LaPorte tops all at Crystal Falls Crystal Falls, MI - July 7/8 By Cody Wills
A
fter a blistering hot week in Wisconsin, it sometimes is hard not to either stay home in the air conditioning or head to the lake instead of going to the race track. With this weekend’s race in Northern Michigan you can always expect nice cool nights, and hopefully more comfortable days, which makes going to the races the easy decision. +30A had a few good battles up front on Saturday. Randy Miller pulled the holeshot in moto one and led for a lap until Ben Bernard and Tom Kalies made their charge to the front. Miller diced with Bernard for a while which allowed Kalies to gain a comfortable lead. By lap four Bernard broke free and worked towards Kalies, but by the time he got to Kalies the moto ended. Moto two proved the same, Miller again put his YZ450 as Kalies and Bernard Nathen Laporte was on a mission, worked past, and battled till the dominiating both 250A and Open A. end. Kalies picked up the win and overall. Wyatt Liebeck close behind. Nooyen and Sunday saw good racing all day. In Liebeck seemed to be a level above the rest, +40 Matt Bronk pulled the holeshot on his checking out from the pack. Jonah Dowd YZ450, followed close by Jason Heindl. had a good battle Tristin Woolf for third beKalies was in third and it didn’t take long fore Dowd wrapped up the position just befor him to make his way into the lead. fore the checkered flag. Heindl made a pass on Bronk quickly after, and on the second lap Kalies stalled it in the back allowing Heindl to move into the lead and Bronk to second. Kalies mounted a charge and with a lap to go he got by Bronk. Kalies and Heindl spent the last lap going at it coming together twice, once when Kalies took the inside before a small drop off and then again when he powered around the outside going off the table top. That was enough to move into the lead, and Kalies got the win. Moto two again had those three out front again as Heindl and Kalies were going at it again. Heindl was doing anything he could to ride a wide bike. Kalies kept trying all the inside lines, trying to make something work. That cat and mouse game allowed Bronk to stay real close. Kalies finally passed Heindl in the last lap for the win and overall. The 65cc class had some excitement with Mitch Nooyen showing his speed. Matt Bronk leads Jason Heindl and eventual Moto one had Nooyen pull the holeshot with winner #200 Tom Kalies in the +40 class.
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CYCLE USA, August 2012
Moto two was the exciting moto for these little guys as this time Nooyen made work for himself coming around the first turn in dead last. Preston Maki got the holeshot and led with Liebeck in second. Maki had the glory of leading for the first half a lap before going down handing the lead to Liebeck. It was looking good for Liebeck and the overall, but by the end of lap two Nooyen had come from outside the top ten to be challenging for the lead. By the end he got around Liebeck and took the win, and swept the day. 250A moto one had Nate Laporte getting the holeshot after making the nine hour trip overnight from trying to qualify at Red Bud the day before. Close behind was Adam Reek. Kyle Kooshmann moved in to third, and Jake Vaness was really fast all day, this moto picking up fourth. Laporte dominated the moto showing his raw speed. Moto two was a different story as Laporte was way back and getting the holeshot this time was Michigan’s Andy Zambon followed by Vaness, Kooshmann and Reek. After lap two Zambon still had the lead and Reek had pulled off. Laporte was up to fifth after his dead last start. Vaness was making a charge to the front, and by lap last lap Vaness took over the lead and Laporte had moved around Zambon to second. The determined Laporte put his SE Sales