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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128237
Max xis T ires U .S . O p e n MGM G r and Garden Arena (Left) Troy Adams came from behind f or second the first night, and that combined with h i s fifth -p l ac e fi nish o n Saturday earned h im t hird overall. (Ri g h t) Late In Saturday's main , Andrew Short (32) ca u g ht, and eventually passed,race l e ad er Mike B row n (3 ). Brown reacted by punt ing Short complete ly o ff t h e racet r a ck. Brown w on. T h e t op 15 8 5 cc racers from th is year's Lor et t a Lynn 's 8 5c c Stock (12-1 3) cl ass were invited to race on the con fi nes of the U.S. Open track . and the results were the same : Suzuk i's Nicco lui. running the num ber-one plate, dominated the event with 2- 1-2 - 1 scores. Jeff Al essi won the first rnoto after strug gling early, and the rider who many thought would be his biggest co mpeti tio n, J osh Hill , was up front. Hill took a spi ll, though, and A lessi cam e through to th e lead quit e effecti vely on the small track . -I j ust tr ied to rid e a sm art race, and wh en I saw Josh [Hill) fall, that's when I just got sm art , and I won: Aless i said . "I feel awesome.Izzi held on for a strong second, with Will Hahn qu ietl y in th ird. Th e second race was all lzzl, as he led from start to fin ish. Th e story of the race, though , was the cra sh that Al essi had whil e runni ng thi rd. All of the 85c c riders were doubling th e t ri p le, bu t one lap A lessi ov erj umped it badl y and bou nc ed backw ar d o ff t he face of t he third j u m p ( see Briefl y...). Hill hung on for second over Hahn. "I m ean, it's awesome : lui said. "I rode really well , and I did reall y good , and I'm pumped. Hopefull y I can do th is the rest of the motos. " Hill to pped the th ird m oto on Saturday night. but Izzi was second again, with Hahn agai n third. lu i ca me out and won the fi nal m oto ov er Hil l, Zach Osborne and Hahn . Th e ov erall went to lu i, over Hill and Hahn. -I had really bad lu ck at Lorett a's th is year : Hahn said , "so to get up here feels good." Hill was happy too , con sideri ng his first mote 's result. "I had to salvage that first moto: it was a rough one: he said . "What can I say? I wa nted to end m y minicycle raci ng days wi th a win. but it didn't work out. I'm getting 125s prett y qu ick , and I'm just goi ng from there ." But litt le lu i was th e overall winn er, and he never looked to be in trouble around th e j ump-fi ll ed ci rcuit. ' Yeah, I felt pretty good out there, and Ricky. he's sma ll too : lui said. "I figu re I j ust get out there and get good starts and rid e as hard as I can. "It was pretty good. I got through the whoops. and they were prett y big. Me and Jeff [Al essi] were havi ng a good battle before he got hurt, and I hope he's okay. Toni ght. I had CN Will Hahn and Josh Hill : .... Iidnd IianIu An... LaV..... N.nd. 1IalIhs: IIctHtIr 10-11. 2003 Frid ay 85 IIIOTO 1 (8 lap.): 1. J eff A lessi (Hon) : 2. Niece lui (SUl ): 3 . Will Hahn (Hon): 4. Michael Picone (Sur) : 5. Zech Osborn e (KTM) ; 6. Ryan Dungey (Hon) ; 7. Sean Hack ley (Kaw); 8. Trey Canard (Kaw); 9. Devon Pilkin gt on (SUl ): 10. J osh Hill (Yam) : 11. Will iam Duffy Jr . (Suz); 12. Brae Tick le (Hon ). 