Bau Re-bounds to Claim DM Sports Women's World Series MX Title 

 
In a see saw battle for the 2000 DM Sports Women's World Championship Series, which saw several different winners emerge victorious, Italian, Stefy Bau battled all the way to the series final to claim the crown in the final race of the inaugural Championship.

The series boasted nearly 100 riders, with rounds in six regions of the country. Series support ran strong with support from companies such as Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, Motion Pro, Scott, VP fuels, Engine Ice, Answer, Ceet, FMF, Mothers, Maxima, Fox, Thor, Pro Circuit, White Brothers, Boyesen, Uni, Bridgestone and Tom Morgan Racing.

Round one of the series was held in Ocala, Florida at Hardrock Cycle Park. It was here that the battle lines for the series championship were drawn. 99 Pro National and World Cup Champion Stefy Bau, 99 AMA Amateur National Champion Jessica Patterson and 98 Rookie of the Year Angie Keuntjes squared off in an epic battle separated only by inches. Patterson would draw first blood, but not until being severely tested by Keuntjes and Bau. Bau, rode strong, but was hampered by an ankle injury sustained in SX, while Keuntjes suffered a flat tire, and still nearly pulled off the win over Patterson. Tiffany Reed and Heidi Cooke rounded out the top 5. Amateur action was strong as well with April Hodges and Patty Whitehouse trading wins, with Angela Ferro, Michelle Trefethen and Jackie Kelly rounding out the top 5. In Mini action April Hodges outlasted Angella Ferro and Ashley Fioleck for the win.

Round 2 was held at Lake Whitney, TX under tornado warnings and stormy conditions. This proved to be prophetic in terms of the action on the track. Bau, Holeshot moto 1 but slid to third a few corners into the race. Patterson took the point position and disappeared, while Tania Satchwell, Bau, Jacki Hudson Keuntjes and Dee Wood argued over second. Keuntjes crashed hard and dropped to seventh, with Hudson falling a few laps later. Bau remained consistant, finishing third with Satchwell pushing past Bau late in the moto to claim second. Hudson rebounded to fourth over Wood in fifth. Hudson held the initial advantage on the start of Moto 2, but at the holeshot flag, it was Patterson. Tania Satchwell stormed to the front of the pack a lap later passing Patterson after applying pressure to the AMA Champ. Patterson slid out when Satchwell dove to the inside of a slippery off-camber corner and dropped to seventh. Patterson set a torrential pace regain lost ground, her pace causing some anxious moments as her desire over rode her equipment in the conditions. After several near falls in her quest back into the lead pack, the champ wisely settled for fourth. Keuntjes, despite riding in severe pain rode to an impressive second over Bau, Patterson and Wood. In Amateur action, Kristi Myers dominated the day with a perfect score over a vastly improved Erica Cook, with Patti Whitehouse in tow. Angie Stephens and Naheed Irani rounded out the top 5, while mini action was dominated by Erica Cook with a perfect score over Elizabeth Mc Farland and Rachael Blatt.

Round 3 would go to the irrepressible Patterson. Denied at Whitney, and on home soil, the AMA champ pounded the competition into oblivion in front of the Tri Star media camera's much to the delight of the partisan crowd. Moto 1 was holeshot by Patterson with Keuntjes pulling to the rear of Patterson and beginning a battle that would last for the entire weekend. As the two riders distanced the pack, only a bike length separated the warriors. With Keuntjes working the tight sections of the track and Patterson holding the advantage on the horsepower sections of the track a tight battle of cat and mouse ensued.. Keuntjes stayed close playing possum and waiting for the opportunity to strike. As they approached the front section of the track, Patterson narrowly avoided striking a lapped rider, almost going down. Keuntjes, pulled even, but Patterson was able to hold the point position. Patterson and Keuntjes blistering pace soon lapped the entire field and brought them up to the battle being waged between Amateur contenders Whitehouse and Hodges.

