Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

(Leftl Defending series champ Ty Davis. here leading Destry Abbott just after the bomb, had a mediocre day by his standards and could never get into the right rhythm. He claimed fourth at the finish. (Belowl The fight for fifth place went down to the finish between Honda racers Steve Hengeveld (11 and Andy Grider (61. with the District 37 champ barely holding off Grider's determined efforts. rev this thing; let's try to make him nervous.' So 1 started revving it. He started to bobble, but then I think he realized there was no way around [him]." Despite another desperate, lastminute attempt or two, Hengeveld stood his ground to maintain fifth and said, "I was pretty happy for that. My goal was a top-five today. That'd be a good finish for the first one, knOWing that this is a really tough National. I met my goal and look forward to the next [National]." Though mildly disappointed, Grider was happy with his day: "This was a really fun National. It was hard; I'm going to feel it tomorrow." eN Bessemer Mine Road lucerne Valley, California Results: January 26, 2003 [Round 11 and headed out on their second and final loop. Loop two started out fast, but the Desert M.C. designed it to get progressively rougher and more technical. The killer was a trail down a boulder-strewn hill on the west side of Bessemer Mine Road that would've worked ideally for trials riders. For those approaching 80 miles of desert racing, it was more than challenging enough and certainly earned the Winter Classic a difficulty factor worthy of a National. Those who didn't wish to face the section could take an alternate route on the uphill approach that was similarly littered with boulders and sand; it was also a four-mile-Ionger trail around the section. Later in the race. everyone reportedly had to take the alternate, as the uphill was too clogged with stalled. tired, frustrated racers. Russ maintained his lead despite getting momentarily stuck on one uphill. '" had to get off and push. I'm like. 'Oh no!'" he cried. "I stalled my bike once. It was fun out there; there was excitement. It was no easy day in the park." Brown started out the second loop about 40 seconds behind Russ and 10 seconds ahead of Abbott. Midway through the loop, however, his KX500 felt like it had a flat tire so he slowed momentarily to check it visually and saw Abbott close behind. With no flat to be seen. Brown wicked it up again, taking advantage of an unseen Abbott crash to pull away a little. "He caught up to me probably another 10 to 15 miles into it," Brown said. "I looked back and then panicked again and took off. That's when I hit the rocks and smashed the pipe. I just kind of cruised in from there; I couldn't do anything [with the smashed pipe]."' Abbott reported, "I caught Brian maybe five. 10 miles out [of the pit]. Almost had him, then I clipped a rock with the front end and just slid out and went down. Maybe five. 10 miles later I caught him again. This time he went down. "Russ was probably a minute in front of us, and I was able to catch up real close - probably within 20 seconds - then I went down again and bent my brake lever and all that stuff. " Abbott, last year's Winter Classic winner, would settle for second overall on his FMF/Dunlop/O'Neal machine; Brown hung on for third. "Overall, I was really happy with everything," Abbott noted. "I didn't win, but I feel like I'm capable of doing that again. I'm confident with the way the bike's working. I wish I could've got a better start. That's the way it goes sometimes." Davis rolled into the finish in fourth and admitted, "I was just having a tough time today. Nothing was clicking so I just backed her down. I didn't want to do anything stupid. It's unfor, tunate because it was definitely my course. I loved the course; it was awesome. It was so challenging. I was bobbling; I was making mistakes - it wasn't me. I fly through this stuff, and I was just having a heck of a time. Oh well." The closest finish of the day.may have been between Honda XR650R pilots Hengeveld and Grider. Hengeveld headed out of the pits on his Precision Concepts/BRP/MSRbacked machine in fifth place with a slight cushion over Childress and Grider, who worked past Childress before too long and set his sights on Hengeveld. With the finish only a few miles away, Grider knew he was running out of time, though the extremely rocky conditions did turn things to his advantage. "We started getting into that [rocky] stuff, and my short little legs, sometimes they don't work the way they should be working - paddling everywhere - just because they had some really tricky turns," Hengeveld said. "For a shorter rider like me and a taller bike, it was a little hard." As he pointed his bike down the final, treacherous downhill, Grider had his Precision Concepts/GPR/ O'Neal thumper right on his back tire. O/A: 1. Russ Pearson (Yam); 2. Destry Abbott (KlIw); 3. Brian Brown (KllW); 4. Ty Dav;s (Yam); 5. Steve Hengeveld (Hon); 6. Andy Grider (Hon); 7. David Pearson (Kaw): 8. Paul Shafer (Kaw); 9. Mike Childress (Kaw); 10. Rob Phillips (KTM): II. Rob Zimmerman (Yam); 12. Paul Krause (KTM); 13. Luke Dodson (Suz): 14. Joey Lanza (KTM); 15. Zack Dodson (Kaw): 16. David Rees (KTM); 17. Kevin Parks (Yllm); 18. Nicholas Blais (Han): 19. Kendall Norman (Han); 20. Christopher Blais (Han). "We came down there, and I was thinking, 'Okay, I'm going to get him,''' Grider said. "All of a sudden, I realized there was no place to pass. 