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GFI North Winter Series Round 5: Prairie City SVRA T By F!FTH ET JIM AND JUSTIN ENOS PHOTOS BY JIM ENOS RANCHO CORDOVA, CA, MAR. 1-2 parks, Nevada residents Bobby Garrison and Nick Jarret crossed the Sierras, and each came away a winner at the fifth and final round of the GFI North Winter Series, presented by Swift Dodge Sacramento. Garrison took the 250cc Intermediateclass win, and Jarret took care of business in the 125cc Intermediate ranks at the AMP National Track at Prairie City. Track changes greeted a crowd of nearly 450, and with about a threemonth lapse since the last race held there, racers were more than eager to return to the popular facility. It was all Garrison in the first 250cc Intermediate moto, as the S Michael's Yamaha/Maxxis/Answer/ MR2 Helmets-backed rider led every lap. Jarret kept the pressure on Garrison early on, holding the second spot until the last lap, when Jimmy Stewart capitalized on a mistake and relegated Jarret to third, where he would finish. Garrison trailed Jarret off the start in the second moto, while Stewart and Oregon's Kevin Rookstool followed. Local hero Stewart was sandwiched among the out-of-staters, but he kept the two leaders within sight for several laps. However, up front, the Sparks connection went at it; Garrison finally made a move that stuck on lap four of the eight-lap affair for the win and overall. Jarret simply had no answer for him and held on to the second spot for second overall on the day. Stewart, Michael Fargher and Rookstool rounded out the top five. "We ride together quite a bit, and he's always a gamer," Garrison said of Jarret. "He may have gotten a little tired, because with these long laps, especially on this long of a track, it's tough to hang on near the end. It's been a good experience coming down here, and the competition is good." A 13-rider field of 125cc Intermediates took the gate for moto one, and Rookstool shot out into the lead, with Stewart, Garrison, Steven Hernandez and Jarret in tow. Rookstool looked good out front, but he couldn't manage to break loose from Stewart early on. As the two came down the second hill, Rookstool tucked the front end in the ensuing corner, and unfortunately Stewart had nowhere to go but into Rookstool's bike. With both riders down, Garrison, who had been hanging back a few bikelengths, avoided the mishap by taking an outside rut and took over the lead. Garrison went on to take the win. Jarret, Hernandez, Stewart (Top) Bobby Garrison came all the way from Sparks, Nevada, to win the 250cc Intennediate class at the fifth and final round of the GFl North Winter Series in Rancho Cordova, Califomia. (Left) Nick Jarret also crossed the Sierras to be a winner, topping the 125cc Intennediates at Prairie City SVRA. (Right) Luke Layton rode his Suzuki to the Supenninl victory. 48 APRIL 2. 2003' C U 0: • e n e vv s and John Goodby rounded out the top five. Garrison was poised to make it a four-moto sweep of the Intermediate classes as he started in second, behind Rookstool, in moto two. However, Rookstool's moto-one bad luck somehow got transferred to Garrison: On the first lap, he fell in the exact same spot that Rookstool had. Jarret, who was right behind him, got by clean and put a charge on Rookstool, and he made the pass on lap five. Jarret, aboard his Oakley/Pro Circuit/BVH/Axo Honda, went on to take the win for the overall. Garrison rebounded for a well-deserved second and second overall on the day. Stewart, Hernandez and Goodby rounded out the top five. "I took advantage of what was there," Jarret said. "Once I got by Bobby, I knew I had to win that last one for the overall, and I just stepped it up a notch. I didn't get the greatest of starts all day, but my Hondas are plenty fast." Luke Layton posted a win in the hotly contested Supermini class. Layton, who has battled a nagging injury for the last several months, put in a pair of solid rides on the day and swapped wins with Yuba City Honda speedster Brad Kelly. Although Kelly came away with the second-moto win, Layton's 1-2 effort bested Kelly's 3-1 score for the overall. However, Kelly returned in the 80cc Intermediate and 80cc Open classes and took solid wins in both. Cole Huha topped the] 2-rider field of 80 Novices with a 2-1 score on the day. The Fort Jones resident was the most consistent of the bunch; runner-up Ryan Kirk checked in with a 1-6 tally. CN Prairie City SVRA Rencha CardavI, Cllifamll Results: Mlrch 1-2, 2003 IRaund 5 at 51 Saturday 125 INT: 1. Nick Jarret (Hon); 2. Bobby Garrison (Vern); 3. Jimmy Stewert (YlIm); 4. Steven Hernandez (Suz); 5. John Goodby (Yom).