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Prairie Dogs Grand Prix Glen Helen Raceway Park By BETH AND BOB LARoCK SAN BERNARDINO, CA, MAR. 4-5 II love the mud - can't get enough of it," exclaimed Scott Myers following his first-place Vet Expert finish at the Malcolm Smith Motorsports eighth annual Prairie Dogs Grand Prix. That was Myers' second win of the weekend; his first was with Jimmy Lewis during the team race held Saturday night. Rain earlier in the week and 65degree temperatures meant nearly perfect racing conditions Saturday morning for the Unclassified event. Leading the charge was 125cc Expert Kurt Caselli. Close behind but never in striking distance was Johnny Campbell. "I got a really good start and I just tried to stay in front, and I had a fun race," Caselli said at the finish. "The course is perfect; nothing could have gone wrong. It was great." "Some guy on a Kawasaki got out in front and he was going pretty fast," Campbell said after taking second. When told he was referring to Caselli, Campbell responded, "Young kid. He's going good. I'm going to have to hire him." Paul Krause placed third. Dave Ondas was fourth. In the Senior Experts contest, Scot Harden and Craig Adams squeezed through the holeshot turn in first and second, leading the Senior Open Experts in gate one. As expected, Senior 250cc Expert Larry Roeseler seized the holeshot in gate two. For the first two laps of the 9-mile course, Harden and Adams swapped the lead several times. While the two leaders battled for position, "Rocket" Rex Staten, following a discouraging four-kick start, wound his way through the riders into third. By ·the third lap, Staten had passed both Adams and Harden and appeared to have captured the win. During the final minutes of the race, a steady rain began to fall. Mechanical problems plagued both Adams and Staten, allowing Harden to cruise to the finish line in first. Ron Lawson and John Ferro claimed second and third in the Open class. And, as predicted, the ever-dominant Roeseler closed the gap on Harden and claimed not only the Senior 250cc Expert win but also (based on unofficial results) the overall for the Senior class. "You know, the senior class is scary," Harden said, summing up. "It's scary how many good riders there are in this class. What a racel" By the time the 7:00 p.m. SemiPro Team Race started, rain had been coming down consistently for four hours, making the track soupy. Honda rider Steve Hengeveld commented, "Survival is the goal tonight." Last year's winners, Lewis and Campbell, paired up with two new partners: Lewis teamed up with Myers, and Campbell chose his American Honda teammate Tim Staab. All 23 teams got through the first turn and headed up into the hills, with Lewis in the lead. Campbell, Bob Williams and Dave Ondas pursued. Halfway through the event, the KTM 520EXE-mounted Lewis/Myers team developed a comfortable lead of a minute and a half. As Lewis headed off into the darkness, Myers said, "Jimmy obviously got us a killer start. It makes all the difference in the world. Hopeful- (Above) Scott Myers took the Vet Expert victory and also won the team race (with Jimmy Lewis) at the eighth _nuaL Prairie Dogs Grand Prix at Glen Helen Raceway Park. (Left) Cruising through the San Bemardino mud, Johnny Campbell sailed to second in the Unclassified event and third (with Tim Staab) In the team race. Iy I can do good on my own, keep it on two wheels and do it for KTM." An exuberant Lewis cruised in for the rider cha nge. "I got the lead and started riding smooth and pulled away," he said. "Scott got on it and just yarded everyone. He likes this stuff." The Campbell/Staab team's progress slowed when their main light failed during the third lap. Passing them for second was the KTM 200 team of David Rees and Matt Murphy. After 45 minutes of grueling night racing, the Lewis/Myers team crossed the finish line for the victory. Placing second were Rees and Murphy, followed by Campbell and Staab and then Ondas and Gordon Keller. Steady rain throughout the night resulted in rivers of mud on the track Sunday morning. For safety reasons, the Prairie Dogs shortened the track by removing the ridge trails from the course. The Vet Experts were the first class to take on the mud. Leading from start to finish was the mud-loving, KTM 380-mounted Myers. Myers admitted that growing up in Northern Idaho put him at a definite advantage in the inclement weather. Crossing the finish line in second was Gordon Ward. "I was just trying to hold on the whole time, it was so muddy," Ward reported. "I went through four pairs of goggles. It was a blast!" The best battle of the class was between Krause and Roese!er, who finished third and fourth, respectively. "That was so much fun," Krause said. "L.R. and I rode together the whole race ... I passed him the last two laps in the back section. The first time he got back by me. The last time I got some clean air and got to go. L.R. 's my hero - he's been my hero since I was 6 years old. To be able to ride wheel to wheel with him in the mud and rain was great. We were giving one another thumbs up and yelling." Roeseler was grinning from ear to ear. "I had so much fun," he said to Krause. "I got a three-kick start. I came through the pack and caught up to you guys. I couldn't keep the front end down, I wanted you so bad." As the rain continued, it was questionable if the final Expert event would be run. The sheriffs were threatening to shut down the only egress road from the raceway due to high water, but Glen Helen's trackmaintenance staff worked feverishly cue I II!! to keep the road clear, as Glen Helen and the Prairie Dogs were determined to run all 12 events. Campbell led the Open Experts through the first turn, with David McCord and Krause behind. The mud was so bad, it appeared that the rider who could stay upright the longest would win the event. Campbell came through scoring first, with Krause 10 seconds behind. Campbell retained the lead for the first two laps. Then Krause took control of first and developed a minuteand-a-half lead, but it was obvious that Krause was having mechanical difficulties. For two laps, Krause's bike was stuck in third gear. Going into the white-flag lap, Krause fried his clutch. Campbell slowed as he passed Krause to make sure he was all right, and then crossed the finish line first. "This is definitely the best race all year," Campbell exclaimed. "Any race that can make me fall down and get stuck is high-quality. I got stuck in the mud once real bad. I had to lift the bike out of. the mud. Then I fell over once in a rut - stalled it both times. The XR650 is so good in the mud. I'd like to thank the Prairie Dogs for hanging in there and not canceling the event due to the rain. That was great." At press time, final timed results were not available, but it appeared that Oakley Lehmann, who had ridden strong all weekend, had taken the 250cc Expert-class win, and possibly even the overall. "My bike stalled in the beginning, and a bunch of people went by me," Lehmann said, "so I thought, 'I'm never going to win this, so I'll just play ride, just have as much fun as I can.' So that's what I did. But I guess I did pretty good. They did a good job keeping the track together." eN n II!! _ S • APRIL 5, 2000 41