Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

t - - - - - - - - - - - - ......-~·(i;JI! ..Il!i~~~~:!::~::;::::~--------I ~ w '>" =; '" ~ . Hollister H ills GP Track: James Culbertson (65) lead s eventual overall 60cc Novice w inner Mark Braden (465) and eventual runner-up Ja ke Mohnike (46) at the AMP Octoberfest Su per Gold Cup Series opener i n Hollister, Ca li fornia . 50 ( 4-6) : 1. Cody Fendley {Cob) ; 2. Clayton Tuck er (Pol): 3. Nolan Mcintosh (~ ) ; 4 . Jor d/ln R~ (Pol). 50 (7.8): I. Tr/lvis Heecock (KTM); 2. C.!I Jo hnson (Pol); 3. 1 Kyle G~er (Pol) ; 4 . Ashton R~rg (KTM ); 5 . Dusty N~ (Pol). 60 BEG: I . Reno EV.!ll\ll (KTM); 2. A.J . Lauzon (KTM ): 3 . Dustin Lcvelece (Kaw ); 4. Shane Mcintosh(KTM): 5. Bl/line Craft (Suz). 60 NOV : 1. M.!Irk Braden (KTM); 2. J.!Ike Mohnike (KT M): 3. Chris Buhlig (KTM); 4. Cal Johnson (KTM): 5. PIlulO'Eredi a (KTM) . t 60 INT: I. Gebe A&rne (KTM. ; 2. James Culberuon (KTM) . ) based on his performance on this da y. he ha s started off on the right track. In the firs t 60 cc Novice moto , Braden led the pack off the gat e, as Jake Mohnike, Chri s Buhlig, Paul D'Eredita and Cal J ohn son ga ve chase. Br aden and Mo hn ike ba ttled as they pu t a gap on the field early on. On lap three, Mohnik e m ad e his m ov e, ta k in g an o uts id e line aro und Br aden for the lead. Braden kept Missouri Hare SCrambles Championship Series Round 15: Missouri Mudders Hare S crambles the press ure on all the way to the checkers but came up a few bikelengths short , as Mohnik e too k the w in . Bu hlig and D'Eredita followed , and Co nnor McFarland took ad vantag e of a fall by John son to round out the to p five. In moto two, Br aden onc e again shot out to th e front, w ith Mohnlk e in to w. Onc e again, the two checked out on the field , and a good battle ensued . Th is tim e. though , Braden was up fo r th e ch allen g e , a n d d espit e sev era l attem pts b y Mohnike to s neak a whe e l in , Br ad en held tough . Johnson held dow n the thi rd spot, whil e Buhlig and D'Eredita fought ov er the fourth spot. A t the chec kers, Brad en foll owed up hi s seco nd- place first-rn oto fini sh with a win in th e seco nd sta nza for the overa ll , wh il e M oh nike fi ni she d o ut 1-2 fo r second overall. Buh lig went 3 -4 for third , with J ohn so n ( 6-3) edg i ng o u t D 'Ered ita ( 4 - 5) fo r fourth . Ren o E va ns t o p p ed t he 60 c c B eg i n ner class with a 1-2 score on th e day, ove r A .J . Leivan a Leviathan! B y F RANK lEIvAN PAR K HILLS , M O, OCT. 26 In pe rhaps a fitting end to th e Mi ssour i Har e Sc rambles C ha m p io nsh ip Ser ie s, I I -t ime cham p ion Steve Leivan rod e hi s SCR/Y am aha WR250F to another co m e-from- behind vict o ry . Aft er tr ail in g by m o re than a m inute at the hai fway point , th e An swer/Dunlop / Scott /Ren th al/DH Racing rider got in a groove and went to the fro nt of the pack wit h j ust a mile left in th e 4 5 -m il e race . Tho ugh th e battl e for the vic tory lasted until the ch eckered fla g , Letven took th e win no neth eless ; it was h is ninth of the 15·round series and the 85 th of his ca reer . Perhaps th e