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/128244
Kawasak i T eam Green ride r t o go o n and ta k e th e win, servi ng notice tha t he'll be a ser io us co nte nd er fo r ne xt year' s WO RCS t itl e, w hi ch gets und er wa y in o nl y a c ouple o f m onths , in Ja nuary. " It was n ice t o come up w ith all t h r e e [WORCS Championships I," Davis said . " B ri a n [Garrahan] is always co m petiti ve, and I was lu ck y . to co m e out o n top here." Davis d idn 't get the start he want ed , though . " I got a bad start and go t pushed o ut in th e fi rs t co rne r a n d ended up in ninth , tw o o r three rid ers behind Gar rah an ," Da vis said . " It was real difficult t o p a ss i n th e w o ods here, and I go t stu ck beh ind a gr oup of slow er rid ers. " T h e o n ly pla ce I could really m ak e up any tim e was on the m ot o tr ack , so I just had to take my time an d m ak e my m oves w hen I co ul d," D avis sai d. By th e end of th e fir st lap , D avis had c l im bed up to seve nt h but was st i ll behin d Ga rrahan . A l a p l at e r , th o ugh , he had c a ug ht an d p assed Ga rr ahan an d was p ull ing awa y . D av is wou l d eve ntually wo rk his w ay up to th ir d, w here he wo uld fi nis h o ut t he rac e w ell behi nd Sm a il and se co nd -p laced S heak . G a rr a h an end ed up fifth . " B y th e tim e I g ot up to thi rd ," Dav is said , "tho se guys [the leaders] were go ne:' Brian Garrahan was hoping for rain and mud, but the se ries leader going int o th e race was left high and dry. He ended up second In t he se ries. " T he earl y le a d ers h er e w e r e m otoheads ," Garrahan sai d . "T hey all made a ra ce of it right fro m th e drop o f the ga te . I usua ll y sta r t a littl e sl ower a n d w a i t a f ew laps to let things sort o ut. Here, I probably waited too long before I m ade m y m ove." While Da v is an d G a rr ah an were batt l ing b a c k i n th e pack for t h e cham pio nship, Sma il was cru ising up front . Sm ail worked his way up from a fourth-pl ace sta rt to run with Sheak t h e ea rly l e a d e r - Ya ma ha rider N ath an Woo ds and Suzuk i-mou nted Rob ert Naughton. Th e fo ursome brok e awa y ea rly from th e rest of th e 2 5rid er Pro field before Smail too k off . " Right from the st art, th e four of us were abl e to break awa y ," Smail said. " It looked like it was going to be a da y of fo llow- the- Ieader. Woods was the fi rst o ne to have tro uble when he fe ll , and I got by . T hen I was ab le to n e cue I e mak e a pass on Sheak at the end of the sec ond lap . " A s we entered th e moto track , Sheak took a digger whe n he tried to pass me back : Sm ail added. " I knew that w as my chance to br eak awa y . Th at sure made it easier." Sheak said, "W e were all runni ng prett y close for most of the first lap until Woods and Na ug hto n dropped back . T hen it was Lance and myself. " O u r speeds we re pretty close ," She ak add ed . " Sm ail co uld pull m e in the grasstra c k s, an d I co u l d catch him in th e tighter st uff. But whe n I went down , he was gon e. " From th at point, Sma il led for the rema in ing nine lap s a ro und -th e Gu y Cooper-des ign ed co u rse , w here th e WR450 pilot he ld an average 45 -sec ond lead over Sheak. " E ve n th o u g h I he l d t he l e ad . it was n't that easy ," Sm ail said . " Sheak _ so • D ECEMBER 10.2003 13