85 IIIOTO 2 (8 lap s): J. Nieco lui (Suz) ; 2. Jo sh Hill (Yam) ; 3. Will Hahn (Hon): 4 . Ryan Dun gey (Hon); 5. Mich ael Picon e (Suz); 6 . Sean Hack ley (Kaw ) ; 7. Zec h Osbo rne (KTM); B. Devon Pilk ingt on (Suz); 9 . Willi am Du ffy Jr. (Suz); 10. Trey Canard (Kaw); 11. Broc Ti ckle (Han) : 12. J eff Alessi (Han) . Sat urday 85 IIIOTO 3 (8 laps): J. J osh Hill (Yam ); 2. Nieco lu i (Su, ); 3 . Will Hahn (Hon ); 4. Zach O sborn e (KTIII); 5. Ryen Dun gey (Han); 6. Seen Hackle y (K aw); 7. Devon Pilkington (Suz) ; B. Micha el Picone (Suz): 9. Willicm Duffy Jr. (SUl ); 10. Trey Canard (Kaw ); 1 J. Brae TIc kle (Hon) . 85 IIIOTO 4 (8 laps ): J. Niece lzzl (Suz): 2. J osh Hill (Yam) : 3 . loch Osborne (KTIII); 4 . Will Hahn (Hon) : 5. Trey Canard (Kaw); 6. Sean Hackley (Kaw); 7. Michael Picone (Suz): B. William Duffy Jr. (Suz) ; 9. Devon Pilk ington (Suz); 10 . BrocTickl e (Han); 11. Ryan Dungey (Hen ). 85 O/A: I. Nieco lui (Suz): 2. Josh Hill (Yam) : 3. Will Hahn (Hon) ; 4 . Zach Osborn e (KTIII ): 5, Mich ael Picon e (Suz); 6. Sean Hack ley (Kaw): 7. Ryan Dungey (Han) ; 8. Trey Canard (Kew ): 9. Devon Pilki ngton (Suz); 10. Will iam Duffy Jr. (Suz); 11. Broc Tic kle (Han) ; 12. Jeff A lessi (Hen) . 12 O C TO B ER 22 . 2003' ey e I e n e vv s (Right) B roc He pler debuted o n a So Be Suzuki RM -Z250, and h e fi nished f ifth the fi rst n ight. He was winning h is heat on Saturday before failing In the whoops, stalling h is bike. He d idn't make the m a in. the turn off and dive inside - a m ove tr i e d unsucce ssfu ll y b y r id e rs throughout th e n ight. A s th ey exi ted t h e turn . Bro w n ro de d irect ly in t o Short 's li ne. shoving him into the Tu ff B l o x an d onto an o th er sect i o n of tra c k as cra shed. Th e enti re aren a er u pte d in t o a cacophony of boo s directed at Brown , who was now about t o beg in his fina l lap. A s Bro wn got th e white fl ag , he pa ssed Short as th e Suzu ki rid er wa s k i c k in g h i s ma ch i n e r i g h t w he r e B ro wn put h im , and Bro wn d idn 't seem both ered by the nea rly unani m ou s ex p re ssio n o f d isp leasure by the crowd of over 10 ,00 0, stat ing on t he podi um th at , " If yo u can 't t ak e the heat , sta y out of th e ki tc hen," and respondi ng to th e ensuing boos with , "Nobody li kes a winner. " " A fter I crash ed , m y bike was sit t ing up o n a tuff b lock , and the re. ' wasn 't m uch I coul d do : ~1:~d 'tiie re m a rk ably cal m Sh ort . ",so I j u st wa ved to him to kind of let him k now th at ' Hey . here I am . You knocke d me • down , but I'm still here.' T o get ma d and fli p him off or wha teve r wouldn't h ave don e any good a t t h at poin t anywa y. I was mad at m yself for not co vering the insi de better arid letting it happen ." .:1 Bro wn d id a grea t l o o ki n g wh ip wh il e pumping his fis t in th e air. tak ing th e c h ec ke re d flag and sec nd ove ra ll am idst a chor us of boos. Th e ove ra ll cl ass winner . Kell y Smith , was n ext t o c ro ss th e lin e , followe d by Mills. Hansen and Ada ms . whose fifth , •