Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

(L e ft) S u n rise Motocross Part<: John Coste llo (574) grabs the Beginner-class holeshot in Adelanto, Ca li forn ia. (Right) Los F resnos MX Park : Ri cky Garci a rips up a b erm en route to the 80cc-c la ss wi n in Los Fresnos, Texas. S u nri s e M otocross Park Costello's the Fellow atOTHG MX By C HRIS SANCHIRICO A DELANTO, CA . OCT . 1 John Costell o wa s th e m an to beat in the O ve r T he Hill Gang ' s Beginner cl ass in Adelanto . putting in a co nsiste nt day v ia a 2 -2 ta lly fo r th e ov erall . Sunr ise Motocross Park is back and better than e ve r. The fast, sa ndy tra ck ha s an excitin g lay out, with th e right m ix o f whoop s, tu rn s. j umps an d h igh- sp eed st ra ig h ts to b rin g a smile to the face s of a ll wh o ra c ed it. Th is Oc tober Sunday prov ed to be a perf ect da y for raci ng . with temperatures in th e 80s and very mild winds. The Beginner class wa s a sea of blue, a s th e lead tri o were all YZ- mounted, Leading th e g ro u p off th e st art w a s Cos tell o, wi t h Jeff Mi cha els and Jim Robe rts in tow. The three rid er s sta yed wh eel to wheel as th ey pu t a sli gh t gap on fourth- pl ac ed St eve Mangi on e. With th e laps winding down , the action began to heat up whe n Rob ert s pa ssed both Michaels and Costello to tak e the lead . At the check ers, it was Roberts, Co stell o an d Mich aels. Costell o g ra bbe d the lead ea rly in m ot o tw o , with Mike M cLau ghli n. Nic k B ern acchi and Mang ion e in p u rs uit. Mo ta-o ne wi nner Roberts got off to a bad sta rt and was stuck deep in th e pack . Costello looked like he was goin g to run aw ay wi th the m ota vic to ry when Bemacch i picked up the pace and worked his way into seco nd . With the laps w ind ing down , th e running ord er was Coste llo. Bernacch i and Mclaughlin, when seem ing ly o ut of nowh ere cam e a fly ing Albert Serrano . With o ne lap to g o . Serrano ch arged thr ou gh the pack and passed Costello for th e lead, Coste llo held on for second. go ing 2 -2 on the day for th e ove rall. Serran o claim ed seco nd via a 6-1 perf or m ance, with Man gi one claim ing the bro nze. R e s ults On a wet. sogg y and d ownrig ht slo p py Sunday in iat e Septem ber. th e f riend s a nd fa m i lies o f t he F or t C a m p b ell MX bun ch wa tche d as 70 o r 80 dr en che d participa nts p ulle d o ut of t he races, trail ered the ir b ikes and head ed for home. Th o se wh o remained sli p ped on the ir rai n pon ch os, broke out the umbrell as, and told Kerry and Rene Watkins. th e ow ne rs and promoters of A ction Va ll ey M ot o cr oss Park . to lift the 4 0 -bik e start ing gate; it was ti m e to race. And race th ey did - a sing le- m oto format, three lap s around th e Val ley , with th e main challe nge being to sim ply keep it on two wheels . Many tr ied . Few prevailed. Through m uck , m ire, slop and oo ze, the co urageo us pl ow ed thr oug h calf-high water and slic ker-than -ow ly o u- k no w- w hat sil t y loam in their q uest to conquer the soaked 1.2·mile ci rcui t of Action Valle y . Lap times turned int o etern ities, whil e red. blue, gre en and yell ow bikes turned mudbrown . but the Fort Campbell Motocr oss Club co m p le te d the sev ent h round o f th e ir Ho t Sum mer Seri