By R. Vincent Tupaz
with Rob Bucek from GMAC
For Variety

NEXT Sunday island residents will see the second round of a ten round series of the Guam Motorcycle and Atv Corporation (GMAC) 2007 Moto-X Championship Series.
Meanwhile, action in the first round of mortocross action concluded on Sunday. The mean machines of motocross fame were all the rage as racers took to the course lap after lap at the Calvo Memorial Off-Road Park in the village of Yigo.
According to GMAC’s Public Information Officer Bob Bucek, the weather held and everything went smoothly for a great day of racing. “The event was free to come and watch for the entire family and many seemed to take advantage of the great weather to come watch the high flying side by side bar banging racing that makes up the sport of motocross,” explained Bucek.
He added,”All the different classes made up of different sizes and ages of the competitors and their machine competed in their respective class.” Bucek noted that the riders ranged in age from the youngest racers being just under 5 years of age on 50cc atvs or mini bikes. The oldest were in their 50’s on the bigger 250 and 450 machines.
According to Bucek one of the highlights of the first race of the year was a longer extended course. “A longer extended course that had been added to this year’s program was a successful hit as competitors were now able to really open up the throttle and shift through the gears as they blasted down the new long sandy straights,” stated Bucek. He added, “(They) were roosting in and out of the high banked sand turns in route of the high launching, man made, red dirt super-cross type jumps that make up the infield portion of the motocross course.”
Overall summary of combined two moto format.
In the 50cc mini bike class #9 Kyle Corbett aboard his Crf 50 Honda was out front with #19 Rowan Pereira (Kaw) and #11 Nathan Viall (Kaw) running second and third respectively. As the second half of the race started Kyle had some problems with restarting his machine allowing Rowan Pereira to take the lead and the win with Corbett taking second and Viall finishing in third.
The 50cc Atv class was all #1 Stoney Bucek as he took the Cycles Plus Kawasaki Kfx-50 to the checkers for first followed closely by #29 AJ Windham (Kaw) in second who had been closing in on Bucek’s lead towards the end of the race.
The Mini Mid Atv class was dominated by #1 Trevor Eustaquio aboard his Kawasaki Kfx-80 as he took first place with Honda rider #5 Blair Bates taking second and #11 Jose Simpson (Kaw) taking third.
65cc racer #617 Troy Corpuz (Suz) at only ten years of age is already a two time Guam 65cc Moto-X champion having won those titles in 2005 and 2006 and was out to a great start of perhaps earning a third 65cc Guam Moto-X championship as he came from second place to pass leader #44 Tomas Aguon who was running blazingly fast for the entire first half of the event. Once past Aguon Corpuz didn’t slow down as he took the checkers and the win with Tomas Aguon finishing second and #2 James Cepeda Jr.(Kaw) taking third.
The 85cc has its own division with three separate classes. In the 85cc Expert class #14 Errol Angoco (Yam) continued his win streak from 2006 by taking the win in round 1 over second place finisher #78 Kyle Cruz (Suz) and third place finisher #617 Troy Corpuz (Suz). In the 85cc Novice class #44 Tomas Aguon (Yam) took the win with #111 Jacob Einloth (Yam) taking second and #97 Alex Griffen (Kaw) placing third. In the Womens 85cc class #29 Brittany Angoco aboard her Honda Crf 85 took the victory over second place #52 Breanne Pine (Kaw) and #99 Samantha Corbett (Hon) who took third.
In the newly formed Open Expert class a class that includes any and all machines over 125cc in engine displacement and up Shane Morrison #89 took the Cycles Plus Kawasaki Kxf-450 wire to wire for the win. Taking second place was #51 RPM Yamaha team rider Frank Rios aboard the Yamaha Yzf 450 with third place being taken by fellow RPM Yamaha team mate #103 Brian Gumataotao aboard the Yamaha Yzf 250.
Riding in two separate classes #51 Frank Rios (Yam) took the win in the Open Vet class over the hard charging pack of veterans all 30 years of age or older. #52 Bryan Pine (Kaw) wowed the crowd as he battled with reigning vet champ #1 Paul Angoco (Kaw) for second place and taking it with Angoco settling for third.
At the start of the Open Atv Womens class #69 Taffy Wassom took the start with the pack hard on her heels. Challenge after challenge for the first half of the race Wassom was able to fend off the attempts to pass her for the lead by #14 Kelly Simpson (Suz) and #2 Keara Bucek (Suz) until she seemed to have missed shifted allowing both Simpson and Bucek to get by. The two new leaders had an epic side by side battle until Simpson “Bam!!!” seemed to have kicked it, her speed, up a notch and pulled away to the win. Bucek took second with Wassom placing third.
Year after year the rivalry of #5 Robert Santos who races for the team of RPM Yamaha and #1 Robert Bucek the reigning Guam open atv champion who rides for the team of Cycles Plus aboard a Suzuki seem to get into the type of heated battles on the track that can only be described as fierce, fast, and on the edge of disaster. This year appears to be no different as the two hooked up in a battle after the first half of the race and had the crowds attention as they launched bar to bar over the jumps, in the turns and down the straights neither giving up anything to the other lap after lap until the final lap when Bucek going into the rhythm section next to but on the outside of Santos slammed the brakes mid way through the section and then opened it back up to dive under and past Santos to take the lead through the string of doubles that followed. Santos who appeared to have been taken by surprise was unable to regroup allowing Bucek clear sailing to the checkers. Taking second was #99 Mark Schiavone (Suz) who raced a fast consistent race to be in the hunt at the end. Santos held on to take third place this time but looks to be determined to not allow anymore Bucek surprises to rattle him in the future.
Round 2 of Guam 2007 Moto-X Championships set for Sun. Jan. 28. Racing begins at 1pm and admission is free. Results submitted by Rob Bucek from GMAC