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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128316
Motorama Indoor A renacross
Day I: Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex
Cook, Wallace Masters
of Motorama!
By JIM P. SANDERSON
HARRISBURG, PA, FEB. 21
D osslnt Racing Products thumper pilots JereI'my Cook and Ty Wallace to pped
the l25cc
and 250cc Pro/Expert-class podiums, respectively, before a packed house at the 26th annual Motorama Indoor Races and Shows at the
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsyfvania.
Motorama is the largest even t of its kind in
northeastern Pennsylvania and feature s two full
days of arenacross racing. There is also a speed
sh ow; go -ca rt s; quarte r midget and radi o controlled car racing; mot orcycle, bicycle and
unicy cle t r ia ls co m pe t itio ns ; and t he Miss
Moto r ama be a uty p age an t . Motora m a ' s
arenacross Is the first race of the 2004 season
on the AHA Distr ict 6 calendar.
Ryan j ones led t he start of t he 125cc
Pro/ Expe rt final but was quickly re legated to
fourth by Casey Clark. Bromley Suzuki's Barry
Carsten, and Coo k before the e nd of the very
short first lap. Wallace, who gated just outs ide
the top flve on the start, was fifth. Carsten and
Cook passed Clark on lap three to lay claim to
the lead and runne r-up spots, re spe ctively.
Wallace closed in on Jones. and two battled
throughout laps five and six. passing each other
until Wa llace got by to cla im fourth . Co o k
closed the gap on Carsten and made the pass
for the lead on lap seven, dropping Carsten to
second . Just after the rwo-laps-to-go signal,
t here was a major crash , and o n t he tight
arenacross circu it . it's nearly impossible to go
down w it hout risking be ing hit by another
rider, 50 the race was red-nagged. The race
was scored by the last full lap: Cook got the
win , w ith Carsten, Clark, Wallace and Jones
trailing.
Bo Bow m a n led t he st art of the 250 cc
Pro/Expert final, with Clark, Wallace and Clint
Johnson in tow. By the thir d tum, Wallace was
by Clark a nd in t he runne r-u p p osition ,
relegating Clark to third . Bowman, pr oba bly
reeling a grea t deal o f pressure fro m Wallace
an d C lark. lost his front ti re on t he infie ld
co m er and we nt down. Wallace inherited the
po int . Clar k moved up to second, Andrew
Tsakanikas claimed third , john son he ld fourth,
and Carsten moved t o fift h. T he t op five
rem ained unchanged for the next three laps.
Johnson bumped his way around Tsakanikas to
take third on lap six, and on the following lap
Carsten relega t ed Tsa ka nikas t o fift h .
Tsakan ikas co ntinued to move backward when
Cook caught and passed him to take fifth on
the wh ite -nag lap . Wallace got the win , and
Clark. johnson, Carsten and Cook rounded out
the top five.
Lowell Spangler led the start of the 125cc
Schoolbo y final but crashed on the big double
follOwing the first tum . Willy Toth Jr. inherited
the lead , w ith Ryan Zimmerman , Zachary
Molorama Indoor Trials
Pennsylvania Farm Show Com plex
Florin Wins It By OneI
By MAn
I.JBERATORE
HARRISBURG, PA, FEB. 22
U
.S. Montesa's num ber one, Chris Florin,
e dge d o ut Be t a USA's top r ider, Ray
Pete rs, by a single mark to w in t he 2004
Motorama Indoo r Trials event, in what has to
be the best ed ition ever of this eve nt!
Riders fro m 13 differe nt states trave led to
Pe nnsylvania to com pe te , including Indiana's
Jim Snell, the Gas Gas USA parts imp ort er
who brought Champ rider Jesse Wellenste in
and up-and -comers Lo uise For sley, 15, c f
Massachusetts and Wisconsin's Pat Smage , a
13-year-old Expert ride r.
Inst e ad of t he o ld Wes t Hall, the tr ials
po rt ion of Motorama was held for the first
time in the 2 000~seat Equine Arena, wh ich
provided more room , a dirt floor, and a very
professional atmosphere.
Motorama uses a "minus po int system";
Riders can shave points of( their scores by
taking much harder lines for usually a one - or
two-point ded uction off the ir ride .
Since this event always starts off the season
for both the AMA's District 6 and 7 Observed
Trials Series , there are very full classes. The
Cham p riders go out first to alleviate the long
lines waiting to enter the sections .
