Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... seven points behind Alessi and appears headed for the front. Mllopoto was the only rider near the front all day with any consistency. Makita Suzuki's Broc Hepler returned from a foot injury and ended up posting 2-5 scores to finish second in his flrst race of the season, while SoBe/Samsung Honda's Josh Grant finished third with 7-3 scores. "l had my work cut out for me," Hepler said. "l was just hoping for a top five today, so l'm happy with this. These guys have been racing since January so I'm just hoping to mix it up. Hopefully this will be good for the fans." Crashes prevented Grant any chances he had of perhaps winning o. getting sec- ond. "l crashed in the lirst moto a couple of times," Grant said. "l charged as far up as I could. I drained myself a litle bit- Luckity, I had enough left to get a third." Alessi's l6-4 tally and Shon's l3-2 were disappointing after podium finishes a week earlier. "First moto didn'r go that great," Alessi said. "But that's okay. The flrst moto, we just bunched in and everyone came into me. I saw Andrew when I was down, and we were first and second in poins, and I thought, 'How ironic is this?' But that's racinS. I came back. lgot to I lth on the last lap, and I just tried to make one more pass. I cross-rutted and went down, "The second moto, llined up on the inside, so iust in case I didn't get a good start, I could iust come down the inside. That's what I did - I got the holeshot. I was riding pretty good the first couple of laps- But Ryan was ridinS pretty good out there." And that's all Alessi would say of the incident in moto two, which left him on the ground. ''He went in through the middle ofthe turn, and he looked back to see where I was," Villopoto said. "l was on the outside and I don't know if he saw me, but our lines came together. I think it really spooked him a lot. Then we came togeth- er and he fell." That pass for the lead was the final in a series of passes Villopoto needed to make on a hot, humid afternoon on the hilly Budd's Creek circuit. The first-turn car- nage in moto one opened the door for some unlikely early leaders, as KTM's rookie Zach Osborne grabbed the $500 Racer X Holeshot award and led half of the race, but the relentless pressure and the heat took its toll and sapped the youngster of his strength. SoBe/Samsung Honda's Billy Laninovich and BooKoo Honda's Steve Boniface were also in the lead pack. But Boniface would fade a bit and Laninovich would stall, and then later come together with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's other threat - Grant Langston - and the collision ended up rweaking Laninovich's knee and re-injur- ing Langston's sore wrist. Neither rider would race in moto tYvo. Meanwhile, Villopoto knifed through the pack to get the win with Hepler in tow, and Red Bull KTM's Nathan Ramsey in third. Unfortunately for KTI'4, Famsey would crash early in moto two, ending his podium hopes. Alessi grabbed the Racer X Holeshot money in moto two and got away from Short, Grant and Villopoto early. but the trio reeled him back in. After Villopoto passed the two Honda riders, he caLrght Alessi put the aggressive pass on him, and never looked back - although he had a brief fall of his own iust to make it inter- esting. "Right after that, I fell and bent my clutch lever way up," said Villopoto. "l could see Shorty was catching me with two laps to Eo. I just tried to stay up. lt feels reallygood." Cll BUDD3 CREEK RacEwAY BuDgs CREEK, MaRYLAND REsuLrs: JuNr 18, 2006 (RouND 4 or l2) Jorh G6nt (Hon)i 8. And@ l'lctadoe (Yn): 9. s@ Collier (YaD)r 10. Paul Carpenter (H6)rl L Roben Klniry (Hon); 12. Hatthew Goe.ke fram): 13. ,idrew Shon (Hon): la. Trcy Adams (Kaw): ls. Danny smirh (H6)r 16 rlike Als' (KTH): 17. Roben l',1a6hall (Hon): 18. a.h Orbohe (KTH)| 19. Je. Lamre {s,z)r 20. Brian Gay (S@); 21. Tucker Hibben (Yam)r 22. Jake weim (Hon)i 23. Ty'er ttd€lia (Hon): 24. l'lit(hell oousheny (Kaw); 2s. Bnan Shu.khan (Kaw)i26. Jay l'1am6r (KTH)| 27. l'1anin Del6 lYam): 28. &ndall Ewrett (Kaw)i 29 wilt Torh (suz): 30- cory Gre6 (Hon)i I l. Ty'er Bqht (suz):32. Bilt Lnn'novi.h (Hor): ll. MEhad B.M (sE): l,l GEm Lan85ton (&w); 35. Justin Rado (Yam)i 36. Hunt€r MeyEr (K.w); lT.lortin BE),toi (Yam)i 38. l'lltt walker (am)r 19. Ni@ls Erennou (Y.m);40.losh Lichde (Y.m). LITES lloTo TwO: I Rr.n Mllopoto {X!w): 2. Andrew Shon (Hon)i 3. losh GBt (Hon)i 4. mike Alsri (KTr.1); 5. Brett t-letolre (Yam)i 6. Brcc Hepler (S!z): 7. And.ew McFarlane (Yam)r 8. Troy Adamr (Kaw)r 9. MztthM Ge.ke (Yam): I 0. Jaon Llw.sce (s{z)i I I . Sean Colli.r (Yam)i 12 PaulCarpenter (Hq): 13. lay l"tarmont (KTi,1)i 14. Ste Boniface (Hon): 15. raatt walker ff )l t6. Narhm tumsey (KTl'1); 17. Danny Shth (Hon)i 18. Tucker Hibbert (Yam); 19- En GEy (S@)i 20. Robert M.Rhall (Honr: 21. Co.y 6rer (Hoa) 22 laLe wo'mer (Hon);21. Bfia Shuckh.n (Kaw):24. WillyToth (Suz);25. Hunt6 Meyer (Kaw): 26. fiitchell Dourhefty (Kaw); 27. Randall Ew.ett (&w): 28. Trler Bn8ht (5@)i 2r. T/ler Medatlia (Hon): 30. Ni.orai Evennou (lam): 31. RobeE Kinir/ (H@)r 12. lunrn Bc/ton (Yam)r 33. J6h Li;/

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