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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128608
AMNMaxxis Tires/Yamaha/MotoWorld of EI Cajon Western Four-Stroke National MX Series Round 1 : Speedworld Motocross Park Spud Walters was the dominant rider at round one of the Western Four-Stroke National MX Series. Spud sped to victory in the first moto and came from behind after an early crash in the second moto for second place and first overall. way down the straightaway into the left-hand sweeper. Rich Taylor, riding the only Suzuki in the field, tried the far outside going up the face of the "Go Dan" jump and almost took out one of the track official who was observing from the side of the jump. Ryan Leach took the top spot coming out of the second corner, followed by Myers, Cliff Cook, Walters, Mike Smith, Jason Matthews and Craig Davis, who had the holeshot until getting bumped. "I was going into the turn in second and I hit someone's wheel or something and it bent my clutch lever down and knocked me out of the berm," said Davis. Myers put the inside move on Leach making the pass in the section of the course known as "the hole," taking a lead that was short lived. Two turns later, just before the "Go Dan" jump, Myers went down. "I came out of that little canyon and grabbed too big of a handful of throttle coming out of the corner, swapped out, high sided and crashed," said Myers. Leach slowed up to avoid hitting Myers and Walters went by them both to take over first. Leach went into second followed by Cook and fourthplace Woods, who started out in tenth. At the start of the second lap Woods outdragged Cook on the long start sweeper to move into third. The first four riders had a five-second lead over the next group which included Davis, Matthews, Dustin Bloomfield, Mike Smith, Beau Baron and Grayson Hart. Ward was just outside the top ten after the first lap. STORY AND PHOTOS By ROBERT VAN DAMME WITTMAN, AZ, MAR. 26 pud Walters took the round-one I overall win of the AMA/Maxxis Tire/Yamaha/ Motoworld of EI Cajon Western 4-Stroke National MX Series at Speedworld Motocross Park. The White Brothers/Shoei/O'Neal/Alpinestar-backed Walters took the overall with a 1-2 moto finish. Walters first moto was a simple cruise in the warm Arizona desert sun compared to the second moto comeback he had to engineer. Walters fell back as far as 22nd place before getting back to second place by the last two laps. While Walters was working, the competition was working on trying to stay away from bad luck, but it was everywhere. The VOR/TWS-backed Gordon Ward ended up second overall with a 3-3 score after having no luck on the starts, while third overall went to The KTM/Pro Valve/White Brothers-backed Scott Myers, who had bad luck in both motos and had to come from behind. Dustin Bloomfield garnered fourth overall with a 5-8 score. Nathan Woods was in position in both motos but bad luck relegated him to fifth overall for the day. Track designer Del Brown, used every inch of property available and came up with a layout that all the Pro riders raved about. Warmer-than-usual weather also played a role in some riders' luck out on the track as some racers ran out of steam midway through the motos. Thirty-five riders roared off the concrete starting pad and made their S 36 APRIL 12, 2000' cue I e n e 'IN' S "I basically gave the lesson to beginner riders what not to do on the starting line," said Ward. "The gate dropped and then I popped a whee lie off the cement which did me in and I came out of the first corner about twentieth." Woods displaced Leach to third as they reappeared from "the hole" and tried to go after Walters. Walters had a five second lead on Woods by the third lap. Myers was now in the tenth spot right behind Ward, while local Vet Pro Mike Roth moved by Baron on the start sweeper for eleventh. Ward, however, got underneath Smith in the second corner and moved up another position. Davis, after the tamed "Dustin Double," went to the inside" of Cook and made the pass stick coming out of the switchbacks taking over fourth. Feeling the pressure of Myers, Ward went by Matthews just before the switchbacks. Myers tried to get around Matthews on the left-hander, but Matthews went wide taking Myers' line away. As the trio came back into view from the west side of the track, Myers was sitting in eighth. Ward was hounding Bloomfield as they came by the grandstands. The two touched as they went into the comer just past the finish line. It still did not slow Ward's momentum, as they came off the descending double jump side by side. Ward then controlled the inside line on the start sweeper forcing Bloomfield wide, this allowed Myers to get underneath and move Bloomfield back one more spot. Davis worked up to within five bike lengths of Leach, then something happened with Leach as they came through the whoops, letting Davis and Cook go by easily. Myers had a faster line through the whoops and went by Ward. Ward tried to answer when the two got back to the finish line by sticking a wheel in on Myers, but Myers would not relent. Meanwhile, Walters had worked up his lead to about eight seconds and kept it there for the next couple of laps. "I hammered out the first couple of laps and got my lead, then I was judging where Woods was and just rode smooth," said Walters. Cook was the next victim of the Myers/Ward freight train as they went by before the "Go Dan" jump. Roth and Tim Sharp were moving to the front, getting by Baron and Matthews to take eighth and ninth respectively. Myers broke free from Ward and set his sights on Davis. Before Myers could make a pass, Davis slowed down, which looked to be something mechanical given the severity of his change of pace. "I jl.Ist pumped up. hit a wall and I faded back," said Davis after holding on to finish 20th. Gordon Ward used his rather unique riding style aboard his rather unique YOR 503 to finish the day with a pair of third-place finishes· good enough for second overall.