Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

BY K. FERRAT PHOTO BY JOIiNNA OAVIS AMA oistrict 36/Moos€ West€nn R€gional Cross countru Champlonship S€riEs Motul W€st€rn REgional B,/C Cross Countrg s€Pl€s Round l: PrairiE Cltg GP Brondt Blozes q Troil Through tlre Mud PNARIE CITY, CA, JAN. I5 The flood vraters recd. leaving sBndint I water: slick surfaces, mud bogs, and bately r€coSnizable riders. KickinE off the 2006 AHA Distri.t 36/Hoos€ Weltem Regional Cross Country Championship Seri6., Rodney Spencer Jr. took the holeahot but gave way to Patrick Smart, wfio throtded past him in the first quarter'mile to take the eary lead. ClEsinS Smart was Pin_it Hotorsports/Motion Pro/Cycle Gear-backed lordan Br.ndt, who then shot to the front a fuw miles ifto the I l-mile .ou6e Sman ran in second place until he was overtakon on lap two by Mach l/NoTCaVHSR's Ryan Powell, who proceeded to put in the fastest laP of dle race _ until he had sorne ietba.k. "l strugled wi*r lappe6 and was cEshin8," Powell rccounted. "Patrick [snurt] tot by me. Then. tolyards the end, I st rt€d to phy it safe to 8et on ttl€ podhm and il6t held rny position." Maxxis/KTM/Hlebo SusPension rider Patrick Garrahan. who had also overtaken Smart, held third place for the second and third l+s, and he wa5 char8iry. "l wes contcit followint for the tlrst couPle lapt, ' Garrahan said. "This i5 Prairie Cit,'. I just want€d to ride smarL I never went down. But I did have on€ ea. open, listening for my brother to aome up behind me," How€ver. Brian Garahan had tantled with another rilel eariy on and wai out oI the race. "l battled a little with Powell," Petrick Garrahan recounted. "He hit a course worker. I took off. He passed me aEain, and he tantled with a l+p€r, and I staned Pullint a\aay. I never saw him again. But I didn't want to risk my second-place position and possibly mike a mistake by going aiter Brandt." Pin-it HotorsPorts had ruahed to tet Br.ndt's new bike to him the day before the race, and he said he had his bike runninS .t n€erly 88 miles per hour at timea "This was my lirst ride on this bike," Brandt said. "l went down v/ith a lapper once, but this is p€rfect .idin8 as far as I arn concerned-" Alex Gragg, riding for AlPinestars, SynerD/ Seal and Scott, settled into founh place on l+ two after bdliry with Britfl SPerle. On laP four, Sperle spo beEer dlan 20 minut€s nuck in the mud. ln the last couple minute! of dle 6&mile race, Honda-mounted .laton Voss c2me blastin8 $roqh the mrd to Eke fourth fiom Gragg, who ler lo6t another p6ition dle to time diustrnfft to talented lways{lzuki Vet rider Eric Ducray Rounding out the top l0 riders were Jarred Orrock, Garrison Grag& motocro6ser TyCarson, ard K.b HowB. On the podiurn, it was Brandt, Peick Garahan and Po'l/ell. Thomas Simontacchi flnished 35th overall and dorninated the B riders on this day, winning the 200cc B class with more than a two-minute l6ad. Scott Chandler was the s€cond over.ll B rider, winning his Four-Stroke cla4s and placlnS 3fth overall, iust ah€ad of th€ third B rider to roll In, Mike Morr€tlno (also runnin8 in the Four-Sroke B class)' who placed ,(oth overall Rori N€€t baat out 330 oth€r ride6 !o be the lop C division on the day after dicint wlth DanieiMahooey for six tap6. Cll ,+B O/A l. lod.n Bendr (KTM): 2. Fbri.k Garril rKtMli l. RE P.well (Ysl. a ldon vos tHonl: 5. Eh< iad (5Ej: 6. Ad Grait ('ram). 7 lmod or.o<,. (K:w) 8. cd;r;o; Grasg (Yan): e T, C.aon {fira}: 10. Krit H.w.s (KTlrl. 200 A: I Ki.k Cote (KTH):2. Corv s.di..; (KIHI 2io a: l. Rvan Po*ll fYm): 2. J.M vos {Ho,. }. a.r GaiI fl.hi +sIRx O'3O, l. M.tt 8En; (K!w,: 2 M.,k SfE (K!w): l. ieon lsn*n (KTM). 4.siiK rol+ A: l. lord.h B.rndt IKTHI: 2 Patr'ck GarEhe (KTMI; I Ty Carson (KTM). VET A: l. En( OLmy 6;); 2. ilvir Firh (KIMrr I crs Ho[.nd (Kaw) SB A; i M*. srs. aYd). 2 r.*m Ym.ll (KTM). ] tun Hin.r (KTl,lr S/SR A: l. Ch.rlie smd (Ym):1. RDbe( H6he; rHon). 3. P.te Pnch d tfirj. GENTS A: r. Frcd Suffiral l(rM): 2. EUEEE Pne (KrM): J w'll'm C'rB /rrrar zdo a, r TholB srMtacchi Oam). 2 D,ftn S

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