Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

"I had just passed a lappe r," said Olsen, "and do wn this straightaway someone just came up right beside me, and I looked back, and I saw black number plates, and I was , like, 'O h. God!' and I just took off. I stepped it up as hard as I could to pull away. I didn't want to give up a w in afte r all that. " The Faul tline Suspension/Braughton Fire Protect ion/Motion Pro-sponsored Brandt ac tua lly mo ved int o the lead momentaril y, coming into the home check and tak ing the white flag just ahead of O lsen. "Yeah, I came and got him right he re at the end , coming down the canyon :' noted Brandt , "but it was a really short lead - he got me right back on the motocross track ." After retaking the lead, Olsen picked up the pace for the final lap and pulled away to take t he w in. Brand t came in just about a minute later. The dust and steep hills made racing difficult for many. Kreiss held third for mo st of the early part of the race but eve ntually pulled out afte r injuring his back. Brian Brown , o ne of t he co untry 's top desert racers, made the long dr ive all the way from Idaho t o pa rticipate. Afte r st art ing in ne arly last pla ce, the Team Gr ee n/ lMS/Flysponsored Brown eventually moved all the way up to third. Taking fourth was Hlebo Suspension/ FMFI Motio n Pro's Pat rick Gar ra han , who rode consistently and held down the fourth spot for most of the race. Garrahan edged out Gurley by just a few seconds at the fini sh . The I.moto/Suns tar/No Toil-bac ked Gurle y battl ed with several riders dur ing the day, moving all th e way up to finish fifth. Suzuki-mounted Je ff Bauer finished just a short way back in sixth . Kawasaki rider s Dam ian Galfor d and Craig Wes ner took the se venth and e ight h sp ots . Wesner rode with a flat tire for the final few laps but was able to hold on and still take a top 10 finish. Honda-mounted Greg Ghione rode ho me in the ninth spo t , followed by KT M jockey No lan Irwin , who rounded out t he top 10. Garrison Gragg was the top B rider for the day, while his Kawasaki pilot Curt Wilcox too k home the top spot in the Senior race . Honda rider Bryan Crofts was the fastest Crider. Afterwa rd, the Moose/Smith/PireIli/Alpinestars/ NVC-s ponsored Leudtke showed genuine respect for Leivan. "I've raced Steve in hare scrambles, and I've never beat hi m ," Leudtke said . ''Act ually, I almost DNFed in the last loop , when I caught a big ro ck in some water I underestimated the depth of. This race took its toll on me and my bike, but it was worth it." RESULT S OIA: I. Walker Leudtke (Yam); 2. Steve Leivan (Yam); 3. Ch ris Tucker (KTM); 1 . Glen Myatt (Hus) ; S. Mat t Lane (Yam) ; 6. Lars Va lin (Ho n) ; 7. Karl Harris (Yam); 8. Jim Stanfield (KTM); 9 . Ste phe n Vanzant (Hon ); 10. Jon Simons (Hus). AA: I. Steve Leivan; 2. Glen Myatt ; 3. Matt Lane; 1. Lars Valin; S. Stephen Vanzant. A: I. Chri s Tucker; 2. Karl Harri s; 3. Jim Stanfield; 1 . Johnny Rhodes ; 5. Shane Roberts . A VET: I. Walk er l eudtke ; 2. Craig C hap man ; 3. Aaron Roberts; 1. David Greer; 5, Dan Joh nson . A S R: I. Ste ve Unde rw ood ; 2. Kreg Simons; 3. Joh n Wade ; 4. Rick Owens; S. John Myrin. B: I. Robe rt Hube