Saturday, June 3rd, 2006  Tulare Cycle Park

  Round #3

Senior

1.     12e Jeff Lessley

2.     71z Bob Scally

3.     33q Mike Keith

4.     25d Steve Craft

5.     15 Mark Stuckert

6.     96a Jack Alexander

7.     3  Charles Koog

 

Vet “A” Main

1.     9  Don Howard

2.     48y Mike Vital

3.     36 Marshall Lapp

4.     37x Brian Tapp

5.     97y Danny Ritchie

6.     571 Mike O’Neil

7.     34m Alan Urias

8.     42 Craig Johnson

9.     24c Craig Estrada

10. 3  Clay Chambers

11. 40 Rob Weisberg

 

Vet “B” Main

Simi Valley Kawasaki's John Lundgren should have been in the Vet "A" main based on his lap times.
 But a poor heat race showing slated him in the "B" main which he easly won.

1.     45e John Lundgren

2.     42 Bill Kolkman

3.     28b Gary Ritchie

4.     25d Steve Craft

5.     96a Jack Alexander

6.     37 Geoff Ball

7.     86 Steve Sandman

8.     46 Damon Redman

9.     51p Joe Suebert

10. 77 Kyle Lessley

11. 29  Dan Shaw

12. 87 Mark Babcock

Sr. Novice/Super Sr

Mark Stuckert came all the way from Arizona and took top honors in the Super Senior/Senior Novice main.
 His mount of choice is a 1972 B.S.A. 750cc in a Redline frame. Fastest lap was 20.04 seconds.

1.     15 Mark Stuckert

2.     68 Ken Barrow

3.     209 Cliff Nagatani

4.     64v Roy Burris

5.     52c Dave Cheney

6.     50 Mel Stoner

7.     31z Tom Howard

8.     27 Ron Alexander

9.     30a Dennis Tomberlin

10. 80x Bob Harris

11. 35e Chuck Walton

 

Classic 500

1.     87y Chris Rudy

2.     14 James Kohls

3.     52c Dave Cheney

 

Dino

1.     3  Mike O’Neil

2.     22y Marsh Runyon

3.     53 Brent Johnson

 

Youth 50

1.     176 Tyler Hammond

2.     88t Tyler Shelter

3.     12 AJ Alves

4.     45 Tyler Kolkman

 

Youth 80

Andre Ochs is adapting well to the Och's Racing 85cc Honda. He's not only seeking a Dirt Track title this year,
but a Super-Moto crown as well. With a 20.52 second lap he's on track!

1.     700 Evan Stafford

2.     1 Douglas Manhire

3.     4r Andre Ochs

4.     24 Zac Lenhof

5.     33g Geoffery Shelter

 

Modern 250

1.     32y Mike Gonzales

2.     12e Jeff Lessley

3.     45e John Lundgren

Modern 500

1.     209 Cliff Nagatani

2.     44 Gary Swan

3.     52c Dave Cheney

4.     30a Dennis Tomberlin

 

Modern 750

Jim Ottele hammered the 750cc class on the Doug Douglas B.S.A.
He also came within one position of putting this vintage machine in the Pro Main!!!!!
Ottele finished third in the Pro Simi, where only two transfered.

1.     58y Jim Ottele

2.     71z Bob Scally

3.     34m Derek McCowan

4.     57 Keith Speir

5.     77 Joe Suebert

 

250 Open

1.     87 Lindsey King

2.     33e Michael Avila

3.     45 Kayl Kolkman

4.     420 Josh Ritchie

5.     4r Andre Ochs

6.     97 Gary Beintker

7.     10 Ross Stuckert

8.     40 Rob Weisberg

 

500 Support

1.     37r Ron Moore

2.     84j Jeff Gonzales

3.     571 Mike O’Neil

4.     28b Gary Ritchie

5.     34 Scott Graham

6.     41 Doug Cohon

7.     86 Steven Sandman

8.     10wa Dave Simmerman

9.     37x Geoff Ball

10. 9t Dave Tice

11. 53r Steve Sweet

Open Amateur “A” Main

1.     15 Garrett Stout

2.     7d Jesse Sleeper

3.     88 Dillon Allen

4.     45 Kayl Kolkman

5.     420 Josh Ritchie

6.     79 Joey Alves

7.     42 Bill Kolkman

8.     23w John Walker

9.     46 Damon Redman

10. 102 Woody Carlson

 

Open Amateur “B” Main

1.     77 Cody Greer

2.     11c Cody Wood

3.     10 Ross Stuckert

4.     17d Danny Manthis

5.     40 Rob Weisberg

 

Digger Pro 600

Don Howard led every lap of the Digger Helm Pro 600 main.
He came together with Mikey Rush in turn three on the first of twenty laps,
which cost Rush a shot at a win. Howard did post the fastest lap of the day at 18.12 sec.

