Cycle News

eMOTOCROSS e ARID Vintagelron National MX Series:Round I Mike Hance (29) led the wa y to th e firs t turn and th e finish line in the second di visio n of the 250cc Int ermedi at e class. Ba rry H iggins (12) blasts of f th e line in the 250cc Expert class . He won two of th e five clas ses h e entered. Ob served Tri a l s C ham p io ns hip, Co mer graduat ed from co llege, married a nd is a n accountant with an a e ro space firm i n Hu ntsv i ll e , Alabama. Comer sa id , " I prefer vintage tr ia ls a nd mot ocross now to th e mod ern clas ses, it's more fun , less intense an d less costly ." Ed H ieftge Sr., who won th e P lu s 50 Novice class, sai d, ' We bought a 250 Husk y in a basket. We put it together a nd were amazed to win with it. " H is so n , Ed j-.. wa s running third in th e 250cc Sports ma n division on a H onda Elsinore, but blew o u t a berm a nd sta lled it a nd fai led to sco re. York Som erv ille fin ished thi rd in th e Plus 50 Interm ed iat e cl a ss o n hi s Ro ko n 300 Au to matic. So mmervi lle sa id , " T his bike has n ever been a part, It has the or ig ina l rings a nd still pulls strong. " In th e 125cc Expert mOlOS, G reg Bas tey na rr owl y beat ou t T im Wea ver. " T h is wa s a tough class," Weaver sa id. " We ba ttled it o u t in both mo tes ." T im's dad , Hu g h Wea ver, own er o f Hugh 's Bu ltaco in New York, bro ugh t a trailer fu ll o f res to red P u rsangs. T h e se ni o r . Wea ve r sa id , "Thi s wa s a bea ut ifu l track todavl Perfect for th ese o ld machin es. J ust (ike th e o ld da ys." . The 250cc Intermed iat e clas s Iea . tu red close racing between Ed Ga rl in and Ri ck H u m ph ri es. Hu m phr ies, who en ded u p seco nd to Ga rl in , nursed an inj ured kn ee aft erward an d sa id, " Ed a n d I g re w up in H o u sto n together . H ell , I even cha nged his di apers, yet h e shows me no respect on the race track. " Carl in 's Spans T own H on da also swep t mot os in his Plu s 30 d ivision. Rob Schultz, wh o fin ish ed seco nd to G eorge Luca s in the 125cc Intermed ia te class, sa id. " I gOI good sta rts, bu t Lucas ca me back at me. T he sand pi t g-dve me the most trouble. " Oi Results History lives on at Gatorback By Mike and Anne Adair "N 42 GA INESVILLE, FL, FEB. 29 obody gives a damn if yo u win , an d th at 's part o f the fun ," . e x p lai ned form er Gran d N a t ion a l Champ i on Di c k Mann , who a lo ng wi th 2 19 o the r rest orer s a n d preser vers o f raci ng hi sto ry. was o n hand fo r th e openi ng ro u nd of th e AH RMA Na tional NI X Series a t Ga torback Cycle Pa rk. " Vin ta ge racers ha ve a different mi n d set. Guys co me back to the track after ' 10 or 15 years a n d sa y. ' H ey this is rea ll y fun n ow !' " Former Winter AMA NIX Champion Bar ry H igg ins a nd Nationa l T rial s Cha m p io n Curt Co me r were win ners again , bu t thi s li me in vintage co mpetitio n . H iggi n s raced in five classes using KT M two -strokes qnd BSA fourstro kes. H