Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

District 36/Moose Northern California Championship Enduro Series District 36/Motul Northern California S/C Championship Enduro Series Round 7{7: Cowbell Enduro Brandt Wants More Cowbell! Bv JILL ASHWORTH PAnERSON MIDDLE CREEK, CA, NOV. 6 T he 58th annual Cowbell Enduro drew 264 entrants to the Mendocino National Forest fOf" the Hayward Motorcycle Club's popular fall event, which was round seven for both District 36's Moose Northern California Championship Enduro Series and the Motul Northem California BIC Championship Enduro Series. Pin It Motorsports/Faultline Suspensionl Broughton Fire Protection-sponsored Jordan Brandt claimed the overall victory, extending his series lead with only one round to go in the battle for the 2004 series championship. Excellent weather and riding conditions complemented the premium two·loop course laid out by HMC's Pat Steinberger and crew. The first loop was 5 I miles long, and riders were anxious [0 get to their favorite feature of the event, the Pine Mountain special test. The 24-mph test's 17 miles of thickly brushed, tight, winding single-track trails and brief fireroad sections ended just before the gas stop. At the end of the high-speed workout, Brian Sperle (who was still mending from a recent shoulder surgery) emerged with the best score of 3.204. Brandt was second quickest with 4.225, and Chris Zito followed with 5.302. The other contestants scored in the sixes, sevens or higher. "That test was a blast!" exclaimed Brandt. "I kept blowing turns from the fire road to the single-track, but it was so much fun! The traction was really good. to During the scuttle to leave gas on time, riders Clawson Matorsparts/CMA California Supercrass Night 2: Grizzlies Stadium Old-School Showtime Bv EDDIE GUVEUNE FRESNO, CA, NOV. 6 A fter seeing Suzuki rider Christopher GosseMJaar upset a field of big bikes on his RMZ2S0 the night before, fans returned in droves for the final night of Pro racing at the third annual California Supercross. Held in downtown Fresno's Grizzlies Stadium, the event has become a popular "pre-Anaheim" for many. Everyone was treated to incredible race action on the first night, and they wouldn't be disappointed the second night. There were amateur exhibition races held on both nights, and some of the nation's best prospects were on hand for the rare chance to race in a stadium. The crowd went nuts as Jessy Nelson and Michael Maze battled up front on both nights, doing all of the big jumps on 6Scc machines. Casey Hinson simply obliterated the competition in the 12Scc and 2S0cc Intermediate divisions; the American Suzuki/The Syndicate/Moto XXX/Clawson Motorsports-backed kid from nearby Madera exchanged stories about the excellent course. "It's just perfect," said FoxlKTM/MotoDocbacked Sperle. "There's killer conditions - it's wet and loamy!" "It was my first time through that test - it was awesome!" added Honda Milpitassupported Ron Day. "The course was marked well, so I had no troubles [riding on row one] knowing where to go." After gas, a fun mix of wooded trails, singletrack and short fire-road sections took racers 33 miles back to camp with the traditional descent down Sled Ridge. With the scores tallied, Brandt's consistent speed and skill earned him a total of 4.239, which was good for the win. Sperle's 5.224 beat Zito's 5.308 for second. Tim J. Stowe, after an absence from racing for nearly two years, finished fourth, with 6.371. Day rounded out the top five with 7.387. "I burned the first check and basically beat myself," Sperle said. "but I had lots of fun anyway "This race comes down to the Pine Mountain test," said Mach I Motorsports/AP Racing/Ground Pounders-sponsored Zito. "I put a