Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

PHOTO BV GARV DENSFORD World Championship ICE Racing Series Round 2: Xcel Energy Center Venegas Two for Two! By GARY DENSFORD ST. PAUL, MN, JAN. 8 R ound two of the 29th annual World Championship ICE Racing Series took place at the fabulous Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The ICE/WSRA-sanc- tioned event attracted a fine field of ice racers in both the Nitro Speedway Bike and Flat Track Mad Dog divisions. The first speedway heat had its share of controversy when standout rookie Charlie Cooley from Corona, California, fell in turn one on the first lap. The controversy arose when referee Robert Arms chose not to stop the race as Cooley attempted to get his machine to the infield. This called for some tricky riding from the three racers still upright. At the end of four laps, Ronny Kemp from Cary, North Carolina, won the race, with England's james Mann second and Charlie Venegas from San Bernardino, California, and third-place spots. In the Nitro Speedway Bike heats. a win garners 10 World Championship points, second earns five, third earns three. and finishing last earns one. The three riders earning 10 points in the second round of heats were Mann, Venegas and Cooley. The four-lap, six-rider last-chance qualifier was now set, with Hansen. Cooley and Hitchcock on the from row, while the second row was comprised of Jessop, Pieper and Martinez. Starter John Goodman released the gate, sending the six riders into a drag race to tum one. Cooley got there first and held on to lead the first lap. Behind him, some great racing was taking place: Martinez worked his way from fifth to fourth, and finally, on the last lap, he took third and the final transfer spot. Cooley hung on for the win, with Pieper taking second. The six-lap feature was up next, with big guns Mann, Kemp and Venegas lined up in The Flat Track Mad Dogs· including Lance Kent (64), Wade Wessels (69) and Rick Kent (67) • put on a great show in St. Paul, Minnesota, site of round two of the World Championship ICE Racing Series. finishing third. and Martinez staged on row two. Mann In heat two, last year's Rookie of the Year, Tyler Hansen from Missoula, Montana, took the early lead and kept it from wire to wire. Second place went to Guy jessop from Reno, Nevada. Eddie Martinez from Laguna Hills, California, and Bakersfield, California's Robbie and Martinez. The series now moves to Loveland, Colorado; Aberdeen, South Dakota; and Tucson, Arizona, on the way to the World grabbed the early lead and enjoyed it through lap one. Everything changed on the second lap Championship Open II at the Orleans in Vegas on February 4. CN when six-time World Champion Charlie "The Edge" Venegas put his race face on! Venegas got by Kemp in turns one and two, and in an unbelievable "dive bomber" move going into XCEL ENERGY CENTER ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA RESULTS: JANUARY 8, 2005 (ROUND front; straight from the LCQ, Cooley, Pieper Sauer finished third and fourth, respectively. tums three and four he blasted by Mann and Heat three was won by Paul Hitchcock, also from Bakersfield. Colorado rider Cal Harrington and Kenny Pieper took the second· made it stick for the lead. Venegas flew on to win his second World Championship round in a row, followed by Mann, Kemp, Pieper, Cooley week, Shane Rothstein had fire in his eyes on this night, winning the 125cc heat and semi. At the start of the final, he quickly pulled several Rodney Farris Memorial Indoor Short Track Series Round 3: Timonium Fairgrounds Siblings Steal the Show at Timonium Indoor Finale By LEN AND BEN BREECH TIMONIUM, MD, DEC. 18 Two pair of siblings - Shayna and Cory Tex• ter, and brothers Ace Phillips and Donnie Mullen - dominated the final round of the Baltimore County Trail Riders Association/Cockeysville Optimist Club-sponsored Indoor Short Track Series. Mullen topped the Open Pro class, and Phillips took the 4s0cc final, while Shayna remained perfect with her third straight Women's-class win and Cory won the XRIOO class. Both Texters also finished a close second in another class· Shayna in the 85s, and Cory in the 12ss. Chris Kiinefelter briefly ied the Open Pro final, but Mullen put his Shenandoah Honda- sponsored Honda into the lead, with jake johnson. Klinefelter and Raun Wood following. 