Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

24 loshGrant .losh Grant has been one of the fastest riders all season, but all thar sp€ed couldn'r make up for a llrst-turn crash in moto one. Grant actually had a gocd start, but he bumped into a few rid- ers in tum one and went down, while facton/ HondJs Andrew Shon just barely snuck underneath him. Grant looked rnoti\rat- ed for moto two, as he was the lir* rider to head to dle sta8- ing area for the race- He started about fourth bLIt could not ca(ch lt'like Alessi in front of him, but he won a battle with Andrew McFarlane to finish fourth. 124 andrew McFarlane (5-5) 4th Place Andrew l'4cFadane has been very consislent in his first season in the United SEtes, and he put toSether two rnore solid rides in Col- orado. After a crash midway through rnoto one, he battled past a pack of riders to rnc r'e from ouEide rhe top I 0 to frfth. ln moto rwo, h€ batded lo6h Grant for fourth. but came up iust short. 577 na*in Davalos (6-6) 5th Place It was a career-best day for the rookie from Ecuado[ as I'lartin Da\.alos used Sood starts and bursrs of sp€ed in both moto6 to inish in the top fwe. ln rnoto two, in fact, Davaks 8ot in behind Broc Hepler on the first lap and elmost iumped over him on an inlleld stePup double. He wem ofi $e track, but recc,vered, and held on down the stretch to finish riSht behind McFarlan€. ( I 9-4) 9th Place Mv otryru Rnce " '{7 R l \ \ "{l ,1,' fiis.:' R, t \ I I (Above) bock up Broc ltepler got to speed ogoin, 2 for cecond overoll. Mike Alesri didn'r hove on onrwer for Villopoto in Colorodo, going 3-3 for third ovcroll. 4- gorn9 ing to complain about, Ryan, you know, he beat us straight up, ' Alessi said. He's Soing fast, and he deserves this championship if he wins it. Ryan's Soing fast and he's got the momentum right now, We've iust got to do homework during the week. We have to figure out his weakness out there. Everyone has a weakness." Say what you will about the Alessi clan, butAlessi isn't making excuses, ''Ryan's just going fast. There's not much more I can say." The most stunninE display ofVillopoto's powers came in moto one. He started around fifth. but made short work of Alessi, Short and Racer X Holeshot award winner Brfan Johnson. He passed them all by the end ofthe first lap, and he was gone after that, posting times nearly three sec- onds faster than anyone else. "Everybody wants to do that, iust get out front and pull the biggest gap they can,'' sqs Villopoto. "lt seemed to work otrt for me." Short admitted the nerves had an impact on his riding. "l think lwaflted it a little too bad,'' Short said. "The only good part about that moto was the fans cheering. I rode a horrible flrst half of the moto. I was making mistakes - too many mistakes. Ryan was rid- ing great, and I let him get a gap. And we just can't let him get a gap like that." Alessi moved into third but couldn't get to Short, and like- wise, Hepler got to fourth but couldn't catch Alessi. Short's second-place tinish gave him a shot at the overall, but he knew he would haye to raise hisgame big time to get the win. "l know I have a good second moto in me now that I've calmed down," Short said. "l need to get another Sood start and ride like I know how'' When Villopoto grabbed the Racer X Holeshot, thou8h, it didn't look good for the rest of the troops, even though Short was quickly second and looked much bet- ter than he did in moto one, He tried to knife underneath Mllopoto in the lirst turn, and kept the pressure on. Then Mllopoto suddenly went down hal(vay through the first lap. "l came into the turn in front of those little whoops, and I washed the front end out," Villopoto said. "l had to regroup and come through the pack a little bit-'' Short now had the lead, but before the lap was over, he stumbled and allowed Hepler to pass him. Short rode past the mechanic's area holding his hand up, signal- ing something was wrong with his machine. Sure enough, he came to a stop a few turns later. Something had gone south on his machine, ripping the chance for an overall out of his hands, Meanwhile, Alessi and Villopoto barev avoided the suddenly stopped Honda rider. "l'like was right in front of me, I don't know if he didn't see him right away, but then he all of a sudden saw him and then let off and moved over," villopoto said- 'iAnd then I didn't see Mike move over and then we almost all landed on each other. lt got a little hairball out there." Villopoto then passed Alessi and went after Heplec Hepler put up a light. hogging the good lines and ridinS as wide of a bike as he could. But Villopoto went inside in a big, rutted left-hand turn and took the lead- Then he checked out. "The second moto I got a great start," Hepler said. "ltried to hold the lead as lonS as I could. I iust wasn't hitting my ruts right to go out there and win." There wasn't much to watch for the rest of the moto, as Hepler maintained a big lead over Alessi to finish second in the moto and second overall, CJl THUNDET VaUEY MX PAiK l-aKEwooo, CoroRADo REsurrs: JurY 23, 2006 (RouNg 7 or 12) Chustopher Putnb (Kaw)i 2,1. L.vi Kilbarser (Hon); 25. Yohe, Koi,ma 6ur/: 26. Drnry Bqa \Hon): 27. Bn& GE, (sE);28. Anthon/ cha..tte (KTM)j 29. Denoirronon (Suz): 30 Trevor l4onk5 (Kaw): ll. chad$ CEd@ (:/am); 32. Roben Kiiiry (Hon); 13. Srrr. lohnson l:/am): la. Bret r1et@re fld): 15. Levi Reid (Hon): 35. Rran Sipes (suz): 17. KEvin P.okt@l(Hon)i 38.lake T Wbime. (Hon)i 19. Za.h Osbome (fiF1)i 40. RFn l4o6i! (suz). R .e Tim€: 16 min. 39.00 sec. LITES I{OTO 2: L R}an Mllopoto (Kzw): 2. ErG Hepler (suz)r 3. Mike Ale$i (KIl'I)i {. J.rh Grant (Hon)rs. A.drew l4.Fadane (Ym)r 6. Manin DaElos (Yam)i 7. Tro/ Ad.m (Kaw): 8. 8re!r Mer.alfe Oam)r 9. Nathan Eamsey (KTM): 10. Matth* Gelke (Ym)i I l. Sean Collier (Yam)i l2 Danny Sm,$ (Hon)i ll. PaulClrpnter (Hon)i 14. Kyle chishorm (Kaw); 15. Stqe BoniLce (Hon)r 16. lustin Kesey (Hon): 17. Brian GEy (Yn)i 18. KElly Snith (Hon)i I 9. Roben Kiniry (Hd): 20 Ju5tin BEyton (Yam); 2 L SF/an ,ohnsn [Yam): 22. YohEi Koiima lsuz): 23. Tucker Hibbeft (Ym); 24. Levi Kjlbarser (Hon)i 25. Chada cstloo l:/am): 26. Ddny B4a (Hd): 27. Trevor Mo.ks (Kaw)r 28. Chrisropher P!86b {&w); 2e. l&n tiwrace (suz)r 10. Dsnis Jonon (suz): 3l- Ricky P€nner (Kaw)j 32. Man walker (Yam): 13. Andrry Shod (HonJ;14. Antho.y Chlette (KTt'1): 35. Levi Reid (Hon)i 16. RFh Sips (S!z): 37. Kdrn Roolsool (Hon): 18. J,ke weimer (Hon)j 39. zach osborne (Krm):,{0. RFn Mohrs (su,). R Ee Tirc 36 min., 13.09 r*. UTES OVERALIj L Ry vilropoto (K:w)i 2. Brcc Hepler (Suz)i 3. Mike Ale$i (KTM);4 Andrew lil

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