Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126321
Debbie Evans and Lane Leavitt were among the many entries in th~ dual New England rounds of the AMAINATC National Championship. IR le photo) AMA/NATC National Championship Observed Trials Series - Round five Schreiber romps By Karen DeRita WESTGREF;NW ICH . RI . J UN E 17 Anticipation was high at Pine Top Moto rcycle Pa rk as many New Engla nders awa ited their first look at super- rider Berni e Schreiber. With three World Championship wins to his credit. everyone was waiting to see just what he was all about. 16 And Berni e del ivered as he won the fifo th round of the National Ch ampion - ship Observed Trials Series by taking less than half as many marks as run ner-up Marland Whaley. Whaley also drew attention as his recent switch to Montesa was of great interest to the many Montesa riders in the crowd . The course consisted of an 8 \02 mile loop and 17 sections. Much of the trail was open riding - like 5th or 6th gear. so many of the riders were really truckin' from section to section . The sections offered a wide variety of challenges -. from deep . gooey mud to lots of rocks to a nifty uphill or two and any and all combinations of the above. Some were taken from the sec tions used at the 1975 In re rn a rion a l. It's amazing how those I ntern a tio nal sections looked so aw e som e in 1975 and how muc h more rideab le t1lt'y appeared this year - three years of rider improvement can make a big differen ce! Section # 3. o ne of Rh ode Island's know much about riding rocks. Well. Lane Leavitt chalked up a beautiful clean in section # " . while the native Rhode Islanders and other New Englanders worked for their S's , One of the most intimidating sections of the day .was # 8. Starting in through a series of mud holes and small islands of slippery tree roots. it sud denly presented the rider with a ver tical climb up a sheer rock ledge that was from 6' to S·. in height. Actually there. was a lo t of traction going up. but the psychologica l effect of t he mud before the ledge took its toll. Then . once you crested the ledge . you had about two b ike lengths to get set fo r the second ledge . It was eq ua lly as high. but not quite as vertica l as th e first , Fina lly. if you got th at fa r. ther e was a sneaky little off-camber step whic h grahbed many a point just before the exit. famou s rockv brooks . "\ef\'C'o ro nispel a Debbie Evans pu lled a super two in rumor abo ut Califo rn ians and rod " . it '!" 1)('('11 sa id t h a i C a lifor n ia ns . # 8 a nd received deserved applause l'spt.·(·iall\' southern Ca lifurn iau» . don't from 01 her riders and spectators . Mike Brown of Ohio fared not S0 well in # 8. He grabbed too much throttle . wheelied over the top of the first ledge and did a 180· at the top. ending up heading back down where he just ca me from . It was interesting. but still a five. Mike! Curt Comer and Morgan Kavanaugh showed two distinctive styles in # 4 . both ending up with cleans. Morgan was the only rider to clean it both loops and he used a line quite different from everyone else. Curt . meanwhile is just a steadily improving rider who is a lready very. very good. He and J ack Stites m ust have some interesting battles in Ten nessee. Bernie Sc hreiber loo ked im pressive eve ryw here . as his score ind icat es. In section # I I . whic h was o ne of the In terna tio nal sections that gave th e Europeans a lot of trou ble . he loo ked at it bri eOy and then rode it like it was paved for one of only three or fou r deans there all day. Meanwhile. Marland Whaley had traded the Monresa he rode in the U.S . round of the World Championship