Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA Mid-South Winter Hare Scrambles Series Round 1: Lakeview Park (Above) B la ir Bersano made all the right moves at the first roun d of the M i d-South Winter Ha re Scrambles Se ries, taking the le a d n ear the finish a n d comi ng in first in the AA class and scoring the o verall. (Le ft) P.A. Allen pulled the holeshot and finished second In the AA class in White Plains, Kentucky. "It was pretty much th e luc k of the draw tod ay , as far as who .would win ," said Bersano. "T he lappers were so bad ; they j ust wouldn't get over, and w e m ove d back and fo rt h the enti re time. If th ey to ok you out , th en you'd lose the lead ." Off the start, Te am Green Kawasaki/Sarg e's Cycl es/Pro Ci rcu it/R en th al/CTi- supported Allen set the pace for th e first la p, getting th e ho lesh ot . Gib son follow ed i n seco n d a n d pa ss ed him w ith in a fe w m i l e s. B er sano w a s fou rth , an d Landon Carter was in sixth pla ce. Later , it becam e a free -for- all , as the lead ers swapped po sitions; Gibson took over ne ar t he se co n d - mile m ark er , an d S T O RY AND P H O T O S BY DEB B IE A L L E N WHITE PLAINS, KY, OCT. 5 la i r B er sano mad e w aves and cla ime d all bra g g ing r igh ts at Lak ev iew Park . Aft er a long , tight battl e between the first- an d secondpl a ce c o ntende rs , P.A. A ll en and Du stin Gibson , he hit the spotlight at th e Mi d -South Ch am p ionship' s first round in Wh ite Plain s, Kentucky. Th e front -runners swap ped th e lead con tinually , freight-train ing for fiv e laps, bu t i t w a s F & S Su zu k i /Maxx i s / Smith /Ir on m an IC l a rke- b a c k e d Bersano who rode fast and smooth to the win on his RM Suzu k i, making the fastes t lap ti me on his last lap. B 44 N OV EM BER 1 2 , 2003' eye I e n e vv s Carter got th e lead shortly thereafter. By the end of the first lap, Be rsano was in the lead. Throughout the rest of the race , each of the top riders would take turns in the lead . "I knew I only ha d one chance to pass them ," Bersano said. "We were coming up to a wide -o pen secti on , just past a bridge 's undercrossing. I held it w ide o pe n and p assed P.A . and Du st in . I sw un g wi de , and luckily it hel d. P.A . was rig ht besid e m e, and I di dn' t kn ow how that was going to tu m out. It was fun . After th at, I just put a nice little gap between us and won." "We were all j ust fi ghting ba ck and forth ," All en said. "O n th e la st l ap , Bl air and I passed Dustin at the same time, but I j ust cra m ped up , beca use I' m sti ll tryi ng to get ba ck in sha pe . About two m iles from the fi nish , Bla ir pulled away from m e." A llen fi ni sh ed in seco nd p l ac e in the AA class and second place overall . T he fre shly lai d t rac k posed no p rob l em for t he AA cla s s ; i t w as great. Th e usu al ti ght stuff offered by Emmett Co x ma de it a chall eng e to get aro und trees, yet it al so contained som e very fast pl aces for the 53 3 riders on 8.5 m il es of tra il . They had the perfect making s for a fun da y , b ut this only m eant one thing for the AA rid ers: Th ey would m eet up with the Novic e riders very ear ly in the race . "I was trying to rid e a smart race going into th e last lap," Gibson sai d, "and I was leading. Th en , at abo ut the sev enth -m ile m ark , B l air an d P.A. t ook a better li ne and got by m e. An eighth of a m ile later, I hit a lapper, and his bike fell ov er on top of m in e. I tried to c atch ba ck up but on ly ran into some more problem s. They were gone after that. " Pro Action of Kentucky 's Gibson rode impressivel y on his KTM EXC 250, taki ng t hird p l a c e in the AA class and overall. Carter also blazed th e trail, starting in sixth place and moving up front with the lead pack t oward the end of the f irs t lap . The Hattiesbu rg Cycle s /D i rt Bike Supply /Cen tra l Alabama M