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/128233
AMA/FMF R a c in g National Hare & H ound S eries Round 5 : Wells . Nevada. Hi gh Desert R a cing Brian Brown got his second win of the year in Wells, Nevada. Abbott. Th e CR 125 R of Kend all Norman c ame th roug h i n fourth j u st ah ead o f Ru s se ll Pe a rson o n th e YZ450F. Russell got around Norman later in that loop, but by then , th e three leaders had all but c hecke d out, taking wi th them his chances of win ning the race (and wrappi ng up th e title that day) . Team Green was ready with three quick du m ps when first Dav id Pearson then Brown and Abbo tt rolled in. Gas , wate r , gogg les and they were bac k on course in less than 10 sec o nds e a c h. Abbo tt was t h e last through , and he was so eager that he pull ed away before th e quick dump was lifted cl ear of th e air break . Russell Pear son pitted a few minutes lat er and hurried bac k out. determ in ed t o challenge th e leaders. Next into th e pits w as N orman , wh o had l os t a place to Russell but was still ahead of the big th umpers carrying T aber Murph y and Paul Kr aus e. Out on th e secon d loo p , D a v id Pears on was rid ing in cle an air , having a great rac e and looking forward t o his second ( 2 0 0 3 and career ) o verall win . Pearson later said, "M y goal was to get the hol eshot and then j ust be able to ride fast withou t riding over m y head." But the pla n unra veled when his b ike started runn ing ho t. A 75-cent ai r bl eed screw had b a c k ed o ut , allowi ng m o st of t he coola nt to leak out. His last hope wa s to m ak e it to the top of th e m ou ntain a n d t he n coast down , ho pi ng the engine would c o o l eno ug h to kee p go ing . B ut th e eng in e overh eated and seized before the top . and he was left to watch from th e side of th e trail as the rest of th e Exp ert s raced by . When the first dust tra il was spot ted coming out o f th e desert a n d headed for th e finish, it was from th e green bike and red je rsey of for mer Champion Br i an Br own . Abbott appear ed 30 seco nds late r, and Russ Pearson fo llo wed in th i rd . K en d a ll Norman brou gh t h is 125 through in fourth , foll o w ed by T ab er M u r p h y , who w as fifth overall and fi rst fou rstroke. CN S T O RY AN D PH OT OS BY D O UG K A RCHE R WELLS, NV, SEPT. 6 howing the fo rm that has already earne d him one Na tional Hare f, Hound title , Bri an B rown raced his Factory KX500 to the o ve rall win in W e ll s , Nevad a, an d in doing so . turned th e Ch amp ion ship title chase into a last -r ound sho wdown between his tea mmate Destry A bb ott and Russell Pear son. B r o w n and fe llow Tea m Gr een rider D av id Pea rson led th e Expert class into th e first turn - a right-han de r that rounded a big gravel hill covered with spectators. Then they raced eve n ly, but on different lin es, to th e end of the "bom b run " and onto th e ribboned course with the rest of th e field in t ow. Neither racer wa s will ing to back off, and as p eople wat ched through b inocul ars , th e two eve nly match ed KX5 0 0 s rac ed wi d e open down an o ve rgrow n two-track fo r a m ile or m or e, both wa nti ng th at lead spo t and the clear air th at com es with it , but Brown's line ran out as the trail narro wed from two tracks to one, and h e w a s forced t o back o ff. Once David noticed he was alone, he held it open a little longer then eased off and sett led into his race pace. Dest ry A bbott was a close third at the start and a few b ik es ahead of points riva l Russell Pearson , but both were stuck in the th ick du st with the rest of the ex pert field . By the middle o f t he fi rs t l o op , the or d e r h a d ch an ged little. It was still all Kawasak i up front with Davi d, B r o w n and S 28 S EPTEM BER 24, 2003 ' cue Wells Hare & Hound Wells, Nevada Results: September 6. Z003 (Round 5J O/A : t. Brian Brown (Kaw); 2 . Dest ry Abbott ( Kaw); 3 . Russ Pearson (Yam); 4 . Kendall No rman ( Ho n) : 5 . T aber Mu rphy ( Ho n) ; 6 . Paul Kr au se (KTM ): 7 Sean Bradl ey (Kaw) : 8. David Rees (KTM) : 9. Luke Dodson (Suz): 10. Q uinn Cody (Hon) ; 11. Rob Phillips (Yam); 12. Mike Childress (KlIw) ; 13. Brett Young (Kaw ); 14. Be njamin Thorne (KTM ); 15 . lack Dotson (Kaw); 16 . Bruce Hensen (Hon) ; 17. .Jek e Simmons (KTM) ; 18. Eric Griffith (KlIw); 19. Chilly White (KTM); 20 . Josh Steiner (Yam) . OPEN EX: 1. Brian Brown; 2. Destry Abbott; 3 . Russell Pearson; 4. Rob Phillips; 5 . Mike Childress. Rus s Pearson (2) didn't quite get the start he was looking for, but he still recovered for th ird overall and hol ds onto the championsh ip lead go ing into th e fi nale In Octobe r . I e n eVIl's