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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128308
Florida W inter Am Series
Round 2 : Dade City Motocross
Johnson, Skinner
Flayed Dade
By JEFF LAYMAN
DADE CITY FL, JAN. 3·4
,
ad e C ity has been on the Winter Am
menu fo r most of the series ' ex istence,
and it serves up a health y portion of o ld-school
motocross - fast and rough . It's th e kind of circuit that's made the se ries a favor ite training
ground for motocross legends su ch as Bob
Hannah, who used it as a p reseason tune-up
for a good portion of his pro career. The notorio usly ro ugh t rack provides a true test o f a
rider's fitness, and th is year was no exception.
After two act ion-packed d a ys of
competition, four riders persevered fo r three
class wins: North Carolina's Ian Trettel. New
je rs ey resi dent jaso n Lawre nce. Mich igan' s
Nico Izz i, and Florida 's Vet he r o Earl May.
Keith johnson and Shaun Skinne r each won one
o f th e fiercely competitive Pro divisions , with
both riders going 1· 1 on their way to tak ing
top honors.
Massachusetts' johnson snared the ho leshot
in the first I 2Scc Pro moto o n h is Factory
Connection Honda, w ith fo rm er Mini sensation
John Kitsch, W MR's Skin ner, Team G r een's
Don nie McGourty and the rest of the field in
to w. Two of the favo rite s. Matt Goe r ke and
Kyle C hisholm, crashed together on lap two
and remoun ted at the bac k of the p ac k.
Skin ne r cras hed out of the t o p lO o n t he
second circ uit, effect ive ly s po iling his shot at
the win.
McGourty go t ar o und Kitsch on lap two ,
and by the n johnson was three seconds ahead.
jo h ns o n se t a bl is t er in g pace and ke pt
McGourty at bay unt il the checkers, winning by
four se co nd s. Kentucky's jacob Saylor took
th ird, w ith C anadian Sim on Homes in fo urt h.
Ch isholm fought his wa y to fifth , just ahead of
D
well-eamed second-place finish, ahead o f C urt is
Roe. Pe nnington and Just in Enos .
Mota two belonge d t o Ro o ks to ol , who
nabbed the holesh ot and d isappeared en ro ute
to a huge margin of victory. Kelly o nce again got
a great sta rt and he ld o ff a late ch arge fro m
Pen ningto n fo r second. and his 2-2 effo rt gave
him second overal l. Penn ingto n (4· 3). Ro e (3· 4)
and Luke Layton (8·S) rou nded ou t the to p five.
Kawasaki pilot C urt is Sw e ezey's consistent
2-2 finishes garnered the overall 12Scc N ovice
win. Sweezey utilized a pair of top-three starts
both times o ut and held off late -race challenges
fro m Ross Th reet in mo to one and Kevin Hurt
in mota two. Mot o wi nners Hurt an d Bryar
Peny followed up. as Hurt went 1·3 fo r second
overall . wh ile Pe r r y t ook a wi r e - t o - wi r e
second-mota victory for thir d overall via a 7-1
tally. Layto n checked in wi th a so lid 4·4 ta lly.
Th ree t (3-5) ro unde d o ut the top five .
RESULTS
Pee W ee Track
SO P/W JR: I. Justin Bye (Yam). 50 (4-6) ST K: I . Austin
C hing (l e m) ; 2. Snyden Mass ey (Pol ); 3. Kyle G reener
(KTM ); 4. Jordan Rosa (KTM): S. Bru no Mor eda ( KTM ). 50
(of- ) HOD: I. Junior Mendoc.a (Han). SO (1 -8) ST K: I.
6
Dusty N unes (Pol); 2. Jacob Becvar (KTM): 3. Travis Hancock
(KTM); ' . KyleWell. (KTM); S. Con"", k>gon (Pol). 50 (1-8)
Goer ke and Skinne r.
joh nson again nailed the ho leshot in mo to
t wo , bu t McGourty t o o k t he lead on the
o peni ng lap . Chisholm ran thi rd , ahead o f
Kitsch, Skinner and Tennessee Honda pilot jon
Bo ruff. Goe rke fe ll on the first circuit and took
almost a full lap to relight the flame on h is
RMZ , ru ining h is chance to make up fo r his
first-m o ta gremlins.
Meanwh ile. t he le ad ers were strea king
away o ut fro nt , with johnso n and Skinne r right
in McGourty 's roost. Th e three went at it until
Johnson finally found an opening o n lap seven
and sneaked into the lea d . McGou rty qu ickly
retal iated to re claim th e po int po siti o n. Thi s
time , McGo u r ty ' s le ad was s ho r t-live d, as
johnson bolted by fo r good on the next circuit .
johnson w e nt on to complete his tw o -m o ta
sweep w it h two seco nd s t o spa r e . while
McGourty bar e ly survived a fu rio us last -lap
charge by Skinner to go 2-2 for sec on d overall. C hisholm rebounded fro m an early fall to
finish fourth .
W ith hi s soli d d is mant ling o f the
competition in the 125cc B. 125cc O pe n and
16:24 classes, New Jersey's Jaso n Lawrence
served notice t hat he'l l be a se rio us threat to
win any time he lines up on the gate in 2004 .
O nly Florida 's Jordan Pee ples was able to keep
Lawr en ce at bay d uring the weekend , taki ng
the flrst -mo ec w in ahead of Lawrence in th e
16· 24 class on Sund ay.
Cooper Webb (C o b); 2. Da rien Rob inson (C o b): 3. RJ .
Ham¢'''' ( Pol); • . IIowbnd "'PP (Cob ); S. Bnndon Slane
(Can). 65 (7.9): I. Nikctas Desiderio (Suz) ; 2. Gavin Tretti@
(Suz); 3. Egan Rosell (KTM): 4 . Cooper Webb (C o b); S.
Darian Robinson (Suz). 65 ( 10-11 ): I. Ian Trettel (Suz); 2.
Tyler Moore (Kaw) ; 3. Brandon Ma ys (KT M) ; of Scott
.
Elderfield (KTM); S. Justin Starling (Suz). 85 (7- 11): I . Ian
Trettel (Suz); 2. Scott Elderfleld (KTH) ; 3 . Just in Starling
(Suz); 4. Robby Huss (Yom S. TY1'" Moo