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District 36 Cross Country Series Round 1: Prairie City Motorcycle Park BY MICHELLE LEE AND CHRIS GHIONE PHOTOS BY MICHELLE LEE RANCHO CORDOVA, CA, JAN. 16 \Y-;'(7 e prayed for rain, and rain we \..J(j got at round one of the 2000 District 36 Cross Country Series, at the Prairie City Grand Prix, and when it was all over, FMF/Cycle Gear/Moose Off-Road-sponsored Rod Kreiss took the win over second-placed Erik Kohler by less than one minute. Finishing close behind was Rob Zimmerman in third, Honda's Cole Marshall in fourth, and District 36 1999 Enduro champion Brian Butler in fifth. Rain all through the night left puddles of slick mud at the start of the race. Despite the muddy conditions, the Polka Dots MC was still able to create an a-mile course that challenged racers, using just about every inch of Prairie City Motorcycle Park, incorporating trails, a motocross track, and even some high-speed pavement sections. Some 131 riders lined up for the Le Mans-style, run-to-your-bike start. After the gunshot, it was Kohler who had the fastest feet, and he was the qUickest to start his bike. He appeared to be off to an early lead, but that was to be short-lived in the chaos that followed. With adrenaline rushing, racers were riding all out for the first couple of miles, and positions changed quickly as racers fell victim to the slippery mud. "Everyone was just going crazy for the first two miles," Butler said, "just bouncing off each other and crashing." The mud, combined with the rocky terrain, made the racecourse treacherous; when reality set in, the racers' pace slowed for the remainder of the first lap. Staying up and not crashing seemed to be everyone's goal for the first part of the day, as riders were going down at just about every turn. Many of the top riders, including Kreiss, took it easy and used the first lap to check out the course. "The first couple of laps were extremely muddy and slippery," said Kreiss. "Our first-lap pace was real slow. We were just kinda ... taking it easy." The lead pack stayed close together for the first lap, and then, as the racers started to spread out, a two-man battle 30 FEBRUARY 9.2000' cue Rod Kreiss (abovel croS$8d the line less than a minute ahead of second-placed Erik Kohler peftl for first overall at the opening round of the District 36 Cross Country Series, the Prairie CIt)' GP, In Rancho Cordova, Callfomla for the lead developed. Kreiss and defending series champion Craig Wesner began to move away from the rest of the field. For the first three laps, Kreiss held the lead, but he could not shake Team Green's Wesner. "Me and Craig Wesner battled almost the whole day," said Kreiss. "We were just back and forth." As the race progressed, the course tacked up and lap times got faster. The battle for the lead continued until late in the fourth lap, when Wesner took a high-speed fall that cut his day short. His fall sent him out of the race and to the hospital. (Wesner's injuries were minor, and he should return to racing shortly.) After Wesner's fall, Moose/Arai Helmets/Motion Pro/Smith-backed Erik Kohler moved into second and, despite falling off the pace early in the race, he moved to within a minute of Kreiss. However, that's as close as he would get; Kreiss completed his seventh and final lap at just past the two-hour mark. The overall win was a first for Kreiss, and it also gives him the early lead in the series. "The dirt actually turned out pretty good by the end of the race," said an excited Kreiss. "The rocks were not really that bad. It was a fun course." Kohler, who finished second in the series last year, was happy with his second-place finish. "I just wanted to see how