es II. Lef t a ll by hi s lo nesom e to contes t th e 125cc A and 250cc A cla sses, Hon da-mounted Geoff Tra vis wea thered the sto rm. Despite the fact that both first -place finishes were vi rtu all y ens ured . Tra vis neither ba ck ed d ow n nor slacked off becau se of th e less-than -d eslr able tra ck co nd itions. "I f yo u ' re go i ng to b e c o m p e t i t i ve in m ot ocr oss, yo u've go t to lea rn to race in all k ind s of conditions." Geoff' s fat her p ointed out as his son slos hed th ro ug h the m ess. T he usual two-mote format had been cut to one thr ee - la p m ota in each class. Travi s sha re d th e slo p py brown sl u sh w ith so m e Over 30 and Ove r 25 riders. For six lap s, he raced as if he were in trai ning to run a mu dfest Nati ona l in a da y or so. Out of the comb ined six laps, he m ana ged to stay on tw o wh eel s the entire way and at ti mes busted the center of a swam p hole just fo r the fun of it. With a br oa d whi te grin sh i ning fr om a mud- c ov er ed face , T ra v is sum me d up th e da y: "Ain't it fun!? " BEG: 1. John Costello ; 2. Albert Serrano; 3. Steve Mangione: 4. Jeff Mkhal es; 5. Nick Bernecctn . NOV: L Greg Madsen; 2. Ken Beur: 3. Mike Tucker; 4 . Chns King; 5. Larry Holman INT: 1. Shawn Pelham . 2. David DuBois; 3. Bob Mon~ l es ; 4. Meli· Ion Morales; 5. Phil Stroud EX: I. Bruce Criswell ; 2. Mik e Horton: 3. Mik e Geim ; 4. Chris Sanchirico; 5. Dune Quale. PRo: I. Tim Telford ; 2. Dan Berg; 3. Don Burke: 4 , Jim Henn. 38 . BEG: 1. Mike Berone: 2. Ron Wutzke; 3. Garth Gallocker; 4. Erin Aranda; 5. John Susten. 38. NOV: 1. Jack Tanner; 2. Vince Gonzales; 3. Ed Tumey : 4. Lee Evans; 5. Tag Geepenen 38. INT: I. Brad Ander son: 2. Chris Cumbo; 3. Jeft Bib.: ; 4. T.J . King; 5. Arnie- Davis. 38 .. EX: 1. Mark Bledsoe; 2. Carl GlIzafy ; 3. Jeff Mason; 4. Marty w estermen: 5. Malt McBride. 38 .. PRO: J. Pete Murri'J Y; 2. Ed Guajardo; 3. Steve Pietrcni: 4. Marc Johnson. Action Vall ey M otocross P a rk Trav is' Travails By D A VID AND J ESSICA S CREWS PARIS, TN . SEPT. 24 Wha t can yo u say abo ut 69 m otocross enthusias ts' w ho c ho se to race reg ardl ess of th e wea ther? Bo ld? Braze n? Herd -co re? (J ust plain nuts . perhaps?) No! Th e o nly thing yo u can say is t hat th e m emb er s of t h e Fo r t Cam pbell Motocross Clu b k now how to have fun in the sun ...and m uch o fun in the rain and m ud. A ction Valle y Motocross Part<: Geoff Trav is kept it uprig ht and t o o k h ome two mud -spatte red w ins at round seve n o f the Hot Su mmer ser ie s II in Paris, Tennessee . He' s alw ays fast, but maybe his recent trip to F ran ce to see the MX Des Na tio ns in spired him to go eve n fas ter . Rod zach crossed over w ith seco nd. Res u l ts 85 (7.1 1): 1. Nick DUda (Kll w): 2. B.J. Gam brell (Yam) . 85 ( 12. 15): 1. Chad London (Yam ); 2. William Cere (Kaw): 3. Josh De ch ue r (Kll w); 4. Bryce Powers (Suz). S/MlNI: I. WiI1itlmCato (Kaw). SCHBY: 1. Doug Belt (HOI'l ; 2. Logan Bedford (Yam) : 3. Greg ) Pelesh (Kaw): 4. Michael Wheeler (Hon) ; 5. Lane Stewart (Yam) . OPEN (I6-24): 1. Jerry Laine (Hen): 2. Phill ip Wall (Hon) ; 3. Emil' Clinard (Yam) . 125 A: 1. Geoff Travis (Hon). 125 B: 1. Shewn Ludwig (Kll w); 2. Aaron McDlIniei (Kaw). 125 C: J. Shane Mill er (Hon): 2. Jerr y Laine (Han) ; 3. l ogan Bedford (Yam): 4. T.J . Barton (Kaw). 