Kolkman Carts Off Kern County Conquest
D Jameson | Sep 28, 2011 | Comments 0
Eddie Mulder’s West Coast Dirt Track Series
Round 5: Kern County Fairgrounds
Story and Photos by Jamey Blunt
BAKERSFIELD, CA, SEPT. 24, 2011
For the seventh year in a row, Eddie Mulder’s West Coast Dirt Track Series held a short-track race at the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield, California. In this ever-changing world, and in these troubled times in which we live, race promoter Mulder still attracts the lion’s share of quality sponsors. Top sponsors Digger Helm, Rod Lake Racing, Motion Pro, K&N Filters, JRC Engineering, Penton Racing Products/ PVL, Megacycle Cams, Brown’s Cycles, Maxima Racing Oils, Coventry Spares, A&A Racing, Barnett, Tuffplates, Today’s Cycle Coverage, Works Performance Shocks, Coors Light, and S&S Off-Road Magazine make this series possible. On this night, 140 entries filled 20 heat races and 18 main events on the oval designed by Dustin Allen and Eddie Mulder and built over three days of intense preparation inside a rodeo arena.
Dustin Allen prepared the racetrack at Bakersfield again this year. He took a rodeo fairgrounds arena and turned it into a tabletop-smooth racing oval just a bit larger than an eighth of a mile.
Dustin Allen and Eddie Mulder worked for three days prior to round five to construct the racetrack. This year, every available foot of the arena was utilized.
The winner from each of the four Pro heat races made up the Eddie Swortzfigeur Dash For Cash, which started off the night’s main events. With $1,000 up for grabs, Kayl Kolkman sat on pole by virtue of having the fastest heat-race time. Stevie Bonsey, Mikey Rush and Jethro Halbert were all lined up to Kolkman’s right. Starter Fred Allen turned them loose, and Kolkman led the pack into turn one. Rush was away in second, with Halbert third and Bonsey fourth.
Bonsey made a move on Halbert up the inside through turns one and two and had his front wheel taken out (when he made contact with Halbert), which caused Bonsey to go down; his race was over.
Kolkman then led for 2 ½ laps until they thundered through the entrance into turn one for the third time, when Rush charged up the inside, making contact with Kolkman and knocking him out wide, and taking over the lead on the exit from turn two. Down the back straight, Kolkman made a run at Rush but couldn’t get close enough to make anything happen in turn three. He then stalked Rush all the way to the checkered flag but never had an opening for a pass. Rush picked up the victory, with Kolkman second. Halbert, back a few bikelengths, was third, and Bonsey fourth with a DNF.
Mikey Rush used the Southland Racing/ Jim Wood Honda 450 to win the Eddie Swortzfiguer Dash For Cash. Rush was the only rider able to upset Kayl Kolkman’s otherwise perfect night of racing.
The www.todayscyclecoverage.com Youth classes bring out some of the loudest cheers from the estimated 2,500 spectators in the huge grandstands. Young Grant Holmes topped the 50cc main, in front of Cheyenne Peebles and then James Alexander (who got screams every lap, as he almost nailed the hay bales in every corner). Holmes was also the one who earned Digger Helm’s $100 that is awarded to each of the Youth-class winners.
Grant Holmes (7X) and the rest of the Youth 50cc field got the biggest cheers from the crowd. Holmes also got $100 of Digger Helm’s money for winning the 50cc main event. His fastest lap was 17.77 seconds.
In the 65cc main, Nolan Reitz, a newcomer to the series, was fast – so fast, in fact, that he was almost two seconds per lap faster that second-place finisher Hunter Stanley. Reitz picked up his $100 reward for the 65cc victory and looked a good bet for the 85cc final as well.
Nolan Reitz (601V) may be new to the series, but this kid is fast! Turning 13.68-second lap times, he was almost two seconds faster than the rest of the Youth 65cc field. He also picked up $100 from Digger Helm for his victory.
However, enter Casey Cahoon – an other new face in the WCDTS – who shot to the front in the 85cc final and never looked back. Reitz gave it his all just to keep Cahoon in sight. For his stellar performance, Cahoon also took home one of Helm’s hundred-dollar bills.
Cahoon then backed up his winning performance with another stunning ride en route to winning the 250cc Open main event.
