Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

I my Own Race: 125cc ®® (Leftl Larry Ward gave the "older" crowd something to get excited about, a. the 32· ,ea.-old vet won the first 12See moto. (Below! Branden .leaseman tumed a lot of head. after finishing second overall again. Steve Boniface The Red Bull KTM rider looked promising in practice and won his qualifier, but a poor start in moto one left him near the back of the pack. The Frenchman worked his way up as high as 15th before falling back and fmishing 25th. The second moto started out looking much better, and then mechanical problems struck. "I had a good start, and from the ftrst lap, I did not have any rear brake, so that was kind of no good," he said. Boniface crashed hard on the second lap, ringing his bell. He remounted, got his bike straightened, and ftnished 27th, which put him in 32nd for the day. 11 @® The Australian came into the race second in points, but ~ Boost Mobiletyamaha/Troy Racing rider had horrible luck at Washougal. Reed had a terrible start in the first mota and "was just trying to push through and pass people." Reed was picking up three places each lap until ~ fourth, when he and Ryan Huffman came tog~r over a jump, and both of them went down. "I stayed really low and kind of went out long, and Ryan Huffman kind of went a little bit higher than I did, and I just landed straight into the back of him." His second outing started out much better, but on the fourth lap, his header pipe broke, and Fonseca got around him. They battled for the rest of the moto, but he never regained that place. A ftfth meant 10th overall. ®'f/ , •. ~.""', ~ Chad Reed Danny Smith ~(,: .... ..-.«_~ ~ :1, .J One of just two riders other than Stewart to have taken an overall this year, this Blimpie Suzuki rider struggled in Washington. Starting halfway back in moto one, he climbed as high as 13th, only to slip back and ftnish 18th. "It's part of the racing," he said. "I just got pinched at the start and then ended up falling. I just didn't have a good rhythm out there." The second moto was even worse. After a near-last start, he was only able to get as high as 17th before falling back to ftnish in 20th, for 18th overall. 1] ®~ 11 @eB track was really difficult - you roll it on too hard, and you slide out. You can lose two or three seconds in one corner." Shae Bentley 'lJ @@ in arrears of Stewart, 382-298. Taking the mota-one holeshot and leading the early going was none other than Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki/Chevy Trucks rider Shae Bentley, in only his second race back after a year off recovering from injury. Ward got by Bentley on lap three, and aware that Stewart was fighting forward from a mediocre start - tried to quickly build a cushion. Jesseman, who had completed lap one in fourth, got by Bentley for second on lap six of 15, and although he threatened the veteran toward the end, he had to be content with second. As for Stewart, he posted the fastest lap times of the class, but some over-aggressive riding on the slick track and a tough fight from Red Bull KTM's Billy Laninovich (contesting his first National) prevented him from advancing higher than third. Laninovich held on for an impressive fourth, with Bentley staying strong in fifth. "I really couldn't do anything," Stewart lamented. "[Ward and Jesseman] rode an awesome race. The Billy Laninovich Buddy Antunez Riding in his debut National (coming off an injury from the supercross series), this Red Bull KTM rider impressed many (including team manager Ron Heben) with his strong riding at Washougal - especially in the first moto. After one trip around in third position, Laninovich settled into fourth, where he stayed for the next seven laps, holding off James Stewart for a while and - once passed even getting back by the points leader briefly. "I've been training really hard," said Laninovich, noting that Ryan Hughes has been belping him. "I didn't get tired much." Laninovich, 19, went 4-12 for seventh overall. In only his second race back after suffering a compound fracture at Millville last year, this Pro Circuit/Kawasaki/Chevy Trucks rider is still in recovery mode, but he impressed many by leading early in moto one. "It's going to take me a little bit," he said. "I just have to be patient." Bentley used so much energy holding off Fonseca