Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128378
April 23-24, 2005 MOTOCROSS ~ W~lte STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOHN BETHEA en Ryan Hughes finished last season on a high note, winning the Vet Nationals at Glen Helen, and shortly after acing the Endurocross in Las Vegas, he was at a crossroads with few options. He had lost his KTM factory ride and with it many of his other sponsors. Staring at a winter without racing and a mantel without the most coveted trophy, a National Championship, he realized he was down to his last chance. Very quietly, while the weekly supercrosses claimed everyone's attention, he trained hard and built his privateer team, with Escondido Cycle Center as a home base and Tom Morgan Racing as his engine builder. "I knew what I had," Hughes said, "and after getting on those ECC bikes, I found out I still had it [the speed]." In preparation for the Nationals, he reappeared at the White Brothers FourStroke World Championships, presented by Richardson's RY, and came on spectacularly in Saturday's first-ever running of a 250cc Four-Stroke Pro class that spotlighted many of his foes for the upcoming I25cc outdoor season, including Amsoill Chaparral/Honda's Josh Grant, who has been getting the taste of podium attention with more regularity lately. Grant got the holeshot in the first moto, while Hughes was in 10th. Grant's teammate, Joaquim Rodrigues, circulated the track not far behind in second, with Motoworidracing.com/Suzuki's Eric Sorby W in third and Boost MobilelYamaha of Troy's Brock Sellards in fourth. With the race less than a minute old, Hughes began knocking at the top-five's door, edging into sixth place, behind privateer Tim Weigand. Hughes, who rode a two-stroke last year in the 125cc class, was qUickly getting used to his recently acquired ECC Honda 2501' He passed Weigand next for fifth and then Sellards for fourth to begin eyeing Suzuki-riding Frenchman Sorby in third. '" was running good for the first 20 minutes," Sorby said, ignoring a secondlap bobble that nearly pitched him off the track and gave Hughes the opening he needed to snatch third. Once in fourth, Sorby battled a case of arm pump but stayed there for the duration. At the halfway mark, Grant was holding on to the point position. At the same time, Hughes had chased down Rodriques in second. Brothers Four-Stroke World Championships "I had to be a little aggressive to get around Joaquim [Rodrigues]; the track is difficult to pass on," Hughes said. "I settled into the way I should be riding, and I finally caught Grant. I got by him pretty quick and left him pretty quick." Once Hughes got into first he was gone. Grant had arm pump after battling with the wrong suspension and faded in the last few laps, but that was corrected by the second moto. Grant again got the holeshot, with Hughes running second almost out of the gate. After pulling alongside in a passing attempt that came up short, Hughes was apparently building for another on the fourth lap when his bike suddenly malfunctioned. Hughes pulled out of the race. "Something broke," Hughes said. "I don't know what." Relieved of the pressure, Grant easily went on to win the moto and the overall. Jesse Casillas, the privateer from Jamul, California, recorded a stunning second in the moto. In the first, he had nearly caught the fading Sorby for fourth but settled for fifth. His combined score gave him second overall. ':All these guys I've been looking up to these last few years, it's awesome to come out and run with them," Casillas said. "It's cool." In Open Pro actiOn, Hughes was looking for revenge. He quickly moved to the front of field in the first moto, passing holeshot ace Rodrig Thain just as they started the second lap. As the defending Open Pro winner, Hughes was comfortable in the lead. "I charged all the way to the checkered flag," Hughes said. "I kind of wanted to prove what I should have done yesterday." Grant was again his toughest opponent, taking the runner-up spot nearly two-thirds of a minute off the pace. Only for a brief time in the second moto did Hughes have to work. Hondamounted Dylan Lord had the holeshot, and it wasn't until they started the second lap that Hughes forced his way by over the log jump, taking over for another runaway. For Hughes, it was his fourth overall at the event in six years. It tied him with Doug Dubach for the most Open Pro wins in the 18 years of the event. Lord saw his overall hopes dashed in the first moto when he spilled right in front of the announcing tower on the last lap during a terrific race-long battle for second. ':All moto long I was having trouble with one of the ruts on the inside, and I popped out of it and fell over," Lord said. By the time he refired after the stall, he lost all contact with the front-runners. The overall in the Open class saw Hughes in first, followed by Grant with a 2-4 moto tally, while Turbo Reif finished an impressive third with a score of 5-3 in the two motos. "I wasn't used to the mud," Reif said of the first moto, "but in the second, it really came around. If you could get a good start and hang for 30 minutes, that was where it's at." Casillas, who carded a second overall in the 250cc Four-Stroke class, was again in the thick of it. He charged hard in moto two for a runner-up finish. A ninth in his first moto left him off the podium this time, but he was still more than pleased. eN GLEN HELEN MOTOCROSS PARK SAN BERNARDINO, CAUFORNIA RESULTS: APRIL 23-24, 2005 Saturday so KIDS: I. Colton Cunningham (Yam); 2. Max Groom (Hon); 3. Tristian Post (Hon); 4. Trevor Schmidt (Yam); 5. Elias Wilson (Yam). 50 MODIFIED, I. B",d AIvar.odo (Hon); 2. Nkk AId" (Hon); 3. Colton Cunningham (Yam); 4. Greg Jones (Yam). 50 VET: I. John Rotinger (Hon); 2. Duane Brown (Hon); 3. Ray AIva,dado