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FEATURE STORY

THE PREQUEL
The Prequel was a cool event and the track looked pretty fun. For as dry as it has been, they did a good job keeping the dust down without making it to muddy. It didn’t have quite the crowd or factory rider turnout that some people were hoping for, but it was still a cool race and a glimpse of how the national will look in September.

The women started things off with Jessica Patterson grabbed the holeshot from the far outside, a strategy that had some people wondering what she was doing nearly 20 gates from her nearest competitor. It paid off! Just when it looked like she had it won, she crashed (I think) and by the time she got going again it was to late so she pulled off allowing Tania Satchwel (SP?) and Sara Whitmore to battle for the lead, which Sara finally won. Tara Geiger rounded out the podium despite a really sore knee and a CR125 against all those 4-strokes. The second moto saw Patterson pull away, but I believe the overall went to Whitmore who finished 2nd.

The first 125 moto saw the entire YOT crew up front. Millsaps and the “Kid” Josh Grant started moving up when Danny Smith hooked some banners in his wheel and dropped back. Next, Millsaps got out of shape and twisted his ankle and dropped way off the pace and was eventually lapped. At around the halfway point Grant closed on Kelly Smith and made his move into second behind the veteran Mike Brown. Josh pulled away from Kelly, but could never get close enough to bother Brown. At the end it was Brown, Grant and Smith. Millsaps lead the pack through turn one followed by Sellards in moto two. As those two checked out from Kelly Smith and Grant, Brown went down on the first lap and remounted near last. It was starting to look like Grant could win the whole thing if he could just get around Smith again, but he never could. Brown rode hard all the way to the checkered flag for 3rd and the overall win. Sellards was second overall, Kelly Smith was third and Grant 4th. Good riding from the YOT camp landed them a sweep while Josh Grant proved himself against those guys on the gnarly Glen Helen track for two 36-minute motos! I thought he faded a little in the second moto, but he got hit in the mouth by a rock and backed off. Next week, he will be riding out of the Factory Connection rig on a works bike and SHIFT gear. It must be an exciting time for him. He rode like he deserves it too!

The 250 race was a good one with Langston and Hamblin going back and forth until Hamblin finally broke free. Then Grant stalled it. Finally he came by, but gave up any chance for the overall win as Sean cruised to the moto win. I believe Craig Anderson was 2nd and Nick Wey was 3rd. The second moto was a little less exciting with Langston not racing (I never heard why). Over a dozen CRF450 Honda's nailed the start ahead of Hamblin, but he charged to the front again and won easily followed by Anderson.

I was asked a bunch of times how I thought Mike Alessi would’ve done today after his recent success as a pro sport rider. He probably would’ve won if Brown didn’t eat him for lunch, but he wasn’t there so we’ll have to wait until Millville where Ryan Hughes is going to eat him for lunch. I can’t wait to hear what happens in Fresno when Mike races against Jeremy McGrath…

Photo by Mike Palhegyi

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