for fourth in the ftrst moto that he had little left and only completed four laps in the second outing. This Blimpie Suzuki arenacross veteran made the best of bad starts and ftrst-Iap crashes to net eighth overall. "I knew that I had to keep Stewart and Reed in sight, and after I went down for the second time [on the ftrst lapI, I just put my head down and tried to ride as hard as possible," Antunez said of moto one, in which he was 14th. He went down after getting rear-ended on the ftrst tum of the second moto and found himself at the back again. This time he made it all the way to seventh before the flag was thrown. to build an insurmountable lead. No dice. Stewart was third behind Ward by lap three's completion, and three 25. Weaver; 26. Corder; 27. Bonifece: 28. Herrison; 29. Huffman; 30. Reif; 31. Reid; 32. Hibbert: 33. Buckelew; 34. Huffman: 35. Shimp; 36. Davis. 37. Bentley; 38. Th8in; 39. Pingree: 40. Bess. Time: 36:58.230 125 O/A: 1. Stewart; 2. Ward; 3. Jesseman: 4. Fonsece: 5. W8lker; 6. Sorby; 7. L8ninovich; 8. Antunez; 9. Sellerds; to. Reed: 11. Currie: 12. Short; 13. Bentley: 14. Byrne; 15. Huffman: 16. Preston; 17. Gossela8r; 18. Smith: 19. Woods; 20. Th8in; 21. Elliott; 22. Pingree; 23. Mertens; 24. Buckelew; 25. Lacy: 26. Johnson: 27_ Hadsell; 28. Gibson; 29. McCormick; 30. Weever; 31. Corder: 32. Boniface; 33. Harrison; 34. Reif; 35. Reid; 36. Hibbert; 37. Huffmen; 38. Shimp; 39. Devis: 40. Bess. AMA/CHEVV TRUCKS 125c< U.S.MOTOCROSS C'CHIP SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (Arter 9 of 12 rounds): 1. Jemes Stew8rt (382/7 wins); 2. Branden Jesseman (298); 3. Chad Reed (288); 4. Emesto Fons..,a (275); 5. Denny Smith (237/1 win); 6. Matt Walker (213); 7. Buddy Antunez (196); 8. Larry Ward (162); 9. Eric Sorby (147); 10. Damon Huffman (145); 11. Travis Preston (136); 12. Brock Sellards (126); 13. Michael Byrne (109); 14. Josh Demuth (98); 15. Michael Brown (89); 16. Paul Currie (84); 17. Grant Langston (77); 18. Ivan Tedesco (73): 19. Chris Gosseleer (67): 20. Devid Pingree (64). Washoug_1 MotDc:ross hrlr Washougal, WlISbinglDn llesalts: JulJ 28, ZOD2 [Round S of 1ZJ circuits later, he zipped by the lanky 125 MOTO 1: 1. Larry W~rd (Vern); 2. Branden Jesseman (Suz); 3. James Stewert Jr. (Kew); 4. Billy rider for second. Jesseman did Lanlnovich (KTM); 5. Shae Bentley (Kew); 6. Emesto Fons..,a (Hon); 7. Eric Sorby (Kaw); 8. Matt Walker (Kaw); 9. Damon Huffrmm (Suz); 10. Andrew Short (Suz); 11. Brock Sellards (KTM); 12. Joshua Woods (Suz); 13. ROOrig Thain (Vam); 14. Buddy indeed have a good advantage at this point, but Stewart - riding more patiently this time - steadily chipped away at it, finally nabbing his first lead of the day with five laps remaining. Stewart kept it from there on out, taking the moto win over Jesseman and Ward. "I got horrible starts in both Stewart once again started terribly motos," Stewart said. "I wanted to in moto two, but after one lap he had already climbed to eighth. Jesseman, meanwhile, had snared the holeshot, and he was doing everything he could come back strong and win the second mota. I didn't think I was going to get around them, but I just put my head down and rode." eN Antunez (Suz); 15. D8nny Smith (SUI): 16. Paul Currie (Suz); 17. Devid Pingree (Hon); 18. Justin Buckelew (Suz); 19. Chris Gosseler (Hon): 20. Kevin Johnson (Yam); 21. Steve Bonlfece (KTM); 22. Turbo Reif (Suz); 23. Jonathan Shimp (Yllm); 24. Tiger Lacy (Vam); 25. Jeff Gibson (Vam); 26. Scott Davis (Suz); 27. Tommy Harrison (Suz); 26. Tucker Hibbert (SUI); 29. Cemeron Weaver (Yam); 30. Levi Reid (Vam); 31. Michael Byrne (Hon); (Hon); 32. Shane Bess (Suz); 33. Jason McCormick (Suz); 34. Mike Corder (Kaw); 35. Chad Reed (Vam); 36. Ryen Huffmen (Vern); 37. Steve Mertens (Hus); 38. Trevls Elliott (Hon); 39. Trevls Preston (Hon); 40, Tyson Hadsell (Vam). TIme: 36:33.660 125 MOTO 2: 1. Stewzut; 2. Jesseman; 3. Werd; 4. Fonseca; 5. Reed:; 6. Walker; 7. Antunez; 8. Sorby; 9, Byrne; 10. Currie; 11. Preston; 12. Lenlnovlch; 13. Gosselear; 14. Sellerds; 15. Elliott; 16. Short; 17. Smith: 18. Mertens; 19. Lacy; 20. Woods; 21. Hadsell: 22. Gibson; 23. Johnson; 24. McCormick; cue I e Upcoming Rounds: Round 10 - Millville, Minnesota, August 18 Round 11 - Bingham1on, New York, August 25 n __ S • AUGUST 7,2002 29

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