Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Motosport.com's Kelly Smith was hoping to turn in a podium llnish in front of his hometown crowd. How- ever, the Ludington, l'lichigan, resident gated in sixth and moved up iust one position after quick-starter Teddy Maier staned to fade. "This is pretty much my hometown track, and I would have liked to have got- ten a podium," Smith said, "but fifth was okay. I moved me up in the points a little. I liked the track. The din was good, and the deritn was 8ood, with a long set of whoops." Smith now sits in sixth overall in the poinls, I 3 points behind SoBe/Samsung Mobile/Honda's Tomrny Hahn. 72 losh Summey 8th Unbound EnerSy Drink's.losh Summey got his money's worth in Detroit after ridinS a heat, a semi, the LCQ and the main. Summey seemed to get stronger as the race wore on, ahd he worked his way up from l4th after the lirst l+ to eiShth at the finish. "l ended up riding every race possible, but tlle end resuh was good," Summe), said. "l tot off to a deaent start, but the start this week was a little diflicult; it had some tiglt switchbacks. I worked my way towards the front at the end of the race. The track w:s nice, beaause it had some places like the rhythm sections where you could s€parate yourself from the other 8uys," 42 Tommy Hahn 4th Tommy Hahn showed great speed in Detroit, but the SoBe/Samsunt l4obile/Honda-backed ride. got a bad start and spent the entire main event in catch-up mode. Hahn wa5 in l2th after four laps, but on lap five he started a charSe that saw him pick offa rider almost ever/ lap until he was in fourth. "l tot a prett), bad start," Hahn said. "lf I could get a start, I think I could run with the top three tuys, but they rode really good tonitht. I'm not takinS anythinS away from them, but hopeful- ly I can tet up there soon and show them a wheel or two." ,1 *.+-^,--. tiN ,,\ t, @rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,#tg, L 37 retry smittr 5th Mv Owru Rnce "He cut me off on the start, and I 8ot kind of a bad start," l'4illsaps said. "Then I worked my way into second and chal- lenged him for a little bit, but he was going at a fast pace, and I didn't want to lose it, so liust backed it down. Grant was riding really good this weekend. and I didn't have anything for him. My hat's off to him. We'll see how everything Soes next weekend; hopefully it will go good." Millsaps admifted that the pressure of a first-ever title miSht have been a factor. "Tonight, I saw Josh ahead of me, and I saw all the lappers, and I thought, lust quit thinking about it and go,"' Millsaps said. "l couldn't get [the championship] out of my head tonight, and I iust want to Eet it over with." The start may have been a determin- ing factor in lYillsaps' strategy, once the race was under way. Had he grabbed the holeshot, like he did in his heat race, he might have Sone for it all and challenged Grant for the win. But as it turned out. l'lillsaps exited turn one in fifth, while Grant moved by Kawasaki Team Green's Teddy lvlaier in the second turn after the start and then by Motospon.com's Rob Kiniry on lap two to take the early lead. By the time Millsaps moved into second on lap three, Grant had established a four-second advantaSe. Once again, Grant gained ground on the field out of the turns and matched Millsaps' pace through the whoops to fin- ish the race with a 6.8-second advantage over Millsaps at the checkers. Kiniry rode his best race of the year and was one turn away from taking his first-ever podium, but he lost it in the whoops section, giving Gosselaar the final podium position. "l just crashed, plain and simple, with a hundred feet to go," Kiniry said. "l injured my elbow earlier in the week, and I didn't ride allweek, and