Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

_:;---------,UJ '" ~ U) a: CJ CJ ~ (J i:i ~ Q. 505 EX.: 1. Brian J. Vincent (Rot); 2. Brandon 1..zIursen (Rot); 3. K.C. Knodel (Suz); 4. KevIn Hilbert (Hon); 5. Dave Woods (Rot). 505 PRO·SPT: I. Robert McLendon (Rot); 2. Scott Lowery (Rot); 3. Brian Mayo (Rot); 4. Tom Woods Kenton (Rot); 5. Cllsey Hamilton (Rot). BRAKELESS: 1. Rich Long (Yllm); 2. Don Blyar Jr. (Yllm); 3. Brandon Snider (Yam): 4. Paul Blliley (Hon); 5. Kevin Eblin (Suz). L/W VINT: I. Jimmy Ziegler (C·A); 2. Robert Mclendon (65A); 3. Michael D. Landrum (Yllm); 4. Jeff Metzloff (C-A): 5. Bubbll Long (C.A). H/W VINT: I. Ivan Carl (Yllm); 2. Chad Kreager (Yam); 3. Thomas Boyce (Yllm); 4. Kirt Emerick (Yam). OPEN AM: l. Ricky Mllrshall (Hon); 2. Kyle Kelley (ATK); 3. Ben Evans (Rot); 4. Scott 1..zIndrum (Hon); 5. Jack Turner (Yam). OPEN PRO: 1. K.C. Knodel (Suz); 2. Robert Mclendon (Rot); 3. Andrew Royce (Rot): 4. Kevin Hilbert. (ATK); 5. Zachary Pllimer (Rot). SR 30+; 1. Jeff Metzloff (C.A): 2. Dave Woods Jr. (Rot); 3. Todd Perkins (Rot). SR 40+: I. John Hamilton (Rot): 2. Elis Giemnlni (Rot): 3. James Beck (Rot); 4. Jack Turner (Yllm). Whiplash Off·Road's Prescott Mountain GP Round B: Alto Pit OHV Slicing and Dicing in Arizona's Pines rear tire caught up in the temporary fence and wrapped up his bike reeeaaally good! It was bad for Brown, who said his luck had been really good up to that point. "I hit a good-sized tree and got lucky that it was dead," he said. "It shattered as I went through it, or it could have been pretty ugly." Way to clean out the underbrush, Eric. You should send the forest service a bill for fire prevention. The Masters Pro Over 40 victory went to Steve Richards, who is always fast and, if memory serves, he overalled a race this year. Second·placed Bill Williford wasn't far behind. Another smoking of the field was put on by Tim Wossow, who took the Expert overall victory on a stock 2001 YZ250. Wossow was happy with his race; he may go Senior Pro, since he's won the last two Whiplash races he's entered, and is an Over 30 AMX champion. The next three finishers are the top three in the four-stroke points, and they finished in reverse order of their standings. Finishing in second place and third in points was Scott Young. Placing third was Jewell Turner, who was not about to let points leader Ben Hutchinson past him; Hutchinson placed fourth. As always, there were some first-timers in attendance; some looked a little like deer in headlights, and others looked like they had already won. And a great race it was - just two seconds separated Brian Clinton, who placed first, and Justin Everette, who placed second. Rick Pierce was third, Jody B. Martin was fourth, and Sean Moss placed fifth. By MIKE PARKS Clark County Fairgrounds: Yamaha rider Richard Long gets some well-deserved help with the checkered flag after his hard-earned victory at the Springfield, Ohio, half mile, round 10 of the Ohio Pro-Am Dirt Track series. Ohio Pro-Am Dirt Track Series Round 10: Clark County Fairgrounds Feelin' Groovy at Springfield By CRAIG GRISMORE SPRINGFIELD, OH, JULY 21 The Ohio Pro-Am half-mile series rolled into the Clark Counly Fairgrounds for round 10. The track at Springfield is known for its deep cushion, and many riders show up prepared to roost and be roosted. However, for the second year in a row I the cushion was nowhere to be found. The hot, dry weather had once again created a hard-packed track, and a very untraditional Springfield groove. As the day wore on, the groove got darker and some of Ohio's best cushion riders got some lessons on riding the notch by their out-of-state rivals. K.C. Knodel, who completely dominated the Pro-Sport class In the 2001 Ohio Series, took on the task of defending home-state honor in the Expert 505cc class. Michigan rider Brandon Laursen got the early lead, with Knodel tucked in right behind. They were soon joined by Brian "Bam Bam" Vincent, and the feisty trio split from the rest of the pack - say "goodbye" to wide-open cushion riding and "hello" to slam-dance groove racing. The three leaders went at it hard. The third turn became "Slide Job Central." One rider would go in hot, move (or "push"?) the leading rider out of the way, and the