Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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of left us in a bad position for the main. But whatever the track crew did, the track was really good, so when all is said and done, I really can't complain." Hocking's win in the Open Vintage class was somewhat incredible, although the reason for that wasn't clear until after the race was over. The former AMA Grand National campaigner, who in his prime was only a National road race away from earning the prestigious AMA Grand Slam, grabbed the holes hot at the start off the 10-lap A main event, leading Joe Steffen, Steve Hall, Spencer and Paul Herman to the first turn. Hocking wasted no time setting sail, and he qUickly pulled clear of the field, gapping the next man by several lengths as the battle for second place continued. His lead was just over two and a half seconds by the completion of lap four. Spencer fought his way past Hall to take over the second spot, and once he got going, he managed to eat into Hocking's advantage until he was a mere bike length behind him. Hocking kept getting superior drives off the final two corners and up the front straightaway, however, and ""hen the two riders encountered lapped traffic on the last lap, Hocking came through it cleaner. He was able to post a win that was easier than it looked. The night also featured the magic of the Trail Blazers, who led the pre-race ceremonies and also took part In a Lap of Legends. So Cal legends Dick Hammer 116) and Skip Van Leeuwen 159) were among the throng of legends present at the event. Or was it? After the race, it was discovered that Hocking's "vintage" Yamaha TT racer had broken the shock mount where the single shock attaches to the swingarm. That he didn't suffer a DNF - let alone that he win - was a small miracle. "It never did anything weird out there," Hocking said after examining the damage. "I never felt anything dif- ferent. Is that crazy or what? I had a good night. Anytime you can see your number ahead of 49's [Spencer] on the cheat sheet, you had a good night. I could feel him in the infield, but I could yard him off the last corner. I just told myself to be smooth." Smooth was exactly what won the Suzuki Novice 250cc class for Spencer, who faced heat from reigning series champion Chris Canepa for the entire eight-lap main. After the race had to be halted so that Brown's Cycles' Daniel Brown could be put on the penalty line for one of his customary jumps over the line before the green light came on, Spencer took control of the restart, with Canepa and David Brown coming with him. The three riders, who are all displaying a maturity that will serve them well when they transition to the Open Pro ranks, quickly pulled away from the rest to settle the race among themselves. Spencer was ultimately able to hold Canepa off, although Canepa did get alongside Spencer on the front straightaway twice. "I guess, I just got lucky - and I got a good start," Spencer said. "We're just running really consistently this year. We had a new tire on it. I saw Chris' shadow all over on the track. It was pretty tense out there." Canepa offered no excuses for his own performance. "Bradley was just faster," he said." .... Perris Auto Speedwey Perris, Celifomia Results: June 29, 2002 (Round 5 of 111 OPEN PRO (15 laps; 15 riders): 1. Jesse Sanchez (CCM); 2. Jeff Johnson (Hon); 3. Rod Spencer (Ye.m); 4. Billy Mllrtin (W-R); 5. Tony SoUZll (CCM); 6. Matt Proto (CCM); 7. Mark Corsetti (W-R); 8. Ken Netto (Yam): 9. Kevin Bricker (W-R); 10. Mike Perillo (Hon); 11. Mike Besemer (Hon); 12. Jerrnlline Bacosa (CeM); 13. Danny CllIsey (ATK); 14. Dennis Briggs (Yam); 15. Tnwis Petton (Rtx). OPEN VINTAGE (10 laps; 12 riders): 1. Rick Hocking (Vam); 2. Rod Spencer (Vam); 3. Steve Hall (Yam); 4. Brad Spencer (YlIm); 5. Paul Herman (Yam); 6. Joe Steffen (Vern); 7. Dave Johnson (Yam); 8. Robert Bacosa (Yam): 9. Dennis Pinheiro (Vam); 10. Mike Kibby (Vam); 11. Louis Joseph (Tri); 12. Wayne Warrington (Tn). SOZUKI NOVICE 250 (8 laps; 11 riders): 1. Bradley Spencer (Yam); 2. Chris Canepa (Yam); 3. David Brown (Yam); 4. Chuck McCarty (Yam); 5. Daniel Brown (Yam); 6. Ricky Briggs (Yam); 7. Brad Rudy (Yam); 8. Peul Colston (Yam); 9. Matthew Roberts (Suz); 10. Matt Pinheiro (Hon); 11. Jimmie Moffatt (Vam). GENE ROMERO'S WEST COAST FLAT TRACK SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 5 of 11 rounds): OPEN PRO: 1. Rod Spencer (80/1 win); 2. Kevin Bricker (74); 3. Mark Corsetti (66/1 win); 4. (TIE) Tony Souza (59)/Jesse Sanchez (59/2 wins); 6. Billy Martin (56); 7. Lonnie Pauley (48/1 win); 8. Don Howard (43); 9. Ken Netto (39); 10. John Hlebe III (31); 11. Jeff Johnson (30); 12. Donnie Harrell (26); 13. Beau Brown (24); 14. Jeremy Hannah (22); 15. Danny Casey (ATK). OPEN VINTAGE: I. Rod Spencer (102/2 wins); 2. Rick Hocking (93/2 Wins); 3. Brad Spencer (78); 4. Paul Henman (77); 5. Robert Bacosa (59); 6. Steve Hall (45); 7. Donnie Harrell (42/1 win); 8. Joe Carrera (40); 9. Gary Ritchie (27); 10. Wayne Warrington (25); II. Mike Kibby (24); 12. Jeff Gonzalez (19): 13. Dennis Pinheiro (18); 14. Bill Kolkman (17); 15. Dave Johnson (16). SOZOK1 NOVICE 250: I. Chris Canepa (100/2 wins); 2. David Brown (96/1 win); 3. Bradley Spencer (94/2 wins); 4. Daniel Brown (69); 5. Manuel Jimenez (37); 6. Josh Ritchie (29); 7. Brad Rudy (23); 8. Scott Shoup (22); 9. Matthew Roberts (19); 10. (TIE) A.J. Kirkpatrick (15)/Chuck McCarty· (15); 12. (TIE) Evan Myklebust (13)/Scott Watkins (13)/Ricky Briggs (13); 15. (TIE) Aaron Beaubien (12)/Joe McCoy (12)/Louis Canepa (12). Upcoming Rounds: Round 6 - Watsonville, California, July 6 Round 7 - Chico, California, July 20