'Okay, what can 1 do? Okay; panic- BRIEFLY. •• Dave Byrd was the man responsible for most of the work on the killer finish downhill. according to Desert M.C. honcho Gary Cyr. In the works for three years. It required long hours with picks and other implements before they had a passable traiL Though they saw no evidence of prevIous tire tracks down that section. spectators Larry Roeseler and Tom Webb insisted that the trail had been used once before: dunng an enduro in 'S1 But there was more to the second loop than Just the downhill before the finish. though. as Ty DaVIS pOinted out. -I've never been down that. It was really cool. It was awesome l I had a blast. Maybe next year we'll go up it. - Of course. he also added that there were some uphills on the second loop that surprised him 'There were four uphills that were good. You looked, and then you looked again and made sure you had a good run and a good line because If you bobbled. It could cost you a minute. a minute and a half trying to get back around. If you got stuck halfway up. you· d have to come back down and start over. It was awesome. That was stuff I love nding." Destry Abbott agreed. saYing. '"I think that clubs that put on National events should make It like that. That's the first time I've had fun In a long time." Destry Abbott's daughter. Kelsey. participated In her first race ever the day before the NationaL Riding her KLX1 10, "She had fun," Dad reported. even after getting a bit out of shape near the end and crashing, though she bounced nght back up to finish midpack. "She wants to race Adelanto: she's got the itch now. '" Destry said. After winning the 250cc championship last year. Russell Pearson switched to the Open class to nde the new YZ450F at the final two rounds. carding a second and a win. This year, he's concentrating exclusively on the Open class in pursuit of overalls. '"I don't even have a 250, '" he reported. "I've got a 250cc four-stroke: that's it.Paul Krause was almost shocked to find out that he won the Four-Stroke class. given the number of thumpers that finished In front of him. However. all four of those were Open Experts. not Four·Stroke Experts. Krause spent a lot of time on Saturday (and Sunday morning) helping other KTM racers, especially South Afncan Elmer Symons. whose 525 had a mystenous clutchdragging problem that they never did exorCise - even after swapping plates and actuating systems. It was hard to believe that Brian Brown could even finish. Judging by the smashed pipe his bike sported. With Its header crushed almost closed against the frame. he dldn't have to worry about haVing the power hit too hard in the rocks at the end. 'It wasn't running too good.' he admitted. '"I was wondenng if I should've just taken the alternate around [the uphill/downhill section at the end): going around the extra four miles might've saved me' But it made It up everything and finIshed third so I can't complain too much. I guess. - He also had an unexplained gastrointestinal problem: "I got sick on the starting line. I don't know If It was Just nerves or something I ate.' After a two·kick start. Team Green's David Pearson found himself In a wall of dust like many In the pack. 'I was right behind Steve [Hengeveld] and Mike Childress .. Just holding it wide open trying to catch up to them." Pearson related. 'They were on trail. I was off Ito the Side. out of their dustJ hilling bushes and stuff I Just went. 'You know what? Bad start: I don't need to crash.' I just rode safe." He finished seventh overall and hopes to use thiS as his throwaway. ThiS may be the return of the Honda Off·Road Team - or at least part of It - to the Nationals. Andy Gnder IS concentrating on them thiS year. and Steve Hengeveld has the optIOn to do them. As he said, '"It's pretty much up to me, but I believe we're gOing to mix It up this year and go do the Nationals. That way I can nde the 450 pretty much everywhere else [in the senesl. Like today. It would've been a great bike on the second loop. but on the first loop I needed the 650. BUll think. as we go out of state lfor other roundsJ. they're tighter. '" Donnie "Little D" Emler made hiS desert·racing debut" and was less than impressed with how hiS motocross talents transferred to off·road racing. "I admire desert racers [nowL" he declared after finishing. -Man. you've got to be psycho to do this stuff The first loop wasn't that bad. It was hard to see. When the dust breaks up. you can kind of get away from it. But that second loop IS so brutal. You think you're home free. then that drop-off down that [finish hllll is so gnarly" HaVing to nde most of the second loop with a flat front tire on hiS CRF450R didn't make things any easier. cue I e n e vv s FEBRUARY 12, 2003 23

• Cover