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Yamaha Dealer Series
Final Round: Glen Helen Raceway Park
PHOTOS BY JOHN BETHEA
Arms and the Men
By JOHN BETHEA
SAN BERNARDINO, CA, JULY 18
S
e an O'Connor really wanted to w in t he
2s0cc Expert-class champ ionsh ip In t he
Yamaha De alers Series, but coming Into t he
final ro und . he trailed Jo n Simmon s by live
po ints . After a first- mote th ird to Simmons'
filth. he cou ld see an opening, but his back was
still against the wall, so he came out blazing in
the second moto • and it cost him.
Riding lor John Burr Cycles (the top deal er
for the t Oth consecutive year), O 'Connor
already had a stranglehold on the I 2Scc Expert
title , while Simmons had few worries about his
Four-Stroke Expert points lead. so the duo was
tenacious about the 2SOcc title. However, they
both had to wallow in the shadow 01 Suzukimounted Dylan Lord , who was blast ing
everyone in the event for the second week in a
row on his way to an overall sweep.
"I just need to haul ass as hard as I can ,"
Simmons said belore that fir« rnoto. "As long
as I can stay w ithin one or two spots of Sean, I
can hold my own ."
A bad start lelt Simmons desperate in last at
the end of lap one , but he got his momentum
go ing and worked up to filth. within striking
range 01 O 'Conno r.
With Lord le adi ng aga in in moto two,
O 'Connor (w ho' d already clinched his 12scc
ch a mpionsh ip wit h second overall , be hind
Kawasa ki's Kyle Mace ) was breathing Lord 's
exhaust near the end 01 lap one and decided to
go lor it. But he got sideways and highsided .
crushing his upper arm and earning a trip to the
hospital and then rehab lor the rest 01the season.
O 'C onnor was n't the onty ride r to fracture
an ar m. Scott Bristol 's arm was already rigid
fro m an acc ident a week earlier. When he
d iscove red he still led the Vet Intermediate
class by two points, he borrowed a bike and
rode to a couple of sixths and still wound up
tied lor the championship! However, he placed
last in the final round , wh ich gave the series
win to Geoff Walters.
"T his just might be my last ride ." Bristol
said. "My wife 's been after me to quit. This
might make it permanent."
Senior Intermediate James Hanson entered
the day's events with a three-point lead over
lellow Honda rider James Whitham. In the
great first race , Hanson barely held off his
primary loe . But Whitham grabbed the lead in
the second stanza and he ld Hanson at arm 's
length for the entire race. w hich would have
given Wh itham the finale w in and the ser ies
champions hip . Head ing to t he finish line .
though, Hanson gassed it out of th e last tum
and made the stunning pass in the last few feet.
They were separated by six points in the final
tally. but in re ality it was only by an Inch o r
two. Hanson ro de bac k t o his pits , joylully
pumping his fist In the air.
[arod Minor, as expected, coasted in as top
Intermediate in both the 12scc and 2SOCC classes,
finishing second on the day to Robert Memoli in
the 12ss and Kevin Rookstool in the 250. . CN
GLEN HELEN RACEWAY PARK
SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA
RESULTS: JULY 18, 2004 (FINAL ROUND)
50 SHAFT: I. Cun loyleu (Lem); 2. Braxton Taylor
(Yam): J. Ryan "'los (Yam). 50 STK (4 -6) : I. Blake Gn.en
(Hon ); 2. Maxwell 'Tedde r ( Kaw ); 3. Trevor Stewart (KTH);
4. N