hole through my exhaust there thankfully, someone loaned me their pipe at gas so I could finish the race!" "It feels soooo good to be back!" exclaimed Woodland Cycle/Bennett Distributing/ANSbacked Stowe. "They threw some new stuff at us and really kept us going. to Patrick Helfrick claimed the B-class overall, and Scott Mills topped the C class. turned a lot of heads with his full-speed assault on the treacherous whoop section and blistering lap times. Hinson appeared to be on the Pro's pace, and stopwatches backed it up. Hinson's lap times were consistently among the top five in either Pro class. As for the Pro racing itselr, Gosselaar quickly picked up where he left off the night before. After dominating his heat race, he put a whipping on the rest of the 12Scc class in their main event. Tiger Lacey made a big improvement from the previous night, finishing second. ahead of Levi Reid, Michael Sleeter and Dennis EWing. When the gate dropped for the 2S0cc main, Rusty Holland and Justin Buckelew again got great starts. Jeremy McGrath got taken out in the second corner; he had some trouble getting the bike started, but he managed to work back up to fourth. Gosselaar cut through the pack once again. dueled with Buckelew, and took the checkered nag. Buckelew and Rusty Holland followed. At that point, Gosselaar was four for five in main events. The side benefit to McGrath's misfortune was that he didn't line up dead last on the Single-file start for the Bounty Hunter main. He got t.hrough the first lap in one piece and went to work on the rest of the field. Tyler Evans was mOVing up the ladder as well; he passed for the lead a couple of laps in, while McGrath moved The 2004 series wraps up at the WFO Enduro at Fouts Springs, California. eN COWBELL ENDURO MIDDLE CREEK, CAUFORNIA RESULTS: NOVEMBER 6, 2004 (ROUND 7 Of 8) O/A: I. Jordan Brandt (KTM); 2. Brian Sperle (ICTM): 3. Chrn Z;to (ICTM); Rand (1Uw). B 2S0, I. Shannon Creson (KTM); 2. Chris Darman (Kaw); 3. R=eII Allen (Hon); 4. Gabe E"" (Hon): S. Don Clwnbl.. (Hon). B OPEN: I. Robert Cye (Hon): 2. Roy Salmon (ICTM). 8 4·STRI(, I. DavKl Ct=e (Yam): 2. Todd Dagman (Hon); 3. Marl< Denney (Hon); 4. Doug Mansroeld (Yam); 5. Jim Flflney (Hon). B VET: I. Patrick Helfrid<; 2. Eric Elvin (GG): 3. John Filippi (Hon): 4. Paul Frank (KTM); 5. Jeff Shives (Hon). B SR: I. Dan Breitbach (KTM); 2. Andy Wilcox (KTM): 3. Michael Ramos (KTM): 4. Robb Thompson (KTM); 5. Greg Stefani (Hon). B S/SR: I. Jim Peacock (Hon): 2. Joe Floyd (Hon); 3. Ro" R. Ro" (KTM): 4. Danny into second. They battled for a couple of laps. but Evans had mechanical problem and pulled off. Gosselaar got a flat tire and had to pull out as well. McGrath won by a mile and styled for the fans along the way. It looked a lot like any mid- '90s supercross. The crowd left smiling, knowing they had gotten the best of both worlds: One night they saw how much determination and speed McGrath had while coming through the pack; on the next, they saw him dominate like he had in years past. Needless to say, the event provided a little fix to hold everyone over until January. RESULTS 50 EXHIB: I. Daniel De La Mora (KTM): 2. Robert Naiezny (KTM): 3. Luke Gruetzmacher (KTM); 4. Collin Whitney (Hon); 5. Bubba Ward (KTM). 65 EXHIB: I. Jessy Nelson (KTM); 2. Michael Maze (KTM); 3. Corby Raha (SUI); 1. A.J. Lauzon (KTM): S. Romey Miramontes (KTM). 85 EXHIB: I. Tyler Hames (Suz): 2. Ricky Rinauro (Yam): 3. Jessy Nelson (KTM); 1. Michael Flores (KTM); 5. Chad Osburn (Yam). SPTSMN EXHIB: I. Joseph Romano (Hon); 2 NIColas Baker (Kaw); 3. Jon Hoffman (Yam): 4. Manllew Williams (Yam); S. Denver Edwards (Hon). 125 INT: I. Casey Hinson (Suz): 2. Dustln Pipes (Kaw); 3. R)I

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