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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128380
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Team MonsterIPro ClrcUtJI(aw;aaI's Superaoss West Coast 01ampi0n showed he, like many
in the 125 class, has the speed to pocIlm in.m. should be one of the most hotJy COi-..d
125-dass series since the advent of Rldcy Cam ichaeI and james Stewart. "Yeah, I jadced my toe
last week. and it's been gMrw me a11100ds of problems, SO I wasn't""'" expetti'l a lot out of
myself dlis weekend,"lildesco said. "But I - . I t o feel more confident as the day I1lCMld along
and really felt it in the second moto wIBll pUled the holeshot and third in the moto. My pi
dlis year was to win the West Rorgian Superaoss lide, and I was able to do that. Now I ;at want
to put up some CUilSi>t& It numbers at the NaIIonaIs and work to put IJI)'Sl!If in a pasiIion for the
o...eraII podiI.m at the end of the season."
The Teiim ~ flywwasapin a holeshot machinedlis
Y"I'I; gunning his Honda CRF2SOR out to the lead in the llrst moto - ;at as he
did the year before. Only dlis year, folks know who Grant Is and were stoked
to see him out front for the tnt tlYe laps of moto one. "I definitely was
pumped getting the hoIeshot in the tnt moto and leading for a while - ;at
like I did last year," Grant said. "I faded a bit there in the midcIe of the first
mota but was able to find my speed back at the end and hold on to .........m.
In the second moto, I got another pretty good start and womd up right
around in the same place, got a sixth 0YeI'aIl. Fifth on the day was okay, but I
came -ar from there knowing I have the speed to run wilh the leaders."
:
great Jeff Stanton.
"I really felt good in the firn moto,"
Hepler said. "My Supercross season didn't
go the way I had planned, so I've had a lot of
time to prepare and think about this firn
race at Hangtown. And the firn moto couldn't have gone any better."
Also making a spirited charge in the firn
moto was fan-favorite Ryan Hughes. Iv1
emotional winner at Hangtown in 2002,
Hughes blitzed his way from eighth to third
in the firn moto before a rather spectacular
slow-speed endo over a hay bale put him
back a number of spots. Also doing a good
job of moving backward in the standing of
the firn moto was Alessi. Hughes and Alessi
provided some exciting highlights with
Hughes dogging him for the second time of
the moto on lap 12.
The second moto looked as if it would be
Hepler's again. He got another good start
and pulled away from Langston, Tedesco
and Brown before a miscalculation on a
tricky downhill section sent him to the
ground.
"I caught Langston and Brown pretty
easy," Hepler said, "and was working to put
some distance between us when my front
end washed out on a downhill section, and I
tipped 'er over. Igot right back up, but had a
tough time starting my bike. So, I lost a
bunch of positions."
Taking the holeshot in the second moto
with authority, Alessi probably led a National
longer than anybody in history, only to come
up about 10 feet short of the win. Other
impressive stories in moto two were: of
course, Langston's charge, crash and ensuing
re-charge to the front, and eventual win;
Brown's consistent and relendess attack on
the rugged Hangtown track; the work of
KTM's Nathan Ramsey, who improved from
25th in the firn moto to ninth in the second
moto; and even more so, Walker's improvement from 38th in the firn moto to fourth in
the second moto.
When asked if it was as hot on the track
as it was in the stands, the Georgia bom and
bred Walker said, "Dude, it was hot out
the reo "
With track temperatures hovering at
about the mid-90-degree mark, the weather
definitely lent itself to the "Welcome back to
the Nationals" feel of the event. Gone is the
plush surrounding of supereross, and riders
are back to their roots, much like their days
spent at places such at Loretta Lynn's, Ponca
City, Las Vegas and Gainesville.
"I definitely am pumped to be back racing
the Nationals," Grant added, a feeling shared
by many of the racers equally as pumped to
continue the series at round two in Mt.
Morris,
Pennsylvania,
for
the
Kawasaki/Monster Energy Pro National at
High Point, presented by Scott USA.
eN
P1lAJRIE CITY OHV PARK
P1lAJRJE CITY, CAuFORNIA
REsuus: MAy 22, 2005 (ROUND 1 OF 12)
MOTO I: I. Broc Hepieo' (Sut); 2. G""t langston (Kaw);
3. Moce Bcown (Hon); 4./W""" Shon (Hon); 5. Ryan Hugh<>
(Hon); 6. Moce Alessi (KTl1); 7. !o'h G""t (Hon); 8. Mn
Tedesco (Kaw); 9. Billy Lanin