Glen Helen QuadCross, 1-29-06
- Updated: January 29, 2006
ITP Quadcross
Glen Helen Raceway
Devore, California
Jan 29, 2006
Story and photos by Ray Larez
Riders meeting shows the awesome turn out for the 2006 kick off
The 2006 ITP/Yamaha Quad Cross Series is here once again with some great southern California racing action. After taking a month off for a short break, the series is back in full swing.
The day was fantastic, the weather couldn’t have been any better and the track lay out was challenging. The track crew at Glen Helen was there maintaining the track, also fixing all the big ruts and holes. Since the opener fell one week prior to the GNC opener, also held at Glen Helen Raceway, the turnout was very impressive. Many GNC amateur and pros alike from back were in attendance.
Cruising to the finish, Natalie miles ahead of the rest of the field
There were many national pro riders on hand with extremely cool transport rigs. John Natalie was there with his fiancé Michelle Reiser as well as Pat Brown of Team Yamaha and Dustin Wimmer. All Sporting very nice equipment for the new year to say the least.
There were riders from all over, even a few International riders. There were two riders from across the border in Mexico and a rider from across the Atlantic in Ireland. The rider is an Irish Champ as well as a Champ in the UK. He is also planning on running the GNC race the following weekend. Justin Reid has been racing ATVs over seas and thought he would come over here and see what it was like to race in the states. He does have some American sponsors like BlingStar, PEP, and CT Racing.
Dana Creech and Jason Luburgh “cruise” the pits at Glen Helen. The full gear should give it away. And yes the Rhino was trashed after the were done “cruising”.
Spotted in the crowd spectating was Jon Guetter of ATV back flip fame. Here he and brother Dan take in the sites.
This season starts with a few changes, most regard the pro class. The top five finishers from last year are now transfer directly to the main with no need to run a qualifying race. They also get first chance at a gate choice.
This round the pro class turn out was so great that they had to run two full gates. The two heats would determine who might continue to the big show, (also known as the A Main) and who might have to settle on racing the “B Main”. The Top eight qualifiers from each heat would continue to Pro A and the rest would race Pro B. They started things off with an open practice and let everyone get use to the new shorter lap layout.
Natalie and Brown battle it out. Here Brown edges out Natalie for the heat race win.
Pro Heat 1
The first full gate of pros launched into the first turn for the first time in 2006. John Natalie pulled the holeshot with Pat Brown in tow. Pat brown would chase Natalie down for most of the first lap, trying to pass for the lead a few times. Brown was looking strong on his new Factory Yamaha ride and kept the pressure on Natalie till he finally got the break he was waiting for in the front sweeper right before the finish. Brown would make a clean pass and the battle with Natalie would continue throughout the race, bar to bar. Meanwhile in third place Donald Lysinger was trying to hold of Yamaha’s Kory Ellis. Ellis was running down the third place position as well as forth place rider of Brock Lyons. Both Kory and Brock would eventually pass Lysinger for third, where they finished respectfully. Pat Brown continued to hold Natalie at bay for the rest of the race. Natalie would have to settle for second in the this not-so-important heat race.
Here Kory Ellis rides to an easy victory in the Open Pro class on his new Raptor 700R. The always innovative, Kory Ellis, became the first pro to race a Yamaha Raptor 700R. Kory said his Raptor handled the Glen Helen track exceptionally well.
Pro Heat 2
The second gate dropped, filled full of talented pro riders. The racers charged the huge first sweeper turn with Logan Holladay out front leading up legendary Mt. St. Helens. Later Joe Haavisto got past Holliday and would steal the lead in the race. Holliday would run a strong race to only later break a chain and DNF. He would then have to run the B race. With Holliday out of the picture, Tavis Cain took the second spot and set after the impressive ride of Joe Haavisto. Cody Miller ran a good-looking third but eventually got passed by Lost Creek Cycle’s Jason Dunkleberger. Haavisto finished it off with a comfortable lead all the way to the checkers for the second heat win with Tavis Cain following. Dunkleberger would round out the top three, followed by Cody Miller.
Natalie was on the gas right from the get go. Here he takes the holeshot in Pro A Main.
Pro Main A
The best of the best lined up for what proved to be some great racing action. Now remember the top five from last year advanced to the main without qualifying. Jeremy Schell, with a broken foot and a few toes from a recent get-off, rode in an effort to try to salvage a few series points. It was sad to see the undefeated champ ride around the first turn and then pull off the track and watch helplessly. He sat in the infield till the end of the race and crossed the finish to collect what points he could. He says he’ll be back in 4-5 weeks and looks forward to racing the series in top condition. Dana Creech, Doug Eichner, Dustin Nelson, and Mike Machado were the other riders earning their free entry to the main. These QuadCross fast guys were joined by eight qualifiers from the two heats.
Jason Dunkleberger charges in route to an impressive second.
As the riders came out of the sweeper Natalie was leading the pack, followed by Pat Brown once again. It was a repeat from the first heat race, as Natalie led the race with Brown hot on his tail, unrelenting chasing him down. As the race continued Natalie would begin to stretch his lead out more and more. Brown would eventually fall victim to bad luck when he broke the axle on his YFZ. All he could do is stand track side to watch the rest of the race unfold. Doug Eichner would also have a bit of bad luck with some sort of electrical problem and DNFed as well. Dustin Nelson was running third till Brown’s unfortunate luck, now in second Nelson challenged Jason Dunkleberger and Dana Creech aggressively. Creech, one of last year’s contenders, was having a good race – bidding for a well deserved podium position. In due time, Dunk would make his way around Nelson to steal the second position. Natalie just relaxed as he was miles ahead of the field. He would take the top box on the podium and the lead in points in the series. Dunk would finish second, followed by Nelson, Creech, and Haavisto – the second heat top finisher.
Pat Brown seen above running second had it all figured out until bad luck struck when he broke his axle in in the Pro A Main.
3-time QuadCross Champ, Jeremy Schell was sideline for the QuadCross opener. As was Big Nic Granlund who tore his ACL after crashing hard at a desert race. The two tell each other how it happened.
Pro Main B
The forth and final gate full of pros would line up once again for the last pro race to thunder up and around the all too familiar, Talladega Turn. Cale Downen led the way with the holeshot just ahead of Dustin Wimmer. Wimmer was charging hard and just waiting for the right time to strike. Before the first lap was over Wimmer had made the pass on Downen. John Shafe was running third, but busy holding off Jesse Goss and TJ Dietrich. The rider on the move was current WORCS point’s leader Josh Frederick however. Josh looked awesome as he worked his way through the pack. As Shafe began to fade back into mid pack, Frederick worked his way up to second, where he would ride out the race. Wimmer had a commanding lead over the rest of the pack. TJ Dietrich would finish out third followed by Jesse Gross, then Cale Downen. We later found out that John Shafe had suffered some major engine trouble, – a crack case being one of the problems.
