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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128173
Either way, that was about as close as the Caselli bike would get to Davis' Yamaha, as the KTM began developing more problems later on. "We're going through about a quart of oil a lap," Krause said, "and that's not good." It was later discovered that, during one of the KTM's routine pit stops, the air filter had been installed incorrectly and dirt got sucked into the engine, which resulted in the KTM's slow and eventual demise. The bike finally keeled over in the late afternoon, putting an end to their promising ride. Even though the Davis team had built up a comfortable lead, and the Caselli bike was out of the running, Davis, Pearson, Woods and Fowler couldn't back off a bit, because the Honda and Kawasaki teams were always a threat. Kawasaki came manned with two teams, both armed with Pro Circuitbacked KX250s. The Shane Esposito Kawasaki team, made up of "Espo," Dave Ondas, Jeff Northrop and Richie Owens, was on the move, as was the Honda XR650R-mounted team of Johnny Campbell, Steve Hengeveld, Danny Cooper and Andy Grider. Esposito's Kawasaki and Campbell's Honda battled back and forth during the midnight hours, until the Honda team developed a somewhat comfortable lead. Esposito's team lost valuable time when their air filter became so clogged with dust that the bike couldn't pull the Mount St. Helen's hillclimb, which had become so silty at the base that a good run at the bottom was mandatory in order to get to the top. But the KX was starving for air and couldn't make enough power to get up the long, steep grade. The Esposito bike had to be ridden back to the pits (which, luckily for them, weren't too far away) for a filter change, after which the bike flew up the hill. By the early morning hours, the Honda team was running a strong second. Other than a clutch change late Saturday afternoon, things were going fairly smoothly for Campbell's team. But, as any off-road racer knows, things can quickly change, and they did - for the worse - for the Honda team. In the wee hours of the morning (about 2 a.m.), a section of the racecourse turned into a giant mud bog because of a broken sprinkler, and track crews were forced to make repairs. As a result, riders were redirected around the construction zone. When the Honda bike, ridden by Cooper at the time, came to this area, Cooper reportedly became confused and re-entered the wrong section of the course and inadvertently cut off a huge chunk of the racetrack. Race officials had no choice but to omit that lap from the team's lap count. The Honda team pleaded their case to officials, claiming that Cooper was redirected to the wrong part of the track, but to no avail. "We had a situation where we had to get water on Mount S1. Helens because of the silt, so we turned on the sprinklers," Glen Helen's Lori Yarnell said. "But a spigot had been broken by a bike earlier in the day and a mud hole formed on another section of the track - two guys were stuck when we got there. We had crews redirecting the riders around the tractor, but Danny got back on the track in the wrong section and came around our scorers twice within seven minutes, so we couldn't count their lap." (The average lap times for the pros were around 20 minutes.) The "docked" lap advanced the Esposito Kawasaki team into second, and dropped the Campbell Honda team to third. As the sun began to rise Sunday morning, and the bikes began shedding their lighting systems, the Davis team continued to lead the way, enjoying a comfortable one-lap advantage over their closest rival the Esposito Kawasaki team. Woods had the honor of being aboard the Yamaha when it took the checkered flag in first place. (Above) Ty Davis emerged from the night with an Insurmountable lead and went on to take the overall win with the help of his teammates Russell Pearson. Terry Fowler and Nathan Woods. (Left) KTM topped the Open Expert class with rlders Larry Roeseler. Charlie Morris, Tom Webb, Mark Tilley and Danny Guernsey at the helm. (Left) Shane Esposito's Kawasaki team kept the Davis team pushing the whole 24 hours. Esposito and teammates Jeff Northrop. Richie Owens and Dave Ondas ended up second overall. (Right) Johnny Campbell and teammates Danny Cooper (shown). Steve Hengeveld and Andy Grlder put up a good fight on the Honda XR650R but came In third. II: U II: • e n e _ os • SEPTEMBER 25. 2002 19