It seemed like Casey Cahoon (51) never left the racetrack. Cahoon took $100 of Digger Helm’s money for winning the Youth 85cc Main. He also came back and crushed the 250cc Open class as well. Keep an eye on this talented young rider.
The Motion Pro/ K&N Filters Senior main event staged 10 racers, all over the age of 50. Patrick Hayes led from the pole starting position, only to have Steve Craft ride the hay bales around the outside of turns one and two and settle into second upon entering turn three. Ryan Gifford ran in third, with John Clayton III fourth and Randy Griffith fifth.
Within a lap, there was a three-way battle at the front, with Craft working a high line and putting pressure on Hayes. On the next trip down the back straight, Craft pulled alongside Hayes and took his line away entering turn three to take over the lead. While all this was going on, Griffith quietly moved from fifth up to third, and Jeff Lessley moved up to fifth from a very poor start, only to high-side between turns three and four, ending his race. This also caused Andy Hardan to lay his bike down to avoid contact with Lessley, ending his race as well.
Jeff Lessley – and all the Lessleys, for that matter – had the largest (and loudest) cheering section at Bakersfield. Every time a Lessley entered the arena, the noise was deafening. Imagine how it was when Jeff won the Modern 250cc main event. His fastest lap was 13.08 seconds – on a 250!
At the white flag, Craft had a three-bikelength gap at the front, and Hayes had both Griffith and Clayton all over him, vying for second. Try as they might, nothing in the last-lap order changed, which made it entry in the record books as Craft first, Hayes second, Griffith third and Clayton fourth.
Steve Craft (25D) has found some new speed as of late. At Bakersfield, Craft put his head down and fought for the victory in the Senior main event. Then he backed that up with a third in the Modern 500cc final.
Eighteen riders made up the A&A Racing/ Maxima Racing Oils Vet class, for riders over the age of 35, on any machine of their choosing. This field is split into an A and B main, with the fastest 10 riders transferring to the A main. Don Howard, who has shown his talent in both dirt track and supermoto, led the A main-event field into turn one, with Lloyd McGregor second, Jason Cahoon third and Robert Bush in fourth.
On lap three, between turns one and two, McGregor stalled his mount and was out of the race. Meanwhile, coming from a midpack start, Josh Chisum moved through to third, with Jimmy Abrams glued to his backside. Up front, Howard, smooth as ever, had a four-bikelength lead over Cahoon.
By lap four, Jason Craven had moved past Bush to capture fifth, and Larry Earhart was finding a rhythm back in seventh. With a lap remaining, two riders –Craven and Chisum –went down between turns one and two, which advanced Bush and Earhart into fourth and fifth, respectively. When the checkered flag fell, Howard had gone wire to wire for the win, with Jason Cahoon second, Abrams third, Bush fourth and Earhart fifth.
Here, Don Howard (4) quietly goes about his business. Sadly for the other 18 Vet-class riders, Howard’s business is winning. Howard turned a 12.83-second lap time that no one else in the Vet A main event could match.
After being beaten in the heat race, Tim Thomas came out much more aggressive in the Penton Racing Products (PVL)/ JRC Engineering Senior Novice/ Super Senior final. Thomas left the starting line with his front wheel skyward, but he still managed to lead the pack through turns one and two. Andy Hardan settled in at second, with Jack Alexander third, Herb Wolff fourth and Dave Cheney fifth.
Entering turn three for the second time, Wolff was showing Alexander a wheel, but he couldn’t make a pass stick. Wolff was persistent, and on the next go-around he secured the third-place position for good.
Back up front, Hardan was trying to find a way around Thomas, and he actually turned the fastest lap of the race, at 13.28 seconds, to Thomas’ 14.01-second fast time. But being faster and making a pass for the lead are two different things, and Thomas wasn’t going to make it easy for Hardan. At this point, Ted Hubbard, about to go a lap down, also came into the picture, just as the white flag came out. The two leaders went around Hubbard on different sides, with Thomas choosing the better line and coming home with the victory, over Hardan. Wolff was all alone in third, with Alexander a solid fourth and Fred Berger taking fifth away from Cheney at the stripe.
Having lost his heat race, Tim Thomas (33U) from Arizona came out much more aggressive in the Senior Novice/Super Senior main. Thomas turned a 14.01-second lap on his BSA en route to the victory.
