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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128195
AMA Mid-South Championship Winter HS Series Round 5: Wolf Branch (Left) Blair Bersano tamed the Wolf and won the fifth round of the Mid-South Championship Winter Hare Scrambles Series. He consistently rode in third place or better and got the lead directly before the white flag. (Right) Dustin Gibson finished second in Monterey, Tennessee. dead last and left with the 250cc/ Open A pack one minute later. Of the five laps raced, each lap had a different leader. Robbins continued to lead the first lap. Sampson moved into first place during the second lap and pulled away from Bersano and Jeff Cregg by about 30 seconds. Then, a mile from getting gas, Sampson got a flat tire and wrapped his bike around a tree. He made five laps and finished in sixth place in the AA class and eighth place overall. During the third lap, Team Green Kawasaki's Cregg moved into first place and was 30 seconds ahead of Bersano and Robbins. The battle stepped into high gear as Bersano picked up his pace for the next nine miles. Bersano took the lead directly before the white flag. "I knew on my third lap that I had to step it up if I wanted to win," Bersano said. "When I came through the score tent, I saw that I was in second, so at that point I decided to go faster. I got by Cregg when he made a mistake passing a lapper." Bersano finished his fourth and fifth laps in first place. Sarge's Cycles/KTM/Pro Action of Kentucky/Cycra-backed Dustin Gib- STORV AND PHOTOS BV DEBBIE ALLEN MONTEREY, TN, DEC. 1 arly predictions had it that Blair Bersano came to Monterey, Tennessee - site of the fifth round of the AMA/Pirelli/Moose/Parts Unlimited/White Brothers-backed Mid-South Championship Winter Hare Scrambles Series - with a notion to win. It had been four years since his last Mid-South Championship win, so he was ready to tame the Wolf, the most demanding course ever created. F&S Suzuki/Lowe Racing /Smith/ Sport Optics/No Fear-backed Bersano immediately got off to a great start and was the third rider into the woods. He rode smart and managed to stay upright the whole race. He took the lead directly before the white flag and finished the race in first place overall as well as first in the AA class. "I was kind of hoping that the track would loosen up towards the end, but it was just as frozen," said Bersano. "No one is used to riding in frost, but I just wanted to ride smart and not fall. I think it paid off in the end." Gordon Promotions didn't purposely set out to create the most challenging course. Mother Nature added a little freezing weather to make the trails more interesting. Slick spots were everywhere, and as the riders sloshed through the creeks and traversed the hills, those hills became frozen. It was very difficult to make it up large hills, and only 15 of the 500 riders on hand managed to make five laps because the track proved to be tougher than usual. Out of the 10 AA riders, John Robbins got the holeshot, with Charles Mullins, Bersano and Mike Sampson fighting to lead the first lap. Off the start, Scott Plessinger went down, and his rear wheel got stuck on Chad Froman's footpeg. They both started E 48 JANUARY 8, 2003' cue • son finished in second place in the AA class and second overall. "It was slick," Gibson noted, "so I tried to ride smooth and smart. There were some hills out there that you just had to concentrate. On the second-to-the-Iast lap, the ground was all ice, so my previous line didn't work anymore. I had to come back down to make it up the hill." Gibson rode within the top five the entire time and passed Cregg for the lead on a downhill. After pulling away, his bike washed out from under him, and