it was killing me all day. I had been skimming the whoops, but I made one mistake down by the mechanics' area and Gosselaar caught up to me. I knew I had to 8o through the whoops good on that last lap, and my elbow was gefting weaker and weaker, and lwent down. I'm just sick about it.'' Gosselaar was right on Kiniry and was getting ready to try a last-second pass when the Honda rider went down. "l was going for a block-pass if he did- n't fall." Gosselaar said. "l don't know how it would have turned out, but I'm just happy. "l think I rode the best tonight that I have allyear,'' Gosselaar continued. "l still struggled on some sections of the track, like the triple before the finish line; I could never get that down. But I think I rode good." SoBe/Samsung Hobile/Honda's Tommy Hahn and Motosport.com's Kelly Smith got by Kiniry as well, to round out the top five, while Kiniry eventually crossed the line in sixth. Yamaha of Troy's Branden Jesseman, who was sitting fourth in the points standings Soing into the event, suffered a bad start and then stalled his bike on the firct lap and could only manage an llth- place finish. Millsaps now leads Grant in the cham- pionship chase by 22 points, l4l-119, with one round remaining, while Gosselaar sits in third with I 14. Had it not been for Grant's DNF in St. Louis, the title chase would definitely have been more interesting, "Finishing up front, it really sucks to think back to St. Louis," Grant said. "l am really bummed that it happened, and I think this championship would have been different.'' Cll FoRD F|ELD DETnoF, ,rlrcHrcaN R:su[sr MARGH 25, 2006 (RouND 6) Millsap6 (Hon)r 2. 8€nden Jesreron (Yam): 3. rhomu Hehn (Hon)r 4. loshue woods (suz)i s. Donnie Mccdny (Knw)r 6. l'4ichael 8lo* (Hon)r 7. Gr% s.hnell (Su)r 8. ChrG Slce (Hon); 9. D$ty Klatt (Hon): 10. 5a Hamblin (suu): ll. za.h Am6 (suz)i 12. chad ward (Hon)i ll. Charl$ Elli! (Hon): la. Dennislon6n (suz): ls. TyConn.r (Ym)r 16.lal |'larmont (KrM)i 17. Eady She.€n (r3w)i 18. Manin D&lc (Yam): 19. Rrtu Grantm (Hon)i 20. Rr.. tim.: 5 min.. 13.03 sec. SX LIYES LCQ (4 lapr l-4 to m.in): L Manin Davalo, (Yam)i 2. lay |ldmont (KTH)i l. Kevin Johnson flam)r a.l6h summey (Hon)is. Nath skasss (Y )i6. Ryan Gantom (Hon)i 7. 5@ Hmblin (suzl; 8. chad C@k (Hon); 9. Dennis lonon (suz): 10. BEdle/ Ripple (K.w)i I r. william B.ownins (suz); 12. Chad W:rd (Hon); ll. Ch ler Ellis (Hon); 14. Roy Horto. (Hon): 15. Ch.d JohBon (Yzm): 16- Micnel PUE€b (K2w): 17. Leithton Lillie (Hon)r 18. Ty conher (Yam)i 19. Kevi. Hoge (Suz)i 20. Bd4r Sheren (xaw)i 21. t'lich@l Aka/din (Hos); 22. Fa.. timq I min.. 41.85 se. SX LIrES MAIN (ll l.pr): l.lorhuaGtut (Hon);2. Davi Milleps (Hon); 3. Chrciopher Gosdar (Kiw)i 4. Thoms HahF \Hon):5. Ke,r SniLh(Ho^).6 Roben K'nr/ (Hon)i 7. Joshu. weds (suz): 8.losh sumne/ (Hon): e. Jay Marmoat {KTt1)r 10. Marin Davabr ryam): ll. Banden le$em& fam)r 12. Teddy MaiEr (Knw): tl. BrFn lohnson (Ye): I.4. Donnie l'lccouny {tuw); Is. Ky'e Chsholm (Kaw)i 16. Kevin lohnson (Yam); 17. Grcg Schnell (Suz): 18. Dun/ Kla!! (Hon)i 19. I'4(hael Blose (Hon)i20. chns Blose (Hon);21. I.1atthry Goerke (Yam)i 22. Stephae Roneda Clam). Race time: l2 min., 59.8 !e. AHP'O HOBILE EASTERN REGIONAL SX LITES SERIES POINTS STANDIHGS (Aft6r 6 of 7 eun&): I Dae l.1,lkaps (lll/3 w,ns)j l.loshu Gtrt (ll9/3li 3 Chrisroeher GosElar (ll4)i 4. Emnden lskm (96);5. Thom6 Hahn (80)r5. Kell),Smith (54r 7 Roben Kiniry(66)18. Mani. Davalos (59)i9. TeddI llaier (48): 10. Mi.hael BIo* ({s): Il. Bryan lohmon (40)i 12. lorh Harcen (38)i ll.I6hsum6e7(17): 1,1. senn H bin (36): 15 l,y rlarmont (16); 16. D!rt, Klan (ll)i 17. Ky'e Chsholm (12); 18.loshua vr'oodr (l l): 19. Chad lohnen (30)i 20. Iu

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