my I e ne"". speed was," Kohler said. "I rode pretty much the pace everyone else had, fell off a little early and just couldn't make it back up." The race for third was a close one. Yamaha-mounted Rob Zimmerman was able to hold off Honda's Cole Marshall by just a few seconds. Marshall made an amazing comeback after experiencing difficulties early in the race. "My throttle got stuck wide open," Marshall reported. "I had a rock get stuck in the linkage on my throttle like the second lap and I lost a lot of time, lot of places." Marshall had to stop until one of his friends near the pit area was able to dislodge the rock. Despite his problems, he was still able to make up enough ground for a fourth-place finish. Team Green's Brian Butler put in a strong performance, despite an early mishap. "I followed somebody the wrong way, so instead of going on the track ... I think I lost like three or four positions," explained Butler. After the detour, Butler was still able to move forward and take the fifth position at the finish. Russell Pereira and Terry Biel finished closely in sixth and seventh, while Aaron Youse finished eighth in his first race in the A class. Rounding out the top 10 were Damien Galford and Robert Fouts. eN Prairie City MaUn:ycle P.rt IIsncIle Cen!evs, Cslifonli. Results: .lnUII" 1&, 2800 IReund 1l O/A: 1. Rod Kreiss (Kaw): 2. Erik Kohler (Yam); 3. Rob Zimmerman (Vam); 4. Cole Marshall (Hon); 5. Brian Butler (Kaw). A 200: 1, Rob Zimmennan (Vern); 2. Robert Fouts (Hon); 3. Todd Davis (Kaw); 4. Ben Hatch (Hon). A 250: 1. Rod Kreiss (Kaw); 2. Erik Kohler (Yam); 3. Bdan Butler (Kaw); 4. Terry Blel (Yam); 5. Aaron Youse (Yam). A OPEN: 1. Michael Behrens (KTM); 2. LAnce Mandarino (KTM). A 4-STRK: 1. Cole Marshall (Han); 2. Russell Pereira (Yam); 3. Curt Wilcox (Suz); 4. Kubi Hucek (G-G); 5. Robert Jokel•. A VET: 1. Mark Blanco (Han); 2. Jimmy Robertson (Suz); 3. Jay Faulkner (KTM): 4. Garrett Binns (Hon); 5. Jack Robe'" (Hon). A SR: 1. Duane Scott (Yem); 2. Clyde Lawler (Kaw); 3. Cliff Bagol (Hon); 4. Pele Hansen (KTM); 5. Scott Cowan. A S/SR: 1. Fred Sumrall (KTM); 2. Peter Prichard (KTM); 3. William Creig (KTM); 4. Edward Santin (Suz): 5. Edd Haymond (KTM). B 200: 1. Kevin McGovern; 2. Chris Baker (Cag); 3. Mathew Teegarden (KTM); 4. Wally Shahuck; 5. Travis Kinney. 8 250: 1. John Webster; 2. Welter Lunn (Yam); 3. Joseph Bondad (Hon);4. Greg Ghlone (Kaw); 5. Marshall Gordon (Yam). 8 OPEN: l. Kevin Ruffoni (KTM); 2. Joe Petz; 3. Ken Nolan. a 4·STRK: 1. Spencer Westkin; 2. Troy McWilliams (Han); 3. Mark Reybeck (Hon); 4. Dale McKenzie (Hon); 5. John Poor (Han). B VET: L Mike Scott (Yam); 2. Russell PeaTte (Kew): 3. Steve Claar (Kaw); 4. Jerry Gage; 5. Kirk Lovejoy (Hon). B SR: 1. Keith Mundy (KTM); 2. Wesley Kyle (Yam); 3. Michael Bou (Han); 4. Reginald Kesecker (Hus); 5. David Dennis. B S/SR: 1. Jjm Peacock (KTM); 2. Gary Lendllburu; 3. James Long Jr. WMN: 1. Heather Wilson (KlIw). C 200: 1. Billy Ray; 2. Gianni Vestito; 3. Will Schaarand; 4. Steve Clegg: 5. DlIvid Osborne. C 250: I. Dan Melvin; 2. Sean Johnson; 3. Jacob Gregg: 4. Zachary Hurst; 5. Grllnt Glenn. C OPEN: I. Joe Ogulin; 2. Bryce Olson; 3. Chris Wilcox; 4. Jonathan Yourd; 5. Greg Patterson. C 4·STRK: I. Wes Thomas: 2. Rich Ventura; 3. Terry Miller; 4. Thomas Baxter; 5. Christopher Otis. C VET: 1. Dan Soldano; 2. Walt Lope; 3. Jason Anderson; 4. Howard Dingmen: 5. John Ballesteros. C SR: 1. Piotr Majewski; 2. Cetvin Arnauld; 3. August Balistreri; 4. Jeff Lavey: 5. Kirk Feyerllbend. C S/SR: 1. Donald Chase: 2. Peul O'Neil; 3. Gregory Loscher: 4. Robert Hanle: 5, Ike Moore. C WMN: 1. Darlene Sumrall: 2. Susan Poor; 3. Suzie Dault. C 80: 1. Levi Lope; 2. Ben Gregg; 3. Stewart Barber Jr.; 4. Sam Clark.