Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

P requel Sportsman Glen Helen Ra ceway Park Murphy's Law (and Parker's, and Nix's) By JOHN BETHEA SAN BERNARDINO, CA, MAY 9 "I could see blood com ing ou t of my glove," said o ne of the West's leading Intermediate s, Michael Parker. loo king down at his noww rapped hand . Th e teen w ho always see ms to be wearing a smile wasn't weari ng one today at the Spo rts men portion of the inaugura l Prequel at Glen He len Raceway. After finishing second to Honda -mounted Tyler Keef e of Mu rrieta, California, in the first 12Scc Intermediate moto, Parker was seeking the all-important secondrace win when it happened on the front straight com ing up to the finish line o n lap one. "I T-boned this kid [Steve n Cisar] off a jump and punctured my hand with the clutch . They [the EMTs] said it nearly went th rough my hand . I'm done." Parker left for the hospital to get stitches (or the 5-inch wound then made the long ride home to Henderson , Nevada . He wasn 't the o nly racer to ride the ragged edge on this day. The most spe ctac ular spill ca m e in t he sec o nd 250cc Intermed iate mota. In the initial d rive toward the top of "Mo unt St. Helen's," Whitney Mur p hy of H u nt ingt o n Be ach . Cal iforn ia, made an une xpected left t ur n midway up a nd la u nc he d over t he embankme nt and do wn th e ex t re me ly steep cliff. Luckily, the hillside was packed with brush - this was one of the few areas in Glen Helen's perimeter not burned away in last fall's huge fire - and it snagged bike and rider. Otherwise. he might have plunged the full 7S feet . "I [we nt] blank." Murphy said. "I just closed my eyes and hoped fo r the best. All the bushes pulled me in." Despite these two inci dents , the Intermediate bat tle s were still fier ce . Keefe Cu mbo/Maddy Cole; 3. Eme ry YahaszJHolly YahaszJAaro n YahaszJC hris C um bo/Da....e Fontes. SWIMMING BEG : I . Engan Natarajian; 2. Rick Elson . SWIMM ING IN T: I. Nice Van Niekirk; 2. Steve Mangione ; 3. Bob Velleux; -1 . Morrow Fleet; 5 . Max Adams. SWIMMING EX: I . C hris King; 2. Dan Fro st; 3. Chris C umbo; -1 . Jim Holman ; 5. Mike Born . SWI M M I N G W M N: I . Luc y Adam s ; 2. Pat ri c e Grosscklewic z ; 3. Denis e Devtn e s: -1 . Ani t a C a mp a . T EN NI S NOV: I. Morrow Flee t; 2. Den ise DeVines; 3. Tim Knox; -1 . Greg Rader. TENNIS INT: I . Valerie Fitzharris; 2. Glenna Know; 3. David Fitzharri s; -1 . James Bed nar. TENNIS EX: I. Ch ris Street; 2. N ice Van Niekirk; 1. Engan Natarajian; 4. Ch ris Cu mbo . Kentucky Indoor Dirt Track Series Round 2: Crittenden County Fairgrounds Chandler's CharRe 1 ~";t.':i:'ii!!Jt MARION, KY, MAY 8 o lby Chandler was on the gas at round two of the Kentucky Indoo r Dirt Track Series , as he took multi ple class w ins aboard his David Dr ug Sto re Ho nd a. He absconded wi th t he holeshot in the 85cc short-track final and stayed C sw ept both 125cc moros, and Enc initas , California's Kevin Frisbie (3- 1) topped the 250s. Local rider Jared Minor was in the thick of things in both contests, winning the first 250cc mota before falling to fourth in the second outing for runn er-up overall honors. His 12Scc performance was hindered by a slow first-mo ta start w hich le ft him ninth, but he rebounded to take second in the finale for th ird ove rall . beh ind Keefe and Escond ido . Californ ia's Travis Freistat (3-6). There was a huge turnout in the Women's d ivision , wi th more than t w o do zen participants in the Amateur class alone . Ukiah, California's Alisa N ix led the first mota, over Alison Jo ne s. Nix's bid for the sweep was shot down on the first lap o f the sec ond stanza when she had he r own run - in wit h Glen Helen's mountains, at the very top of the hill while leading. '" hit a roc k or something. and it shot me down the hill," she sa id . "A banner got me across the neck ." The banner left a welt across her collarbone . She wa s unab le to re -enter the trac k at that point. so she had to slide all the way down the hill be fore re-entering the fray. way back . She valiantly rode from dead last to third to gam er second overal l, acing o ut Sherri Cruse. Ni x la t e r comp le ted a sweep o f the School girl c la s s , with Cruse aga in ju s t behind . eN GLEN HELEN RACEWAY PARK SAN BERNARDINO, CAUFORNIA RESULTS: MAy 9 , 2004 SO STK (4- 6): I. Ryan Pac kw o o d (KTM); 2. Chaz Vasq uez (Cob) . SO MOD (4 -6) : I. Octav ian Mart inez (KTM); 2. RY'" Packw ood (KTH); 3. Chaz Va>qu" (Cob) . 50 WMN : I. Brandy Richards (KTM) . 65 BEG: I . Ashton McMill n (Kaw). 6 5 (4-8): I. Trist ian Post (Kaw); 2. Teren a Salinas (Suz) . 6 5 WOMEN (9 .11): I. San. Price (Kaw); 2. on the groove to hold off a determ ined Jonath an Heiden for the win. Nikki Spore led a pack of riders vying for third , consisting of Michael He iden , Nathaniel Vowell, Jake Lewis and Blake Tabor. Chandler did an instant replay in the TT and split from the field. leaving Vowell to hold off Lewis and Tabor for the runner- up position. Chandler's third win came in the 20Ckc Pre Am short-track final, in which he too k a hard earned win over Jonathan once again. Lewis swept the 65cc ranks and cam e back to do likew ise in the 200cc Amateur classes, holding off Chandler and Vowell for the wins. Jonathan nabbed the much -needed holeshot and turned it into the win in the 200cc Pro-Am TT; Vowe ll did likewise in the Trail Rider class. Aaro n Ladd trounced on the Open Pro and Pro-Am classes with wins eac h time out , and his father, Mike Ladd, left t he rest of the Senior riders to argue over seco nd. Gene Yopp eventually na b bed that s po t, ove r Dennis Porte r, while Bill Zen tmyer held on to fourth, over Ed Clark , TT win ner Curt Comer, Clyde Mod lin and Don Duncan. Eventual overall w inner Tyler Keefe (5 5 5 ) lea d s Jared Minor (871) and the rest af the 12Scc Intermediates through Glen He len Raceway Park's third turn a t the Prequel Sportsman event in San Bernardino, Ca lifarnia. Brand y Richards (KTM). 65 (9 .11 ) : I. Jer emy McCoo l (Kaw); 2. Kyle Wolack (Suz); 1. Nigel Joh nso n (KTM); -1 . Kory Bard (Kaw ). 85 BEG : I . Tra vis Rosario (KTM); 2. Cody Reit... (y;un); 3. Charle. k ar d (KTH); 4. Sandy Van<. (Kaw); 5. Kyle Yarnell (Yam). 85 (4-1 1); I. J emy MaNix (Y;un); 2. 5h..-ri CN" (Han); 3. Kimberly Koer (KTM); 5. Penni Cyrus (Sm) . WHN VET; I. Tami Haase (Hon) ; 2. Mikki Keller (Hon) ; l . Janice Welch (Han) ; 4. V~ Roberts (Yam). SCH BY (ll - 16); I. Br.ondon Kealamakia (Kaw); 2. Curtis Malins (Yam); l . Garrett Geo rge (Kaw); 4. Travis Prestat (Hon ); 5. Kasey Morris (Hon) . JR VET NOV: I. Jo jc FerMer (Hon); 2. Terence Traughber Jr. (Han). JR VET INT: I. Ben Eilson (Yam); 2. Juan Contreras (Han); 3. Chu

• Cover