Sacramento,
CA - May 19, 2002 |
Chevy Trucks Kawasaki is
winning the much-hyped Brown/Langston/Reed/Stewart 125 class showdown with
it's sensational rookie James "Bubba" Stewart. Stewart has won three out
of 4 motos so far, including a perfect 1-1 at Hangtown, and he is now 20 points
ahead of Grant Langston in second.
Stewart won easily in the
dry first moto, and after a hard rain turned the track muddy, he struggled
without goggles but still made his way back to the front after passing Suzuki
teammates Branden Jesseman and Danny Smith.
Langston rode well but had
a little trouble in the mud later, Reed had bad starts, and Brown struggled with
starts too and spent his day fighting through traffic.
"In the first moto I got
the holeshot, said Stewart, "I was pumped. I felt real confident on my
concrete starts. I just felt good. I got out front and I just started pulling
away and by the middle of the race I had a 25 second lead and I just kept
pushing. At the end they started catching me a lot. I was cruising because I had
to save something for the second moto. In the second moto my start sucked. I
almost did a 180. I was coming off the gate. I planned on just riding off the
gate but with all those bikes around me I almost forgot what I was supposed to
do and I just gassed it and spun out. The first lap was tough I was trying to
stay up. I almost landed on Brown and a couple of other guys on a little step
down because they didn't jump it. I took a little chance I had to jump it. I
just stayed up and went into third. They (Danny Smith and Jesseman) were
actually pulling me for a little while. For a couple laps I reeled them so much
I was too close to them and I didn't want to follow them so I had to pick it
up just that little extra to get around them both and I went from third to first
in one lap. Luckily a lapper messed up Danny Smith and I got around the inside
of him. I stayed up. Then my rolloffs broke and I had to take off my goggles and
I couldn't see. It was good though I had a good time. I am glad I won in the
dry and I am glad I won in the mud. There were two totally different conditions
in about an hour."
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Langston said he knee was
bothering him more than last weekend. "I am going to see doctors tomorrow,"
he said, "I was going to go back east and stay with Brock (Sellards) but I am
going to go back to (southern) California and see the doctors. I started off too
slow. James just cleared out. I didn't have enough speed. From about the 15
minute mark I started picking up a little. There was just this huge gaggle of
riders gathering up behind me. I could hear them but I didn't want to turn
around because I would start worrying. I didn't even want to know who was
behind me. I didn't even look at the pit board or anything. Then Chad got
behind me and I knew it was him because I could hear him. We both picked it up
and the last sort of 10 minutes was good. Our fastest lap was the last lap and
we hit before the finish line. In the second moto I just rode like a fairy. I am
not much of a mud rider, and that's not Tim Ferry. I have never been good in
the rain or the mud. I was having to make the best of it. At one stage I thought
I could get a 4th place finish. After a couple of lapped riders hit the biggest
puddles in the track and sprayed me I had to throw my goggles and the last three
laps I think every lapped rider that came up hit the biggest puddle in front of
me. At one stage I could not even see. I was wiping my eyes with a dirty glove.
Those last two laps were terrible. Unfortunately James pulled some points on us
which is not what I wanted to happen."
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Chad Reed was third
overall, and need to start making things happen if he wants to keep Stewart from
keeping away in series points. "I had fun today," said Reed, "I wanted to
win but I guess I made it one better than last week. I had a good race. I just
have to make the beginning of the race a little better, get a good start and
push a little bit harder in the beginning. When it started raining I was looking
forward to it. I like riding in the mud. At one stage when I got in 4th I
started catching those guys a few seconds a lap. I just lost my brakes. That was
a bit unfortunate. Both front and back were just really fading. It's just one
of those things that you come across in the mud. It was unfortunate but I just
have to pick it up from now on."
125cc
AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship - Round 2 |
1. 1-1 James Stewart,
Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki
2. 3-4 Chad Reed, Australia, Yamaha
3. 2-6 Grant Langston, South Africa, KTM
4. 7-2 Danny Smith, Middleton, Idaho, Suzuki
5. 8-3 Branden Jesseman, Pombell, Pa., Suzuki
6. 4-8 Mike Brown, Piney Flats, TN, Kawasaki
7. 5-11 Ernesto Fonseca, Costa Rica, Honda
8. 11-10 Bobby Bonds, Bakersfield, Ca., Kawasaki
9. 6-15 Buddy Antunez, Temecula, Ca., Suzuki
10. 12-13 Matt Walker, McRae, GA, Kawasaki
125cc
Season Points Standings After Round 2 |
1. James Stewart, Haines
City, Fla., Kawasaki, 97 pts
2. Grant Langston, South Africa, KTM, 77 pts
3. Chad Reed, Australia, Yamaha, 75 pts
4. Danny Smith, Middleton, Idaho, Suzuki, 68 pts
5. Mike Brown, Piney Flats, TN, Kawasaki, 67 pts
6. Ernesto Fonseca, Costa Rica, Honda, 54 pts
7. Matt Walker, McRae, GA, Kawasaki, 48 pts
8. Bobby Bonds, Bakersfield, CA,. Kawasaki, 43 pts
9. Damon Huffman, Canyon Country, CA., Suzuki, 40 pts
10. Branden Jesseman, Pombell, Pa., Suzuki 37 pts
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