Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

East Coast Speedway/U.S. Open Speedway Championships Round 6: Champion Speedway McConnell Crowned Champion at Champion! BY JASON BONSIGNORE OWEGO, NY, SEPT. 4 A t the conclusion of a grueling sixth round ~f the U.S. Open Speedway Championships, there were a couple of disappointing notes and one very happy note. On the downside, Gary Hicks. who had been tied with Shawn "Mad Dog" McConnell for the championship throughout most of the series, was going to have to miss the finals due to injuries received the night before. Also, with defending champion Tom Sephton having retired from racing, and with the series dominance of the two western riders. it appeared that the title would be heading back to California - and this was not a title that New Yorkers wanted to give up! On the bright side, it seemed qUite likely that the new U.S. Open Champion was going to be McConnell, whose title hopes the last two years had been flushed away due to mechanical gremlins, and he was a popular choice among the fans and his fellow riders for his awesome skills, showmanship and class. The first round of heats blasted off with McConnell, Adam Mittl and Tuff McBride stealing wins. Round two again saw McConnell and Mittl in Victory Lane, while Jeremy Parsons gained his first win. The third series of heats began with McConnell beating Tom Burge. Then it was Mittl defeating Mikey Buman and Parsons scoring three over McBride. Gene Bonsignore then recorded his first win of the evening when he beat Casey Donholt at the start of round four. McBride hung on to three points over Burge, while McConnell remained undefeated with a first win, over Parsons. The Support B final was won by Katalin Davis, which gave her enough overall points to be the U.S. Open champion, and 12-year-old star Corey Brookes edged out Jesse Diem in the Support A main. Brookes finished as the overall Tony D. Motocross Schools Pennsylvania State MX Championships District 6 Championship/Ultimate Motocross Championship Hurricane Hills Sports Center Cook Consistent, Nicoletti Noticeable By JIM P. SANDERSON CLIFFORD, PA, SEPT. 11 M ore than 500 motocross enthusiasts came out to the Hurricane Hills Sports Center for one of the biggest races of the season - the 23rd annual Tony D. Motocross Schools Pennsytvania State Motocross Championships, District Six Championship and Ultimate Motocross Championship. The best riders from the Keystone State and beyond came (0 the loamy and challenging Hurricane Hills racecourse to compete for the coveted title of Pennsylvania State Motocross Champion. Mother Nature prOVided a beautiful latesummer day, and Hurd Motorsport5, promoter of this prestigious event, provided a perfectly groomed racecourse that included some significant changes. The first (Urn was widened and changed from an S-turn configuration to one large sweeper leading to a new and rather large tabletop with an extension. Rossini Racing Products-backed Jeremy Cook topped the box in the 250cc Pro/Expert class with consistent 2-3 rides, ahead of Keeny Motorsports-backed Casey Clark (5-1). Ty Wallace closed out the podium with a 4-2 tally. Jay Weller led the start of the opening 250cc Pro/Expert moto, followed by Ronnie Stewart, Cook and Andrew Pingotti. Shortly after the start of lap two, the top fIVe were Weller, Jack Carpenter, Cook, Damien Plotts and Stewart. Halfway into the second lap. Wallace passed 54 Stewart for fifth. Weller held a two-second lead until lap three, when Carpenter used an outside line to pass Weller for the lead in the corner preceding the front tabletop. Carpenter quickly pulled a three-second gap on Weller. On lap five, Weller made a small mistake that cost him two places, allOWing Cook and Plotts to advance to second and third, respectively. On lap six, Weller went down. Wallace inherited fourth and Clark fifth. Carpenter won with a four-second advantage. Cook. Plotts, Wallace and Clark rounded out the top fIVe. Carpenter and Clark led the start of the final 2S0cc Pro/Expert moto, trailed by Tyler Witmer. Wallace and Cook. Clark quickly gapped Carpenter by three seconds, and Wallace passed Witmer to take third. Cook held fifth. Carpenter went down just after the start of lap four. Wallace, Witmer and Cook advanced. Carpenter remounted in fifth. Clark pulled away and had a seven-second advantage at the checkered flag. Witmer went down with a lap to go, allowing Cook, Plotts and Sonny Nighman to take third through fifth. Honda pilot Phil Nicoletti topped the 250cc B podium with a 2-1 tally, over Kawasaki-mounted Kerry Kaminskie Jr. (1-2). Closing out the podium was John Higbee with a consistent 4-3 tally. Kaminskie went wire to wire in the first moto for the win. Nicoletti stayed within striking distance for half the moto, but after making some minor mistakes, he settled for runner-up. Kaminskie rode flawlessly. Marshall oaOBER 19, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS PHOTO BV JODY GARRIS champion after a week-long battle with Diem. Riders were put into C. B and A finals, based on the overall series points after the heat rounds to determine the overall standings. Keith Hawkins won the C final, over Russ Cornell, Alex Heath and Donholt. The B final had some very good riders trying to move up into the four A finals, as promoter Jason Bonsignore had explained that, although Hicks had earned one of the flnal fIVe positions, they would place the winner of the B final into the A final while guaranteeing Hicks fifth place overall so that another local rider could ride for the fans in the mains. McBride won the position by defeating Buman, Bonsignore, George Lazor and Hawkins, in that order. Each rider would be placed in each starting gate once in the four finals, except for McBride, who would be in gate five each time. McConnell won the first final from gate one and finished second in the second final to MinI. McBride produced a classic ride from gate fIVe to win the third final, with Burge second and McConnell third. Knowing that he had mathematically won the 2005 U.S. Open Speedway Championships, the Western Shop Sandblastlng/Lankershim Lock and Key-sponsored McConnell stayed at the back of the pack for the final main, while Parsons won, treating the crowd to a wheelie Shawn "Mad Dog" McConnell took the u.S. Open Speedway Championships title home to California after the sixth and finol round in Owego, New York. show! Parsons then defeated MittJ in a runoff CN for third overall. CHAMPION SPEEDWAY OwEGo, NEW YORK REsws: 5EP!EMIIER 4, 200S (ROUND 6 Of 6) OIA u.s. OPEN C'SHIP: I. Sh~wn McConnell; 2. Tom Burge; 3. Jeremy Parsons; 4. AIW'n Mini; S. Gary Hicks; 6. Tuff McBride; 7. Mike Boman; 8. George lazor; 9. ~ Ilo

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