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Oklahoma Gold Rush Mid-America Championship Cross Country Gran Prix Hallett Motor Speedway Fonner National Champion road racer Sam McDonald Ileft) teamed with national-caliber trials rider Jerry Carrens lright) to win the seventh annual 6k1ahoma Gold Rush Mid-America Championship Cross Country Gran Prix. event held over a 7-mile course, almost two miles of which is run on the Hallett Motor Speedway Road STORV AND PHOT05 BV SHAN MOORE HALLETT, OK, NOV. 16-17 ~ormer National Champion road racer Sam McDonald paired up with national-caliber trials rider Jerry Carrens to take the team-division win at the seventh annual running of the Oklahoma Gold Rush Mid-America Cross Country Gran Prix, held at Hallett Motor Speedway in Oklahoma. Both Carrens and McDonald are considered top-level Pros at their respective disciplines, but they have consideraby less experience when it comes to cross country racing. With such diverse backgrounds, the combination might seem to be an unlikely match; however, the duo proved to be potent enough to top the 36-team/72-rider field. "We pretty much diced with [Mike] Baugus and [Wayne] Daves the whole way," said McDonald, who won the 1982 250cc AMA National Road Race title and later had a career riding Hondas on the 250cc World Grand Prix Road Race circuit. "I rode a little bit conservative, just to make double-sure I didn't make any mistakes. I'm nursing a bad ankle, and I knew if I killed the bike, I wouldn't be able to restart it. If I lost the lead by 10 seconds or so, Jerry could make that up, but if I stalled it and lost two minutes, we'd be in trouble. As it turned out, Jerry got the holeshot, we didn't have any major problems, and we held on for the win." The Oklahoma Gold Rush, sponsored by the Hallett Road Racing Club, Yahoo Racing and about 20 Oklahoma and Wichita-area motorcycle dealers, is a Gran Prix-type Race course. The remainder of the course consists of superfast trail, rocks, mud, gullies and tight switchbacks. The wide variety of terrain Lr 24 DECEMBER 4, 2002' cue I used for the event lures competitors from all forms of motorcycle (and quad) racing. In fact, 255 riders from as far away as Michigan and Kentucky (including Grand National Cross Country Quad Champion Bill Ballance) attended the two-day event, which paid a $2000 purse to the Pro Motorcycle and Pro Quad classes, and it was not uncommon to see dirt-trackers, road racers and motocrossers comparing notes on bike setup and line selection. Carrens kicked his YZ250 to life faster than anyone else to start the 2 1/2-hour team event and hit turn one slightly ahead of the pack. The 1985 national number seven trials rider put his "feet up" skills to good use on lap one, pulling out a small lead over the pack and holding it until K&N Yamaha-mounted Brady Meador passed him on a fast section of trail just before the finish area. Carrens would retake Meador on lap two before handing off to his teammate McDonald. "Trials makes you have good throttle control and brake control," said Carrens after the event. "We didn't get to preride the course, so nobody knew where they were going on the first lap. From riding trials all these years and reading a trail without ever riding it, I could look at where I needed to go and look at the arrows, too, and be real smooth. Anytime someone would get in front of me, they would shoot way off the track, and I'd get them back." On lap three, Mike Baugus put his WR400 into the lead when McDonald got sideways in the rocks. However, one lap later, McDonald put his road racing experience to use and overtook Baugus on the asphalt to regain the lead. The next seven laps of the race would see the lead change hands four times between the McDonald/Carrens and Baugus/ Daves teams, setting up an exciting final lap. With one lap to go, Carrens handed McDonald a six-second lead over Baugus. "We thought the race would run one lap longer than it did, and when Brady Meador won Sunday's Pro event at Hallett Motor Speedway In Oklahoma. e n e _ s Jerry handed off to me, we thought there were two laps left," said McDonald. "I expected to run one lap, then give it back to Jerry to finish, but when I crossed the [start/finish] line after the exchange, they gave me the white flag, and then I knew it was all up to me. It was not exactly the strategy we wanted, but it worked out. I was able to hold on for the win." Baugus and Daves finished second, with Yamaha teammates Dan Sanders and Darin Thomas rounding out the podium. In the Pro solo division, run on Sunday, Meador overcame a couple of falls - one in the rocks and one on the asphalt - to take the win over Colorado's Dax Brown and Carrens. eN Hallett MatDr Speedway Hallett, Oklahoma Results: Nava ber 1&-17, 2002 PRO: 1. Brady Meador (Yam); 2. Dax Brown (Yam); 3. Jerry Carrens (Yam); 4. Matt Lane (YDm); 5. Mott Leach (5uz); 6. Dole Meglemre (KTM); 7. Adom Coco (Vom); 8. Phillip Codrey (Vom); 9. Bryon Duval (Hon); 10. Mark David (Yam). 40+: 1. Gory Dick (KTM); 2. Roy Patton (Han); 3. Trecy Kramer (KTM); 4. Kris Colemzm (KTM); 5. Michael wood (KTM). 251-0PEN AM: I. Mike Hinds (Han); 2. Bob Myers (Han): 3. Lorry Shope (KTM); 4. Covey Murray (Vam): 5. Randy Medlin (Vam). 201·250 A.M: I. Jerry Cartwright (Vern); 2. Derin Thomas (Vam); 3. Kenneth Wing (Vam); 4. Phil Norman (Vam); 5. Cd.. Bundrick (Suz). 123·200 AM: 1. Michael Leland (KTM); 2. Danny Sianker (Hon); 3. Randall Gillette (Vern); 4. Corey Shivel (Vom); 5. John Cowdrey (KTM). 80-122 AM: 1. Jacob Leatherwood (Vom): 2. Landin Boler (Kaw); 3, Josh Robinson (Suz); 4, Tyler McDonald (Vern). 60·200 BEG: 1. Ryen Heevener (Yam); 2, Tyler McDonald (Vam); 3. Michael Twillins (Vam); 4. Nathan Fix (Kew); 5. Scott Beckley (Vern), 201 + BEG: I. Randy Shepherd (5uz); 2. Ronnie Celhoun (Vern); 3. Ed Burk (Hon); 4, Ched Welter (Han); 5. Scott Fisher (KTM). VINT 2-STRK: I. Decn Bean (Kaw); 2. Charle, Bookout (Vam); 3. Rob Fields (Hus); 4. Dennis Roper (Vam); 5. Steve H8esemeyer (Suz), VINT 4-5TRK: 1. Charlie Frazier (Vam); 2. Johnny ISllecs (Tri); 3. Tim Peusous (Vern); 4. Jepthe Smith (Vern): 5. Garry Mayfield (Tn), TEAM: 1. J. Carrens/S. McDonald (Vam); 2. M. BaugusfW, Daves (Varn); 3. D. Sanders/D. Thomas (Vam); 4. G. Dick/R. Jones (KTM); 5. T. Bridgesl S. Berber (Vam).