2) Nitro Speedwiiy Bikes HEAT I: I. Ronny Kemp; 2. James Mann; J. Charlie Venegas. HEAT 2: I. Tyler Hansen; 2. Guy Jessop; J. Eddie Martinez. HEAT 3: I. Paul Hitchcock: 2. Cal Ha.nington; 3. Kenny Pieper. HEAT 4: I. James Mann; 2. Paul Hitchcock; J. lYfer Hansen. HEAT S: I. Charlie Venegas; 2 Kenny Pieper, uncontested to the end. Ryan Henderson gated second and managed to stay upright for an entire race to claim second. The fun started when Scott Saunders, Rich Mellinger and Rob Smith fought over third. On the seventh lap, Smith tried to get under Mellinger but fell, collecting Tom Majeski. A few laps later, lengths in front of Cory, Todd Stith and Joey Parks. On lap two, Parks took over third. About midway, Cory unleashed some quick laps that cut into Rothstein's lead, and then he took the lead entering three on lap 10, but Rothstein retook it two laps later. A lap later, the race was red-flagged when Parks plowed into a downed rider off turn four, almost blocking the track. J. Guy Jessop. HEAT 6: I. Charlie Cooley; 2. Roooy Kemp; 3. Eddie Martinez... leQ: I. Charlie Cooley; 2. Kenny Pieper: 3. Eddie Martinez; 1. Tyler Hansen. MAIN: I. Charlie Venegas; 2 James Mann; 3. Ronny Kemp; 1. Kenny Pieper. Flat Track Mad Dogs HEAT I: I. Marcus Bauer (Yam); 2. Jake Mataya (Yam); J. George O'NeilL HEAT 2: 1. Kent larson; 2. Lmce Kent; J. Rick Kent. MAIN: I. Marcus Bauer (Yam): 2. Wade Wessels (Hon); 3. Jake Mataya (Yam); 1. L1nce Kent. Wortd Championship ICE Radng Series Championship Points Standings (After 2 rounds): NITRO: I. Charlie Venegas (93); 2. James Mann (73); 3. Ronny Kemp (65); 4. Charfie Cooley (61); S. Guy Jessop (25): 6. (TIE) Robert CurryfTyier Ha.nsen (23); 8. Kenny Pieper (19); 9. Robbie Sauer (18); 10. Paul Hitchcock (17). MAD DOG: I. (TIE) Dan Stanley/Marcus Bauer (30): 3. (TIE) Jeff Annen/Wade Wessels (20); S. (TIE) Robert Curry/Jake Mataya (t 0). john Lewis returned to form, grabbing the 2s0cc lead from Verzi, Chris Hathaway, Bob Sweeten and Brandon Robinson. On lap eight, Hathaway slipped under Verzi off four for second. Two laps later, Verzi and Sweeten collided and fell. Robinson pressured Hathaway for second in the late laps but came up short. RESULTS SO BEG (4-8): I. William Byler (Lem); 2. Ryan Dragunas (Hon); 3. Alec Hoffman (KT'M); 1. Jonathan Hynes (Hon); 5. Craig Worpell (Yam). SO OPEN (4-8): I. Kenneth Venarcnick (KTM): 2. Tyler Stacey (lem); 3. Robby Smith Mellinger got by Saunders for third. The Texters' wins, on their Lancaster Harley-Davidson-sponsored machines, were very similar wire-to·wire affairs. Shayna finished more than half a lap in front of Samantha Resch and lapped the rest of the Women's class, while Cory used his newly found holeshot-nabbing ability to leave Bryan Douglas, Dale Verzj and Chris Carr fighting for second in the XR I 00 class. Douglas dropped back to fourth. In the ascc final, Brett Pugh took the lead first, Wood, Klinefelter, Ken Yoder and Paul from Cassidy Heiser, Shayna and Frank Valentin. Shayna took second entering three on the sixth Lynch were bumping and banging behind. After 10 laps of trying, Johnson pushed the issue for lap and started closing on Pugh. About the 10th lap, a lapper fell behind Pugh; Shayna used his the lead, only to fall in turn four and managing to collect Yoder as well. In the confusion, Lynch took second. bike as an impromptu jump, but Heiser got tangled up, which gave Pugh the breathing room he needed. After haVing engine problems the previous While Mullen and Johnson battled closely for Phillips took the 4S0cc lead and continued 46 FEBRUARY 9, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS Donnie Mullen leads Jake Johnson (14) en route to the Open Pro win at the final round of the 28th annual Indoor Short Track Series at Maryland's Timonium Fairgrounds.

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