person most surp rised at the outcome was Lei van himself. "Today was a stru qq le, " Leiv an ad mitted . "Fo r some rea son, I wasn 't rea lly m ot iv ated before the race, and o nce we started. it too k m e a while to get everything rollin g . By the end , I w a s goi ng good, thou gh, and had enough to get the job don e." Featuring a lo t of single- track and virgin trail, the 11.3-mile co urse laid out in St. Joe State Park by the Missour i Mudders was m uc h tighter than what the racers normall y see at this venue. Many posit ive comments about the course were heard at the end of the day , as the tight conditi ons led to some cl ose racing and a Winni ng speed ave rage of just und er 21 mph. A ft er ta k in g th e hol eshot o n his T eam Gr een / Fa ctory Effex /Sc ott/RK Cha in/ IMS ba ck ed KX2 50, Ch ris Nesbitt led ne arly th e enti re fi rst la p until he pitch ed it awa y go ing throu gh the final woo de d sectio n . Brand o n Forrester then ass ume d th e lea d . w ith M ar k Gay , i n h i s A A d ebut . foll owin g . Lei v a n m ethodi call y worke d his way to the front aft er a slow start and overtoo k Gay at th e end of a sandy st ra ig ht aw ay and close d i n o n F or· rester. With in Sight of the sco ring chute, Fo rrester m i st ak enl y g ot o n th e w r on g sid e o f a guard ra il, and the rest of th e pa ck fo llo wed . Th e m ass confusion that ensued stirred up the runn ing ord er and moved Ca leb Wohletz int o the lead at th e end of lap one . How ever, th e la ck of esta bli she d trail and a c asu al p ace allowed David T ay lo r to hold th e ove rall lead Lauzon . Evans snag ged the lead ea rly in the fir st m oto an d van ish ed, ahead of secondplaced rider Shane Mci nt osh. Evan s too k the win by a hu ge m argin at th e checkers, w ith Mcin tosh , Lauzon , Dustin Lovelace and Bran don Davis rou nd ing out the top five . In rnot o tw o , Eva ns enga ged in an early batt ie with Lauzon untii he fina lly got by on lap three. O nce out fro nt, Evans appeared to be headed fo r an easy victory - un til he wen t down just a few feet fro m the checkers. Leuzon go t by to take the w in . Evans remounted just in time to take second, as Blain e Craft ca me w ithin j ust a few bik elength s of stealing that spot away from him . La uzon (3 -1 ) , Love lace (4- 4 ), Mcintosh (2- 6) and Craft (6 -3 ) rou nded out the top five on the day. In the 60cc Open clas s , Gabe Adam e dominated t he lO - ri d er fiel d w ith a pa ir o f w in s, o ver Braden. Ad ame le d every la p o f both m otos and was untou cha bl e both times out. Beh ind him. Brad en and Moh nik e pi cked up wh ere th ey 'd left off earli er in the Nov ice cla ss. Braden earn ed runn er -u p w ith a 3-2 effo rt, over Moh nike' s 4 -3 score. Buh li g (5- 4) and Lauzon (7 -6) ro unded out the top fiv e on the da y . Hollister Hills G P Track Hollister, C aliforn ia Results: O ctober 2 6 . 2003 (Round n Pet: Wee Track 50 (4 ·6) P/W JR: 1. Justin Bye (Yllm) . 50 (4. 6) 8TK : I . Cody Fendley (Cob ); 2. Kyle Greener (KTM): 3. Clayton Tuck er (Pol); 4 . Jordll n Rosa (Pol) ; 5. Nolan Mcin tosh (Lem) . 