Over The Hill Gang Motocross
Race 4: California City Motocross Track
Story by Greg Robertson
Photos by Greg
The South chapter of the Over The Hill Gang MX Racing Club traveled to the California City Motocross Track in the high desert for their fourth race of the year, where Honda-mounted John Lombardo used a 1-1 punch to top both motos in the Over 45 Expert class.
Opening-moto action saw Kon Baur edge out Lombardo and Bruce Ashmore for the holeshot. By the end of lap one, Lombardo was running out front, with Ashmore having gotten around Baur for second place. Lombardo went on to win the moto, staying just out of striking distance of Ashmore in the process. Baur crossed the line in third, ahead of Pete Anagnos and Arnie Davis.
Lombardo exited turn one with the lead in the second moto, just ahead of Davis and Ashmore. Baur went down in the first turn and set out again in last place. Lombardo set the pace out front for the first couple of circuits of the long layout before stalling in a corner. Ashmore and Davis found themselves running one-two, and Lombardo got restarted in third place.
A lap later, Lombardo was around Baur for the runner-up position and starting to close in on Ashmore. With the white flag out, Lombardo slipped past Ashmore to see the checkers first. Baur went 3-3 on the day, over Anagnos (4-4) and Davis (5-5).
When the Over 45 Intermediate class took to the track for their first moto, it was Jeff Blix absconding with the holeshot, over Craig McCarley and Blake Steelgrave. Steelgrave quickly pushed McCarley back to second place, and by the completion of lap one he was knocking on the back door of Blix. Steelgrave found a way around Blix, and Willy Waters also put a move on Blix to run in second place.
The rest of the moto belonged to Steelgrave, as he took the win a few seconds ahead of Waters. Blix had his hands full dealing with Doug Huff and Bob Baron during the second half of the moto, with Blix holding off Huff to eventually finish in third.
Blix was off to another great start in moto two and was soon being pressured by both Waters and Steelgrave. Waters was the first to find a way around Blix, and Steelgrave did the same a short time later. The two front-runners inched away from Blix, with Steelgrave making a pass stick on Waters on the penultimate lap for a 1-1 sweep of the field. Waters encountered problems just after being passed by Steelgrave and finished a distant eighth, which allowed Blix to move up into the second spot for second overall, ahead of Chris Cumbo (7-3), Baron (6-4) and Waters (2-8).
Kawasaki-mounted Clarence Henderson set the pace out front in the opening Over 38 Beginner moto until lap two, when Mikel Cimmino took over for good. Michael Young greeted the checkers in third, followed by James Van Duinwuyk, Thad Burt and Gregg Rogers.
Moto two was a duplicate of the first, as Henderson escaped with the early lead, only to be chased down and passed by Cimmino with a couple of laps completed. Cimmino then slowly inched away for a perfect 1-1 showing on his Honda, over Henderson. Young again rounded out the top three, this time over Roger King, Rogers and Burt.
California City Motocross Track
California City, California
Results: March 4, 2012 (Race 4)
30+ BEG: 1. Cherle Hollands; 2. Justin Gordon.
30+ NOV: 1. Ray Tackett.
30+ INT: 1. Caleb Woods; 2. Danny Coughlin; 3. Dale McCoy.
38+ BEG: 1. Mikel Cimmino; 2. Clarence Henderson; 3. Michael Young; 4. Roger King; 5. Gregg Rogers.
38+ INT: 1. Mark Flinders; 2. Jay Cochran.
38+ EX: 1. Rick Jameson; 2. Matt Bundy; 3. Jeff Niblack.
45+ BEG: 1. Robert Wood; 2. Phil Miller; 3. Theresa Clark; 4. Jim Cole.
45+ NOV: 1. Robert Gibson; 2. Jim Wentz; 3. Mark Davis; 4. Michael Long.
45+ INT: 1. Blake Steelgrave; 2. Jeff Blix; 3. Chris Cumbo; 4. Bob Baron; 5. Willy Waters.
45+ EX: 1. John Lombardo; 2. Bruce Ashmore; 3. Kon Baur; 4. Pete Anagnos; 5. Arnie Davis.
52+ BEG: 1. Linda Thomas; 2. Steve Galland; 3. Marion Tucker.
52+ NOV: 1. Greg Robertson; 2. Mike Greene; 3. Wesley Dean; 4. Art Flores; 5. Jeff Petron.
52+ INT: 1. Kevin Ridgman; 2. Tommy Pearl.