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19th Annual White Bros. World Four-Stroke Championship IAbove) Doug Dubach has won the World Four-Stroke Championship so many times, it's hard to keep count. The only two times he's lost the championship since 1998 have been to Ryan Hughes. He finished second overall. (Left) This is all anybody saw of Ryan Hughes most of the day at Glen Helen. It was his second World Four-Stroke Championship in as many tries. STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOHN BETHEA defeated The Doctor in this race since SAN BERNARDINO, CA, APR. 12-13 !1;}. s the Defending Champion and ~winner of four of the last five White Bros. Four-Stroke World Championship Open Pro showdowns, Doug Dubach had been in this situation before. A third place in the opening moto meant he'd have an uphill fight to overtake Red Bull KTM's Ryan Hughes - the only rider who has "Last year, I was fourth after the first moto and things just fell into place," Dubach recalled. "If it happens again, well, I'll be grateful, but.. ." Reaching over and pulling his boots toward him as he began to get ready for moto two, he added, "He [Hughes] is a full-time racer; I'm just a businessman, and I don't race as often." 26 APRIL 30. 2003' cue I 1998. e n e _ s With that, Dubach went out and nailed the second-moto holeshot, leading the 33-rider field through the first turn. He almost did the same in the first moto but was cut off and started up Mount Shoei in 10th. Up front, Hughes was flexing his muscles, riding the only KTM in the field, and tucking into second early in mota one was Fly Racing's Craig Decker, and for nearly the entire 25minute-plus-two-Iap race, they stayed within two seconds of each other. "I just wanted to ride as smooth as possible." Hughes said. "I really have to credit the bike. It's a box-stock 450cc four-speed. " "Hughes is really tough," Decker said. "It was give-and-take out there. I'd close in in spots, and he'd pull away in others. You have to get a really good start to race him." Dubach wasted little time trying to catch back up on his DR. D Racing YZ450F and was soon third but unable to maintain the pace of the frontrunners. Instead, he began to pace himself. "You can wear yourself out quickly just making up lost ground," Dubach said. Behind him, youth was prevailing. Chris Wheeler had marched his FMF Honda into fourth place and was beginning to stalk Dubach. That didn't last long, though, as Wheeler quickly faded with a flat front tire. The bike also sprang an oil leak, and it had the crew scrambling between motos to find its source. Filling his void came Mike Corder, of Rainer, Oregon. He had brought his Carmichael Honda down early to get ready for the National opener on Mother's Day. "I was really stoked to be up there," Corder smiled after the moto. "There are about seven really fast riders out there. I just wish I could have gotten closer to Dubach." A couple of the "fast riders" he was referring to were Paul Carpenter and Danny Carlson, whose race for fifth place went down to the final laps when Carpenter put his White Bros./Shift Honda into fifth for good. Carpenter's bid for a win was cut short abruptly in turn two of the second moto as Dubach was leading the charge. A bad spill left the Honda ace limping back to his bike slowly and almost immediately back to the pits in retirement. Decker was the next to taste turf as he went headfirst into a berm. After he got up and spit the dirt out of his mouth, he got back into the battle. It didn't take Hughes long to erase Dubach from the top position, and this time he pulled away from the field with authority. Behind him, Dubach had his hands full with Carlson, who was pounding away at him for second on his Honda. After a brief exchange of seconds, Dubach seemed to get a second wind.