60
Sherco U5A:s Travis Fox took the early lead
after the first lap; his rec ent stay at the Trials
Training Ce nter in Sequatchie, Tenn essee , had
him in good form. In fact, the to p four Champs
- Florin , Peters, David Chaves and Fox - had
recently spent two weeks pra cticing togethe r
there, and it rea lly showed in their riding.
Fox's team mate , last year 's winne r, Chaves
• rode very we ll but couldn't match the Icrrn he
had last year, losing (our ftves in th e Cha mps '
numbe r-two section. Starting off, the riders had
to keep the ir wheels (rom touching the ground
while jumping across a series of tires to avoid
the rna xirnurn Ilve -p o lnt penalty. C haves
dropped his rear wheel onto the dirt on every
lap but one; had it not been (or this sectio n, he
could have easily won again.
"I was riding ok ay, but that section , I just
could n't do it," Chaves admitted. "I don't know
why."
Pe ters came back (ro m fiving the first and
last sect ions on his opening lap to challenge (or
the lead, as Florin lost a comfortab le margin by
flVing the last two sections of the day.
.., was n't feeling great," Florin said. "The
bike was new, so the suspension was stiff, and
I'm not sure if it was all the hopp ing we were
do ing yesterday in practice and today with the
tight sections or what, but my shoulders just
MAR 24, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS
CH
Ty Wallace (B6) leads Casey Clark (14) as they air it out over the big
double in the 2S0cc Pro/Expert final at the 26th annual Motorama
Arenacross in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Har ringto n, Matth ew Geist and Re n jolley in
tow. Toth pulled away to about a four-second
le ad by lap fou r o f th is eight- lap final. Toth
co ntinued to pull away and crossed the finish
lin e wi t h a n ei g ht- second a dvan t age .
Zimmerman, Ha rr ingto n, Ge ist and Jo lle y
CN
rounded out the to p fIVe.
PENNSYLVANIA FARM SHOW COMPLEX
HARRJS8URG, PENNSYLVANIA
RESULTS: FURUARY
(DAY 1 Of
21
21 , 2004
PM (4- 6): l. Chase Mil'er; 2. Trenton Herrington ; 1.
juon Boyer, 4. Brondon Beam; 5. Wyatt Barto. P/W (1-1) ,
I. l.og;In Ehreu; 1. Daniel OdIin; 1. Trevor Staffer; -4 Sam
.
5"""'''': 5. MichaelMcDonald. 50 (U), I. Jared Jenni"l':
2. Trenton Hermgton; 1. Chase MiIter; -4. Joseph BalkOY'lc;
S. Dustin Miller. 50 (7-8): I. [arek Balko vic ; 2. Mitchel l
0veH; 1. Daniel Dillin; -4. Kyte Pichler; S. Dakota Durvnan.
kept cra mp ing and getting tight all day. I was
just spent by the last two sections. After riding
here my first time last year, this was so much
better, the new arena. the sect ions were more
of a challenge (or us, and the organize rs did a
great job. I'm just really happy.•
This was Florin's second straight year here ,
courtesy of Keysto ne Cycles ' Do minic Sileo ,
who has spon sored Flor in on his own ne w
machine eac h year. It was great to see Sileo in
6S (7 .9): I. Jos eph Peters; 2. Kame ro n Page ; 1. Dylan
WoH"e; .. . Wes~ MattM ; S. Trevor Shaffer. 6S (10..11 ) : I.
Timo th y SaMge Jr.; 2. Andrew Johns; 1. joshua VlUMTeal; ...
A. Houser; S. Dylan Johnson. 85 (7~II) : I. joseph Peters :
2. Frank Lettieri; 1. Timothy Savidge Jr.; -4 Kameron Page; S.
.
GuTet Toth. 85 (1 2. 13): I. Lowe ll Spangler; 2. Kyte Sidle;
1. Broc Schme tyun; -4 Marcus Hod ge ; S. Bryan We imer Jr.
.
85 ( 14-15): I. Zachary HarTington ; 2. Addison Kr:trner; 1.
Steve C hiappa ; -4 Kody Weidman ; S. Fran kie Perez. 12 5
.
SCHBY: I. Wilty 10th Jr.; 2. Ryan Zimmennan: 1. Zachary
HarTington ; -4. Matthew Geist; S. Ren JoU I lS NOV: I.
y.
z.etwy Hurington: 2. Dumn Ulrich: 3. Jonalhon j