third-place guy would pass 'em both. In the end, it came down to who wanted it the most, and that appeared to be Michigan's Vincent, as he buried his Rotax into tum three on the last lap harder and faster than anyone had all day. He kept it on line as he blasted past Knodel for the lead and the win. "I'm surprised it stuck," Vincent said afterward. Home-state buddy Laursen followed him through the now-open door for second, while Knodel took a hard-earned third back to the truck. While Laursen and Vincent were switching into their street clothes, Knodel was readying himself for the Open Pro main event. Knodel easily redeemed himself with a convincing win over Florida's Robert McLendon. New Hampshire's Andrew Royce was thjrd, with Indiana 's Kevin Hilbert fourth, aboard the Ray Reesowned CRF450. Kentucky's Zach Palmer, who won the previous night in Bellefontaine, could not make the start and was credited with fifth. Ohio hotshoe Ricky Marshall continued his domination of the Amateur classes. Marshall entered three races the night before in Bellefontaine and won them all. Sunday at Springfield was the same story: three for three. It wasn't all "old hat," though; Marshall did try out some new equipment at Springfield. He rode the CRF450 of injured Grand National rider Cory Roth - although, so far this year, it doesn't seem to matter what Marshall's on, he's going to the front. The last chance for some Springfield cash on Sunday was the 505cc Pro-Sport race. It was also the last chance of the weekend for Florida boy McLendon to "cash in" on his long trip north. McLendon rode the night before in Bellefontaine with not so much as a podium finish. So far on this day, Iie'd come close to victory (two seconds) but had ultimately been denied. The time had come for one last attempt to bag an Ohio half-mile win before he headed south again. They lined up, wound them up and let 'em go. This time, McLendon's ship came in. Taking the lead early in the Pro-Sport final, the "Sunshine Boy" cruised unmolested to victory. Things got all shook up behind McLendon, however; on the last turn of the last lap, Brian Mayo, aboard a Woods Cycle Rotax, got into tum three too hot and bounced Andrew Royce off the groove and to the ground. Scott Lowery sneaked through down Iowan the groove for second, while Mayo recovered from a trip to the bales for third. Tom Woods and Casey Hamilton crossed the stripe behind them to round out the top five. To his credit, immediately after the checkers, Mayo sought out Royce to apologize. Royce graciously accepted and, with the help of his dad, John, got loaded up and settled in for the 13·hour drive back to New Hampshire, vowing to return to Ohio to race again soon. That type of dedication and determination is on display nearly every week in the Ohio ProAm Series. Throw in a generous helping of sportsmanship, backed by a genuine sense of camaraderie among the competitors, and you have an activity and a group of people that deserve total respect. Clark County Fairgrounds Springfield, Ohio Results: July 21, 2002 (Round 101 50: I. Justin Pitman (KTM); 2. Weyne Varilln (KTM); 3. Jordan Moill (Yam). 65: I. Heath Waugh (KTM). 80: 1. RIcky Boley (Hon); 2. Tyler Pitman (Suz). 100 VINT: I. Bill Wheeler (Kaw); 2. Barry Baker (Suz); 3. Rich Long (Yllm); 4. David Wells (Kaw); 5. Thomas Englehart (Hon). 125: I. Joey Brltton (Suz); 2. Joseph Ratz (ATK). 250: J. Ricky MarshllJl (Hon); 2. Scott Blower (Hon): 3. Bradley Venderkooi (Hon): 4. Tyler Shepard (Yam): 5. Thomas Englehart (Hon). 505 AM; 1. Ricky Mllrshllil (Hon); 2. Scott Blower (Hon); 3. Kyle Kelley (ATK); 4. Bradley Vanderkooi (Hon); 5. Ben Evans (Rot). PRESCOTT,AZ, AUG. 4 Put a bunch of desert racers in the woods and, like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Being a Whiplash race, one thing was certain: There would be some great racing! Going into this race, the top spots in several divisions were separated by only a few points, and everyone knew the people in second would really be gunning for the points leaders. The course was a 5-mile loop that at times felt more like a roller coaster, with some corners that rivaled the downhill S curves at Laguna Seca, but in a single-track scale. Whiplash racers are used to dodging cacti and rocks at high