125 OPEN /BEG: 1. Michae l Haines (Yam ): 2. Lane Stewart (Yllm ); 3. Greg Palesh (Kaw); 4. Pat Thomason (Suz ], 2SOA: 1. Geoff Travis (Hon). 2SOB; 1. Todd Sherri ll (Yam) . 250 C: I . Phillip Wall (Han); 2. Danny Scheele (Kaw); 3. Ron Radcliff (Yam ); 4. Tyler Trimmer (Hon). 30.. B/C: J. Paul lamb (Hon); 2. Mike Schaffer (Yam) : 3. T.J . Barton (Kaw); 4. Frank Gilm ore (Suz). 40. : I . Frank Fisher (YlIm) . Res u lts EX: 1. Dave Stephens (Yam ): 2. Mark Bronbau (Yam ); 3. Gene Johnson (Yam). MSTR A: J. Richerd Elerstedr (Yam). MSlR B: 2. Ken Ehle-rs(Yam ): 2. Carl Gazafy (Hon) . 40. NOV: 1. Joe R~ (Suz); 2. Dick Goidfuss (Yam ). 40 .. AM: I. Geoff Arnol d (Yem] : 2. Terry Tete (Kaw); 3 Kurt Stuht (Yllm). 50. NOV; 1. Ed Rodrech (Yam); 2. Jo hn Webb (Hon) . SO. AM: 1. Steve Jennings (Yam ); 2. Cleyon Loonsfoot (Kaw); 3. Charles Watanabe (Hon) . L o s Fres nos MX P a rk Garcia Smokes 'em By G le n H e len Ra ceway P ark Stevens, Leavin ' ' em Behind at Glen Helen B y B O B A LLO Y SA N BERN ADINO, CA . SEPT. 23 It was a great racin g day on the eve r -challe ngi ng rut s. sa ndwas hes. numerou s ro c k s and steep hill s of Glen Helen. and there to tam e it a ll was Ri ch ard Ei e rst edt . w ho had a hot ma chine and all the skills neces sary to win . Ei er stedt too k to p hon or s in both Master A motos and set a high sta nd ard for 4 5 othe r Rive rsi de OTMXe rs . M ar k Hall w a s also impressiv e w it h hi s tw o fast -pa ced second place fini shes. Ma ster B racer Car l Gazafy ce rtainly knows a th ing or two abo ut co ntrol. He successfull y held ba c k re le nt less a nd pow erfu l Yamah a rid er Ken Eh ler to reign sup reme . Ehlers stu ck in there for secon d . Ehl ers had his way in the seco nd g o ~ around aft er he pa ssed a fast Gar y Sch eidl er. wh o had g rabb ed the holes ho t. Ehlers kept the power up and cro ssed over fir st. with Sch eid ler cl ose behind, Dave Stephens was out in front of 11 othe r Expert s at the first turn. followed very close ly by Gene John son , who was j ust itc hing to get past. Stephens kep t hi s cool and took the win . J ohn so n p rev ailed fo r second. Bill Sc h ultz ove rca me h i s p oo r st a r t wi t h so me fas t maneu verin g an d ace d third. In m ot a tw o , M ark Bronbau k ept t he p r e ss ure up o n Steph ens , wh o led the tra ck action for seven lap s. Bronbau ' s per si st en ce p aid off. as he m ade his winning move on the last lap . pa ssing Stephens and tak ing over th e lead and th e wi n. John son fo llo wed Steph en s in with th ird . It looked li ke Ch arl es Watanabe wa s a sure winner in th e O ver 50 Amat eur cla ss, bu t a hard -ch argin g Steve Jenning s moved rapidly forward, He passed Wat anabe on the very last lap and took the w in. Wata nabe was seco nd , followed by Cleyon Loonsfoot on his fast four st ro k e Ka wa saki. Taking th e hol esh ot star t a nd settin g a n u nb eatable pa ce , Jenn ings owned firs t in m ot a two . Loonsfoo t qu ick ly pow ered up from a mi dpa ck start for second . whil e Phil Bla ckburn zapp ed the third spot . Joe Red put together a set of soli d motos that were good eno ug h for fir st overall in the Ov er 40 Novic e class . Dick Gold fuss was sec ond. Th e winn er in th e first Over 50 Novice mo ta wa s the a lways sm o o th and fas t Ed Rodzach . Bob Klatt was there to wrap up sec on d. J ohn Webb set an abso lutely un beatab le pace an d snapped up fi rst p lace in m oto tw o . c yc le n G ARY T. Q BER LO S FRESNOS. TX . SEPT . 