e won two , th e Plu s 30 a nd Plu s 40 Exp ert class es. " It 's not th at I'm gu ng ho ," sa id H igg in s with a broad sm ile, ''I' m just too stu p id 10 kn ow better. " Six-time 500cc MX World Ch am pio n Roger DeCoster was seen visi ti ng in th e pits an d chec kin g o ut th e bik es, in cludin g th e 1970-era Suz u kis o n whi ch he mad e hi story. Ri c k Dou ghty, wh o wo n t hree cla sses a t th e event, ha s mad e restor ing bikes a b u si n ess with hi s Fr esno , Ca lifornia, based Vintage Iro n Co mpan y, a nd h e dis p la yed a beautiful co llectio n, from th e H oda ka Super Ra t, to a factory BSA MX replica a nd th e elega n t T riu mph-based Ri ck man Met tise, For the first time a t Gatorback Cycl e P ark , a n authe nt ic vintage track wa s u sed. AHM RA o fficia l J oh n H a rt sai d, " WorldSport s offered to rebu ild th e su perc ross track for u s, bu t it seeme d a bett er idea to use the na tural ter ra in a t th e west end of the pro per ty." Ba n ners were laid o ut fro m the sta rt grid in a grassy pasture arou nd a nd over a na tu ral ridge, then back thro ugh a sa ndy sectio n. Vintage T imes Ed itor Ma tt Benson sa id , "T h is is th e type o f track th a t th ese b ikes were design ed for. It sho u ld really be a good day." Bens on , who dro ve 1000 m iles to th e event , made o ne la p on hi s H us ky 250 before it exp ired. " It' s o kay, " Benso n sa id , a s he too k o ut hi s not e pad an d ca me ra , " I' ll pl ay reporter. " There was no sta rting ga te a thi s eve n t. Rem ember th e ru bber band start? It wa s a live a nd well a nd still worki ng great. .Beh ind a barrier of su rgica l ru bb er wa ited a n osta lg ic co llec tio n of bra nd s a n d m o d e ls. Maico , Montessa , Pen to n, Can -Am , Creeves, Bul taco , H usky, CZ, BSA, T riumph, H arley-Davidson , India n , H o d a ka , R ick m an a n d R o ko n mach in es co m pe ted agai ns t th e mor e recent marq ues o f H on da , Ka wasa ki, KT M, Suzu ki a nd Yamaha. One o f th e mo st int ense ma tch es o f the da y featured H &H Cycles' H igg in s o n h is BSA a nd Vin tage Iro n 's Doh ert y a board a R ickma n. Dirt flew a nd the groun d shoo k a s th is pair ma tch ed up in severa l classes. In th e Prem ier 500cc II class, H iggins held a fender ' o n Doughty, as the pair ca ug h t o ne o f th e veteran riders in th e sa nd 'p it, ta ngl ed a nd fell. Wh en the th ree-bike stack u npiled , it was Ba rr y's fat her, H a rr y Hi ggi n s, o n th e bottom. Doughty resta rted fir st to win th e race. T he elde r H igg ins sa id , " It"s no t the first tim e th at Barry ha s run over me. " Barry H igg ins, the kid, o nce lea rn ed about rac ing fro m the back of h is dad 's Gold Star. As Ha rr y ela bo ra ted , " I o nce wo n a lOO-mi le en du ro wi th Barr y o n the back ." H a rry has rejoin ed h is son af ter a 25-yea r a bsence fro m racing a nd ea rned trop h ies in severa l classes at Ga torba ck, Cu rt Co mer won h is firs t vintage race aboard h is BSA in the 500cc Expert class. Sin ce winni n g hi s N a tio na l 125 EX : I. Gr eg RaMey (lion); 2. Tim Weaver (Ru l );3 . Paul Burn ell (H o n): 4. Dou g wam sel {H o n): 5. Ro bert Ku h n shai n (Mo n) . 