Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Robbie Skaggs rode th e e ntire race in seco n d , h o ld in g o ff B rad sh a w ' s dogged p a s s attempts fo r the final few la ps . John son took out Duba ch with a block pa ss a nd p la c ed fourth , one spot a head of Lamastas . "I tr ie d to get good s ta rts o nce I got up in the fro nt row ," Sm ith sa id. "T h a t' s what I n e e ded , an d to j ust ke e p it tog ether eig ht la ps at a time, each time. I'm ha p py with th e win." "It' s been fun ," Bra ds haw sa id. "I'd always like to do better, but what c a n you expect if you only d o this a fe w tim es a ye a r? " eN Smith makes the most of a small opportunity. MG Grand G M arden Arena Las Vegas, Nevada Resubs: October 14-15, 2000 B y CH RIS J O NN UM PH O T O S B Y STE VE BRUH N LAS VEGAS, NV, OCT. 14·15 u rin g th e White Broth ers Fou rStro ke race (which s e rved as the s up po rt c lass at th e T HQ U.S . Op en ), s pec tators s cram ble d th rou gh th eir e ve nt pr ograms in a ttempts to id e ntify th e number-five KTM tha t was sa iling aw a y a t 'the h e a d of th e p a ck . Th e ir e ffo rts we re fruitl e ss, as Kelly Smith had been invited a s an a lte rnativ e , and was not listed in the publi c a tio n. In fa ct, Smith was forc ed to start on the second row in th e o pening moto , a nd th at tu rned o ut to be th e only he at the Michigander didn't win . In the othe r three outi ng s, S mit h was sim ply un tou ch a ble , a nd he ha d no trouble co lle ct ing the ov erall victo ry , a long with th e $20,000 and th e Pleasa nt Hawa iia n Holid a ys va c ation that went along with it. "My mom s a id her and my fath e r's vaca t ion is co m ing u p, so I s hould p a ss the vacatio n o ve r to h er ," said Sm ith , we a ring a grass sk irt a n d coconuts on the podium. "I s aid , 'no .'" D M OTO 1 Defe nd ing U.S . Open Four-St roke Cha mpio n Ke it h Johnso n was the ea rly lea de r in the first of fou r m ot os , with ' 8 9 125c c Easte rn Regional S uperc ro s s Champion Damon Brad s ha w in s e c ond . Br adshaw 's White Broth e rs Yamaha pre ssured J ohn so n's KTM ea rly on , but a bobbl e by Bradsh aw opene d the gap a b it a n d let Johnson take the win . Brads haw ma inta ined second, with Craig De cker c o llec t in g t hird o n a Breed love Yamaha . Jim my Lamastas was fo urth , with Sm ith 's fifth be ing good eno ug h to move him u p to row one for moto two . M OTo e Sm ith s howed h is g ra t itude for a decent start pos ition by gr a bbing the ho leshot in Saturda y's second outing , a nd that was a ll s he wrote. Turning in lap tim e s within a coup le o f seconds of th e 250c c class , Sm ith led all eight laps , with J ohnson lur king behind his te a m m a te in second the entire d is tance . The m oto was somewhat of a parade , as th ird -pl ace fin ish er La mastas a nd fou rth - p la c e De c ker also ke pt the ir positio ns a ll ra ce lon g . Doug Duba ch was fift h , h a v in g p a ssed Bra ds haw to get there . " [A n o pe n four - str o k e] h a s so much po we r th at it's just a handful on a tight tra c k like th is ," Smi t h sa id . "It' s more than e nough bike ... 