Price and Compare Vehicles: It was shaping up to be a hot, humid race day here at the John Penton, just like two years ago: dry, dusty, and hot. The track was laid out mostly by Buren Hamrick, except for the well known Sunday Creek Motocross set up years ago by Howard Russell. “Ten miles of woods here with a creek jump, steep down-hills, and rough up-hills. The fast field sections circle the edge of the parking lot. Coming at the end of the lap, you'll zig-zag onto the motocross track and after going through the scoring tent, you'll jump a couple of doubles and hit the whoops before going up into the woods,” Jeff Russell said on the morning starting line.
START The heat was rising and the Women and Super Senior riders were on row one, waiting for the green flag to give them the signal to start their race. When Ricky Towery called “Ten Seconds,” the riders were ready for Round Eleven. Traci Cecco rounded turn two with the lead, but lost it by turn four down into the woods to Stephanie Parton. Row two was the Four Stroke Stock Class, with the holeshot going to Will Cashion around turn one, but Billy Good took over the holeshot by turn three. In the Utility Stock Class on row three, Mike Penland took another class holeshot aboard his Team Kawasaki Prairie. On row four, in the Utility Unlimited Class, Doug Henke pulled the holeshot also aboard a Team Kawasaki quad, the V-Force. Another Utility Class start was the Modified Class with the holeshot going to Tommy Farr.
Lap One On lap one, the ten miles pulled out Parton holding the Women's Class lead as well as first overall. The native Ohioan rider was looking to put on a show here at the Millfield track in front of local fans, and on lap one held over a minute lead on second overall, Angel Atwell. Just under thirty seconds back in third overall was John Gallagher holding off Cecco and Brenda Kress by just seconds. In sixth overall, Good held the Four Stroke Stock Class lead by four seconds over Cashion from Marietta , SC. Over a minute back in third place was Richard Travalena holding off Harlen Foley and Chris Neal. Henke still held the lead in the Utility Unlimited Class with Michael Shelley and Roy Dodson within seconds of Henke. Top four in the Unlimited Class were aboard Kawasaki 's.
Lap Two On lap two, Parton was riding strong, still holding onto the Overall position with no other rider in sight. “This is the kind of riding I like to do,” Parton said before the race. With a two and a half minute lead over Cecco, riding in third overall. Cecco was battling with Gallagher from the Super Senior Class. Just under thirty seconds back was Atwell. Riding in second overall, barely under a minute behind Cecco was Good, holding the Four Stroke Stock Class lead by two minutes over Cashion, still in second place. Moving up to third place was Mark Rhodes, Round Ten at the Wisp, Overall winner. Foley, in fourth, kept Rhodes in sight. Fifth, and moving up from ninth place was Brandon Sommers of GT Thunder. After having the 4 Stroke C 16-24 year old class won, Sommers moved up to Four Stroke Stock aboard his stock Yamaha to work on getting a podium finish.
Lap Three With two more laps of racing, Parton was checking out on the competition and working to wrap up the 2004 Women's Class Championship. Second place still was Cecco, now over three minutes back. Brenda Kress moved into third place, just over a minute behind Cecco. Still in second overall and hungry for an overall win was Good from Four Stroke Stock. Rhodes worked his way into second, nearly three minutes back, just having passed Cashion on the motocross track before the scoring tent. Twenty seconds back and with the second fastest class lap time for lap three was Sommers and on the gas. Moving into fifth place was Jarrod Mcclure, thirty seconds behind Sommers, and trying to hold off Foley in sixth. In the Utility Modified Class, Jim Stack lost the lead after not coming around for a third lap, putting Brandon Lockhart out front and looking good. Tom Farr, aboard the Mickey Dunlap 4x4, was in second, three and a half minutes back. Third was Mike Chirdon aboard a Polaris, five minutes back. White Flag It was becoming a race for the Overall. Parton was still out front, but her lead was closing in as Good stepped up the pace and made a faster lap than Parton by mere seconds. Who would come in for the Overall at the Checkered Flag? In second overall was Rhodes , nearly three minutes back from the action with Cashion putting his Yamaha back in third, forty seconds back. Sommers was sitting in fourth, with Cashion in seeing distance, and moving swiftly on his Yamaha. Cecco was in second place in the Women's Class, over three minutes back with Kress in third, two and a half minutes back. Mcclure held onto fifth under a minute behind Sommers. In the Utility Unlimited Class, Henke held the lead and a fifth overall standing. Over five minutes back in second place was Shelley holding off Dodson by thirty seconds.