In the Works Performance Shocks Classic 500cc/750cc Small-Valve contest, Chris Rudy showed up with a “new” 1962 Harley-Davidson 750cc mount. What was different for Rudy – who is a staple in this class, with his show-quality Harley KR – is that this bike has rear suspension. What a concept!
Rudy nailed the start and led the pack through turns one and two, with Bultaco-mounted Ron Lessley second and Harley KR-mounted Jack Alexander in third. Away in fourth was Herb Wolff on (and when was the last time you saw one of these in a race?) a 1950 AJS single-cylinder, 500cc machine.
On lap three, Lessley tagged Rudy’s back wheel in turn one, standing Lessley up and giving Rudy a gap of about three bikelengths. Rudy then turned the fastest lap of the race, at 13.18 seconds, attempting to get away from both Lessley and Alexander.
On the last lap, Lessley had caught up to Rudy and dropped Alexander back. Lessley made a run at Rudy down the back straight and squared up turns three and four for a drive to the line but came up a half-bikelength short to finish second to a solid Rudy. Alexander came home a lonely third. Wolff was fourth.
Chris Rudy (87Y) showed up at Bakersfield with a new horse. Not used to rear suspension, Rudy did adapt quickly, and worked his way forward for the victory in the Classic 500cc/750cc Small-Valve main event. His fastest lap time was 13.18 seconds.
The Brown’s Cycles Modern 500cc class saw Jimmy Lundgren lead from pole, with Steve Craft once again pulling his patented outside run through turns one and two and dropping in behind Lundgren, in second. Ryan Gifford, Ron Lessley and Hadley Melton gave chase, in that order.
Gifford and Lessley were all over Craft’s backside by lap two, while Lundgren turned the fastest lap of the race, at 13.37 seconds.
Coming to the white flag, Lessley, running a high outside line, went by both Gifford and Craft in one big move to leapfrog into second place. Lessley carried this drive to the checkered flag to finish second, behind Lundgren. Craft was third and Gifford fourth.
Riding for Simi Valley Kawasaki, Jimmy Lundgren (70L) – seen here leading Keaton Hendrickson (10) – used a Honda to win a hard-fought victory in the Modern 500cc class. Lundgren’s fastest lap was 13.37 seconds – just a tenth of a second faster than second-place finisher Ron Lessley.
The Barnett/ Tuffplates Modern 750cc class had eight potent twins staged for this main event. Impressive through practice and the heat races was Robert Bush, who seemed to have risen to a level higher for this event. On the first start, Andy Hardan slid out while leading into turn one, bringing out the red flag.
On the full restart, Paul Herman launched off the line and into lead and never looked back. The team of Herman and Berg have proved almost unbeatable over many years, and they’re still on form. With Herman up front, the race became for second among John Clayton, Bush, Patrick Hayes and Keith Bryant.
Paul Herman (left) has been teamed with tuner Steve Berg (right) for more than 10 years. Herman rides Berg’s number-68 Triumph, and that makes this pair very hard to beat...
With four laps complete, Clayton experienced mechanical issues and pulled out. Meanwhile, Herman put in the fastest lap of the race, at 13.38 seconds. At this point, Bush was up to second, with Hayes in third and Bryant fourth, and that’s how the field would finish.
Paul Herman (68) used Steve Berg’s 750cc Triumph to its fullest potential. Herman was fast all night and the best of the Vintage 750cc field, with a 13.38-second lap time.
Jason Craven led the Megacycle Cams/ S&S Off-Road 500cc Support field off the line. Jimmy Lundgren slotted in at second, with Jeff Gonzales third, Gary Ritchie fourth and Keaton Hendrickson fifth. Craven would get away at the front and go on to victory by a margin of more than two seconds, while the rest of the running order saw no changes through the entire race.
Jason Craven (77) – seen here battling Lloyd McGregor (38) – finished seventh in the Vet A main but came back to redeem himself by winning the bar-banging, paint-swapping 500cc Support main on a pristine machine.
The Rod Lake Racing Open Amateur class also had A and B mains, with the fastest 10 of the 16 riders transferring to the A main. Bronson Bauman flew off the starting line from the first slightest bit of motion from starter Fred Allen’s hand to lead the field into turn one. However, two riders went down between turns one and two, stopping the race.
