Shae Bentley grabs AMA 125 West Region Supercross title
Second-straight title for Team Splitfire/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team

It came down to the last race. With the AMA 125cc West Region Supercross title to be decided at the final round in Irving, Texas. The championship was Team Splitfire/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Shae Bentley's to lose. The 21-year-old rider came into the final round April 8 with a 10-point lead on Bill's Pipes Suzuki's David Pingree.

But the race would be no easy victory march for Bentley. Nearly 15 riders piled up in the first turn of the 125cc Main Event taking out Bentley and Pingree. Left to fight for the win from the back of the pack, Bentley managed to finish seventh after a second crash, with Pingree taking second. But seventh was enough for Bentley to maintain a narrow 2-point gap to take the championship and earn another No. 1 plate for the successful Team SplitFire/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, their second-consecutive 125cc West Region title.

"When I went down in the first turn I was a little nervous. I lost my front brake too," said Bentley. "I started picking off guys ahead of me pretty quickly. But when I went down the second time, I thought it was over. I was scared. But my pit boards were telling me to stay calm and smooth."

But Bentley never figured he'd be in the hunt at this point of the season that started on shaky ground. Bentley crashed out of the second round of the regional championship Jan. 15 in Anaheim.

And while he rebounded strong, notching a third, second, and then two consecutive wins Feb. 5 in Houston and March 25 in Minneapolis., the Jan. 15 crash served as a turning point for the entire season, and perhaps his injury-prone career. "After I didn't qualify as well as I wanted, I started the Main Event with the wrong attitude," said Bentley of his turning-point race. "I was determined to win it all or nothing. I was a mad man in the main and I ended up on my head hurting my wrist and suffering a concussion."

With a DNF in the books and his confidence low, Bentley figured his title hopes were gone. "I thought I was out off the points, so I just went out to have fun. It was then I realized that my attitude had been the cause of my earlier injuries. I was too immature and couldn't handle the pressure," Bentley said. "As many times as I've been hurt, I knew I couldn't try too hard again."

With the West Region title complete, two rounds remain in the hotly contested 125cc East Region title chase, with the top three riders within 4 points.

FMF Honda's Brock Sellards leads with 128 points, thanks to five second-place finishes. Yamaha of Troy's Stephane Roncada is 3 points behind with three wins, and Team Suzuki rookie Travis Pastrana is 1 point behind with two wins. And fourth-place rider Nicholas Wey, of Team Splitfire/Pro Circuit Kawasaki, remains only 14 points behind Pastrana.

The final round of the series is set for April 29 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.

Go to the 2000 AMA EA Sports Supercross Series schedule