Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

~- .' -- - -=:- --~ ..- ----I AMAIChevy Trucks 125cc U.S. Motocross Championship _.--- " motocross' . -----" Round 2: Prairie City SVRA would get a good view of the hot battle in both motos for the next three spots, featuring riders like Boost Mobile/Yamaha/Troy Racing's Ivan Tedesco, Red Bull KTM's Brett Metcalfe, Sellards, Boniface and Suzuki newcomer Brian Gray. The one rider who showed signs of brilliance but didn't quite put it together like he did in the two motos last week at Glen Helen was Red Bull KTM's Grant Langston. Langston, who finished second at Glen Helen to Brown, had a self-admitted "terrible" first moto but charged back in the second moto to save some face and a couple points in the overall hunt (8-4, fifth overall). "The first moto, to be honest, was just terrible," Langston said. "I buckled my hand in practice, struggled a bit with that, but I won't use it as an excuse. I had no rhythm, just struggled, mistake after mistake. I was in everyone's way - and it just went from bad to worse. In the second moto, I changed the tires and felt better. Went down on the second lap, got up in 15th, and the old Grant Langston came back, and ·1 got through to fou,rth. Salvaged something, but lost some valuable points to Ryan, Brown and Sorby: So with Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's my Own Race: 125cc me, and I knew he was going to try some last-ditch effort, 50 I just f$%#ing pinned it," Hughes said. "I just said, 'Dude, I'm going as fast as I can, I'm cutting over, and he's not getting by me.' So it just worked out. Today was my day. Maybe the next day will be his." Hughes and Sorby had been battling since practice earlier in the day. They had words after the second moto, before Hughes took his victory lap, both riders mentioning that Hughes told Sorby, "Hey, it's a long season; let's not let things get out of hand." Former 125cc National Champion Mike Brown had a front-row seat to the second-moto battle. Brown, who finished third overall at Hangtown with 2-3 finishes, still holds a onepoint lead over Hughes in the points chase (89-88). But Brown suffered some poor starts, played catch-up in both motos and just didn't have it in the end to catch Hughes and Sorby. Hughes (105) didn't holeshot either moto, but he found his way to the front Soon enough. Mike Brown traded seconds and thirds with Sorb}', but 5Mby's better secondmoto result got him third overall. Brown stili leads the points by one over Hughes. Getting out of the start in a big way, much like he did in the supercross season, was Team Racerhouse.com/Yamaha's Kelly Smith. The Michigan rider plowed his YZ250F into the first corner and came away with both holeshots, but he wasn't able to parlay his starting prowess into top-five points, as he wrecked when Sorby swapped into the fence in the first moto, and Smith ran into the back of him. Smith managed a 10th in the second moto. With the exception of Red Bull KTM's Steve Boniface leading the first seven laps of the first moto and Boost Mobile/Yamaha/Troy Racing's Brock Sellards coming out with the lead after the first lap of the second moto, Hughes, Sorby and Brown made up the top three spots for the entire afternoon. It made for some great racing in that, after the Hughes/ Sorby/Brown train went by, fans cD 1] Andrew Short rider hasn't quite hit(20-12) 17th The Motoworld.com Suzuki his stride again since winning the Dave Coombs Sr. 125cc East/West Shootout in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago, but Short kept plugging away and figures he'll soon get a break. "In the first moto, I went down in the first tum," he said. "I was the second-to-Iast guy to get up and moved up to 20th, felt really good, had the seventh-fastest lap time. In the.second moto, I was hoping to get a top-10, got a midpack start, moved to 12th but didn't move up as far as I thought I would. My goal today was a top 10, and I didn't get it. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get it, but it could have been worse."' ®@ Christhe Amsoil/Chaparral Honda 10th (6-17) in the first moto, racing to Gosselaar Gosselaar got CR125 humming his second·straight top·] 0 finish. "I got a decent start in the first moto, like 15th, and just moved up slowly but surely, and in the end I was sixth. In the second moto, I got a bad start and then fell in the middle of the race. I had a real bad blister on my hand and could barely hang on. Seventeenth was the best I could do. So far this year's been pretty good top lOin points, top] 0 in both weekends - which has been my goal.' 1] @§ Ryan Hughes 1st (1-1) Red Bull KTM's returning star won the Hangtown crowd over. "Ryno' had not won since 1995, and one of those wins that summer came at Hangtown. "I could hear the crowd, but It didn't set In until I crossed the finish line," Hughes said. "I hope people are starting to see the potential that I bad but have only recently found. I always felt that I was talented, but I just went about things wrong. Maybe I'm just supposed to ride the 125, like Mike Brown. I'm just going about it a lot easier, not get as stressed out as I used to. If I do good, I do good. If this is the last race I win, well hell, at least I can say I won a race." §§ Steve Boniface 7th (5-10) Red Bull KTM's Frenchman ran up front most of the day. "The first race, I got a great start and led for half the moto," he said. "I had a pretty good lead, pulled away from everybody, but got a little bit of arm pump, so the second part of the race was a little hard for me but I still got fifth - but is my best finish in the U.S. Second moto, I was not as lucky as the first moto in the start. I pass some riders in the beginning, but I make some mistakes, and they pass me back. So I pushed to the end to get them, and I finish] Oth. So irs good because two weekends in a row in the top 10." ® Mike Brown Champion Brown overcame some rough starts to put the 3rd (2-3) Former Outdoor National KXI25 on the podium for the second week. "It was a good weekend," Brown said. "I worked my butt off to get to the front, and I thought I was the fastest guy a lot of the time. I've just got to get a better start. I've had bad starts both last weekend and this weekend. and by the time I get to the front, the guys are pulling off on me. Next week's a dirt start, so I think things should be a lot more equal." ®®® Brian Gray prospect had everybody 8th (14-7) Cole Gress' American Suzuki scrambling after AMA literature to find out 'Who's this kid?' Gray, ] 8, put in a gutsy performance on the high-speed Hangtown track, finishing 14·7 for eighth overall. "I was up to sixth, caught fifth a couple times and tried to finish up strong the last couple laps and was able to stay in seventh," said Gray of his second moto. "I'm still contracted on the Suzuki amateur program for Cole Gress, and he just wanted me to come out and do a couple Nationals, get used to the competition. Just trying to get my feet wet 50 I can come in next year with a bit of experience." Gray will be riding Jesseman's vacant factory bike next weekend. 24 MAY 28. 2003' cue I • n _ vv s

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