Bauman repeated his feat on the full restart to take the lead, with Mike Dillard running second. Andrew Luker ran in third until the second lap, when Chris Podergois took the position away in turn one. Dan Brown, running in fifth, had a big scare between turns three and four but made a miracle save to rejoin the race in seventh.
Back up front, Bauman was the only rider in the field to drop under the 13-second lap-time mark, with his 12.96-second time. At the white flag, the order had been settled and would remain the same to the finish as Bauman, Dillard, Luker, Brown and Zach Lenhof.
Bronson Bauman (30) was the only Open Amateur rider to go under the 13-second mark in lap times. He handily won the Open Amateur main and turned a 12.96-second lap in the process.
The 20-lap Digger Helm Open Pro main event had 14 finalists transfer through four heat races and a semi for a spot in the main. Kayl Kolkman, by virtue having the fastest heat-race time, sat on pole. The Simi Valley Kawasaki pilot didn’t disappoint, as Kolkman led into turn one, with Stevie Bonsey in second. Jethro Halbert got a so-so start but quickly shot up to third, bringing Briar Bauman along with him to fourth.
National number 69, Jethro Halbert, rode a vintage Yamaha TT500 in the Digger Helm Pro main event. Halbert slipped as far back as fourth but was in the right place at the right time on the last lap to finish runner-up when the checkered flag fell. Briar Bauman (10) came in third.
With two laps complete, Bauman was working the pole with his inside line, and he passed Halbert for third. Meanwhile, Mikey Rush was now up into fifth place. Also on the move from a midpack start were Jon Nunes and Garrett Stout, who were running sixth and seventh, respectively.
By lap five, Kolkman had put in what would be the fastest lap of the race and the night, at 12.01 seconds, while Bauman had begun what would turn out to be a 14-lap fight with Bonsey. Also by this point, Rush had gotten by Halbert for fourth, only to have Halbert return the move a lap later.
Briar Bauman (10) and National number 69, Jethro Halbert, went at it in the early stages of the 20-lap Digger Helm main event. They swapped third place several times, and Bauman even laid it down on the last lap but recovered to still finish third.
By lap seven, Bonsey and Bauman had begun swapping the second-place position, which only slowed their progress, letting Kolkman extend his lead even further.
By lap 10, the halfway point, Kolkman was into lappers, as Bonsey and Bauman had slowed each other’s progress into the 13-second lap-time range.
With five laps remaining, Kolkman hap lapped half the field and had more than a three-second cushion.
The battle for second raged until the white-flag lap, when both Bauman and Bonsey slid out in turn two, only a few feet from each other, with neither making any contact with the other. Bauman was able to rejoin the race quickly, with only Halbert going past and into second; Rush was now alongside Bauman, battling for third. On the run down the back straight, Bauman shot to the inside of Rush and made a hard-contact pass entering turn three, moving Rush out wide. (Rush had little choice.) Meanwhile, Bonsey couldn’t get his bike started and was out on the last lap. That made the final tally Kolkman (with a wire-to-wire win), Halbert, Bauman, Rush, Nunes and Stout.
Stevie Bonsey (54) had a rough night at Bakersfield. His number plates and some gear arrived late due to an auto accident involving his father (luckily, his dad’s okay). Then, while running in third in the Pro main, he spun out on the last lap. Bonsey is always a crowd favorite, though – “That’s why they call it racing,” he said with a smile.
Kolkman took a victory lap with Digger Helm aboard before heading to the podium.
“It was a long race,” Kolkman said. “I holeshot off the start and almost pitched it away going into the first corner and kind of closed my eyes a little bit. I put my head down and tried to go a few good laps and get a little gap; it seemed to work. I had a pretty good line. I want to thank Simi Valley Kawasaki, Digger Helm – he really stepped up! – Barnett, and Troy Lee Designs.”
Kayl Kolkman (42E), on the Simi Valley Kawasaki, led all 20 laps of the Digger Helm Open Pro main event. Kolkman also posted the fastest lap of round five of the West Coast Dirt Track Series, at 12.01 seconds.
