Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Grant would llnish seventh, Shon said the second moto didn't go how he wanted it to. "l put my best effort in," he said. "Grant Langston was riding really good. He helped me out for the overall. I appre- ciate it. Number 800's [Alessi] been hard to beat. He's been consistent, so we need a little bad luck for him for the rest of the series. Bu! it's a long series and anFhing can happen, especially in the Lites class. I'm just happy with today." After his flrst moto DNE Villopoto recovered with a fifth in the second, with l'lcFarlane sixth. That, with a lirst-moto fifth, netted him fourth overall. Gl{ MorocRoss 338 SourHwrcx, MA55acHUsErIs REsu[s: JUNE I I. 2006 RoUND 3 or I2) fi.st lap in I lth. "l came out of the gate pretq/ good and I iust kind of messed up in the first turn," he said. "l didn't make the best choices lguess. First moto, the same thing. I went to the first turn about the same position and ended up cominS around the first lap a lot further up." Metcalfe did something he'd never done early in the second moto - he led. "\Men I was in the lead, it's the flrst time lwas in the lead." he said. "So lwas a little nervous, I was swapping around a little bit. I couldn't calm down and focus. And then Josh lcrant] came and passed me, and, 'This is fine, let him 8o,"' he said of SoBe./Samsung Mobile Honda's Josh Grant's brief tenure at the front on the lifth lap only. "/As soon as he 8ot in the lead, he didn't ride very well at all- Made a couple of mistakes. He was twappinS around a little bit out there. I was able to pass him back pretty quick. And lthink that kind of helped me. Because it iust made me relax. And after that I just start- ed clicking off some good clean l+s, pret- ty easily, I wasn't passing anymore. I think if he hadn't come up and passed me, I think I would have faded pretty bad, lt's a good thing that he did." Grant had gone with Metcalfe at the start, as had Alessi, with Monster/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Grant Langston an early fourth and charging, after a first moto DNE Langston was running eighth on the l3th of 18 laps of the lirst moto when his engine expired, "The bike just quit," he said. "We don't know why now- lt was slow, and then a big vibration and the engine died." Teammate Ryan villopoto had gone out with mechanical problems on the sev- enth lap. Near the front, Alessi passed Grant early on the I lth lap, then dropped back to third when Langston came past, With six to go, Metcalfe had over five seconds on Langston, but the Kawasaki rider was lapping seconds a lap quicker. ''For sure, definitely aware I could win the overall when I was leading," Metcalfe said, "Then.l saw Langston comin8 up behind me and saw on the pit board, 'Think overall.' And I was, like, 'okay, if I drop back to second I can still win.'As soon as I thought that. I was, like, forSet the overall. lwant to win this moto. Grant - I just couldn't hang." Three laps from the end, Langston was shadowing Metcalfe and went under him on the next lap with an inside move in a downhill left. Then he was gone, pulling out 3-875 seconds in the final two laps. ''Unfortunarely, I had a little bad luck in the first moto," he said. "We iust had freak thing. We've never had a mechanical problem, ever. We're not quite sure what happened. but the bike stafted slowing and had a bad vibration and ended up breaking - iust one of those thinSs - part of racinS. "Mitch [Payton] told me, it was his fault that the moto blew up; I owed it to him to win the second moto. So I said I would try to do that." Langston continues to deal with a wrist iniury suffered at the final event of the Supercross season. Today, it didn't seem to be a problem. Langston credited the sand. "The bumps, they are more forgiving - a little softer - so I lust tried to find smooth lines," he said. "l guess that's the one good thing when you have an iniury - you find the good lines out there. There's no real smooth line around this track. it's pretty rough all around, but there are smoother lines than the main line." Metcalfe's second, and second podium of the season, was never threatened. By the end, he had nearly 12 seconds on Alessi, "Great isn't the ward," IYetcalfe said. "l can't believe it. l've been tryin8 so hard to get up on the podium every weekend this year. lt's coming toSether really good. It's the second time up here. I love this track. The crowd was ,ust going off. I wa5 having fun. "l've been working hard and GL [Langston] - he came from a fair ways back. He rode really good and he had some good lines. And I picked up on it and improved a little bit and it was over. He was too strong. " Alessi was content to finish third, and continue his championshap run. "Being consistent is going to win cham- pionships," he said. "l think I'm the only rider that's found the podium all three week so far. Good starts are obviously the key to being up front at the beginninS of the race - staying out of trouble." Alessi nearly 8ot into trouble in the second turn. "l kind of went too far outside. Josh Grant came up the inside and just hit me," he said. "l lost a lot of my drive 8oin8 up that hill." Alessi said he "got over it real quick. I was trying to catch Josh. I just wanted - Josh, he was going really fast at the begin- ning of the race. You can't go all out in the beginning of the race here, because it's the kind of track you've got to Pace your- self or you're going to run out. And that's exactly vrhat he did. I iust let him go and watched him battle.'' Hx LITES HoTO ONE: | . Andrew Shon (Hon): 2. I4ike Ale$i (KTIY)i 3. Brett taEtcalfe (Yam)i 4. l'latr Goe.&e (Yam)i 5. Andrew l'lcFarlane (Y.h)i 6. J6on Lawrence (suz): 7. KylE Chishorm (Kaw): 8. Jorh GEnt (Hon): 9. Billy tnninovich (Hon)i 10. P.ul Ca.penter (Ho.): ll. Matt walker (Yam); 12. Nath.n Banrel (KTl'l); l3- sdn collier (Yam); 14. William Ainswonh (Kaw)j ls. Brian Cray (suz)r 16. Chrit PuSrab ((Xaw)i IT. rustin R:ndo (Yah)i 18. Tyler t'ledaslia (Hon)t 19. Mkhael Browh (suz)r 10. Danny Smith (Hon): 21. Tucke. Hibben (Yam): 22.lurtin BE ron (Y.m)r 23.la, Marmont (fifl): Za. l'lartin Dav,lor (Yam)r 25. Rob.n Ki.iry (Ho.): 26 Dennh lonon (suz)i 27. charles Caitloo Cfam)i 28. Ni.holai Vaushn (Knw); 29. lued Soothrcyd (KTM):30. Adam Chatrield (Yam):31. Aihle€ wskob (31)i 32. Gnnt Lansston (Kaw): ll. Roben HaEhall (Hon)i lJ. Kelly smith (Hon): 15. Cory Green (Hon)i 36. T.oyAdams (Kaw): 17. Ryan villopoto (Kaw)r 38. Sleve Sonifa.e (Hon)i 19. Za

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