Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMAlFMF Racing National Championship Har-e & Hound 6el"'ies Round 3: .Johnson Valley Stsging Ar-ea STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARK KARIYA LUCERNE VAlLEY, CA, APR. 27 720rmer National Hare & Hound Brian Brown sailed to a relatively easy win at the third round of the AMA/FMF Racing National Hare & Hound Series in Lucerne Valley. In winning the Vikings M.e-hosted'race, the Team Green rjder put a stop to two streaks - Russell Pearson's three-race win streak and his own winless streak, which had dated back to round five of last year. Pearson staged a heart-stopping, high-speed run to the finish, barely holding off former series champ Destry Abbott for the runner-up spot and retaining the series points lead thanks to his )-)-2 record so far. Defending series champ Ty Davis took the early advantage on his Montclair YamahaNP Racing Fuels/ Moose-backed YZ450F. Starting on the far right side of the bomb run, he'd found what tumed out to be an excellent line that rewarded him with the lead as the course headed into rocky hills immediately after the bomb. i f champ " " - " Peal'8On came from the back to ..... Destry Abbott (b8I'e1y visible In the botIDm rtsIIdt for seconcl place just • few miles from finish. "I went up there and walked [the section prior to the race]," Davis said. (The rules permit competitors to practice the bomb run, but they're not allowed to ride beyond the bomb. They can walk any part of the course beforehand, though.) "Technically, you're allowed to go past the bomb a little ways before you hit the trail. That seemed to be the best line. "I got a great start; I ricocheted off the start line. I got to fourth gear and was looking over at Destry thinking, 'Here we go!' But I knew I had the best line. I knew all those ditches they had to slow down for." Fortunately for his competitors, he stalled the engine on one hill shortly thereafter, handing the lead to Brown, who held it firmly the rest of the race on his FMF/ Acme Suspension/Fly Racing KX500. "I took over from there and probably continued to have a 20-second lead from there on Ty," Brown said. "Pretty much, I took control right from the start." That's not to say he figured he had it in the bag, though. "I started getting a little worried; I started making a couple errors just because it was a virgin course - I blew a few corners and stuff," Brown added. "But I'd look back at the end of a valley or whatever, and they were just getting into it. I knew as long as I didn't make any big mistakes, I could take it to the finish." Davis would eventually drift back to finish fourth, saying, "I rode way better than the first National but ended up in the same position! This year hasn't been one of the greatest for me." Abbott suffered from a mediocre start. "By the time I got down [the first] hill, I was in about 20th," Abbott said. "I thought I was done for sure and was going to be fighting people [the rest of the race), but then I saw Russ right behind me. We just kind of plugged away and started passing people. We even had a 125 in front of usl "By the end of the first loop, I got up to third (behind Brown and Davis). I was able to get around Ty in the pits. " That put Abbott into second place on his FMF/Race Tech/O'Neal KX500, trailing only Team Green teammate Brown, but it wouldn't be his day. "I had a really tough time on that second loop," Abbott said. "Mentally, I just wasn't myself; I went down and just made a lot of mistakes. I let Russ and Ty catch me right at the end there and went the wrong way. That cost me." Pearson also got a less-than· stellar start, but he moved into fourth by the end of the first loop. About halfway around the second and final loop, he caught up to Davis, though he lost ground temporarily when he tipped over. "I was like, 'Man, maybe I can get by these guys,'" Pearson said. "Everybody was riding really well, and the course was a lot of fun." Pearson and his Montclair Yama· ha/Pro Circuit/Moose YZ450F

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