o t o r Sp o r t s - su p p o r t ed Carter fi nished in fo urth place in the AA class an d fourth overall. KT M -m ou nt ed St eve Gordon g ot first place in Vet A class and cam e in eig hth overall, while Tea m Gree n 's Harvey Wh itak er took home the FourStro k e A win and ca me in l Oth overa ll . "I was j u st abo ut to g i ve i t up," Whi taker adm itt ed , " beca use it felt like something wa s caug ht insi de my m a in je t a n d it st arte d qu i tt in g. I decided to co nti nue on th e trai l, and abo ut th e eighth- m il e marker it sta rted work ing ag ain ." Kevin Cre ekm ur g ot the le ad in the 200cc A cl ass at the beginning of the fourth lap. " It fel t good, and I went on from there ," he sai d after ta k ing the cla ss win and placing 18th overall . " I got off to a decent sta rt and c rashed in the fi rst m u dho l e," sa id Michael Ba rn i c k . "It soaked m y gl oves and everything." Nevert he le ss , Ba rn ic k p ic k ed up his KX250 and salvaged a first-place fi nish in the 250cc B class. CN IJlkev i• • ParI< White PIIoias, Kentuclly Resuhs:~b.r5 ,ZD03 (Rou ad l J O / A : 1. Blair Bersano (SUl) : 2. P.A . All en (Kaw): 3. Dustin Gibson (KTM ): 4. Landon Carter (SUl) : 5. Cliff Ou sley (KTM) : 6. Scott Martin (SUl): 7. John Roth (Yam ); 8. Steve Gord on (KTM) ; 9 . Eric Elam (Suz); 10. Harvey Whitaker (Kaw ). AA: 1. Bla ir Bel'5l1lO0 (Suz); 2. P.A. A llen (Kaw) ; 3. Dustin Gibson (KTM); 4. Landon Carter (Suz): 5. J ohn Roth (Yam) . 25 0 /0PEN A : 1. Cl iff Ou sley ( KTM ): 2 . Eric Ela m (Sua): 3. Wyles Griffi th (KTM) ; 4. Jon Buckner (Yam) ; 5. Taylor Reynolds (Suz). 200 A: I . Kev in Cree k m ur (Ha n ); 2 . Derek Bratcher (KTM); 3 . Dan ie l Cahill (KTM) ; 4 . Mik e Scherzinger (KTM): 5. Mark Akers ( KTM) . 4 ·STRK A: 1. Harvey Whitaker (Kaw): 2. Robert Patterson (Yam) ; 3•. Dean Grewe (KTM); 4. J effr ey Welch (Yam): 5. Roger UttJe (Hon) . VET A: 1. Steve Gordon (KTM); 2 . Richard Ward (Ka w) ; 3 . Th omas Bennett (Hon) ; 4 . Tara Massey (KTM): 5. Marty Stinnett (Hon) . SR A : I. Scott Martin (SUl) : 2. Michael Cornett (Yam): 3. Steve Ezell (SUl) : 4 . Louis Gibson (KTM): 5. Brien Niehaus (Han ). 250 B: 1. Michael Ba rni ck (Ka w) ; 2. Hayd en Moore (Hon); 3 . Broc Sills (Suz) ; 4 . Nick Hosk in s (Han) : 5. Chad Picciotti (Yam ). 4 · ST RK A : J. Kenny Judd (Yam): 2. Richard Work ing ( KTM) ; 3 . Keith Lew is (Yllm ); 4 . Gaylon Rogers(Yam ): 5. Dustin Harwood (Yam). OPEN B: 1. Gavin Hunt (Yam): 2. Jarred Everly (KTM): 3. Jeffrey Holl and (KTM) : 4 . Hubert Hopk in. (Hon): 5. Rick Modlin (KTM) . 200 B : J. Jake F iddl er ( KT M) : 2 . Dav id Holleender (KTM) ; 3 . Weston WllIllwo rk (K TM); 4 . Michael Wood (KTM) : 5. Darin Downs (Yem }, V ET B : 1. Ru. t y Lewi s ( KT M): 2 . Joey St ill (Hon) ; 3. Todd Lov ett (KTM) ; 4 . Sc ott K irchoff (Kaw): 5. Scott Crick (Kaw) . SR B : 1. Roger Crow (KTM ); 2 . Mi k e Vandi ver ( Hon ) ; 3. John Somner ( KT M); 4 . Ste ven Midd lebrook (KTM): 5. John Glaus (Yam). 5 /SR: I. Paul Michel s (KTM); 2. Ronnie Hackett (SUl): 3. Larry Still (Kaw): 4. Tho mas Carter (KTM): 5. John Giles (KTM) . 250 C: 1. Lewis Lemb (KTM ); 2. Ryan Patterson (Kaw) : 3. Andy Gentry (SUl ): 4. Greg Rumery (ve rn): 5. Joel Koru (Han ). 200 C: 1. Cody Mill er (S u z): 2 . Gecffr ey Verm ily ea (Kaw ); 3. Chr is Knight ( Kaw) ; 4. Robert Rogers (KT M) ; 5. Chase Thomas {Kaw} . 4 · STRK C: 1. J erf J ac kso n ( KT M) : 2 . Ti m Eam mens (Yam ); 3. Phill ip Woody (YlIm); 4. Brent Newsom (Yam) ; 5. Kelly Cherry (Yam). VET C: 1. Charles Cunningham (K lIw ); 2 . Denny Peacock (KT M); 3. Jo hn Robinson (Yam) ; 4. Thom as Durha m (Ka w) ; 5. Eri c Bowm en (Hon) . SR C: J. Greg Gibs on (Yam ) : 2 . T imothy Wesbecher (Hon ); 3 . Danie l Newcomb (Hon) ; 4 . Greg Tucker (KTM): 5. Donald Gandy (KTM) . BEG: 1. Jeff Fishbu rn (KT M) ; 2. Andrew Wil5a1 (Hon); 3. Michael Rans (Yam) .

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