1.     9  Don Howard

2.     30z Mikey Rush

3.     74z Rodney Spencer Jr

4.     7d Jesse Sleeper

5.     15 Garrett Stout

6.     38t Chris Canepa

7.     65e Kenny Malaguarnero

8.     77 Cody Greer

9.     36 Marshall Lapp

10. 33e Michael Avila

11. 45 Kayl Kolkman

12. 88 Dillon Allen

Eddie Mulder's W.C.V.D.T.

Series Round #3 Tulare Calif.

6-3-2006

Article & Photos by Jamey Blunt

 

Of the one hundred ninety eight entries that filled the twenty one heat races and sixteen main events, Bob Harris was the oldest racer on the track at eighty two years young. Harris a Hollywood stuntman responsible for starting many in the industry had a long auto racing career as well as motorcycles and says "I'd rather go out doing something I love, I'll never quit." Round three's race track was groomed to perfection, and maintained through out the program, with not a single complaint heard.

 

Riders over fifty on any machine of their choosing make up the Brown's Cycles/K&N Filters Senior class. In a field of mainly 750cc machines Jeff Lessley was the lone 250cc two stroke, a David & Goliath battle was staged. Bob Scally put his Triumph up front off the line but Lessley knowing he could not waste time put his Bultaco into second. Then entering turn three Lessley pulled alongside and took over the lead exiting turn four never to look back. Lessley always fast and smooth turned a 19.35 second lap which no one could match as Scally fought with Mike Keith over second place. Pressure as he might Keith couldn't find a way around Scally and would stay in third. Steve Craft came home fourth, with Mark Stuckert taking fifth on the final lap.

 

Thirty riders competed for one of twelve spots in the C&J Racing Frames/Motion Pro Vet "A" main event. Marshall Lapp nailed the start but by the exit of turn two was back into fourth. On the first trip down the back straight Don Howard took over at the front followed by Mike Vital. Gary Ritchie ran third being pressured by Lapp who had regrouped. Exiting turn four for the third time Lapp shot past Ritchie for third, with Ritchie coming back at him in turn one only to loose the front end and go down. Brian Tapp watching this all unfold inherited fourth and Danny Ritchie from a poor start would finish fifth, as Howard and Vital were in a class by themselves at the front.  

 

Roy Burris took Tom Howard's line away into turn one to lead the A&A Racing/ARD Ignitions Super Senior/Senior Novice final. Howard like a Deer caught in headlights shut off and Mark Stuckert flew into second past him. Entering turn three for the first time Stuckert made the pass on Burris for the lead and twisted the B.S.A.'s throttle to full stop posting a 20.04 second lap time. By lap two Ken Barrow who was away in fifth had moved up to third and was closing. All the while Cliff Nagatani with his head down was moving quietly forward as well. With a lap remaining Barrow took over second and likewise Nagatani made the move past Burris for third in turn three. Entering turn one for the final time Barrow pulled alongside Stuckert with Nagatani only a bike length behind them. Back in fifth Dave Cheney had closed the gap to Burris and was knocking on his back door for fourth. The run up the front straight had Stuckert hold on for gold with Barrow running out of time in second, Nagatani third and Cheney coming up just inches short in the drag race to the stripe to Burris's fourth.

 

After getting beat in the heat race Even Stafford regrouped for the Berkeley Yamaha/Honda Youth 85cc main event, Stafford launched into the lead off the line in front of Douglas Manhire and Andre Ochs. Going down in turn two on the second lap was Zac Schmitt as Zac Lenhof in fourth was now applying pressure to Ochs. Stafford and Manhire maintained a three bike length gap between them at the front as they pulled away from the rest of the field. Ochs in third had Lenhof showing him a wheel at every turn with one mistake from Ochs would cost him the position. But the mistake never came with the front four finishing just this way.

