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AMA National Hare and Hound Championship Series: Round 2 me right there," said Brown. "I have no idea where he came from. "I was in second the whole way," continued Brown. "I would catch him on the uphill valleys on the back section, where it got kind of tight in some sections, but it was dusty and really hard to do anything." The 43-mile first loop headed east towards Bessemer Mine Road, tumed towards Victor Pass and then dashed through the Soggy Dry Lake area. Thick dust gave the racers at the front of the pack a distinct advantage and fast starters like KX 125-mounted Kurt Caselli were making the most of it. "I got a good start. It was pretty dusty but on a wide open start like that you can do pretty good on a 125 across the choppy stuff," said Caselli, who went into the race with a roundone class win to his credit. Round-one 250cc winner Shane Esposito wasn't quite as happy with his start. "I had a good jump but it was such a long bomb that all the big bikes got around me," Esposito explained. "There was a dirt road that a lot of people got on, too. That put me back a bit further than I should've been but 1 was able to pick people off once we got going." And picking people off wasn't an easy task, thanks to the open terrain that kept the pace fast and furious. "It's so flat and dumb out here. Of all the Nationals, this is my least favorite," said KX500-mounted Destry Abbott, who overalled the first round of this year's series. "I don't like to say bad things but this one was bad. It was just valley to valley. There was no technical stuff and there was nothing you could do." Davis continued to lead as the first loop turned towards the pits and Brown continued to charge along in his dusty wake. "I rode hard. Brown was right behind me and he pushed me the whole way. He rode really well," said Davis. "The course was really fast and it was beating both of us up. 1 was just hanging on, going as fast as I could across the valleys." Back in third, Richardson had slowed down a little, trading speed for safety. '" had a great ride and there was not really any dust where I was but 1 felt really tight the first loop. I was paranoid' was going to crash, so I tried to ride without making any mistakes," said the Vet Class leader. "I'd catch up to Brown and get fairly close but' couldn't ever close in on him." Yamaha racer Paul Krause was also a little off the pace and had dropped back a position or two from a stellar fourth place at the bomb. '" just couldn't get it together on the first loop. I thought something was wrong with the forks because I couldn't keep the bike straight," said Krause. "It turned out my steering damper pin had turned 90 degrees and was locked on. I popped that thing out and rode the second loop without a damper and it seemed to work a whole lot better." At the end of the first hour of rac- It's no secret that Ty Davis had a tough go of it in the desert in 1999 and even in the beginning of 2000. The two-time National Hare and Hound Champion broke his string of bad luck by racing to the overall at round two. Grand Prix at Glen Helen," said Nick Pearson. "My brother Russ isn't racing today, either. He finished fourth at the last National but he broke his hand at Adelanto." The second round of championship competition was hosted by the Dirt Diggers MC and drew nearly 360 racers to the starting line near Anderson Dry Lake, just off Camp Rock Road. The day was already starting to heat up by the time the first wave left the line at 10 a.m. It was then that Brian Brown got the start of a lifetime and led the first-wave charge to the bomb. Vet Expert Dan Richardson dodged around him right as the trail began, and then Davis came storming through. "It started on the first kick and , had a good line," said the Yamaha YZ426-mounted Davis. "I got the lead about two miles out and just rode hard after that." The pass marked the start of a chase that would last for more than 80 miles. "I was leading right when the bomb ended and Dan Richardson got around me, and then Davis passed By ANNE VAN BEVEREN PHOTOS BY TOM VAN BEVEREN LUCERNE VALLEY, CA, MARCH 26 ftust, high-speed valleys and fierce IIcompetition marked the second round of the AMA National Hare and Hound Championship series in Lucerne Valley, but Ty Davis wasn't about to let that stand in his way. The Yamaha-mounted racer held off a tenacious challenge by Kawasaki Team Green's Brian Brown that lasted for the race's entire 87 miles and took the win by less than a minute. And with a jumble of top-ten finishers in the first two rounds, those first-place points could become critical as the best-seven-of-nine series continues. In stark contrast to prior years when the series was dominated by one rider - Dan Smith and then Danny Hamel, this year it is hard to find anyone who has finished in the same position twice, and some of the would-be top contenders have yet to start their bid for the championship. "I hurt my back and didn't finish the first round, and' can't race this one because I broke my wrist at the 34 APRIL12,2000' cue I e n ..... s Defending series champion Brian Brown rode alone in Davis' dust all day, posting his second runner-up finish in as many tries.