Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1546039
C Y C L E N E W S • AUGUST 9, 2006 57 Vet X Insane Inferno Series Round 1: Perris Raceway Number 451 Ignites the Inferno! BY STEVE EMTER PERRIS, CA, JUNE 25 V et X kicked off its five-race summer series, dubbed the "Insane Inferno Series," on an uncharacteristically humid day at Perris Raceway. While the sky was overcast much of the day, the heat index was high, throwing yet another challenge to the racers as they lined up to do battle. The Perris track was prepped to perfection, with several challenges, including a tricky rhythm section, long jumps, and high-speed straightaways. Paul Keuhnel's nickname on this day should have been "Fahrenheit 451" - as the rider on the appropriately numbered bike came out to the first round and ignited the Inferno, in the process scorched the 28-35 Novice class. Keuhnel and Samuel Evans battled their way through the first moto, with Kuehnel getting the early lead in the race. Evans was back in third after the first lap, with Bruce Cordova defending the second position. On lap three of the nine-lap moto, Evans was able to pass Cordova for second, and then he charged toward the leader. On lap five, he put in the fastest lap of the moto and made the pass on Keuhnel. At the checkers, Evans took the win, with Keuhnel in second and Cordova taking third. Cordova set out to try to take the win in moto two, getting out to the early lead. He held the lead for the first two laps until Kuehnel charged past to take the lead. Behind them, Bill Marshall and Michael Penta were battling for third place, setting up two races for position. The race for third was eventually won by Penta, who passed and then held off Marshall in the final laps. Keuhnel was able to hold on to his lead and take the moto win as well as the overall victory. Second for the day was Cordova (3-2), and third overall was Evans (1-5). Bill West owned the top of the podium in the 36-42 Intermediate class. After suffering a poor start in the first moto that led to a fourth-place finish, West was committed to improving his results. Donn Maeda was the early leader in the second moto, getting a good jump off the gate and holding the lead as they crossed the line for the first lap. West was sitting in third place, behind Rod Wexler. On the second lap, West began his charge toward the front, passing both Wexler and Maeda to take the lead, which he held on to for the moto win. Second place went to a hard-charging John Flores, who had worked his way from fifth place up to second at the end, putting Maeda into third. The overall belonged to West (4-1), with second being claimed by Flores (3-2) and Wexler taking the final spot on the podium with 2-4 finishes. Brian Ratliff and Craig Speicher traded moto wins in the 28-35 Beginner class. Ratliff took the overall with his 2-1 finishes, narrowly edging out Speicher, with his 1-2 finishes. Ian Reed took the third overall in the class by putting in a 4-3 performance for the day. RESULTS MINI BEG 65: 1. Jordan Pacheco; 2. Tyler Penta; 3. Cody McNatt. MINI NOV 65: 1. Trevor Hernandez. MINI BEG 85: 1. Collin Pochirowski; 2. Nellshawn Walker; 3. Brad Murchison; 4. Marcus Walker; 5. Troy Hart. MINI NOV 85: 1. Jake Wiegen; 2. Brendan Hernandez. MINI INT 85: 1. Billy Musgrave. F/T BEG: 1. Jack Mabee; 2. Daryl Osswald; 3. Brian Whiteside; 4. Ryan Yanagihara; 5. Jesse Ortiz. 28-35 TRUE BEG: 1. Hank Zeman; 2. Jeff Solberg; 3. Eric Scott; 4. Dave McNally; 5. Michael Roehning. 28-35 BEG: 1. Brian Ratliff; 2. Craig Speicher; 3. Ian Read; 4. Matt Smith. 28-35 NOV: 1. Paul Kuehnel; 2. Bruce Cordova; 3. Samuel Evans; 4. Michael Penta; 5. Bill Marshall. 28-35 INT: 1. Derric Swinfard; 2. Bill West; 3. Joe Prais; 4. Wayne Ashby; 5. David Jennings. 28-35 PRO: 1. Todd Mitchell; 2. Willy Musgrave; 3. Jason Larson; 4. David McCown; 5. Chris Heinrich. 36-42 TRUE BEG: 1. Keith Schroeder; 2. Daryl Osswald; 3. Roger Cole; 4. Eric McCormick. 36-42 BEG: 1. Kevin Westmoreland; 2. Robert McFadden; 3. Raymond Glover; 4. Sal Sandoval; 5. Joey Kato. 36-42 NOV: 1. Dawson Leachman; 2. Justin Leeds; 3. Antoin Daily; 4. Michael Moso; 5. Joe Hernandez. 36-42 INT: 1. Bill West; 2. John Flores; 3. Rod Wexler; 4. Donn Maeda; 5. David Jennings. 36+ PRO: 1. Todd Mitchell; 2. Willy Musgrave; 3. Chris Heinrich; 4. David McCown; 5. Craig McCall. 43+ TRUE BEG: 1. Chris Beggs; 2. Steve Johnston; 3. Steve Hinckley; 4. Ron Lingo; 5. Mark Galvan. 43-49 BEG: 1. Eric Nagao; 2. Robert Robinson; 3. Jack Peachey. 43-49 NOV: 1. Larry Luna; 2. Philip Cruz; 3. Mike Kinney; 4. Greg Wolfe; 5. Shy Moshe. 43+ INT: 1. David Fontes; 2. Mark Rogers; 3. Gary Sherohman; 4. Jim Butts; 5. Doyle McNatt. 50+ BEG: 1. Dennis Smith; 2. Mark Robles. 50+ OPEN: 1. Lyle Sweeter; 2. Rick Johnson; 3. Joe Pena; 4. Michael Burnett. VET EX: 1. Loren Pochirowski. OPEN BEG: 1. Billy Musgrave; 2. Chris Barr; 3. Jaimeson Hearne; 4. Jack Mabee; 5. Adam Persitza. OPEN NOV: 1. Justin Petersen; 2. Samuel Evans; 3. Wayne Ashby; 4. Nick Kisling; 5. Brian Butts. OPEN INT: 1. Devin Roth; 2. Cole Crawford; 3. David Fontes; 4. Doyle McNatt. OPEN PRO: 1. Andy D'Arrigo; 2. Jason Larson; 3. Jim Gibbs; 4. Scott Cram. OPEN (NON-PRO): 1. Devin Roth; 2. Nick Kisling; 3. Brian Butts; 4. Miles Butts; 5. Rick Johnson.