 

The Barnett/Maxxis Tires Modern 750cc main event had something unusual happen, upon entering turn one Doug Douglas Motorcycles Jim Ottele tried to go underneath Derek McCowan where he clearly wouldn't fit, and McCowan took his left hand off the handle bars and gave Ottele a shove. But Ottele's move worked for him anyway as he settled in at second behind Bob Scally. Keith Speir on an Eddie Mulder Replica Triumph ran fourth. Entering turn one for the second time Ottele put a wheel under Scally and took over the lead. Once out front Ottele possessed opened up a gap, but McCowan wasn't through as he regrouped and was closing on Scally, but with only a lap left he ran out of time and would finish third to Ottele and Scally.

 

Round one's Tuffplates/Maxima Racing Oil's 250cc Open main winner Lindsey King and round two's victor Michael Avila would square off in round three's final. Making his first appearance in the 250 class aboard an 85cc machine was Andre Ochs who qualified for a spot on the front row. As the green flag waved from starter Fred Allen King hit turn one first with Kayl Kolkman, Avila, and Josh Ritchie in tow. A bobble out of Kolkman in turn four allowed Avila to pull alongside up the front straight and take away second entering turn one. King though already had a 1.2 second gap up front and turned a 19.13 second lap time which no one could match on this night. With two laps remaining King was into lappers which proved no problem as she went on to the victory, Avila stayed in second, with Kolkman third, Ritchie fourth, and Ochs in his first attempt in this class fifth.

 

The Kawasaki of Simi Valley/Saddlemen 500 Support Class had the "Living Legend" Ron Moore (one of the first riders in history to turn a nineteen second lap at the famed Ascot Raceway) almost a second faster a lap than anyone else in the heat races. But to date I can't remember anyone beating Mike O'Neil to turn one off the line. One thing O'Neil knows how to do, and that's get a great start. Jeff Gonzales slotted in second with Moore third, and Jay Gosvenor fourth. Out of turn four for the first time Gonzales took the lead away from O'Neil with Moore following suit in turn two to take second. Entering turn three for the second time Moore ran up the inside of Gonzales to take the lead. Once out front with a clear track Moore put in an 18.60 second lap, which would have been capable of landing him in the pro main. By lap two Gary Ritchie had moved forward to fifth, and Scott Graham ran sixth. Into turn three for next to the last time Gosvenor moved past O'Neil for third but it was not to be as Gosvenor trying too hard threw it away on the last lap in turn three making the finishing order Moore, Gonzales, O'Neil, Ritchie, and Graham.

 

From a field of twenty one only twelve would make the Ron Wood Racing/Megacycle Cams Open Amateur "A" main event. Garrett Stout took point off the line with Dillon Allen and Jesse Sleeper right behind. Josh Ritchie ran fourth with John Walker fifth, who would be dropped to eighth in one swift move on the second trip through turn one. At the front Stout was pulling a gap over Allen, who had Sleeper all over him. Entering turn two Allen went wide leaving the door open, which Sleeper went through to take over second. Stout's fastest lap of 18.62 seconds came on lap three, which also saw Kayl Kolkman find his rhythm and start to move forward. By the white flag Sleeper had closed to within two bike lengths of Stout and Kolkman move past Ritchie into fourth. At the stripe Stout prevailed by a bike length over Sleeper, Allen was lonely in third, with Kolkman fourth and Ritchie fifth.       

 

 

 

The twenty lap Digger Helm Pro 600 staged for the final race of the night with Fresno H-D's Don Howard and Tucker Rocky/MSR's Mikey Rush thundering into turn one side by side. Rush took point exiting turn two only to have Howard run it up the inside down the back straight, then coming together with Rush between turn three and four hard. Rush amazingly saved it, but was punted wide off the track and had to rejoin in the fifth place position. Of the incident Rush said "it was just racing, I thought it was a little rough, but it's ok." Rodney Spencer Jr. ran second, Jesse Sleeper (who's gotten real fast of late) was third, and Kenny Malaguarnero fourth. By lap four Rush on a mission was by Malaguarnero and Sleeper and up to third. Daniel Brown settled into sixth with Garrett Stout seventh. At the front Howard was getting away while Rush was closing on Spencer. Rush was working the cushion up high and on lap seven found his way past Spencer for second, this the same lap that saw Stout move up to fifth. At the half way point Howard had a two second gap over Rush who had to be spent after his charge forward. By lap fourteen Spencer found some new life and was on the tail of Rush with Sleeper in fourth under attack from Stout. Brown had also exited the race going down in turn four. Mistake free Howard turned his fastest lap of 18.12 seconds as he cruised to the victory with a four second gap over Rush, Spencer was third, Sleeper held off Stout for fourth, and Chris Canepa came from way back to finish sixth.