Overall Coming around first for the checkered flag was Stephanie Parton, even with her last lap nearly two minutes slower, still held off Billy Good's time for the Overall win. “Five laps can kick your butt. I am tired,” Parton said between deep breaths. After wiping sweat from her face and drinking some water Parton told about her race day,“Angel and I got hung in turn two and then Traci crashed in turn four, where I took the lead. I rode hard and smart here in front of local fans and family. I crashed the last lap and a lapper got me off a tree; thanks a lot to him. I rode a good pace and here I am. I want to thank my husband, Troy Racing, K & N, RPM, ExRiders.com, Wiseco, Custom Axis, Spider Grips, Outerwears, DP Brakes, Moose, Klotz, Douglas Wheels, Liquid Performance, tireballs, and Maxxis.”
Just thirty-four seconds off Parton's time, Billy Good took second overall; not what he was wanting, but a finish he worked hard to keep. “I tried my hardest to get Stephanie. I made up most of my time on the motocross, where I am stronger at. I took the holeshot and stayed in the lead. I battled with lapped riders on the second and lap and started just picking them off to get up to the overall. I congratulate Stephanie on putting her quad up there on top and wish I was there.” Third overall went to Brandon Sommers, who was just as excited to see it as the announcer was to correct himself after calling Traci Cecco at the podium presentation. Finish just four seconds ahead of Cecco, Sommers was excited with third overall. “The track was awesome; there was tight stuff and fast stuff mixed up in there. I also enjoyed the motocross track. I got a good start then tangled with a guy in the fourth turn. From there most of the track was tough to pass on. Coming onto the motocross track at the end of lap one I was in a train of riders and glad to see the open motocross. I started the last lap in fourth and caught Will Cashion before we made it into the woods; I knew Rhodes was catchable so I rode my heart out to find out on the fourth lap he thought the race was over and pulled over in the pits. He must have been right on me on the start of the fifth lap. After the break, I plan to run the Four Stroke Stock Class on my YFZ. My eyes will not only be set on a podium finish, but an overall. I didn't get on the podium here at John Penton, so I am out to prove that I can. Then I am out for Four Stroke B.” We all expect to see a lot of action out of Brandon Sommers after the break. Crossing the finish line third was Traci Cecco, who took second in the Women's Class, just under three minutes behind Parton. “I rolled in turn four, where thankfully a spectator helped me up. I just charged from there. I fell back several times, but my husband has taught me to keep charging no matter how far back you are. His advice pushed me during the race and I feel good to be up here. I want to congratulate Stephanie on wrapping up her Championship today, she has rode very well this year. I want to thank my husband for all that he has done, Team Safari – my teammates Matt Smiley and Santo DeRisi have been great, Jay with Maxxis has given me lots of opportunities this year, Alba, Shoei, Smith, Quadshop, ExRiders.com for posting all the pictures of me for my sponsors to see, Hiper Wheels, Custom Axis, DP Brakes, Tireballs, Moose, and Outerwears. In fifth overall was Doug Henke from the Utility Unlimited Class who charged hard during the two hours to pull a lead over second place, Michael Shelley by seven minutes. Sixth through ninth overall was all Four Stroke Stock riders: Mark Rhodes finished a minute ahead of Jarrod Mcclure, just four seconds back was Will Cashion, and over a minute back in ninth was Michael Sioka Jr. Tenth overall and third in the Women's Class was Brenda Kress, three and a half minutes behind Cecco. Eleventh overall went to Harlan Foley, with Ryan Morphew thirty seconds back and Chris Neal right on Morphew's rear tires. In fifteenth overall, winner of the Four Stroke C 25-32 year old class, Gary Kiehl won by nearly two minutes over Troy Nash. P.M. Race On the starting line for the afternoon race, black clouds came rolling across the track; just as soon as Racer Productions got