24 Vall ey Yam aha/ Max im a/Cycle Sports International-ba cked Ricky Garcia wa s on a m issio n, tak in g both BOce-cia ss m ot o win s at the Rio Gran de Vall ey MX Club eve nt at Los Fresnos MX Pa rk . D urin g the seco n d m ot a , Shea Fou ch ek was in cha rge and head in g fo r th e chec ke rs. only to have Garcia pass hi m for the m ota win with only a fo ot to spare . B oth o f these riders put on a great show wi th supercl ose racin g lap aft er lap . John Ma son Russell had to run with the 80cc clas s on his KX60. but he did well . finis hing third. Russell was tello we d cl osely by Evan Vangsnes, who got the jump out of th e gate in bo t h motos on ly to hav e Russell run him down. T he fir st race of the day and the fir st moto ever on the new tr ack wa s the 125cc Novice co ntest. Loc al favor ite T im Maley got hung up o n the ga te and w as so fa r behind that he co u l d n ot c at ch u p to th e p ac k . He als o crashed out in th e second m ota and j ust flat out had a bad day. Everett Vangsnes was the one to beat. foll ow ed close ly by Pedro Wilbert , Suzuki-mou nted T ro y Moss and Mike Marquez. Maley so m ehow sa lvag ed fifth pl ace, se n d i n g An drew San ch e z ba ck to sixth . Vangsne s wen t on e and one fo r the overall v ictory, with Wilbert going 2·2 for second, Jake Warren from Corpu s Ch risti , T exas, w a s l e ad i n g o n th e la st l ap o f t he 250 c c Nov ic e clas s w hen he ran out of ste am and Mik e S i m m o ns and J a son C o l b o r n b o th zapped h im, sen d ing W ar re n ba ck to thi rd . Simmon s too k t he mota win, with Colborn , W a rren, Lev i W ool vert o n and A nd y Le st er ro u nd i ng ou t t he t op fiv e . Si m mons did it aga in in the seco nd moto, this time tak ing the hol eshot g o in g on fo r th e m ot a wi n. Ho nda rider And y Lester fini shed seco nd , followed by Colb orn, J oe Maley and Merle Bern hardt. Fo rres t Fo nsec a m ad e a cl ean sweep of th e Beg inner cl ass in wh at may be hi s la st Begi nner ra ce . M ar ion Mel rose cra shed o ut hard in t he second m ot a after overjum pi ng one of the tab letops; she perfo rmed a cla ssic loopout that resul ted in a broken tail bon e and a bruised ego . Results SO 1. Brandon Pederson (KTM,; 2. Shane Kyral (KTM) : 3. Cbar: lie Lugo (Suz); 4. George Flores (Yam ). 80: I . Ricky Garcia (Yam); 2. Shea Fcuchek (Suz); 3. Jon Mason Russell (Ktlw); 4. Eyan Vllngsnes (Y8m ). 125 NOV: I. Everett Vangsnes (Hon); 2. Pedro Wilbert (YlIm) ; 3. Mike Marquez (Yam ); 4. Troy Moss (Suz); 5. Tim Maley (Kllw ). OPEN BEG; I. Forrest Fonseca (Kaw) ; 2. Mario Martinez (Y8m); 3. Joe Smart (Hon ); 4. Phil Underwo od (Yam ): 5 . Daniel Choa te (KTM) . 250 OPEN NOV: 1. Mik e- Sim mons (Yllm ); 2. Jason Colborn (HOI'l ; 3. Andy Lester (HOI'l ; 4. Joe Maley (Han) ; 5. Merle Bernhardt ) ) (Kllw ). 35. II'£T 1. Doc: Ellis (Yam ); 2. Bill Russell (Y8m) ; 3. Mike Heg. : gie (Hon). OPEN MNY; 1. Joe Bob Ebers (Suz); 2. Bryan Monjartls (Suz); 3. Rene Gomez (Hon) . e vv s N OVEM B ER 8 . 2000 41

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