1 m issed th e la st ro und of th e [Ea st ern] Four Stroke Nat ion als to come her e ." MOTO I (8 laps ): I . Kei th J ohnson (KT M) : 2. Dam on Bradshaw (Yam ); 3 , Craig Decker (Yam) ; 4. J immy Lam astus (KTM ): 5. Kelly Sm ith (KTM ): 6. Doug Dubac h (Yam) ; 7 . Dustin Ne lson ( Yam); 8 . Spud Wa lters (Yam ): 9 . Te d Cam pbell (Ya m) ; 10 . Lance Smail (KTM ); 1 1. RObbie Skaggs (Yam ) ; 12. Nathan Woods (Yam); 13. Andy Harrington (KTM); 14 . Keith Johnson (Can); 15 . Jeff Gibson (Can) ; 16 . Donald Upt on (Hbq ). MO TO 2 (8 lap s) : I. Kelly Sm it h (KTM ): 2 . Keith Johnson ( KTM ); 3. J imm y Lam astus ( KTM) ; 4 . Craig De cke r ( Yam ); 5 . Doug Dubach (Ya m) ; 6 . Dam on Bradshaw ( Ya m); 7 . Du stin Nelson (Yam ): 8 . Ted Ca mp be ll (Y a m ): 9 . Natha n Wood s ( Ya m ); 10 . Robbie Skaggs (Yam) ; 11. Lance Smail (Yam) ; 12. Andy Harrington (KTM) : 13. Keith Johnson (Can) . MOTO 3 (8 laps) : 1. Kelly Sm ith (KT M): 2. Doug Dubach (Ya m ); 3. Craig Dec ker ( Yam) ; 4 . Dam on Bra dshaw ( Ya m); 5 . J imm y Lam astus ( KTM) ; 6 , Robbie Skagg s (Y am): 7 , Spud Walters (Yam) ; 8. La nce Sma il (Yam ) : 9 . Dustin Ne lson ( Yam) ; 10 . Keith Johnson (Ca n) ; 11. Andy Harrington (KTM ); 12. Keith Jo hnson (KTM ): 13. Ted Cam pbell (Yam); 14. Jeff Gibson (Can): 15 . Nathan Woods (Yam); 16. Donald Upton (Hbg). MOTO 4 ( 8 laps): 1. Kell y Sm it h ( KTM) : 2. Robbie Skaggs (Yam ); 3, Da mon Bradshaw (Yam) ; 4 , Keith Johnson (KTM ); 5 . Jimm y Lamastas (Yam ); 6 , Dustin Nelson (Y am ); 7 . Lance Smail (Yam ): 8 . Ted Cam pbell ( Yam) ; 9 . Craig Decker (Yam ); 10 . Andy Harrington (KTM); 11. Spud Walters (Yam ): 12. Doug Dubach (Yam ); 13. Nathan Woods (Yam ); 14. Keith John son (Can ); 15 . J eff Gibson (Can) ; 16. Donald Upton (Hbg ). O/A: 1. Kelly Smith (9 1) ; 2. Dam on Bradshaw (75 ): 3. Keith Johnson (74 ); 4 . Craig Decker (70 ): 5. Ji m my Lern a s te s (7 0 ); 6. Doug D uba ch ( 62 ) ; 7 . Robbie Skaggs (58); 8 . Dustin Nelson (5 5) ; 9 . Lance Sma il (48 ): 10 . Ted Campbe ll (45) : I I. Spud Walters (44) ; 12. Andy Harrington (38); 13. Keith Johnson (33): 14. Nathan Woods (29): 15. Jeff Gibson ( 19) : 16 . Donald Upton (5) . The only way to keep Kelly Smith from winning in the White Brothers FourStroke race was to put him on the se cond row. He won t he three motos in which he wasn' t handi cappe d. was fourth a he a d of Lamastas. "Tha t' s wha t I came here for , is to do good ," Smith said. MOT04 S ix ride rs had a mathemati cal cha nce at the win going into the fina l out ing, but a ll bu t five lost hope when Smith to ok the ho leshot. Motoworld's Defending Four-Stroke Champion Keith Johnson (1) and Damon Bradshaw (8) do battle. Both riders fi nishe d on the pod ium. MOT03 S itti n g s e c ond overa ll g oing into S u nda y's h e a ts , Sm ith imm e d iat e ly s et ab out re cti fy ing th e s it ua tio n, s na ring t he h ole sh ot a nd bu ildin g a le ad of sev eral second s before taking the win. Johnson had gone down on th e first la p , and with short motos on a sho rt tra c k , that p retty much s hot his c hances of repeating his title . Duba ch rod e sec o nd for m uch of th e ra c e th e n wa s th e v ic t im o f a De c ker bloc k turn on th e penultimate lap . Dubac h re turne d th e favor before t he lap was complete , a nd held off Decker to fini sh s e c ond . Brad s haw cue I e n e _ so • OCTOBER 25 . 2 0 00 1 1

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