r; 2. Jeremy Mayes; 3. Jeff O/A : I. Bryce O lsen (KTM); 2. Jordan Brandt (KTM); 3. Brian Bro w n (Kaw) ; 4. Patric k Ga r rahan (KTM); 5. jerlah Gurley (KTM); 6 . Jeff Bauer (Suz); 7. Damian Galford (Kaw); 8 . C raig Wesner (Kaw); 9 . Greg Gh icne (Han); 10. Nolan Ir'ffln (KTl1) . A 200, I . N olan Ir'ffl n (KTl1): 2. jared Orrock (KTM); 3. C raig Hoffman (Kaw). A 2 5 0: I. Bryce Ols en (KTM): 2. Patrick Garrahan (KTM): 3. [erieh Gurley (KTM). A OPEN: I. Jord an Brandt (KTM); 2. Steve Silve stri (KTM); 3. lane Mou nt (HOrt). A 4· STRK: I. Brian Brown (Kaw); 2. C raig Wes ne r (Kaw); 3. G reg G hione (Hon) . A W MN : I. Susan He llman (Yam); 2. Je ssica Ghione (Ho n). A VET: I. Jess Ochoa (KTM); 2. Eric DuC ray (Yam); 3. Rich Facciano (Hon) . A SR: I. John Wells (KTM); 2. David Wood (KTM); 3. Curt Wik o x (Kaw). A S/S R: I. C harlie Mars hall (KTM); 2. Bo b Bow en (Hus): 3. Jer ry Johnso n (Hon) . A G ENT: I. DonaJd Chase (KTM); 2. Euge ne Price (Suz); 3. William Craig (KTM). B 2 00: I. Ga rriso n Gragg (Kaw); 2. Jaso n Je nse n (KTM); 3 . Rod ne y Spencer Jr. (Yam). B 2 5 0 : l. Robe rt Girton (Yam); 2. Jason Orrock (Yam); 3. Paul Gray (Hon ). B OPEN: I. Craig Hill (Hon) ; 2. Matt Mariolle (Hon); 3. Ryan Skelton (Yam). B 4-ST RK: I. Adam Nichols (KTM); 2. Brian Jone s (Hon) ; 3. Ben McKee (Hon). B VET: I. Robert Brumit (KTM); 2. Robert Puna (Hon); 3. Greg Amos (Kaw). B SR: I. Go rdon Hod ges (KTM); 2. Patrick Elle rt (Han); 3. Todd Winslow (KTM). B S/Sft: I. Larry Gurley (Yam); 2. Michael Schultz (KTM); 3. Mike Edwa rd (Suz). B W MN: I. jenna Pinto (Hon); 2. Midlelle Bdam (KTM); 3. Ruby G risso (Y am). C 2 00 : I . T ho mas Simontacchi (Suz); 2. Jo nat ha n Davis (KTM); 3. Dino Wemey (Hon ). C 25 0: I. Brando n George (Kaw) : 2. Aa ron Ue re (Suz); 3 . Kevin Knobtes (Ho n). C OP EN : I. Drake Swett (Ho n); 2. Joe Cook (Ho n); 3. William Englebrook (KTM). C 4-STRK: I. Bryon Crofts (Hon ); 2. John Bilyeu (He n): 3. Toni Palandrani (KTM). C VET: I. Ken Sandahl (Yam) ; 2. Chris Van Ge nd er e n (KT M); 3. Dave y Adams (Ho n) . C S R: I . Bo b Pilgruen (Ho n); 2. Richie Mendez (KTM) ; 3. Tyrus Wilson (Ha n). C S/SR: I. Jess Guymon (Suz); 2. Allen Quale (Hon); 3. James Atkins (KTM). C GENT: I.Terry Fish (KTM); 2. Roderick Kreiss (Ho n); 3. James Donahoe (Suz). C WMN : I. Rachel Douglas (KTM); 2. Nicole Menvielle (Hon ); 3. Kasie Creson (KTM). Blac k Ja ck Enduro Circuit Round I: Zink Ranch Enduro Leudtke Wins a Nail-Biter By JOHN HUMPHREY TULSA, OK, MAR. 7 ack Zink and the Zink Foun dation we lcomed ride rs back to the site of the 1994 15DE with a tough ra ce . With tr ails th e top riders in th e world rode 10 years ago and five inches of rain the pre vious week, the Black Jack Enduro Circuit riders we re tr e ated to extra helpings of roc ks and mud. In fact, only 95 of the 265 riders who started the race eve n made it to mile 13! Steve Leivan , the defend ing seven -time BJECchampion, was poised to begin the season in hi s t ypica l w in ning w ay, abo a rd his 5C RI An sw e ri D un I0 pi Rac e Tec hiS ilk 0 le ne Yamaha WR250. Howe ver, the lure of racing at the Zink Ranch brought Walk er Leu dt ke, a multitime District 22 enduro champ ion, down fro m Nebraska to race the A Vet class