 Keeping
the streak going
July 2 – Big
bikes took to the short-track under the lights at the Grand Championships
Wednesday, and four riders ended the evening by keeping a perfect score
intact — winning both of the first two rounds in their classes.
 Topping
the list is John Lewis (left) of Brandamore, Penn., who has gone four for
four — winning every race he's entered so far in the championships. And
on a long day when both the amateur and youth riders raced more than a
combined 130 events, Lewis capped his evening with dual wins in the Arai
Helmets 250 Mod Premier class and the VP Racing Fuels 505 Mod Premier
class.
In 250 Mod Premier, Lewis put on a clinic, leading from holeshot to
flag, then bookended his night two races later by working a bit harder for
the win in 505 Mod. An early holeshot by Stewart Barber Jr. of Stockton,
Calif., put him to a quick lead, but Lewis kept on the pressure. When a
red-flag restart also saw Barber in front, Lewis drew up even, but got a
bit of luck when a mechanical problem to sidelined Barber, giving him the
lead, which he carried to the flag.
The victories tonight gave Lewis a win in each class in both
short-track and half-mile, and made him the only amateur racer to have a
perfect score in two classes.
A few other riders are keeping streaks going in one class including
Jesse Janisch in 250 DTX; Ricky Marshall in 600 Modified; and Royal
Adderson in Senior 40-plus Open.
Under the lights Wednesday in DTX, Janisch, of Hartford, Wis., came to
the front after a red-flag restart to take the win over second-place
Clayton Riggle of Chillicothe, Mo., and third-place Christopher Miller of
Bergen, N.Y.
In 600 Modified, Ricky Marshall of Solon, Ohio, once again made it look
easy, taking the holeshot and leading the entire race. Daniel Fishman of
Le Grand, Calif., came in second, with Robert Jones of Mechanicsville,
Va., third.
And in Senior 40-plus Open, one vet proved that if Jay Springsteen is
the Energizer Bunny of dirt-track, then Royal Adderson is the Jay
Springsteen of the Grand Championships. A winner seemingly every year,
Adderson kept his streak going in the class by leading from flag to flag.
Bryan Smith of Quincy, Ill., came in second, with Gary Moore in third.
The Grand Championships continue Thursday with the amateur classes on
the half-mile; Friday with both groups on the TT course; culminating
Saturday on the famed Springfield Mile.
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The Rest of the Races:
American Supercamp 450 Modified Premier: Sam Halbert of Graham,
Wash., refused to let up, coming back from about a fourth-place start to
work into second by the second-to-last lap, chasing leader Aaron King. A
last-lap move put him in first, with King of Dysart, Iowa., in second and Clayton Riggle third.
Super Senior 50-plus Open: Charging from a second-place start
into the lead by about the third lap, Jerry Stokes of Beaufort, S.C.,
overcame a red-flag restart to finish first, with Dan Crawford of
Marlette, Mich., nipping Lloyd Widener of Charleston, S.C. at the line for
second and third.
Vet 30-plus singles Premier: Greg Donley of Abington, Ill.,
overcame a mid-pack start to work into the second-place spot on the
second-to-last lap. Not giving an inch while pressuring leader Johnny
Cooper of Grand Blanc, Mich., Donley made the pass on the last lap for the
win, with Cooper second and Brien Fell of Galesburg, Ill., third.
Cometic Gaskets 18-plus Open Twins: One of the best races of the
evening saw holeshotter Tim Lindfors of Salina, Kan., under siege by
mid-race by Johnny Cooper of Grand Blanc, Mich., after Cooper wheelied not
once or twice but three times off the line for a third-place start. In the
end, Cooper made the pass to win, with Lindfors second and Robert Owens of
Burton, Mich., third.
400 Mod: Aaron King continued his winning ways, working from a
second-place start into the lead quickly and holding on through the entire
race. Travis Sprong of Somerset, Ind., took second, with Matt Rogers in
third.
AMA Pro Racing Pro Sport 505: A host of red flags saw the race
finally finish late, with Kyle Meiers of Esconaba leading nearly all the
race, with the duo of 2002 Dirt-Track Horizon Award winners — Logan Myers
of Wheeler, Mich., and Nicky Cummings of Mt. Morris, Mich., taking second
and third, respectively |
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