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Parts Unlimited Off-Road Championship Series Round 1: PJ 1 Moonshine 100 (Left) Kawasaki's Chuck Woodford took the overall during the opening round of the Moose Run Series In Kahoka, Missouri. {Below! Doug Blackwell piloted his Honda CRF450R to a solid second place at the PJ1 Moonshine 100, finishing Just 34 seconds behind the KX250-moun1ed Woodford. By STEVE BERKNER PHOTOS BY BILL GUSSE KAHOKA, 11'0, APR. 14 r.\ ound one of the Moose Run Series Wstarted out a lot like the penultimate round of last year's series: with Kawasaki's Chuck Woodford taking the overall honors in what he identified as a critical race in his comeback from a broken leg that sidelined him for most of last year. The National Hare Scrambles/GNCC series rider won the opening round of this year's seven-round Parts Unlimited OffRoad Championship Series during the PJ1 Moonshine 100 with a time of two hours and 24 minutes, besting Honda-mounted Doug Blackwell by 34 seconds. "ILast November] I won the last round [of this series] as one of my first races back after breaking my leg [last June]: Woodford said after the race. "Now, after winning [today], I think I'm finally back. I've struggled quite a bit so far this year with a couple of disappointing [National Hare Scrambles and GNCC] finishes. This is the first race that I've felt 100 percent." Gas Gas rider Matt Stavish finished third, while KTM pilot Craig Holasek and Yamaha-mounted John Roth finished fourth and fifth. respectively. Woodford led the seven-lap race for all but a few miles during the final lap, when he stopped for gas and Blackwell took the lead. "Doug was there, pushing me all day: said the 26-year-old native of St. Clairesville, Ohio. "He rode a good, strong race, but I was a little faster than he was in the tighter sections." Up to that point, Woodford had led the whole race, albeit after starting third. "By the time we left the IMX track start], I was in first: said the Kawasaki/Moose/Scott/IMS/Cornwall Toolssponsored KX250 pilot. "Over the next three or four miles, Doug was always right there behind me. The first half of the course was more open, and it was all I could do to stay ahead of him. But then it got more technical and I was able to put some time on him. By the end of the second lap, I had a comfortable [oneminute] lead, so I decided to ride my own race, and if [Blackwell] did make a move, I'd deal with him then. "Going through the pits [on lap seven], I stopped for a splash [of gas], just to make sure ... and Doug got by. From there, I just hung with him for the next few miles until the trail got tighter. Doug rode a good race, especially in the open areas. But I was just a little quicker through the woods." Blackwell, who rode a CRF450R, concurred. "The woods sections were a little soft and the four-stroke just seemed to want to dig in where Chuck was able to float through," said Blackwell. "We didn't need a second gas stop, so I was able to get by Chuck when he pitted. I couldn't ask for anything more than to be in the lead going into the last lap. I've got to hand it to him. He beat me heads up." "It was fun racing with Doug," Woodford said. "It was always easy to tell where he was. He had a little stronger gearing for the straightaways, and you could really hear that four-stroke pulling hard in the grass-tracks. " "After getting a midpack start, I never saw [Woodford and Blackwell] again," said Stavish, the National Enduro regular who currently is running third in that series. "By the halfway point [of the first lap], I had worked my way up to third and I pretty much rode by myself. The riding conditions were absolutely perfect, with temperatures in the 80s ... The course was awesome. The soil was real moist and sticky - a little slippery at first, but there was no standing water and absolutely no dust." While Woodford, Blackwell and Stavish rode for the top three positions, an interesting battle developed for fourth. "For the first few laps," Holasek said, "we [Holasek, Charlie Deutscher and Dick Burleson] freight-trained, with Dick and Charlie taking turns with the lead. It wasn't until the fourth lap, when I made a quicker gas stop than they did, that I was able to move into fourth. I never saw any of them again. Then, out of nowhere, on the last lap, John [Roth] passed me when I got hung up behind some lappers." "On the last lap," said Roth, who ran as far back as 1Oth on lap two, "my pit crew told me that I was gaining on Holasek, so I wicked it up cue I e a bit, caught him, and than passed him when he took the wrong line in a mudhole. I tried to shake him, but he was always right there behind me. Eventually I got behind a lapper. .. and Holasek got by me." Holasek finished one second ahead of Roth with a time of two hours, 33 minutes and 14 seconds. eN PJl Moonshine lDD Kahoka, MisSDUri Resolts: Aprill4, ZDDZ (Round 1 of 71 O/A: I. Chuck Woodford (Kaw): 2. Doug Blackwell (Hon): 3. Mall Stavish (GG): 4. Craig Holasek (KTM): 5. John Roth (Yam): 6. Kyle Nelson (KTM); 7. Cherlie Deutscher (Hus); 8. Richard Burleson (KTM): 9. David Stickel (KTM); 10. Adam McKillip (KTM). PRO: 1. Chuck Woodford (Kaw); 2. Doug Blackwell (Hon): 3. Matt Slllvish (GG); 4. Craig Holasek (KTM): 5. John Roth (Yam). A: I. Lee Lenkutis (Hus): 2. Heath Heck (K.w): 3. Chuck Garelson (Hon); 4. Chuck Biesecker; 5. Gary Gibbs (KTM). VET A: 1. David Stickel (Suz); 2. Paul Reschke (KTM); 3. Cory Rea (Hon); 4 William Hardesty (Hus): 5. Derek Despllnler (KTM) VET B: 1. Men Unland (KTM); 2. Jenry Melick (GG); 3. Randy Covell (Kaw): 4. Robert Hansen (Kaw); S.Troy Hancock (Yam). SR: I. Dllnlel Wancket (Suz); 2. Wally Mika (Suz): 3. Brad Molick (GG): 4. TIm Graf (Kaw); 5. Richard Johnson (Hon). 4-STRK: I. Bryan Wedmore (Yam); 2. Andy Potter (Hon). 0·200 B: 1. Kale Lawrence (Hus); 2. Don Reshcke (KTM); 3. Jim Wancket (KTM); 4. Brandon Housewright (Hon); 5. Stonley Shaw (Kaw). OPEN B: I. Jared Parker (Yam); 2. Mike Leir (Hon): 3. Bryan Johnson (Kaw); 4. M'Hk Davis (Kaw); S. Marc Pflum (Yam). 0-200 C: 1. Broc Krantz (Suz); 2. Nathan Thompson (KTM); 3. Luke Hensen (Suz); 4. Yancey McHone (Yam); 5. Jerad Dobbs (Kaw). OPEN C: 1. Jerry Lair (KTM); 2. Brett Ryen (Kaw): 3. Bill DeVore (KTM); 4. Brandon Mueller (Kaw); 5. Ryan Lair (Kaw). Matt Stavish rode his Gas Gas 250 consistently, setting a pace that netted him third overall. n e _ S • MAY 15. 2002 53