with the distinct goal of beating Leivan. With additional talented ride rs - including 200 3 1 5DE silver med allist Lars Valin - the Tulsa Trail Riders eve nt had all t he makings of a great race . The long course consisted of th re e loop s, with a total of 85 challe nging ground miles and IS che ckpo ints . The first points-taker, ch eck fo ur, w as a short sec tion w ith a long, roc ky do wnhill , fo llowed by a ve ry difficult up hill. Chris Tucker, racing t he A class in his fir st e nduro, hit th e check on his minute . Leudt ke and Leivan e ach dropped one point , and the rest of the riders dropped two or mor e . J 62 C heck e ight was an e me rgen cy check . Jon "Spud" Simon s bested everyo ne else in th is section with a 3:34, w hile Tucker, Leivan and Le udtke reco rded times of 3:37, 3:45 and 4:02, respectively. As the race wore on , nume ro us mud bogs meant that smart line decision was a necessity for survival. By th e e nd of t he seco nd loop , Leudrke had lost his rear brake completely due t o conditi ons des cribed by mo st riders as "gnarly." ''At that point, I decided I was going to rail straight through every bog in loop thr ee and go for it: ' Le udt ke said. At check 12, the course began to test riders' durab ilityand fitness. Leudtke was the fastest in t his se ct ion, droppi ng thre e po ints; Leiva n dropped four, and Tucker dropped five. At check I3, Leudtke best ed everyone else wit h a time of 6:48. Leivan and Tucker recorded 7:12 and 8:27, res pectively. The last rea l test, check 14, gave Leivan the chance to gain a point back on both Leudt ke and Tucker, as he dropped a t hre e to thei r fours . When the points were tallied , Leudt ke and Leivan had both dropped 19 points , Tucker had dropped 21 , a nd t he rest o f t he fie ld had dropped 26 or more . The emergency points we re figured , and Leud rke's 650 seconds edged out Lewan's 658. APRi l 14, 2004 • C YC LE N EWS RESULTS Neathery; 4. Za ck UttIe ; 5 . Shawn No rris. B VET: I. Donald Dannar; 2. Mitch l..add; 3. Kevin Betts : 1. Michael Polley; 5. Dean Bea n. B 0 · 2 2 5: I . Jordan Dubbs. C 200: I. Brett Yother, 2. Justin Vieth ; 3. Josh McBryde : 1. Evan Meye rs; 5. Bre nt Smith. C 25 0: I. Jack Robertson; 2. Shane Martin; 3. Dustin Be ckham ; 1. Zachariah Macias; S. Keith Wright . C OPEN : I. Brian Wood ; 2. Kody Byrd; l . Michael Payne; 1 . Terry Joh nson; S. Jeremy Cotto n. C VET: I. Todd York; 2. Keith Beatty; 3. Bret J. Bonnell; 1 . Robert Campbell ; S. Mark Sharer. C S R: I. Kelly Murra y; 2. Ph il Ellswo rt h; 3. Scott Barker; 4. Ray Campbell; 5. Charles Black. EX SHO RT: I. Stewart Hall; 2. Elston Moo re ; 3. To m Franklin; 4. Bob Diffee; S. Bob by Pasch al. A MS TR : I. Gary Glidew e ll; 2. Mike Shown ; 3. Jim Ho lub; 1. Keith Jo hnson ; 5. Jerry Hoffman. B S R: L Paul Pend ry; 2. Sam l orenz ; 3. Bob Fuerst; 4. Steve McWh ort er; 5. John Branso n. S/SR: I. Ronald Walters ; 2. l ut he r Stem; 3. Art hu r Astle ; 4 . Joh n Bor ein g; S. St eve Pie rce. S/5 5 : I. Ron ald l e ss ; 2. Da ne Marable; 3. Jim Beckham ; 4. Dick Lane; S. Fran k Leivan. S{60: I. Bob Harris : 2. Hen ry Po lley; 3. Zahn lewis ; 4. Doug Jande be ur; S. Ted Nollan . WMN EX: I. Cheri Sutherland ; 2. Usa Yother; 