Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

EVENTEI PHOTO EY JOHN BEIHEA BY JOHN BEHEA chapaPPal PrG.Am chall€ngE Gl€n HElen Rac€wag Park Cqsillqs Tokes the Chollenge SAN BERNARDINO, CA, DEC. I7.I8 F or half a dozen years, the Glen Helen Rac+ way season has ahaays ended with e sPhsh at the annual Chaparral Pro-Am Challenge Usually falling b€tween Christmas and New Year's, the Challenge usually features a score or more of top Pros chasing a $ 10,000 purse, with National numbers always comin8 out on top. Bur the 2005 edkion rook a hit when the holi- days fell on Sundays, forcing the races to be pushed ahead about a week, pu.tin8 it on toP of a m4or year-end suPercross event up the road in Las Vegas, which resulled in only a handful of Pros on hand to battle for the huSe purse. But a National number still won the event lerse C:sillas, who just a few week eariier was Biven number 63 for the ?005 season, Sajned the overall victory by winning the second moto after a tenacious race-long fight with y'fiateur-ranked Cale Wallace an tlle first 2o-minute stanza "l was iust making too many mistakes out there," said Casillas, who recently built his own supercross track to prePare for the Wes( Coa5r swinS of the indoor season. "l haven't ridden for several months, and I need to 8et my stamina back-" That tremendously herdJought lirst moto saw Wallace place his Team Gre€n K-awasaki into th€ lead, with Casillas qui.kt taking uP the pursuit on his 250F Honda. For thre€ laPs they waged war, pulling away from the rest of the field. When Casillls took over just at the end of lap three, Wallace didnt back off but banzaied it in the Talladeta section and passed Casillas and even buik a little g+. "He just had a good line," recalled Casillas after the race. "l'd catch Cale. then fall back, catch Cale- then fall back. I did that three or four times. I need to get o!i! front and run." But Wallace was leadinE. and as they zoomed in on the checkered fla8, IaPPed t.affic sprun8 up. with Wallace taking a peek over his shoulder at every opportunity, Casillas closed a8ain. ''l'm not used to these 2o-minute [motos]," said walla.e \,{ith a grin. "l probably shouldn't be lookrng b.rck so much. but I was iusr seein8 He admifted to the traffic stressing him out, and he barely held ofi his foe at the finish line Third place wenr to Wallace's pit mate, Ryan Beat, who was making his first Pro race appearace in three years while concentrating on hiSh school, from which he graduated recently with rtrai8ht As. "My parents said I could race a8ain," smiled the enthusiastic iust-tumed- 1g-year-old. "l just started ridinE a month a8o." That enthusialm carried over to che second moto, when Beat got the holeshot, though his lead didnl last lon8. Ar the top of t4ount Shoe' on lap one, Calillas sped by and never looked back. At the end, rhe Zoo Industries/Hahm Motorspons/HRP/TLD-backed rider had built nearly a 4o-second lead over Wallace. Both Casillas and wallace earned more than a Erand for their day's work, but Casillas' second-moto ace gave him the overall. CN GEN HEEN RacBrt AY Parx SaN BlnNARDrNo, CAUFoRNTA REsuLrs: DEcEr r:R l7-18, 2OO5 saturdrr - 6ad PHr 5o SfK (.1{): '. BEndon Hli6toh (Y.m) 50 sTK O-O: L Curtir tinioi(KIH)| 2. Harhon Nedhffi (Kn'!); 3. Mswell T.dder (&w). !0 MOD (/t.6): I BEndon H.ir*oi fYam). !0 t'lOD (7,8): r. Curtli Lriini (KIH) XRSO| l. Preston Canpb.ll (Hon). 65 ECG: L Ryrn Marcr (rs). 65 (..8): I - Hichael E..les (K.w): 2. Ky'e F.y (KTH): l. Md ,rrct (xTM): .. Amber w6r (su): 5. llexwelr TEdd.r rKrw). It gEG: r. M* lnd. (Kaw). 2. B.ia 8ud (S@)i L KyL S6laebilr (Y );4. A48us Hilltr Cr.n) 85 (4-ll): l. Grbe Ad.hE (Hon):2 TrisE. P6r l(e):3 Terun s2lins (Y.nl:4. Dsn/ Fshlr (Hoh):5. il, srrble (Hon). 85 (lI-13)E L S

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