Robbins, Bersano and Cregg moved around him. Shortly thereafter, Robbins and Cregg had their share of problems. Robbins fell, and Cregg's bike blew a rod, so he was out of the race. "I got a good start and pulled the holeshot and was in the lead several times," said Robbins Turbo/Cycle Shed's Robbins. "It was a great race, and I really enjoyed myself. A couple of the areas got bottlenecks, and the lappers just wouldn't let you around, but that just makes for a better race. On the last lap, I slid sideways, and my bike ended up on top of me, but I still ended up with a solid third place." A 250cc/Open A rider, Timmy P'Pool, got fourth overall. He was f1y- Timmy P'Pool came In an impressive fourth overall while winning the 2S0cclOpen A class. • ne...,s ing on his RM250. After a third-place start, he passed Michael Cornett and Steve Ezell for the lead a few miles from the start. From that point on, he tried to stay on two wheels, like everyone else. He finished six minutes ahead of KTM-mounted Alan Westerfield, who placed second in their class. "It was so cold out there - I really thought I had frostbite for a while," Westerfield said. "This race was tough." eN WoH Branch Inonterey, Tennessee Results: December 1, ZDDZ (Round 5) ~ O/A: 1. Blair Bersllno (Suz); 2. Dustin Gibson 3. John Robbins (KTM); 4. Timmy P'Pool KTM); Suz); 5. Scott Plessinger Oo(TM): 6. P.A. Allen (KllW): . Jason Wofford (KTM); Mike Sampson (YlIm): 9. Alan Westerfield (KTM); 10. Michael Cornett (Kaw). e. AA: 1. Blair Bersano (Suz): 2. Dustln Gibson (KTM); 3. John Robbins (KTM); 4. Scott Plessinger (KTM); 5. P.A. Allen (Kaw). 250/0PEN A: 1. Timmy P'Pool (SUl); 2. Alan Westerfield (KTM): 3. Michael Cornett (Kew); 4. Clint Robinson (KTM): 5. Ben Weathers (KTM). 4·STRK A: 1. Jason Wofford (KTM): 2. Daniel Nelson (Hon): 3. Jack Bailey (KTM); 4. Robert Uch (Yam); 5. Brandon Freeman (KTM). 200 A: 1. Chris Bach (KTM); 2. Derek Bratcher (KTMl; 3. Nathan Alering (Yam); 4. Clay Hedgepath (KTM : 5. John Lenard (KTM). SR A: I. Scott Martin (Suz): 2. CllIY Stuckey (KTM); 3. Dallas Mayer (Yern); 4. Steve Thomas (KTM); 5. D8vid Zanet (Kew). VET A: 1. Greg Elrod (Suz); 2. Harvey Whitaker (Kaw); 3. Taras Massey (KTM); 4. Jeson Dickey (SUl); 5. Billy Proffitt (Hon). 250 B: 1. Wayne GlIntt (Vem); 2. Kenny Judd (Kew): 3. Mlch8el Barnick (Kew); 4. Brenden Jones (Yam); 5. Eric Meeks (Kaw). 4-STRK B: 1. Jon Buckner (Vern); 2. Keith Lewis (Yam); 3. Brandon Wofford (Suz): 4. Ryan Creasor (Han); 5. Kendall Tuck (Hon). OPEN B: I. Scott Voung (KTM): 2. Lucas Snell (Vam); 3. Geylon Rogers (Yom); 4. Mark Jones (Hon); 5. Todd Buchanan (Kaw). 200 8: 1. Scott Meredith (KeW~; 2. Shane O'Banion (SUI); 3. Damon Prince (Suz : 4. Weston Wallwork (KTM); 5. Mike Hamilton (Kaw . VET B: I. Robert Adkins (KTM); 2. ichard Ward (SUI); 3. Greg Brannon (KTM); 4. Scott Kirchoff (5uz); 5. Eric Gill (Vam). SR B: 1. Kenny Satterfield (KTM); 2. Louis Gibson (Suz); 3. Steven Middlebrook (Yam); 4. Jerry Castleman (kaw); 5. John Glaus (Yam). S/SR: 1. John Giles (Yom); 2. Patrick Jones (Yom); 3. Larry Still (Han); 4. Disney Robinson (KTM); 5. Ronnie Snell (Kaw). 250/0PEN c: 1. Seth Derryberry (SUl): 2. Roger Spires (SUI); 3. Andy Gentry (Kaw); 4. Donnie Howard (Vam): 5. Chrts Webb (SUl). 200 c: 1. Phillip Graham (Kow); 2. Nathoo Hammons (KTM): 3. Adam Elliot (KTM); 4. TJ. Wesbecher (KTM); 5. Chase Thomas (Kew). 4-STRK C: 1. Jeffrey Welch (Vam); 2. Bud Street (Vam); 3. Jacob Carwile (KTM); 4. Chad McClamtoch \Hon); 5. Billy Clark (Hon). VET C: . Darren Sizemore (Yam); 2. Rusty Lewis (Kaw); 3. John Robinson (KTM); 4. Chence Blackwell (KTM); 5. Undon Carwile (KTM). SR C: 1. Billy Childers (Kaw); 2. Berry Luther (Hon). BEG: I. Mark Brady (SUl); 2. Doug Emge (SUl); 3. Tyler Masden (Hon).