3. Gina Polley: 1. Ginge r lorenz ; S. Barbara Zehner. JR EX: I. Michael Pitts ; 2. Evan Willi ms; 3. Blake Bum s; 4. Justin Terry; a S. Clint Woodard. JR NOV: I. Tyie r Broo ks; 2. Sam Davis. YT H : I . Kole Hen slee ; 2. Jac ob Ze h ne r : 3. Jos eph Suthe rland; 1. Trevo r Hicks; 5 . Jona than Ow ens. Utah Sport Riders Association Motocross Round 4 : Mesquite Moto·X Park Preuss - As in "Zeus" By DICK GOODWIN MESQUITE, NV, MAR. 7 M otocross race rs from seve ral states con verged on Mesquite Moto-X Park to do battle at round four of USRAmotocross action. Grand Junction, Colorado's Bre tt Preuss turned in an O lympian effort, winning the Supermini class and finish ing seco nd in bo th the 125cc Intermediate and Schoolboy contests . In Supermini action , Preus s shot off the line to le ad Cedar Fo rt , Utah 's Ca m ron Olsen , Logandale, Nevada's Clay Cutler. and the rest of the field. Preuss and Olsen , riding side by side, opened up a lead on Cutl er, while Dacoda Sorochuk wa s fend ing off Kyle Price and th e rest of the pack. Oisen grabbed the lead , Pre uss snatc hed it back, and w hat looked like w hat was going to be a wild fight to the finish e nded midrace whe n O lsen's bike gave up the ghost . With no on e to challenge him, Preu ss cruised home wit h an easy win. Cutler and Sorochu k we re elbow to elbo w until Cutler shot off t he trac k, giving second to Sor och uk. Olsen, w ith a reju ven ate d bike , sto le t he ho lesho t, ahea d of Preuss and C utle r, as t he se c o nd half began . Preuss applied heavy pressure , finally passing for the lead in t he corn e r before th e finish-line tabletop. On ce in front, he opened it up , while Olsen raced all alone in second . Preuss' se con d straight win earned him the Su permin i c ro w n . Cutler finishe d in th ird , be hind O lsen, but his c on sis tency net ted him second overal l. Sorochuk, Landon Powe ll and Price ro unded out the top flve. The 125cc Intermediate race included some older, faste r guys, making it a little toughe r on Preuss. Zac Humphries ripped the holeshot to start th ings off, leading Preuss, Brock Branson and t he rest. Humphries opened up a lead , while Tony Espo sito battled his way up into seco nd. Antho ny Hart and Levi Riche followed him into third and fourt h. Humphries ran off and hid, winning rou nd one w ith ease . Esposito stayed solid in seco nd, while Hart crashed out, allow ing Pr e uss, w ho had pas sed Riche, t o gather up third. Humphri es pulled h is second st r aight ho les hot , le ading Preuss and Shane Vernlund w hen th e gate drop ped o n t he se cond go aro und. It loo ked like Humph ries was going to pull a repeat of his first-mote her oics until a tipover dr opp ed him to se co nd . Preuss now had the lead. Humphries ' seco nd cras h put him out of th e race , and Esp osito was raging up t he leaderboard . Esposito eve ntually made the pass for the lead , but he and Pre uss stayed nose to tail for the remainder of the race. Esposito e ked out a narrow vict o ry, and t he overall 125cc lash Hansen topped the 6 Scc Stock (9 -11) class at ro u nd fou r of USRA mo tocross a ctio n in Mes quite , Nevada. 40th Anniversary .J .'

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