Entering the corner at the same time was Patterson, Whitehouse, Hodges and Keuntjes. No one offered any quarter, as each was involved in a battle for the overall in their respective divisions. Patterson got through the traffic quickest, as Keuntjes paid dearly, losing valuable time to Patterson as she became entangled in the battle between Whitehouse and Hodges. Keuntjes, once free from lapped traffic tore through the Dania sands after Patterson. Keuntjes made up a large amount of real estate and closed within a few bike lengths of Patterson when Patterson bobbled. Keuntjes was unable to pull the trigger on the national champion before motos end. Moto 2 holeshot money was again won by Patterson with Keuntjes only a bike length back, hungry for the overall. As they approached the step up, step down, Patterson and Keuntjes were wheel to wheel. Keuntjes gambled on the downhill double and hit the dirt. Keuntjes remounted and set out after Patterson. Keuntjes, nibbled away at Patterson's lead, picking up a few seconds every lap. Keuntjes was definitely making time on Patterson and closed to within a few seconds. Keuntjes got a tough break, choosing the wrong line in lapped traffic and quickly lost everything she had gained. Patterson went on to win the moto and the overall with a perfect score. Series amateur leader Whitehouse, held the advantage over Nichole Flanders, but soon the duo were trading plastic and the contact nearly sent both riders to the turf. Late in the moto Flanders crashed giving Whitehouse a comfortable lead. Whitehouse, worn from her battle with Flanders soon had her hands full with a charging Hodges. With two laps remaining, Hodges placed her Kawasaki in front of Whitehouse for the win. Whitehouse holeshot moto2 with Hodges in tow. With just one lap remaining, Hodges made her move around a tired Whitehouse, securing the amateur class win. Whitehouse may have lost the battle, but her strategy paid off at day's end as she retained the amateur points lead over Hodges, Bridgette and Jacki Kelley. The mini class winner was April Hodges over Sarah Bazin.

Round 4 graced the shores of the New England coast for the first time in the history of women's racing and the race action was intense. A large contingent of riders, hungry for an event of this magnitude to reach the eastern coast, made their way to one of the nations most beautiful tracks, the famed Jolly Roger Motorsports facility nestled in the back woods of New Hampshire. Julie Thompson., a former top ten competitor at Loretta's was just getting back into racing and was anxious to see where she stood. Thompson wasted no time sightseeing and grabbed the holeshot . Tina Biello gave chase in second with Nichol Balboni and Laura Yenik in battle formations. Suzanne Norcross slid briefly into the top five with a pass on Megan Mc Dermott, only to have Mc Dermott, return the favor. Thompson stretched her lead as Balboni moved into second dropping Biello to third, with Yenik fourth followed by Mc Dermott, Kerry Mahoney, Sonya Hall, Suzanne Norcross, Bonnie Thompson and Jocelyn Newhouse. Yenik made a move on Balboni for second, only to have Biello take advantage of the situation and pass Yenik relegating her to fourth with Mc Dermott staying close to the battle in 5th. Yenik rebounded back into third challenging Balboni for second. Moving through the pack virtually un-noticed into 4^th was the YZ piloted by Sherri Hutchins, who was under attack by Mc Dermott in fifth, who was feeling the heat of the Kawasaki of Mahoney in sixth, while Biello dropping to seventh. The order remained unchanged at the finish. In the 60-105 (9-15) class Sonya Hall, who had to be encouraged to race, swept the class with first place honors, followed by Jocelyn Newhouse, Cindy Mc Dermott and Lauren Twomey.

Round 5 was held with the Sierra mountains as a backdrop at the famed Mammoth Mountain, in California. Mercedes Gonzales-Natvig shocked the regulars by posting a 1/3 finish to steal top honors over a heavy pro field. Event favorite Patterson suffered a broken bike on the last lap in moto one, carding a 13/1 which would place her in sixth by the end of the day, tightening the points battle. Keuntjes suffered the same fate both motos, dropping her to third on the day with 3/4 finishes. Candace English was riding especially well and kept Natvig honest, passing her near the end of the first moto only to fall a few turns later dropping her to fourth. English was unable to find the magic in moto 2 and finished a disappointed 5^th in moto 2. Bau struggled with a 5/2 finishes for second, while Hudson picked up the pace in moto 1 to vault into second after English's fall, only to place 6^th in the final, good enough for fourth overall. The Amatuer class was loaded with talent as well with Tamera Madden having a perfect day, while Kadie Garrett and Tanya Elbers and Layne Swanson each posted consistant resultsin both motos to nail down 2^nd through 4^th with Brenda Burson rounding out the top 5 with 5/7 scores. Tayler Lacey was brillant in the 60-105 class with a solid win over Elizabeth Bash, Elizabeth MC Farland, Connie Kaczanowski and Lindsay Myers.

