Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Dirt tracker Bryan Smith wrapped up the 2003 Formula USA Pro Singles Championship with a win in the final event of the season, a mile, at Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California, October 5. Dirt tracker/road racer Nicky Cummings finished second in the Del Mar Pro Singles Mile Sunday, earning the 16-year-old from Michigan the 2003 Formula USA Grand National Championship (which combines points from select F-USA dirt track and road race events) and F-USA dirt track Rookie of the Year honors.
“It went really good,” Cummings said Monday in a telephone interview. “Really, Saturday [short track, October 4] wasn’t the best, but Sunday [mile] helped out. I had to catch [Smith], and then we battled for about three or four laps. I got away a little bit, but I started making little mistakes. Then I made a big mistake, and he caught me. I looked back and saw I had a good gap over third and just settled in. Then I won the Rookie of the Year [Sunday night at the awards banquet], so that was a cool bonus.”
Although he failed to make the short track main event Saturday night, Cummings took home $8095 in purse, contingency and Championship bonus money.
Cummings is currently driving home to Michigan to prepare his Honda CBR600RR for the final round of the Formula USA Grand National Championship, which is also the final round of the Formula USA Sportbike road race Championship, at Daytona International Speedway October 19. Cummings is currently 17th in the F-USA Sportbike point standings.
With a 10th in the short track race and his win in the Pro Singles mile at Del Mar, Smith won the F-USA Pro Singles Championship with 282 points over Terry Poovey (208 points). Smith won a $20,000 bonus for the Pro Singles Championship, $5410 in purse money at Del Mar and $4250 in contingency money from Honda for a total of $29,660.
The Del Mar event included the Superbikers SuperMoto race, which was won by Jeff Ward (Honda) over Grant Langston (KTM), who was competing in his first-ever SuperMoto race. Micky Dymond (KTM) finished third ahead of Scott Russell (KTM), Roger Lee Hayden (Honda) and Joe Kopp (KTM). Saturday night after the race, Ward, Mike Metzger and Troy Lee flew from California to Columbus, Ohio to compete in the AMA Supermoto race Sunday, October 5.
The Del Mar Pro Singles short track was won by Mees (Honda) over Tommy Hayden (Yamaha), Glen Schnabel, Jr. (Yamaha), Kopp (KTM), John Hlebo (Honda) and Kenny Coolbeth (KTM). Roger Lee Hayden finished seventh on a Honda.
Smith (Honda) won the Del Mar Pro Singles Mile over Cummings (Honda), Mees (Honda), Logan Myers (Honda), Poovey (Honda) and Dan Stanley (Honda). Kopp finished seventh on a KTM.
Geo Roeder, II, (H-D) won the Twins Challenge Mile at Del Mar, beating Kevin Varnes (Suzuki), A.J. Eslick (Suzuki), Mees (H-D), Willie McCoy (H-D) and Jess Roeder (H-D). Kopp again finished seventh on a KTM.
Formula USA Grand National Championship Point Standings (after round 9 of 10):
1. Cummings, 140 points
2. Smith, 111 points
3. Matt Wait, 95 points
4. Rob Pearson, 92 points
5. Poovey, 87 points
6. Myers/Nate Wait, TIE, 85 points
8. Stanley/Scott Greenwood, TIE, 83 points
10. Davey Durelle, 80 points
11. McCoy, 71 points
12. Jeff Wood, 66 points
13. Michael Himmelsbach, 56 points
14. Dave Stanton, 55 points
15. Des Conboy, 53 points
16. Mees/Jason Smith, TIE, 47 points
18. Shaun Michael Fields, 46 points
19. Kyle Ragsdale, 45 points
20. Lee Acree, 44 points