day's final eliminations with wins
against Hector Arana Jr., Matt
Smith and Marc Ingwersen be-
fore racing Angie Smith in the fi-
nal. The race against Matt Smith
was easily the most critical, as
the winner was almost certain
to leave with the championship
lead. Gladstone got away from
the starting line first, and then
won by a slim 6.815 to 6.818
margin. The two bikes were
separated by just a hundredth of
a second at the finish line.
"Any day you can beat one
Smith is a good day—but two
Smiths? That's a big deal," Glad-
stone said. "Matt is a heck of a
competitor. He's got five World
Championships for a reason.
Growing up, he was one of my
idols, and I have a lot of respect
for him. I've also never beaten
him when he's riding his Buell so
that was also a big deal.
"It's also huge to win here at
Maple Grove Raceway," Glad-
stone continued. "This is almost
home for me. I grew up at this
track and spent a lot of time
here. To win a race at this place,
in front of packed grandstands,
caps off what has been a perfect
day. I don't think I could ask for
anything more."
Angie Smith waited until the
first race of the playoffs to score
one of her best results of the
season, as she earned victo-
ries against Ron Tornow, Eddie
Krawiec and defending event
winner Steve Johnson. The two
Smith bikes were also the fastest
with each Denso Buell running
over 201 mph.
The Reading event was great
for Gladstone and the Smiths,
but it was a disaster for Vance
& Hines riders Angelle Sam-
pey and Eddie Krawiec, both
of whom suffered quarterfinal
losses via a starting line hole-
shot. Sampey ran a 6.90 but lost
to Ingwersen's 6.96. Krawiec
joined Sampey on the sidelines
when his 6.81 lost to Angie
Smith's slower 6.84.
With four races remaining in
the season, Gladstone holds a
29-point advantage over Matt
Smith, while Steve Johnson
remains in the mix, 42 points
behind. Angie Smith, Sampey,
Ingwersen and Krawiec are all
within 100 points of the lead,
meaning the championship is
very much up in the air.
The series will now head to
Concord, NC this weekend for
the Betway NHRA Carolina Na-
tionals at zMax Dragway.
Kevin McKenna
FINAL
1. Joey Gladstone (Suz)
2. Angie Smith (Bue)
IN
THE
WIND
P50
KTM Hosts
Adventure
Rally
A
fter a two-year hiatus, the
KTM Adventure Rally was
back for 2022, this time at the
Tamarack Ski resort in Donnelly,
Idaho, September 16-18. The
event is managed by multi-time
Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty
with a lot of help from several
KTM staff. The events are well
The Tamarack Ski resort was a great
host for the 2022 KTM Adventure Rally.
Amazing trails surrounded the premium
location.
PHOTOS: SIMON CUDBY
