Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

TIle tIrat 11III-"-........ _ ....... -.ut ChIIcI.- C20I atIc:b tID ~ rocb. _ liN ..... wliHe P8uI Ib gathered, which included winner Brown. .................tII8t"''''''''lIwa "We came in, and they said I had maybe a foot on him or something: Pearson said. "Brian moved out of the way; we both snuck by. I'll bet Destry was going over was going 90. 90 [mph), and I'll bet I It was fun but scary." It was enough to give him second place. "I think I could've had him, but I shut off early. 1 was a little scared [of hitting someone in the finish chute]," Abbott said. _ JohnS8ll Valley SblIl...... lucerne VaHey, California Ilasulte: April 27, 2003 Ulaund 3 at 61 O/A: 1. Brian Brown (Kew): 2. Russell Pearson (Vam); 3. Destty Abbott (Kaw); 4. Ty o.vi. (Yam); 5. Joey Lanza (KTM); 6. Steve Hengeveid (Hon); 7. David Pearson (KlIw); 8. Mike Childress (Kaw); 9. was like, 'No!' I saw the checkered flag, and I thought, 'Well, I guess people are going to have to scatter,''' Pinned in top gear, Pearson and Abbott hit the finish chute at full speed, inches from the thankfully small crowd of spectators who had Defending ....... ee.-p T, Davis got off to • great start, but be stalled It about a mile ~tbe bomb. Rear-brake problems plagued him throughout the race. and he finished fourth. Paul Krause (KTM); 10. Rob Phillips (KTM); 11. Rob Zimmerman (Vam); 12. David Reos (KTM); 13. Bob Roberts (SUl); 14. Taber Murphy (Hon); 15. Paul Ostbo (Hon); 16. Josh Downard (KTM); 17. Luke Dodson (Suz); 16. Quinn Cody (Hon); 19. Nicholas Blais (Hon); 20. Ryan Kritsch (Hon). AMAlFMF RACING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HARE & HOOND SERIES (After 3 or 6 round.): I. Russell Pearson (B5/2 wins); 2. Destry Abbott (71); 3. Brian Brown (69/1 win); 4. Ty Davi. (52); 5. David Pearson (43); 6. Rob Zimmerman (41); 7. Mike Childress (38); 8. Rob Phillips (36); 9. Steve Hengeveld (31); 10. Paul Krause (30). BRIEFLY••• Among the spectators al the Viking's Virgin Voyage race was Andy Grider. The Team Honda racer says he's almost fully recovered from the tom neck ligaments he suffered in a crash at the Adelanto Grand Prix in February. He also suffered a displaced vertebra. but nothing more than rest was required to heal, though he continued to race until he learned what was making his neck hurt. Now. he feels well enough even to spin a few laps on a molocross track. though he didn't feel quite up to jumping back into a race. The AMA's Roger Ansel paid a rare visit to the desert after watching the opening round of the AMA National Observed Trials opener a few hours' drive south of Luceme. He revealed that the AMA is getting input and working oul the details on perhaps having a single AMA off-road champion. Joe, Lanza took fifth overall and first Four-5troke A. The Vikings" Virgin Voyage National racecourse consisted of Iwo separale loops - 38 and 36 miles long - that received enthusiastic reviews from many. "The club did a real good job. I thought." Russell Pearson said. "They ran us through some fast stuff. but (there] was more vir· gin stuff. Then they'd gel up in Ihe hills. It was quite fun. - Ty Davis said. -Those guys are so good al laying out good courses. It was really, really a fun course. It was really a good test. It wasn't all too tough; it was constantly a mix of things." The race marked the first time for a National off-Camp Rock Road since the 2001 Vikings" race. On his high-speed finish that barely netted him second place over Destry Abbott. Russell Pearson said. "I've done that a couple times with Destry now. He's a good. safe rider to ride with; he's not going to take you out. I don't know if he thinks the same way about me . I hope he does'" KTM-mounted David Rees won the 125cc Expert division for the Ihird time in three tries this season. He spent most of the race chasing Bob Roberts" Suzuki RM 125 after getting a bad start. The Suzuki rider eventually fell on a downhill on the second loop after Ihe pits. "I had a great time: it was fun, Rees said. M sneaked past Davis not too long Leaping off a small ledge and afterward and found