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NAS-TRACK Madison Racing League #4
Rochester Hills, Michigan, July 18, 2003
Champoux, Hughes win points battle, Race 4 victory
By Christine Walden
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Extreme and aggressive racing by Andre Champoux and Jon Hughes of Team Green was almost daunted by the calculated moves of Mark and Ron St. John of Team Red and the speed and endurance of Team Blue‘s Rob Good and Ray Dybowski. But almost wasn't good enough and Team Green won the race as the Nas-Track Madison Racing League Friday Night series continued July 18th at the Velodrome at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Team Green's spectacular performance in the evening's two Madisons that put them in the winner's circle even though they never led in points until the final tally. Before that, they battled past the evening's early leader Madison Pursuit winners Team Blue and were most of the time behind Team Red. But points don't tell the whole story and the victory was as much a result of Team Green's perseverance as it was its place at the finish line.
Champoux began wearing down the field with a spectacular attack off the front in the 1 mile sprint that earned Team Green first place points, putting them in third overall. Then, in the first Madison, Hughes went to work and won. In the second Madison the Green teammates were relentless. Team Red tried to counter and in fact, had perfect timing in their exchange for the intermediate sprint. "I was set up to win," said Mark St. John, who dropped in with 11/2 to go as Champoux was completing his rotation. But instead of wearing down, Champoux was apparently inspired by St. John's move onto his wheel and he turned on the afterburners and held off everyone.
As the end of the race neared, Teams Green and Red were tied, the race was far from over and Hughes and Champoux poured it on, making one attack after another. Team Red defended itself, chasing down every move and making a few attacks of its own. Team Blue, with enough points to win if it placed right in the finish, jumped into the mix. The clock wound down and the racers wound up with an attack first by Blue, then Red, then Green.
With three to go, Champoux threw in Hughes and Hughes let it go, riding the race of the night and bringing hundreds of spectators to their feet as the intensity on the track spilled into the crowd. By a wheel, Hughes beat Mark St. John at the line and in the points for the evening's overall victory.
NAS-TRACK racing continues Friday, July 28th . League Championships are set for Friday August 1 and NAS-TRACK brings back a six day from August 19-24. For more information and up to the minute reports, visit www.nas-track.com or call 248-961-3705.
Final results
1 Team Green 55 pts Andre Champoux Jon Hughes 2 Team Red 53 Ron St. John Mark St. John 3 Team Blue 46 Rob Good Ray Dybowski 4 Team Neon 39 Randy Aardema Cullen Watkins 5 Team Pink 29 Pio Apostoli Mark Freed Overall Standings 1 Mark. St. John, St. Clair Shores 199 pts 2 Jon Hughes, Rochester Hills 187 3 Andre Champoux, Ypsilanti 186 4 Rob Good, Toronto 179 5 Dave Koesel, Livonia 172 6 Pio Apostoli, Toledo 156 7 Rippin Ronnie Sink, Rochester 147 8 Ray Dybowski, Waterford 141 9 Randy Aardema, Detroit 102 10 Ron St. John, Hawaii 95 11 Rob Akers, Garden City 79 12 Mark Freed, Mt. Pleasant 52 13 Steve Mlujeak, Rochester Hills 50 14 Terry Palmer, Shelby Twp. 43 15 Cullen Watkins, Royal Oak 39 16 Wayne Cook, Mt. Clemens 21 17 Dave Boynton, Royal Oak 21 18 Paul Jaqua, Savannah, GA 17
