield and was by both riders for the lead. Spencer then fought to hold off Harrell for the next two laps before waving Harrell past just after they hit the jump on lap seven. "Earlier, we had sheared a keyway when we were taking the white flag in our heat race, but [bike owner] Robert Boten worked his magic and got us going again," Spencer said. "Then, in the main event, we had the fluid boil in the back brakes. No excuses, though. Donnie Harrell won because he was faster."

• Cover