Rounds 3 & 4, Goldbar, Washington.
Rounds 3 & 4 of the 2003 US National Championship series took place on May 24th & 25th in the slippery conditions that are common in the Northwest of the Country. Ryon Bell and Wilson Craig had been looking forward to these events, as it mimics their home training grounds quite closely. With Geoff Aaron winning the opening two rounds of the series in dominant fashion, it was important for the other contenders in the series to put one over on Geoff, and to claw back some of the points difference between them.
Round 3: Geoff Aaron didn't let the slippery stuff bother him as he rode confidently to his third straight win in the series. Geoff finished up on 60 points, indicating the level of difficulty of the Trial. Next up was Ryon Bell on 73.5 (after coming in a few seconds late!) and Wilson Craig on 74. Wilson must have been kicking himself at the end, as his 4 penalty points were the difference between second and third on the day. Fourth place was taken by Chris Florin way back on 88.5 points.
It appears that each rider had a bogey section that took a lot of points. For Geoff, section 5 took 5,3,5, where Ryon went through the same section for 1,2,1. However, Ryon had a lot of trouble on sections 10 and 11, fiving both every time. Geoff lost 17 points less than Ryon on these two sections. Wilson normally puts his strength to good use and battles through sections where others take five. Wilson had 7 fives on the day. Geoof suffered 6 fives, and Ryon took 8 fives. Geoff and Wilson both cleaned 22 of the 45 sections, while Ryon cleaned 18. This win puts Geoff comfortably on top of the leaderboard. If Wilson and Ryon are going to challenge for the Championship, they need to show Geoff how it's done!
Round 4: It seems like Ryon and Wilson were extra determined for round 4 of the series. Another win by Geoff would be demoralizing, so they knew what they had to do. As though riding to script, Ryon put in a fantastic ride and dominated the day for a comfortable win. Ryons score of 23 included 30 cleans, and no fives. Wilson Craig also stepped up his game, and took second place on 34 points, racking up 29 cleans and just a single five. Geoff was riding hot & cold, but still pulled off a third place on 38 points. Geoff had the most cleans of anyone, with 31 zero's, but suffered 5 very costly fives.
A pattern for the season has clearly emerged. The top two riders of recent years, Geoff Aaron and Ryon Bell, have now been joined by Wilson Craig. Wilson has taken two seconds in four rounds, and must be looking for his first National win this year. The Gas Gas Pro continues to dominate National events, having won every round since midway through the 2001 season! The top three contenders for the 2003 title are all on the Pro, and credit the machine with contributing to their successes. Ryon Bell racked up his first National victory since 2001, and is clearly very comfortable on the bike. The Pro also took all three places on the podium in the expert class, with young Cody Webb taking two second places. The expert class has more depth than ever this year, and Cody's performances are an indication of things to come.
