STORY BY DAVE DERINGER
P HOTOS BY RAy GUNDY
W
th any series, when
new faces are intro -
duced the competit ion becomes just
that much better.
And when the 2004 -2005 National
Arenacross series kicked off this past
weekend in Des Moines, Iowa that is
e xactly what happened . Once the
dust sett led , though, last year's
champ ion , Richmond Racing/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki-rider Darcy Lange,
managed to emerge victorious over
veterans and newcomers alike.
Lange came into Des Moines with
a big shiny number one on his bike and
left in the points lead after a grueling
weekend. The young Canadian won
three out of the four finals: Friday's 125cc
and 250cc main events and Saturday 's
125cc main. He finished a strong third in
Saturday's 250cc main after a racelong
battle with former champ Josh Demuth
and newcomer Branden Jesseman.
Adding to the drama of the opening round
was the fact that several of the series'
main stars were injured over the weekend , leaving Lange as the top contender
right now to defend and capture another
arenacross title.
Oth Anniversary
"This was a great start to the season,"
Lange said. ''All those guys are riding well
and it's a long series, and I just need to
keep it going."
Parts Unlimited/Tuf Racing/Hondarider Branden Jesseman came into the
series as an unknown factor, after all he
has never really raced an arenacross, but
no one was going to count the former
I25cc factory superstar out. When all was
said and done, Jesse men left the venue
second in the points and a new star to the
series. The 200 3 125cc East Coast
Supercross Champion looked a little rusty
early on Friday aboard the 250cc fourstroke but looked spectacular on the
250cc two-stroke, a bike that he has
hardly ever ridden .
In the four main events, Jesseman finished 7-2-2- 1, improving as the weekend
went on , until he eventually won
Saturday's 250cc final that saw a great
battle between him, Lange and Demuth.
Now, after his first arenacross ever,
Jesseman holds second in the points going
into round two and seems to be a major
threat for the title .
"I made a couple o f mistakes this
weekend in the whoops that cost me a