Later, in the pits, Briar Bauman gave his take on his incident: “I was just trying to get the fans into it. I wanted to make it interesting, so I decided to do a 180. No, I came out of the corner and grabbed a handful, and it’s real slick out there, and I was nervous and thought, ‘Here comes Bonsey,’ and just did a 180, but luckily the bike stayed running and I thought, ‘I still have a chance for third,’ and then Mike Rush came up on me, but I just got in there and was able to get third. I want to thank everybody.”
Kern County Fairgrounds
Bakersfield, California
Results: September 24, 2011 (Round 5)
YOUTH 50: 1. Grant Holmes; 2. Cheyenne Peebles; 3. James Alexander.
YOUTH 60: 1. Nolan Reitz; 2. Hunter Stanley; 3. Shaelynne Smith; 4. Grant Holmes; 5. Kalli Klassen; 6. Clay Williams; 7. Dakota Peebles.
YOUTH 80: 1. Casey Cahoon; 2. Nolan Reitz; 3. Colt Stanley; 4. Clay Williams; 5. Hunter Stanley; 6. Christian Payne; 7. Allison Stacey; 8. Ashley Smith; 9. Noah Bush; 10. Kaitlyn Sartuche; 11. Juan Mercado.
VET A: 1. Don Howard; 2. Jason Cahoon; 3. Jimmy Abrams; 4. Rob Bush; 5. Larry Earhart; 6. Josh Chisum; 7. Jason Craven.
VET B: 1. Kyle Lessley; 2. Gary Williams; 3. Corey Bauman; 4. Dan Dowding; 5. Shell Borden; 6. Shane Adams (DNF).
SR: 1. Steve Craft; 2. Patrick Hayes; 3. Randy Griffith; 4. John Clayton; 5. Ryan Gifford; 6. Keith Bryant; 7. Andy Hardan; 8. Jeff Lessley (DNF).
SR NOV/SUPER SR: 1. Tim Thomas; 2. Andy Hardan; 3. Herb Wolff; 4. Jack Alexander; 5. Fred Berger; 6. Dave Cheney; 7. Larry Melton; 8. Ted Hubbard.
DINOSAUR: 1. Herb Wolff.
CLASSIC 250: 1. Fred Berger; 2. Casey Lessley; 3. Clay Van Deren.
CLASSIC 500: 1. Chris Rudy; 2. Ron Lessley; 3. Jack Alexander.
MODERN 250: 1. Jeff Lessley; 2. Will Ott; 3. Casey Lessley; 4. Paul Ott; 5. Malcolm Roe.
MODERN 500: 1. Jim Lundgren; 2. Ron Lessley; 3. Steve Craft; 4. Ryan Gifford; 5. Hadley Melton.
MODERN 750: 1. Paul Herman; 2. Robert Bush; 3. Patrick Hayes; 4. Keith Bryant; 5. John Clayton III; 6. Andy Hardan; 7. Shawn Culp (DNF).
250 OPEN: 1. Casey Cahoon; 2. Allen Smith; 3. Damon Coca; 4. Allison Stacey; 5. Kayla Smith.
500 SUPPORT: 1. Jason Craven; 2. Jim Lundgren; 3. Jeff Gonzales; 4. Gary Ritchie; 5. Keaton Hendrickson; 6. Shawn Culp.
OPEN AM A: 1. Bronson Bauman; 2. Mike Dillard; 3. Andrew Luker; 4. Daniel Brown; 5. Zach Lenhof; 6. Dillon Allen; 7. Michael Birchfield; 8. Dean Coca; 9. Chris Podergois (DNF).
OPEN AM B: 1. Alfred Flores; 2. Austin Williams; 3. Paul Ott; 4. Corey Bauman; 5. Andy Williams; 6. Cruz Griffith.
DASH FOR CASH: 1. Mikey Rush; 2. Kayl Kolkman; 3. Jethro Halbert; 4. Stevie Bonsey (DNF).
OPEN PRO: 1. Kayl Kolkman; 2. Jethro Halbert; 3. Briar Bauman; 4. Mikey Rush; 5. Jon Nunes; 6. Garrett Stout; 7. Bronson Bauman; 8. Jeremy Hannah; 9. David Bush; 10. Mike Dillard; 11. Zach Lenhof; 12. Josh Chisum; 13. Stevie Bonsey (DNF); 14. Chris Podergois (DNF).
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Filed Under: Dirt Track • National • Vintage • Vintage Dirt Track
