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Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series Round 3: Plaza Park Raceway By SCOTT ROUSSEAU PHOTOS By KAREN GOULD VISAUA, CA, MAY 18 hrough two rounds of racing, none of the three professional classes that make up Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series had seen a repeat winner, and after the series had completed round three at Plaza Park Raceway, that situation had not changed one bit. Despite a light turnout of only 49 entries, three new winners emerged from the night's racing action on a challenging 1/6-mile Plaza Park track, which was rough early and then smoothed into a dry-slick groove that placed heavy emphasis on hookup rather than horsepower. That was certainly the case as 28year-old Jesse Sanchez of Ceres, California, tiptoed his CCM/James Banky Performance/JSR Racing entry around the track, after getting a stellar holeshot, to win the 16-lap Open Pro A main event. Sanchez simply clung to the low pole and pulled away from a single-file parade of six to seven riders who were in the chase pack to score his first career West Coast Flat Track win. That he did so was a surprise to all except, maybe, Sanchez. "I had a feeling that we would be good for the main event because I was getting off the corners so good," Sanchez said. "In qualifying, we had a Carlisle on the back, and I was surprised to even make the Dash, but when we switched to a Goodyear CDS, that did it. I've just had some bad luck lately, but my bike is really working good now. I want to thank Bob Swanson for all the help that he has given me. Hopefully this is the start of a roll. I don't want to get left out this year." Sanchez's escape was facilitated by the fact that his pursuers were so overzealous in their attempt to catch 54 JUNE 5, 2002' cue I .. him that they actually went backward. Leading the pack of also-rans for most of the race was Newburg, Oregon's Beau Brown, who was returning to action aboard his BBRP/Circle F /Cecil Brown's Auto Rotax since suffering a knee injury while trail-riding. Brown also rode the low pole, and he appeared to be in limbo between Sanchez and the rest of the pack, catching Sanchez, until he re-injured the knee and slipped backward. At that point, it was all the 21-year-old could do to hold on for second place. "I stuck my foot in a hole in turn three, and now it feels worse than it did before, but still I'm pumped," Brown said. "The way the track was, you really had to get your bike set up and use a lot of throttle control. It was fun. I liked the track. Coming off four, I could catch Jesse a little bit, but that was about it." ne""s 1 Third place went to series points leader Kevin Bricker, the MotoMD. com/ Arai/Pro Beauty Supplybacked rider definitely enjoying a run of consistently high finishes in WCFTS races thus far. Bricker managed to work his way to third in the pack that chases Sanchez, and he also made a run at Brown in the middle laps, but a collision with Brown nearly cost him dearly, and Bricker fell back, crossing the line third. "Once I got by myself, I could catch Beau a little, then we clipped bars and I almost went down," Bricker said. "After that, I just got too aggressive and went backward. So I started pole-puttin'. I know that I was holding some guys up, but oh well. I thought that the track was pretty decent for a firsttime effort. Now Gene Romero and the track promoter know what they have to do next time, and I can only see it getting better. "I also wouldn't mind if they decided to knock the fences back about 50 feet," joked Bricker, who prefers the bigger tracks. Former AMA Grand National number 74 Billy Martin finished fourth, with Tony Souza fifth. The eight-lap Open Vintage A main event was perhaps the most intense battle on the track, as the surface had not quite yet become a one-liner when the field rolled to the line. A&A Racing/Hlebo Brothers/ C&J Racing Frames-backed Rick Novice 250cc Champion Chris Canepa (1) battled side by side with David Brown (2) for the entire Suzuki Novice 250cc main event. Brown prevailed to earn his first career Novice 250cc victory. Hocking had the fastest reactions at the gate and immediately pulled away, with brothers Rod and Brad Spencer on his six. The Spencers battled each other, running high and low and criss-crossing as their secondplace battle sometimes found them sandwiching Hocking, who held the lead by barely a wheel in most instances. Brad Spencer eventually got the better of Rod Spencer for sec-