2019 Chaparral Motorsports Precision Concepts Kawasaki 29 Palms NGPC Report
Text: Robby Bell
Photos: Mad Moose Media
The Chaparral Motorsports,
Precision Concepts,
Kawasaki Team Green crew headed out to the 29 Palms desert for
the fourth round of the National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC)
Series. The location is well-known for offering speed, as riders
can reach upwards of ninety miles per hour in sections. This year's
course was no exception, with the hosting Hilltoppers club keeping
the track in good condition for the ninety-minute pro race on
Sunday.
Zach Bell - 1st place Pro, 4th in
championship | 1st place Open AA
Zach chose to line up far inside on the starting line, and it
nearly paid off. As the racers rushed into the first corner, Bell
came out second place, just behind his teammate. For the first
two-thirds of a lap, Zach tailed Blayne before making a sweeping
pass around the outside of a high-speed left-hand corner. Once in
the lead, Bell put down consistent laps, slowly stretching away
from the field with each circuit. At the end of ninety minutes,
Zach took the checkers to claim the win. It was his second victory
of the series in as many rounds attended.
In His Own Words
"I got off to a second-place start behind Blayne and made the pass
toward the end of lap one. From there I just rode my own race and
pushed myself. It was a good race, very fast out there today, and
hot. I felt good; didn't feel any pain in the back and my hands
held up good, so I feel like we're going in the right direction
with my training and my eating and everything. So, I'm just looking
forward to the next races. [Vegas WORCS] will be good. Last year I
should have run a Rekluse [auto clutch], but
this year I have the Rekluse, so it'll be good. Every time I'm out
there I'm learning and it's fun. This was a good weekend. For the
whole team to go one-two [in the pro class] and first [in pro 2],
couldn't have asked for a better weekend."
Blayne Thompson - 2nd place Pro,
6th in championship | 2nd place Open AA
From the middle of the starting line, Blayne's
KX450 hooked up perfectly, netting him the holeshot. Thompson
lead early, before a bit of indecision cost him the point position.
Entering a fast, left-handed corner, Blayne hesitated as he thought
of whether to guard the inside or rail the top of the berm. In the
end, Thompson decided to go inside, but Zach was able to carry more
momentum around the outside to take the lead. Over the next few
laps, Blayne held a firm second place, though Trevor Stewart and
Dalton Shirey were not far behind. A small crash with just a couple
laps to go allowed Shirey to close right up to Blayne's rear wheel.
Fortunately, the Kawasaki rider was able to respond and pulled back
away to the checkers, taking a well-earned second place.
In His Own Words
"We got a really good start with the holeshot. I lead about
three-quarters of the first lap until my teammate Zach got around.
It was through a corner and he even saw me debating if I should go
inside or outside. I ended up taking the inside and he ended up
going around the outside and getting around me. Obviously, looking
back, I know which line I should have taken, but I took the inside
trying to cover the bases and he took advantage. After he got
around me, we just rode our race. I had a little crash on the
second-to-last lap and got caught by Dalton, but I put the hammer
down that lap, and the last one and pulled back away. I felt
really, really good. Maybe I could have done better to keep Zach
honest for a little bit, but I'm just going to keep working during
the week, come back at the next one and see what we can do."
Clay Hengeveld - 1st place Pro 2,
4th in championship | 1st place 250 AA
Clay took a cue from Zach, lining up all the way inside for the
second-row Pro 2 start. In similar fashion to his teammate, Clay
came out of the first couple corners in second-place behind the
Husqvarna of Ciaran Naran. Over the first half of the race, the gap
between the two leaders had an accordion effect back and forth as
the two worked their way through riders from the first line. The
gap was never more than ten seconds as Clay stalked from second,
and the two had pulled a healthy gap on third. Clay pitted a lap
earlier than the leader, but after both riders had pitted, the gap
was still locked at around eight seconds. With just a couple laps
to go, a difference in speed finally appeared between the two as
Hengeveld closed the gap and was able to make the pass. Instantly,
Clay pulled out over a minute lead and continued to pull away to
the finish as he took his first Pro 2 win of the NGPC season.
In His Own Words
"I had a pretty good day today. Got off to a second-place start and
was trying to chase the Husky down as fast as I could. I was able
to make the pass with a few laps to go and ended up winning by a
pretty good margin today. The 250F is so much fun, I always enjoy
riding it and I felt really good today. It always puts a smile on
my face and was able to take the win yesterday in 250 AA too, so
that was pretty awesome. I'm super happy with how I rode today. I
just want to keep the ball rolling and head into WORCS. [WORCS
Vegas] is more of a one-off race. It's different than what we
normally do, but I've been riding tighter stuff. I'm going to go
into it with a clear head and do the best that I can do."
Robby Bell, Team Manager
"These are the weekends when it feels as if it comes easy. However,
putting into perspective what we went through at Peoria WORCS, and
how that-along with other struggles-has helped us learn and
improve, it really just makes me that much more grateful for
experiences like today. I'm so stoked for each of the guys to put
in the effort that they did and have the return on that effort with
stellar results.
"Zach was in control today. He is incredibly fast, and when he gets
out front early, it's fun to watch him control the race and
comfortably flow. Blayne had a great ride, especially late-on when
a fall put some pressure on him. His response was great, and I
think the best is still to come from Blayne if he continues to work
and improve, as we continue to try to improve the bike alongside.
Clay was patient today, which is needed at times coming from the
second line and being underpowered when coming through the 450's
that started ahead. But then he seemed to have that push when he
needed it. Once he got into the lead, he really gapped the 250's
and was able to enjoy the last couple laps.
Racing can be a rollercoaster experience, so we'll enjoy this
moment fully. But then we'll look to how we can continue to execute
like this, as a team, more consistently."