5 0 (7 .8 ) STK : 1. Travis H/ln cock (KTM) ; 2. J acob Becv.!lr (KTM); 3. Ashton Redberg (KTM); 4. Connor Ar.!lgon (Hon). 50 (0-8 ) OPEN: 1. CIlI Johnso n (pol ). MlIln Tr'lIIck 48 N OVEM B ER 2 6 , 2003 co U CO 60 O PErt: I . Gebe A dame (KTM. ; 2. Mark Braden (KT M.); 3 . ) Jake Motmike (KTM); 4. Chns Buhlig (KIM.); 5. A .J. Law:on (KTM.). 80 BEG: 1. Kyle Freees (Yam) ; 2. Chris Pulos (YMTI): 3. Christ· ian StoIlnders (Suz ); 4. Cody King:ston (Suz ); 5. Jake Mohnik e (Yam ). 80 NO V: L Dylan Lane (Yo/lm ): 2. Jerry COlt Jr . (Yam); 3 . Gr'lIIyson Swift (Yam ); 4. Mich ael Pam s (Suz) : 5. Tyler Furness (Han l. 80 1f'fT: I. Dustin Enoch s (Yam ); 2. Rick y Rinau ro (Yam) ; 3. T~vor Al lred (Suz ); 4. Marcus BradsMw (Yo/lm ). 80 S/ /'I\Il1I: I. Dustin Enochs (Yam ); 2. Luke Layton (Suz): 3 . T~ Al lred (Suz ): 4. Marcus Bradshllw (Yam ); 5. Dylan Lane (Yam ). 80 0 PErt: 1. Dustin Enochs (Yam) ; 2. Ricky Rinauro (Yam) ; 3. Trevor AII~ (Suz) ; 4 . Gra yson Swift ( Yam ): 5. Marcu s Bradshaw (Yo/lm) . 80 BIW : 1. Mid ~iner (Yam) ; 2. Lucas Armstrong (Han). 100: I. Josh SIlucier (Yam ). 125 BEG: 1. Derek White (Yam ): 2. Anthony Wil son ( Yam ): 3. Jeremy s., yes (K /lw) : 4 . Br an don Gideon (Su: ) : 5 . Sean M.o rri s (Y/lm ). 125 NOV : I. Ryan Haz (Kaw); 2. JIIStin Enos (Suz ): J. Luke en Layton (Suz ); 4. Tnl vls Mdver (Hon): S. Anthony Gonzales (Yam) . 125 INT : I. Jordan Mockridge (ya m ): 2. Greg Karmann (YMTI): 3. Greg Fouts (Yam ): 4. Curtis Roe (Yam) : 5. Beau Wiegand (Yam ). 125 PRO; 1. M.icMeiBrandes (Yam) : 2. Cory McDaniel (Suz ): 3. David GallSin (Kaw): 4. LeoTidwell (y am) . 250 BEG: 1. Al isa Nix (Yam ): 2. Kevin Wilson (Yo/lm); 3. .Jesce Wise (Hon): 4. BerryMorrissey (Kaw); 5. Brandon Burnette (Ya'!!) . 250 NOV : 1. RY/ln HIll-" n (Kaw) : 2. Ju stin Enos (Suz) : 3. Travis Mci ver (Hon); 4. Col in Clay (Yam) : 5. J.J . Karmann (Yam ) 25 0 INT : I. Ch llrl ie Hartull (Han); 2. Weston Arthurs (Han): 3. Greg Karm ann (Yam): 4. Dave Mumma (Hon); 5. Steven Bates (Sw:). 250 PRO : 1. Michael Brandes (Y/lm ); 2. Bill y Jurevlch (Hon); 3. Cory McDan iel (Suz); 4. Jared Blevins (Hon ): 5. Leo Tidwell (Hon). 4·STRK MINI: I. Greyeon Swift (Hon) . 4·STRK OPErt : I. Ch/lrl ie Hertull (Hon) ; 2. .Jemes l eon (Hon): 3. James Welsh (Yam) ; 4. Michael Fergber (Hon ). a ll: I. J acob Sanche: (Suz); 2. Anthony Gonzales (Yam); 3. Jo rdan Mockridge (Yam) . 500 PRO: 1. Billy J urevlch (Hon). WMN : 1. Alisa Nix (Yam ); 2. Crystal Layton (Suz): 3. Ashley Freitas (Yam); 4 . .Jemfe Leigh Gillespie (Kaw) SCHBY: I . Kyle Kent (Yll m ): 2. Corey Pennington (SUl ): 3 . Ju!ltin Enos (Suz): 4. Curti s Roe (Yam ); 5. Gn-g Fo uta (Yam) . 25 + BEG: I. Kevin Wilson (Yam ); 2. Dom inic Dube (Suz). 25 + NOV : I . David Adair (Kaw). 25 + INT: I. Ed Whitecotton (Kaw). 30 + BEG: 1. Steve O'Eted ita (Hon); 2. Keith Kingston (Yam) ; 3. Rich./lrd Bloomfield (Han) : 4 . Dom inic Dube (Suz): 5. Nick McKi nnon (Yam). 30 + NOV : I. Robert Becvar (y/lm); 2. Doug EisfflbelS (Yam ). 35 + NOV : I. Ron Will UlrTlS (y.!Im) : 2. Alan Wilson (Hon) ; J . Mark Mll nsfleld (Han ): 4. Mike Miro/lbile ( A TK ). 40 + NOV : I. Doug EIsenbe (y am ): 2. Mark Mansfield (Hon) : 3. is Leroy Perry (Hon); 4. WilIUlm Hughes (Hon) ; 5. Ron Thoma s (Yam ). 