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Cycle News 2013 Issue 39 October 1

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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VOL. 50 ISSUE 39 OCTOBER 1, 2013 (Left) Steve Rapp (5) led the field away from pole position in the final Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson race and was never headed. Rapp is being chased by Hayden Schultz (59), Michael Barnes (1), Benny Carlson (45) and Gage McAllister (51). (Right) Rapp's title was his first in 15 years of professional racing. mind. It can happen because it has happened." Since that narrow defeat, Rapp finished in the championship top five six additional times across five classes - including two more runner-ups. But he didn't finally claim his long-awaited championship victory until the 2013 season that nearly saw him retire from racing and focus on his new fulltime career as a commercial airline pilot. Rapp reflected on the achievement and his rejuvenated career. "Coming into the season, I had no idea if I'd be able to race at all," he said. "And to win a lot of races and a championship… I'd say it's everything I dreamed, but I didn't dream it would happen so it's even better than that. If I could do it again, I'd love to. "I feel like I can be competitive in any class. I think on the right bike, I can probably win races in any class too. Those chances are far and few between these days, and I'm really happy with the Suburban Motors. They gave me a great bike and I was super motivated to do well. That's a good combination." While Rapp disappeared at the front, the bar-banging action the class is better known for was re- served for the fight to settle the remainder of the podium. Eco Fuel Saver/Scrubblade's Tyler O'Hara was forced to slash his way through the field, starting from the back of the field after his 'A bike' blew its motor on the warm-up lap. Fueled by aggression, the Californian hammered his way up to eighth on the race's opening lap. He moved into sixth a lap later, and then took over second place with a jaw-dropping inside maneuver that saw him overtake three rivals entering the Corkscrew on lap 4 of 10. O'Hara then settled into a defensive posture, fending off the spirited challenges of Rapp's teammate, Ben Carlson, and 16-year-old Hayden Schultz to secure second in the race. Combined with the seventhplace result of Harv's Harley-Davidson's Travis Wyman, O'Hara's result was good enough to earn him the series' runner-up spot in the final standings. "I was pretty irritated in the be- P87 ginning because I had to start at the back," O'Hara said. "It just kind of got me fired up and I was seeing red. It kind of took the best out of me and made me ride probably a little over my head at times, but I made it stick." Third-placed Carlson said, "I got a good start - I think I was second or third off the start and I just hustled. I've had some races where I wasn't aggressive and we ended up getting fourth and just kind of came up short. So this race I was either going to go for it or not make it happen or maybe hit the ground - I didn't really care at that point because I had been so close to the podium so many times." Defending series champ Michael Barnes finished a close fifth on the Spyke's Harley-Davidson while Folsom Harley-Davidson's Gag McAllister took sixth. Wyman was next, followed by Thrashed Bike Racing's David Estok, Ruthless Racing Inc.'s Darren James, and MOB Racing's Shane Narbonne who rounded out the top 10 in the '13 H-D finale. CN Harley-Davidson Final 1. Steve Rapp 2. Tyler O'Hara 3. Benjamin Carlson 4. Hayden Schultz 5. Michael Barnes 6. Gage McAllister 7. Travis Wyman 8. David Estok 9. Darren James 10. Shane Narbonne

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