speeds, so this course of footpeg-dragging corners and almost trials-like rock climbing proved difficult for even the fastest and most technically proficient racers. Aboard his YZ250, Brian Bruning took the overall bike and Pro win in one hour, 16 minutes and 25 seconds, even after making a pit stop for gas. Bruning used this race as a tuneup before the next WORCS race and said he really liked the course. "This is the best Whiplash course since the old Kimey days," he proclaimed. Second place went to the always fast and determined Daton Raper. Racing on a borrowed bike, he charged hard but was briefly trapped behind Kyle Beshaw, who had lost his back brake but still made Raper work for it. Raper was followed closely by David Gronlund, who started dead last but charged through the pack with Raper; however, Gronlund got hung up by some normally very fast racers who had some unusual problems. Pro points leader Todd Johnson cramped up so badly, he said he couldn't feel his feet or fingers, but he still managed to finish in good time to preserve his now-modest Pro points lead. This points race could get very interesting. In the Senior Pro division, first place went to Ken Kozlic, who smoked the rest of the Senior Pros in his first Whiplash race of the year. Placing second, exactly seven minutes behind the flying Kozlic, was Allen Violette. After the race, Violette was seen in the pits of third-place finisher Desi Wolfe, talking about the speed of Kozlic. Wolfe admitted from the beginning that he knew he wasn't "on" - but promised he will be in Snowflake, Arizona, on September 1. Eric Brown provided some excitement in the pits and for the spectators when he got his Alto PitOHV Prescott, Arizona Results: August 4, 2002 (Round 81 PRO: I. Bryan Bruning; 2. Dayton Raper (Kl!w); 3. David Gronlund (Yam): 4. Kyle Besllaw (Kllw); 5. Todd Johnson (Yem). SR PRO: I. Ken Kozllc; 2. Alan Violette (Hon); 3. Desi Wolfe (Kllw); 4. Eric Brown (Hon). MSTR PRO 40..: I. Sleve Richards (Yllm); 2.Bill Williford. EX; 1. Tim Wossow (Yllm); 2. Scott Young; 3. Jewell Turner (Yam); 4. Ikn Hutchinson (Yam); 5. Travis Jones (Yllm). SR EX: I. Jim Connor; 2. Mark Sinkovich; 3. Ron Edwards. INT: I. Jesse Greene (Hon); 2. Sam Myers (Kaw); 3. Joe Ram05 (Yam); 4. Allin Kim (Hon); 5. Jllmes Manning. NOV; I. John Myers (Kaw): 2. Todd Dllvls; 3. Chuck Schmidt; 4. Brian Vlln Allen; 5. Nllthan Gerberich. SPT: I. Scott McCracken; 2. Anthony CllstJIIO; 3. Mike Cum· mings (Yam); 4. John Peckardt; 5. Chris Trejo. BEG: 1. Brad Weldemlln; 2. Michael Tharp; 3. Mike Asirnakis; 4. Carl Purtlll; 5. Daniel Brown. SR: 1. Marshllll Gerston; 2. Kevin Higgins; 3. Crllig Bell; 4. Don Lowenberg; 5. Richllrd Guffey. S/SR 50+: J. Olen Webb Jr.; 2. Cuffy Crabbe; 3. Don Bull; 4. Richard Walker Sr.; 5. Mike Hansen. FIT: I. Brilln Clinton: 2. Justin Everett; 3. Rick Pierce; 4. Jody B. Martin; 5. Selin Moss. Ohio Pro-Am Dirt Track Series Rounds 12-13: 339 Speedway Victory, Italia Style the facility, and then compete with sun on their shoulders on Sunday afternoon. Mother Nature provided a picturesque setting and perfect weather for the weekend. The folks at 339 Speedway did their part, providing a smooth-as-glass and dust· free track that was a hit with all the riders. Saturday night's racing went off without a hitch and concluded with a cookout for all the riders. The highlight of the racing may well have been the 14-man 100cc Vintage main event. That action-packed race was won by Kawasaki rider Bill Wheeler, over series rival Ivan Carl, in what would prove to be a titleclinching victory. Wheeler's little mean green By CRAIG GRISMORE BARLOW, OH, AUG. 10-11 Promoter Larry Reed brought the Ohio Pro· Am Dirt Track Series to Barlow, Ohio, for another doubleheader. No county fairgrounds cushion half-mile horse track for the pea-gravel specialists this time. Rounds 12 and 13 would take place on a sixth-mile, moderately banked clay oval that was built 50 years ago for cars. Nestled in the scenic hills of historic Washington County, the 339 Speedway offered a rare opportunity for the Ohio Series. The competitors got to ride under the lights on Saturday night, camp out under the stars at cue. e n e _ s SEPTEMBER 1 1, 2002 55

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