The final round of the series held at Glen Helen in California would determine the champion. Only a few points separated the contenders for the crown. Glen Helen was especially important as it was a two day-four moto format so every point was vital for the championship. With the absence of series rivals Angie Keuntjes and Jessica Patterson, both who lost motors the previous week at the Mammoth event, Bau wasted little time pressing her advantage on the start of Moto 1. Bau took the Holeshot in Moto one of the two day event, followed closely by Plano Honda's Hudson, Kelly Yancey, Lynette Wosick and Kristy Myers in fifth. Bau was under heavy pressure from Hudson and Yancey, who were determined to relegate the champ to the pack. Yancey hung tight to the Bau, Hudson battle as Wosick slipped 4 seconds back. Wosick, riding a 250, was the leading the Amateur division and still holding off Rookie pro Myers. In the battle for sixth, was the rest of the Amateur pack of Alisa Wallingsford, Tamra Madden, Tamera Neitzel, Sarah Schlike, and Amber Pickett. The 60-105cc class pulled up into the thick of the Amateur battle with a battle of their own. Elizabeth Mc Farland led Tayler Lacey of Las Vegas, Nevada, briefly, but Lacey, riding flawlessly, effortlessly clearing the infield doubles and tabletops to take over the lead from Mc Farland and Brooke Campos. Up front, Bau was putting on a riding clinic. Hudson could smell blood, but was unable to force a mistake from the Team Green rider. Yancey dropped it on the hill the following lap, elevating Myers to third. Madden was on a tear closing the gap on Wosick. Following Madden were Neitzel and Schlike who were locked in a battle of their own. Mini pilot Lacey had impressively worked her way into 8^th overall with the big bikes by the 1/2 way point. Late in the moto Hudson fell up the face of a jump, giving Bau breathing room to secure the win. Third was Yancey who eventually passed Wosick with an aggressive move to 4th and followed suit a few laps later on the unsuspecting Myers to claim 3^rd by the checkers. Moto 2, was Holeshot by Amateur ace Wosick, Bau muscled her way into the lead with an inside move that Wosick wasn't able to match. Hudson also made short work of Wosick, chipping away at Bau's early lead. Yancey rode strong and poised in 3^rd waiting for her chance to strike. Layne Swanson was having a great Moto, running second in the amateurs over Madden in 3^rd, with Pickett and Wallingsford rounding out the top 5. Hudson used her mastery of the infield to close the gap on Bau and make an inside move. Bau countered, relegating Hudson back to 2^nd. Hudson continued to show Bau a wheel again and again, with Bau countering her every move. Six laps into the race, Bau used lapped traffic to pull three seconds clear of the determined Hudson. Bau won the moto with a solid no mistakes moto over Hudson, Yancey and Myers. Wosick claimed Amateur bragging rights over 2^nd place rider Swanson, who was able to hold Madden in third followed by Neitzel, Schlike, Wallingsford, Pickett and Denise De Vines. In mini action Lacey again showed the fast way around the track over Mc Farland, Campos and Breker.

