LODI, CA

It was another warm afternoon as 140 riders competed in 25 heats and 21 main events on the Lodi Cycle Bowl's "double-jump" TT track. This version of the TT course - also affectionately known as "Wilma" - is built once a year specifically to challenge the riders in the 100 National with its tighter turns, an extra jump, and closer racing. A group of 10 to 15 riders are annually seen exclusively at the 100 National and these "pre-100 Nat" events, polishing and honing their tight-course 100cc skills in an effort to end up on next year's event T-shirt. This year, Mikey Martin's flying visage will grace this 19th version of the shirt.

The Mini Am class is the largest and most popular of the "Kids Ride Free" classes, with some fast racing among riders on such bikes as CRF70s and 80s, PW80s, TTR80s and the like. Eddie Colon Jr. (181A, above) led this night's event from pole to pole, looking very fast and really smooth, but Hayden Farriester and Jacob Pursell battled over second place until the checkers flew. Evan Souza followed Pursell home for fourth.

The 100 Stock Sportsman contest is always a fun, close race, as these adult riders are forced to keep these 6.25-hp bikes pinned to the stops to keep their speeds up and their competitors within reach. Once you lose 10 feet in a corner or over a jump, you can't just twist the throttle and squirt back up! Tony Souza Jr. (911, above, far left) lined up for the main event one row ahead of his father, Tony Sr., and he held the lead for the first lap until Jared McCall (100, far right) got by on the front chute. Once McCall was in the point, he never looked back.

In Pushrod, BSA-mounted Steve McCants made a triumphant return to the class, following some extensive repairs to his very quick single. Triumph twin-mounted Ivan Thelin (661, below, leading Joe Simas, 98) acquitted himself well, having been away from racing even longer than McCants; Thelin was second on the start and dropping to third only when Triumph-mounted Mike Lopez took advantage of a miscue on the second jump.

The Open A riders had some tough work to do, pushing their big 450s around this tight and technical track. Stewart Barber took his usual holeshot and led the first three laps until Mikey Martin (91Y, below, leading Barber) found some room going down the short back chute, where he took the lead entering into the second left-hander, never to look back. Meanwhile, Kyle Jones and Leonardo Bagnis swapped third and fourth on almost every lap, making clean but fast passes almost everywhere on the track. Jones finished the race in third, with Bagnis a very close fourth.

Racing at Lodi Cycle Bowl will take a hiatus for the next two weekends and will return on August 7 for more time on "Wilma" before the 100 National race on August 14. Just about every Northern California racer who can get a ticket will be at Calistoga for the Half Mile National on July 31. There is plenty of dirt-track racing to do and watch in Northern California!

Results

50 P/W SHAFT: 1. Blake Myers (Yamaha); 2. Dominic Demario (Yamaha); 3. Justin Anselmi (Yamaha).

50 SHIFTER: 1. Tyler Raggio (Honda); 2. Justin Anselmi (Honda); 3. Marc Parker (Honda).

60 C: 1. Eddie Colon Jr. (Kawasaki); 2. Nolan Reitz (Kawasaki); 3. Evan Souza (Yamaha).

MINI AM: 1. Eddie Colon Jr. (Kawasaki); 2. Hayden Farriester (Honda); 3. Jacob Pursell (Honda).

100 STK YTH A: 1. Alec Espos (Honda); 2. Kyle Raggio (Suzuki).

100 STK SPTSMN A: 1. Tony Souza Jr. (Honda).

100 STK SPTSMN B: 1. Kosta Achin (Honda); 2. Jim Nichols (Honda).

100 STK SPTSMN C: 1. Jared McCall (Honda); 2. Derek Archuleta (Honda); 3. Tony Souza Sr. (Honda).

100 MOD SPTSMN B: 1. Kosta Achin (Honda); 2. Jim Nichols (Honda).

100 MOD SPTSMN C: 1. Marcus Fragoso (Honda); 2. Jared McCall (Honda); 3. Mitchell Green (Honda).

150 MOD: 1. Cloyse Holland (Kawasaki); 2. Bill Holt Jr. (Honda); 3. Mitchell Green (Honda).

150R: 1. Dominic Fabbiani (Honda).

250 B: 1. Dominic Colindres (Honda); 2. James Monaco (Honda); 3. Charles Vanderlaan (Honda).

250 C: 1. Jake Rankin (Honda); 2. Vaughn McCafferty (Honda); 3. Evan Prado (Honda).

250 AM: 1. Dominic Colindres (Honda); 2. James Monaco (Honda); 3. Charles Vanderlaan (Honda).

OPEN A: 1. Michael Martin (Honda); 2. Stewart Barber (Honda); 3. Kyle Jones (Honda).

OPEN B: 1. Ron Kruseman (Honda); 2. Justin Lovelace (Honda); 3. Chris Ryan (Yamaha).

OPEN C: 1. Dustin Lovelace (Honda); 2. Michael Dukes (Suzuki); 3. Jared McCall (Honda).

OPEN AM: 1. Michael Dukes (Suzuki).

WMN: 1. Samantha Raynal (Honda).

VET 30+ A: 1. Kenneth Holland (Yamaha); 2. Robert McCarty (KTM).

VET 30+ B: 1. Frank Corsetti (Honda).

VET 40+ A: 1. Jon Eichelbaugh (KTM); 2. Michael Kruseman (Honda); 3. Jeff Spohr (Yamaha).

VET 40+ B: 1. John Johnson (Yamaha); 2. Jim Monaco (Yamaha); 3. Brad Raymond (KTM).

VET 40+ C: 1. Randy Ziemer (Yamaha); 2. Merle Emmons (Honda); 3. Stephen Dukes (Yamaha).

VET 50+ A: 1. Jon Eichelbaugh (KTM); 2. Thomas Knight (Yamaha); 3. David Holland (Honda).

VET 50+ B: 1. Gene Fitzsimmons (KTM); 2. David Valentine (Honda); 3. Chris Sage (Yamaha).

VINT A: 1. Robert McDonnell (Yamaha); 2. Jeff Spohr (Yamaha); 3. Richard Lopez (Triumph).

VINT B: 1. Mike Fowler (Yamaha).

VINT C: 1. Vaughn McCafferty (Honda); 2. Lawrence Darr (Honda).

VINT 250: 1. Joseph Simas (CZ).

VINT AM: 1. Mike Fowler (Yamaha); 2. Chris Sage (Yamaha).

VINT TW: 1. Thomas Knight (Yamaha).

VINT PUSHROD: 1. Steve McCants (BSA); 2. Michael Lopez (Triumph); 3. Ivan Thelin (Triumph).

VINT 50+ A: 1. Jeff Taylor (Yamaha).

VINT 50+ B: 1. Mark Farriester (Yamaha); 2. Ron Kilby (Yamaha); 3. Joseph Simas (CZ).

VINT 50+ C: 1. Lawrence Darr (Honda).

JUNKYARD: 1. Michael Lopez (Triumph); 2. Richard Lopez (Triumph); 3. Al Webber (Honda).

DFC: 1. Michael Martin (Honda).