250 EX : I. David Clemen ce (MOil); 2. Timoth y weaver (Bul ): 3. J ot." Ro ger s (Pen ]: 4. Kelvin T homas (Bu l]: 5. Rob ert Kun nsman (H o n ). 500 EX: I. CUrl Com er (BSA); 2. Frank S troma n (Ma i); 3. Peter Villa rro (e Z) ; 4. Berni e Kohler (SU1); 5. J . No wak (Ma i ). OPEN TW EX: l. R ick Dou ght y (R ic); 2. Kel vin T homas (BSA) . PLUS 30 EX : I. Barry H ig g ins (KT M); 2. Do u g w enuel (H a n) ; 3. Davi d C lemence (Mon) ; 4. Pau l Burnell (H e n) : 5. J oe Rogers (p en ). PLUS 40 EX : I. Ba rry Hi ggi n s ( KT M); 2. Pa u l H a n for d ; 3. H u gh Weav er (80); 4. Robert G inder (G re). PLUS 50 EX: I. n. Bannerman ( Bul); 2. L H ajos IC��A) . WMS: I. Lisa Po well ( Ka w ); 2. D. Bannerman (Bu l): 3. L H ajo s (C ��A). . 1251!'l7 : 1. G eo rg!' L uca s (H e n) : 2. Rober t Sch lu lZ (Bul]: 3. Mi ke Brown (Ya m ); 4. j am es Smith (C�� A); 5. Rob Lei mestrol l (H e n]. 250 [ ~T D-l : I. Ed Ca rl in ( H a n); 2. R ick H u m p h ries (H us): 3. J oel N ich olso n: 4. Robert Lei ne ns to ll (Yam) . . 250 1ST D-2: I. Mike H an ce (Ya m) ; 2. G ilber t w isu up (C.z); 3. R ich ard Braw n (H o n ); 4. Rich ar d Ba u lch (Pen ): 5. Jdf Barston (H us ). 500 [NT : I. G. Lu cas (Mai); 2. J o h n Han ford (BSA); 3. Jell Fish er (BSA); -I. B. O resti IBSA): 5. Ban H iler. O PE.. T WI:" 1S T : I. Mike Smi th (No r). ~ PLUS 30 11" 0- 1: I. J lX'1 X ichol son ( H on ); 2. 1' Bennie Du rr ou g h (!\.Iai); 3. Gil Wistf u p (CZ); 4. Pau l Dziwan pski (Hon ): 5. Rich Baulch (Pen ). PLUS 30 I:" T D-2: I. Ed Carli n (H a n ); 2. Mike H an ce (Ya m); 3. Pa t Ni ch ol ini (H e n ): 4. Rob Braun ( H a n ); 5. C o rdon O rester (Hon ). PL US 40 1ST: I. Mike Bro wn (Ya m ); 2. Rob h Ca p istra m (Mail; 3. Alex Mo rae CZ); 4. Ro ber t H aY {H u n}; 5. Rub en Ha m p ton (e-A ). PL US SO I~ T : I. J. Huefel (Iu d ); 2. C. Don el son (BSA): 3. Yor k Som erv ille (Ro k); 4. J. Hir er (Ya m); 5. L Beanie ( Hus]. 125 ~ O\' : I. H o war d Bennett (SUl); 2. j erem y Duer (Han ): 3. Peter Schl ike (SUl) . 250 SO\': 1. Rob ert T ruwonhy (BlII); 2. Ru ssell Breylet (Han) ; 3. Li sa Po well (Yam); 4.' Step h en Sim pso n (H us ). PL US 30 NO V: I. T im Orourke (Mo n); 2. Joh n Rid en h o u r (Mai); 3. Mall Ben son ( H us). PL US 40 NOV: 1. H o ward Bennett (SUl) ; 2. Steve Simpson (H u s): 3. R ob er t T ru wor thy (Bul). PLUS 50 SOV: 1. E~ H ieftge (H us): 2. R. Porzeh (Bu l): 3. J ames Ca me rum (BSA); 1. C. H ans om (Bu l); 5. H arry H iggins (BSA). PREM U W : I. Pet er Urey {T r i}; 2. Ha rry H iggins (B5A): 3. Ri ch ard Bau ch (G re). PREM 500 EX: I. R ick Oou gh lY(BSA). PREM 500 INT: L John H uegel (Ind ). PREM 500 II: L Rick Do u ght y (Ri k); 2. Barry H igg ins (BSA); 3. H a rry H iggi ns (BSA).

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