the National Anthem under way, rain fell from the sky in a horrendous downpour. Before the green flag could go into the air for the Pro's, the first and second turn was turned into a slick brown soupy start, with spectators and racers soaked. This year was to be another mud fest at the John Penton, reminding racers and fans of 2003. In the Pro Am Class, many riders are preparing themselves to hit it big and take their top twenty numbers to the Class that gets all the glory. When the green flag went up at the John Penton, none other than James Wahl aboard the #17 two stroke took the holeshot. By the end of lap one, Brian Brinkley took over the lead by mere seconds over Wahl. Forty seconds back, young gun Adam Mcgill was riding his best in third. Fourth was just fifteen seconds back and going to Jeremy Rice. On lap two, Timothy Gale by far made a fast lap in the Ohio mud at thirty-three minutes, taking over the number one position, when just the lap before he was running ninth. When conditions are this bad, anyone can take the lead at any time! Brinkley was still holding onto second, just six seconds back. Just at a minute back for third, Mcgill, still in third with Rick Cecco moving up to fourth, a minute and a half back. On lap three, the white flag was out and Cecco came blazing through the scoring tent in first place. Moving wildly up through the pack to second place was Jason Lewis of Lewis Racing, just forty seconds back. Thirty seconds back and falling back to third, Brinkley tried to stay in the race. The track was sloppy and bottlenecks were everywhere: who would make it to the finish line first? In the Open A Class, on lap one, Scott Fleischhauer and Josh Whitehead battled it out for first place. Just twenty seconds back was Eric Davis and in fourth ten seconds back was Damon Gerald and Jesse Brunton. On lap two, conditions worsened. Lap times got longer and a new leader came around for first place; Bryan Baker put his Team Kawasaki V-Force out front, moving up from ninth place on lap one. In second place was Michael Benson, Round Ten's Class winner. As Benson came into pit, he commented on the track, “It is crazy out there. I have been sitting in a bottleneck forever. People are stuck everywhere.” Forty seconds back, dropping to third was Whitehead. Moving up to fourth place was Brian Vasko, over a minute behind Whitehead; with Brunton still holding onto fifth. When the white flag came out, nearly all the riders were covered in brown and in disguisable. Overall All by himself, William Yokley took the overall after holding first place for most of the race. Taking second overall, seven and a half minutes later was Matt Smiley with Team Safari and in third, Chad Duvall. Fourth overall went to Bill Ballance, after battling the bottlenecks. With his highest overall finish, Mike Benson from the Open A Class took fifth overall, just under five minutes behind Ballance. In sixth overall, Jason Lewis from the Pro Am Class took the class win and his best finish of the year. Just a minute and a half behind Lewis was Brian Brinkley for seventh overall and second in the Pro Am Class. Another minute and a half later, Adam Mcgill took third in Pro Am with a tenth overall finish. Another high overall finisher was Jared Huffman from the Junior Class, with twelfth overall. Huffman took the win by two minutes over Bryan Davis. In fourth from the Pro Am Class was Chris Jenks, with the Hillbilly racing team. Also finishing in the top twenty overall in the Pro Am Class was Rick Cecco and Jeremy Rice. Second in the Open A Class was Bryan Baker, taking the checkered flag eleven minutes behind Benson. Just over a minute behind Baker, rounding out the top twenty overall was Josh Whitehead, taking third in Open A. Taking his first Vet Class win, after moving from the Open A Class in the first half of the season, Steve Zapfe took his best overall finish in twenty-first overall. Second in the Vet Class battling all the way to the checkered was Dave Simmons with Blaine Shick less than ten seconds apart. See you after the Summer break where more actions will take part at a new track on the GNCC Circuit in Summersville , WV .
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