Abbott right in straight-lining it down the hill finally front of him after the Kawasaki racer got him in front of Abbott. went the wrong way and had to make Abbott tried a sim.ilar move, but a quick U-turn. But Abbott wasn't his line ended up being a slower line, about to relinquish second place leaving him trailing Pearson with only without a fight, as Pearson would a few flat-out miles left to the check- soon discover. ered flag. "I was a half-length behind him for "I thought I had about a hundred a couple miles," Pearson said. "I'd go feet on Destry, so I thought, 'Good,''' off the course, then he'd go off the Abbott said. "But there was one dan- course; we'd both be off the course ger marker and dangers out here; you trying to find the course, going back never know if it's a three-foot ledge and forth." Coming down a hill that led into the final stretch in the middle of a fast valley run to the finish, Pearson saw his chance. or if it's just a little road crossing that's about two inches. So I backed off a little bit. "As soon as I got back on it, I looked back. Destry was in a full tuck "We both shot off left. and I had a coming. My eyes got about this big, little bit better line: Pearson said. "I and my heart started going from 180 to 300 saw an arrow down [at the bottom of about the hill], and I just pinned it to the Right before the checkered flag, beats per minute! arrow." Paul Krause got one of his best starts at a National in several years, trailing only Ty Davis. Brian Brown and Mike Childress at the end of the bomb. A slick move through a rocky section got him past Childress. When Davis stalled not too far afterward. Krause moved right onto the defending series champ's rear fender. "I actually made a couple moves to get around Tyand wenl. ·Man. I'm on fire today!' Krause said. 'That pushed Ty and me right up to Brown. and I felt like I was 12 years old again for the first time seeing the overall leaders. I got so pumped up . my arms pumped - it sucked the wind out of me. I was fighting to hang on. and I never got it back. It was funny; I thought 10 myself. '1 haven't felt like this since it was Dan Smith or Dan Ashcraft in front of mel" Only then. I recovered more qUickly. I just got way too excited way too fast and threw that bitchin' start right out the window'" Krause ended up ninth overall, second in the FourStroke A class on the Malcolm Smith Motorsports/FMF/MSR KTM 525 MXC he prepped before leaving Friday nighl for the Terrible's Town 250. Several of the top riders had a bus, weekend. competing in both Ihe Terrible's Town 250 on Saturday in Nevada and then driving to Lucerne for the next day's National. Getting bikes prepared for two relatively different types of racing one day apart is hard work. Destry Abbott said. -The bikes are set up totally different. I had a tough time [at Lucerne] in the technical stuff; that's usually one of my stronger points. This race· I don't know if il was because of Saturday. or rac· ing the high-speed stuff - I just wasn't thai good in the tight stuff." Honda's Steve Hengeveld said. "The important race [for him and Honda] was yesterday. I just wanled to come out here and ride. I felt like I was off the pace today.' Paul Krause said. "It was better for me because [yester· dayl was a warm-up. I got a chance to ride hard for a day, even though it's completely different· going down roads at 100 miles an hour is completely different than this. " Rob Zimmerman ended up winning the 250cc Expert class. finishing 11 th overall. -I started to catch Rob Phillips and [Paull Krause a little bit towards the end of the second loop. but I smashed my pipe real bad. so it was a little lacking in power." he said. Team Green's Mike Childress said of his eighth-place ride. -I gol a really good start. I actually led to the first road crossing. then I let off for the road crossing. and a couple of guys didn·t. The first loop. I wasn'l into it yet. I didn't get into the groove until I left the pits and started riding Destry pulled up right beside me. 1 smart... cue I • n _ ~ s MAY 14, 2003 51

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