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/128396
Gene Romero's West Coast Aat Track SEriES Round 7: Castle Rock Race Park Ragsdale Rules, Pruczinski Triumphs! BY JOHNNY GUITAR CASTLE ROCK, WA, AUG. 6 P rofessional flat-track radng made a triumphant return to Castle Rock Race Park with round seven of Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series, presented by Bob lanphere's Beaverton Honda and Renton Motorcycles. The Mount St. Helens Motorcycle Club had prepared an awesome racetrack. and the riders respollded by putting on a great show for the huge turnout of spectators! The K&N Filters Open-class maln event had to be restarted after Mike Rush crashed in tum three. Rush made the restart, and once agaln Scooter Vernon shot Into the lead, with Eric Beers second, Christian Vernon third, Beau Brown fourth and Kyle Ragsdale fifth. It took a few laps. but Ragsdale found a low line that worked and began passing riders on his way toward the front. With five laps to go. the battle for second turned into a three-rider fight among Beers, Christian and Ragsdale. Ragsdale worked the low line to perfection, passing Christian and Beers. Scooter had ridden well and led every lap, but Ragsdale was on a mission. With two laps to go. Ragsdale used the low line once again to pass Scooter ~ tums one and two. Coming off tum four on the last lap. Scooter got a great drive and made It close, but Ragsdale was not to be denied! Ragsdale scored the corne-from-behind win. with Scooter a very close second. Christian was third, followed by Beers, Brown and PHOTO BY TRISH HALE Ryan Anderson. The Classic Vintage Twins main saw Steve Hall jump into the lead on the lou Klnlsh Triumph. Gary Beach held second until TIIl1 Williams passed him on the whiteflag lap. Hall cruised to the win with nearly a straightaway lead over Williams and Beach, with Tom Miller coming home fourth. As the Top Gun 4SOCC dass lined up for the main, Amy lee Pruczinskl was just hoping she could hang on and go the distance, due to the fact that she had broken her collarbone less than three weeks earlier in a trail-riding mishap. She did a lot more than just hang on - Pruczjnskl timed the start perfectly and led Matt Schweitzer and Nick Ohge Into tum one. Lap after lap, Schweitzer put constant pressure on Prualnskl, but she would not budge. Meanwhile, Californian Brandon Kyle Ragsdale was the Open-cla.. winner at round HVlIlI of Gene Bergen overcame a bad start and worked Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series In Castle Rock, Washington. his way up to third. Schweitzer had been looking for an opening, and when Pruczjnski bobbled coming out CAmE ROCK ....CI PAlIK of turn two on the last lap, Schweitzer pulled even, and it was a CAmE ROCK, WASHINGTON drag race down the back straight. Pruczjnskl simply refused to Ibsuusl AuGusT 6, 2005 (ROUND 7) lose and held off Schweitzer through the last turn and all the way TOP GUN 450: I.Ivny PruczlnsId; 2. Matt - ' l . Bnndon Beraon; 4. Nick Ohce; 5. Joe McCoy; 6. Pout HedaJl; 7. ~ Hok; 8. John _ ; 9. to the finish, sending the crowd Into a frenzy! Everyone was on James Torpey; 10. P]. _ II. Lany _ ; 12. Dan DeMario. OPEN: I. K,te their feet, cheering not only for a gutsy performance by ~ 2. _ _ Vernon; l. CIvi--. v.mon; 4. ErIc - . ; 5. a.u Brown; 6. Pruainski but for a great race! RyanAndonon; 7. EIIotOqWst; 8. MiIoI RusIl; 9. DerIck 0qWst; 10. Marty_ II. SI-8wn Ragto; 12. TIm Ricbtts; 13. Jell Hiott; 14. _ Beo-pn; 15. flick The Saddlemen Vintage main came down to a two-rider Wormbo Jr. OPEN DASH. I. Scooter Vernon; 2. Ryan -.on; l. Christian battle between Jim Monegan and Paul Herman. Honagan was Vernon; 4. K,te Ropd;oIe; 5. DerIck Oquiot. cue V1NTTW: I. see.. Hal; 2. Tm _ ; l. Gary _ ; 4. 10m I1iIor; 5. 1eny Kertis. V1N1! I. Jm Monepn; 2. leading, but Herman applied constant pressure, attempting to """ Hennon; 3. Dam De/1ario; 4. _ Hall; 5. 10dd 1iocy; 6. _ """"" 7. pass on the outside. Monegan won the battle, with Herman In Drummond Evans; 8. Okk Wall; 9. Arlen Andenon; 10. Troy SmaI1ey. VINT I. Dam DeMario; 2. _ Hall; l. """ Hermon; 4. see.. Power. second and Dom DeMario taking third. 