40 + INT: I. David Adair (Kaw); 2. Pat SIluger (KTM): 3. Stua rt Nebon (Han): 4. Paul M. Gourty (Yam) . c I e n e vv s on adj uste d tim e fro m the A ro w, wh ich ha d started a m inute after th e AA riders. O nce in the lead , Wohletz start ed to o pen up a ga p on a fo ur-r ider pa ck th at included CRF4 50 R pil ot Dou g Ston e, Nesbitt , Forrester and Leivan . Nea r th e end of th e second lap , Forrester overt oo k Nesbitt, whil e Sto ne stalle d hi s bo rro wed thumpe r , w h ich m o v ed F o rrester , Nesbitt and Leivan into the two -three- four positions. Wohletz checked ou t o n h is Axo/ Axcel / E VS /R ed Bull /Flat l an d Ra cing - supported YZ250 F and held a one- minute lead . Realizing there wa s a large deficit to mak e up , the trio of Nesb itt, Forrester and Leivan qu ickene d the pace an d slo wly chi p pe d away at Woh letz's lead . With j ust a lap to go, only a handful of seconds separa ted Wohl etz from th e cha rgi ng duo of Forr ester and Leivan. Nesb itt had m issed a tum and then cras hed while trying to make up time, but he wa s still a safe fou rth . Forrester stopped for gas at th e start of the fourth and final lap, which ga ve Leiv an a clea r track on whi ch to pu rsue Wohl etz. "I was surprised wh en I saw Ca leb," Leivan said. "Wh ile the four of us [L eivan . Forrester. N esb itt and Stone} were rac in g wi th each other, I k new he was going to be stre tching it out. Wh en I wou ld move up a spo t, I would try to push th e guy in fro nt of m e, and event ually we go t th ere wi th a lap to go . He was ridi ng reaJiy we Ji and didn 't giv e m e m any chances to get around him ." Mak ing Leiva n's job even to ugher was the fact that Forrester was right in th e thick of the batt le and do ing his best to get aro und Leiv an. As the th ree-m an pack entered a rough and sa ndy st raightaway , Leivan and Fo rreste r m ade th eir m oves . Leiv an took the lon g way around th e outside, while Woh letz was in the m idd le , and Fo rr este r wa s o n the in sid e . Enter ing t he f inal wood ed sectio n , Lei van nosed ahead and to ok over. From there o n, Leivan basicall y k ep t th e throttle pi nned and took the close win while turning in the fastest lap of the day (3 0 :54) . For the fourth co nsecutive race, Wohletz wa s the on -so -cl ose runner-up . Forreste r rou nded out the top three in his fi rst appearanc e since June , just four seconds beh ind Leiva n. Just over two m inutes down was Nesbitt. w ho sec ured the nu mber-three plate fo r next yea r. Ston e finis hed fi ft h o n the day in his first four -stro ke appearance. Putting in one of his best rides of the year was Jones Powerspo rts rider Tracy B auman , who brought his KTM in j ust 30 seco nds behind Ston e. A season- best seventh overa ll went to Brian .Jehel ka , on h is Letk o/M oo se KTM 250 , while Tay lor fin ished eighth over aJi and first A rid er. S t . Joe S tat e P a r k Park H ill s, M issouri Re s u lts: October 26. 2003 (Round 15 o f 151 0 1A:. 1. Steve Leivo/ln (Yam ); 2. Caleb Wohletz (Yam ): 3. Brandon Forrester (Kaw); 4. Chris Nesbitt (!

• Cover