Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128209
AMA Western Four-Stroke National MX Championships Round 2: Racetown 395 MX Park By DON SCHNEIDER/ WWW.4STROKENATIONALS.COM PHOTOS BY CARY PENNINGTON Ryan "Ryno" Hughes (105) thundered to the overall victory at round two of the AMA Westem Four-5troke National MX Championships. ADElANTO, CA, MAR. 23 ~ yan Hughes took his KTM 450 SX @to the top of the podium in a world-record-breaking event, the second round of the AMA Maxxis/ VP Racing Fuels Western Four-Stroke National MX Championships. There were 95 premier Pro-Am riders battling for 41 spots in the two mains. Ten riders were already seeded, and three qualifiers and two last-chance qualifiers were run in order to give riders the opportunity to race for a $7000 purse and a $10,000 Riders Points Fund. After three qualifiers and two lastchance qualifiers, it was time to get serious. In true championship form, White Brothers/American Honda numberone plate holder Paul "Pit Bull" Carpenter grabbed the early lead in moto one, ahead of 40 other top riders. CHM System P-4R Exhaust's Jason McCormick and his teammate Mike Corder fended off qualifier-three winner Danny Carlson, Nathan Woods, Hughes, Brandon Morgan, Kevin Townsend, Carter Gurnee and Casey Johnson - a fine field of competitors. Carpenter held the point through lap one, despite - as series announcer Brian Barnes pointed out - having somehow gotten a pennant banner draped around him. Then McCormick, 52 APRIL 16, 2003' cue I • trying to get by for the lead, blasted through a berm; he re-entered the race in fifth, behind Jimmy Nelson and Carlson. Sean Collier finished the first lap in 16th. Hughes went down but re-joined the race in 22nd. Chris Wheeler was 31st, and National number two, Spud Walters, was in 35th, with Calvin Reeves, Tim Weigand, Dustin Nelson and Travis Marks all behind him. Michael Brandes stepped in front as Carpenter slowed. Johnson's pit board read "Get Past: and that's precisely what happened on lap six. Carlson, with Johnson in pursuit, displaced Brandes on lap seven, and Johnson followed suit. Carpenter, Woods, Collier and Wheeler had all gotten past Brandes by lap nine. As the two-lap signal was given, Johnson still held the point. Carlson was second, Jimmy Nelson was third, and then came Car- The pack roars into Racetown 395 MX Park's first tum. n e "" Si penter and Woods. Ron Heben, KTM's team manager, was keeping lap times atop the tower, clicking off 1:54s for Hughes, who was running sixth. Wheeler was seventh, followed by Collier, Gurnee, Corder, Morgan, Walters and McCormick. Johnson greeted the checkers first, with seven seconds on Hughes. Nelson, Carpenter and Woods rounded out the top five. In moto two, McCormick - whose teammate Michael Stanton was injured in the third qualifier thumped into the lead. "I got a real pump-up speech from Mitch Kirkpatrick while on the line: McCormick reported. "He said, 'Pull the holeshot and win it for Michael.' I was focused really hard for that, as my teammate deserved to know that we are thinking of him and wishing him the best." Coming out of turn two, McCormick was leading Carlson, Ty Davis, Ryan Dudek, Carpenter, Brandes, Johnson, Weigand, Wheeler, Woods, Justin Minor and Walters. Hughes was just back in 16th, behind Gurnee, Tony Amaradio and Corder. By lap three, McCormick was up eight seconds. Johnson and Brandes moved into third and fourth, respectively, and Hughes was coming on. By lap four, Hughes had pushed past both Wheeler and Brandes through the finish-line doubles, and then he got by Johnson on lap six. Carpenter held fifth, with his teammate Walters and then Corder directly behind him in sixth and seventh, respectively. Hughes didn't stop his drive; on lap seven he blitzed past Johnson and then took over the lead from McCormick two turns later. Johnson and Carlson were now hot on McCormick's tail; both picked up the pace and went past McCormick on lap eight. Two laps later, something went awry on Carlson's machine, and he tallied a DNF. The top five on the 12th of the 15 laps were Hughes, Johnson, McCormick, Carpenter and Wheeler. In the closing three laps, Johnson showed he had something in reserve for Hughes, and the battle to the checkers was fierce. Also, Carpenter, despite a very sore knee sustained in moto one, dug down deep and got past McCormick. Walters then got by Corder, and that's the way it ended up: Hughes took the 2-1 victory over Johnson's 1-2 tally. Carpenter nailed down the third spot on the podium with a 4-3 tally. eN IlacetDwn 395 MX Pa" Adelaatll, California Results: March 23, 2003 [Round 2 of 10J O/A: I. Ryan Hughes (KTM); 2. Casey Johnson (YlIm); 3. Paul Clirpenter (Hon); 4. Chris Wheeler (Hon); 5. Jeson McCormick (Hon); 6. Spud Welters (Hon); 7. Mike Corder (Hon); 6. Seen Collier (Hon); 9. Michael Brandes (Vern); 10. Carter Gurnee (Hon); 11. Jimmy Nelson (Yam); J 2. Tony Ameredio (Hon); 13. Ty Davis (Yam); 14. Brendan Morgan (Hon); 15. Nathan Woods (Yllm); 16. Danny Carlson (Hon); 17. Tim Weigand (Hon); 18. Ryan Dudek (Yllm); 19. Justin Minor (Yam); 20. Bryan Allen (Hon). AMA WESTERN FOUR-STROKE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 2 of to rounds): I. Ryan Hughes (97); 2. Chris Wheeler (68); 3. Spud Walters (65); 4. (TIE) P"ul Carpenter/Jason McCormick (64): 6. Mike Corder (54); 7. Casey Johnson (47); 8. NlIIthan Woods (46); 9. Carter Gurnee (43); 10. Dustin Nelson (29); 11. Brzmdon Morgan (27); 12. Steve Mertens (26); 13. Sean Collier (22); 14. (TIE) Michael Brandes/Michael Stevenson/Jimmy Nelson (20); 17. (TIE) Tony Amaradio!Ty Davis/Robb F10th (17); 20. (TIE) Danny Carlson/Ryan Dudek (15). Upcoming Rounds: Round 4 - April 20. AMP/GFI National Track, Sacramento, CA Round 5: May 25, Albany Motorsports Park Albany, OR