01 _ AHRMA Speed & Sport National Vintage Trials Series Round II: The Farm Belvoir Bests em in Washington I By CLAY LIGHT CHEHALIS, WA, AUG. 13 C alifornian Derek Belvoir piloted his 1956 Velocette to a perfect score card in the Premier Heavyweight Expert class during the AHRMA National Vintage Trials Series round at The Farm in southwestem Washington, and he was one of only two riders on the day to go dabless. Rob Poole, who also made the trek from the Golden State, rode his BSA to a win in the Premier Lightweight Expert class and also had a clean score card at the end of the day. Those two riders stood head and shoulders above the rest of the competition at Chehalis on the three-loop, 30-section course, which featured a variety of altitude and terrain changes. Belvoir (pronounced "Beaver"), is a seasoned trials competitor and helped layout the course. "Sure, I helped layout the course," Belvoir said, "but it didn't give me any advantages over anybody else. There were some spots that I struggled with, even some that changed due to rider wear. I didn't get to pre-ride the course; I just happened to have a pretty good day." The toughest sections, Belvoir said, were four and nine. The creek section was the most difficult for the majority of the competitors, as 60 rocks and mud wreaked havoc on many of the riders. Nevada's Harold Heitmiller dropped 19 points in his fourth-place finish in the Premier Lightweight Intermediate class, trailing Kimo Andrade and Paul Andrade, the first- and second-place finishers, who lost one and two points, respectively, and Don Kelley, who was third with an I I-point loss. Heitmiller's sentiment's echoed those of many others: "It was all good! One of the better events this season, and the course was pretty friendly for everybody." Scott Stewart led the way in the Modern Classic Expert class, dropping nine points for the win. Stewart zeroed the third and final loop while contesting the number-one line to finish at the head of the class. Piotr Serek, Blake Landon, Rodney Smith and last year's winner, Martin Spriggs of Canada, all had their shares of ups and downs, as did Oregon's Tom Street, who this year moved up from Intermediate to Expert. "It's a whole other ballgame," Street said. "The lines are tougher now and the competition is incredible." Street placed seventh in the Expert class. As usual, the day's largest class was the Modern Classic Novice class. Expert-ranked motocrosser Dirk Murphy zeroed the first two loops while riding his Yamaha, and then SEPTEMBER 21, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS PHOTOS BY CLAY LIGHT dropped five points on the third and final loop to finish the day at a five-point loss to capture a win (at the head of a five-way tie). Alex Finnerin's score was a reversal of Murphy's. Finnerin dropped five points on the first loop but then performed perfectly on the second and third circuits of the course to also finish the day at a five-point loss. Murphy won the tie breaker to lead Finnerin and Oregon's John laughlin overall. eN THE FARM CHEHALIS, WASHINGTON REsws: AuGusT 13, 2005 (RotNl 11 OF 20) BEG: I. Kyle Moulton (S I); 2. Dave Friesen (81). PREH LJW NOV: I. Kevin Smith (30); 2. Pierre Andrade (34). PREM L/W INT: I. Kimo Andrade (1); 2. Paul Andrade (2); 3. Don Kelley (II). PREM l/W EX: I. Rob Poole (O): 2. Rick Wolff (4). PREH H/W NOV: I. Bob Birch (21); 2. Ron Predmore (186). PREM H/W INT: I. Fred Mork (21). PREM H/W EX: I. Derek Belvoir (0); 2. Marty Paulson (2); 3. Ray Iddon (19). CLSC NOV: I. William Conner (20); 2. Cyrus Andrade (35). CLSC INT: I. Dick Stidham (36); 2. Klaus Hohman (208). CLSC EX: I. Rick Wolff (3). MORN CLSC NOV: I. Dirk Murphy (5); 2. Alex Finnerin (5); 3. John Laughlin (5); 4. Ed Brown (5); 5. Tim Bendey (5). MORN CLSC INT: I. Larry Uke (I); 2. Mike Lake (2); 3. Randy Dongumond (3); 4. Gene Mendonea (5); 5. Ed Chesnut (5). MORN eLSC EX: I. Scott Stewart (9); 2. Piotr Serek (17); 3. Blake Landon (17); 4. Rodney Smith (2l); 5. Mart;" Spriggs (26). (left) Did someone go a bit oH course? Actuolly, this was just an eye-opening course marker that got all of the riders' attention at The Farm. AJ5-mounled Ray Iddon plocecl third in the Premier Heavyweight Expert class at the Chehalis, Washington, round of the AHRMA Nationaf Triols Series.