Day two offered a clean slate, as rider's received points for both days, but trophies were awarded individually for each day. Hudson came to the line with one thing on her mind…get Bau. With a new longer track, Hudson would have to match Bau's long course speed to take the win. Hudson got her wish with a Holeshot in Moto 1 on day two, with Bau getting pelted in second. Hudson hung tight, with Bau shadowing her every move. Bau, at the completion of lap one, tired of eating Hudson's roost, made the move, relegating Hudson to her customary position for the weekend. Hudson tried everything but was unable to retake the lead or seriously threaten Bau's dominance in Moto 1. Madden got a great start and was running third over Wosick, Yancey and Myers. Yancey and Myers were each giving no quarter as they battled for 5^th. Pickett had a nice battle going with former women's promoter Denise Devines riding a Gas Gas for the weekend. Madden was under heavy pressure from Wosick and Yancey as Yancey pulled clear of Myers. By lap 5 Bau had stretched her lead to six seconds over Hudson. Wosick under pressure from Yancey folded under the attack as did Madden. Myers followed Yancey's cue to getting around Wosick and Madden who were followed by Swanson, Neitzel, Wallingsford, Schlike, Pickett and De Vines. At the checkers Bau held a commanding lead over a demoralized Hudson, with Yancey bullying her way into third with Myers following suit in fourth over Madden, Wosick, Swanson, Neitzel, and Wallingsford. The last motos of the weekend featured only a few changes in the pecking order for the weekend. Bau Holeshot the final moto and never looked back, while Hudson soldiered on in second followed by Yancey and Myers in the pros. In amateur action, Wosick again used the holeshot to her advantage taking the second moto overall and the overall for the weekend over madden and Swanson. Lacey made it a clean sweep of the mini division with 4 perfect motos over McFarland and Campos.

With Bau's perfect score for the double points weekend, she moved from 3^rd to first in the series points and wrapped up the championship over rivals Patterson and Keuntjes. Tamra Madden used consistent scores of 2/3/1/2 to outscore all others in her quest for the championship as she took home the number one plate for the Amateurs, while Elizabeth Mc Farland rode smart with consistent 2/2/2/2's to wrap up the mini title.

Amateur: 1. Tamara Madden (Suz) 168, 2. Patty Whitehouse (Suz) 131, 3. Layne Swanson ( Yam) 118, 4. Tamera Nietzel (KTM) 98, 5. Lynette Wosick (Yam) 97, 6. April Hodges (Kaw) 97, 7. Alisa Wallingsford (Yam) 80, 8. Bridgette Kelley ( Kaw) 71, 9. Jacki Kelley (Kaw) 67, 10. Sarah Schlike (KTM) 60, 11. Amber Pickett (Suz) 57, 12. Denise DeVines (Gas Gas) 52, 13. Kadie Garrett (Kaw) 44, 14. Erica Cook (Yam) 44, 15. Tanya Elbers (Suz) 40, 16. Angela Ferro (Kaw) 40, 17. Angie Stephens (Hon) 36, 18. Michelle Trefethen (KTM) 34, 19. Naheed Irani (Yam) 32, 20. Brenda Burson (Kaw) 30, 21. Amy Rogers (Yam) 29, 22. Cera Horn (KTM) 29, 23. Christine Nance (Hon) 29, 24. Julie Thompson (Hon) 25, 25. Nichol Balboni (Suz) 22, 26. Carloe Franks (Yam) 20, 27. Tiffany Smith (Yam) 20, 28. Lauren Yenik (Hon) 20, 29. Michelle Johnson (Yam) 18, 30. Tracy Toscano (Yam) 18, 31. Sherrie Hutchins (Yam) 18, 32. Megan Mc Dermott (Yam) 16, 33. Laurie Schipper (Suz) 15, 34. Gale Webb (Kaw) 15, 35. Kerri Mahoney (Kaw) 15, 36. Jerri Reeves (Kaw) 15, 37. Tina Biello (Yam) 14, 38. Elizabeth Bash (Yam) 13, 39. Stacy Bremner (Yam) 13, 40. Suzanne Norcross (Kaw) 13, 41. Bonnie Thompson (Hon) 12, 42. Dawn Flagg (Hon) 11, 43. Devon Olson (Hon) 7, 44. Maria Gonzalez (Kaw) 5, 45. Heather Matthews (Kaw) 4, 46. Sherri Cruse (Yam) 4, 47. Monica Drake (Hon) 0, 48. Tina Handelin (Yam) 0