Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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The winner! Suzuki's Kent Howerton topped the internetional field at Unadilla. The winnerl Husqvarna's Hakan Carlqvist clinched the 250cc World Championship title. 250cc World Championship MX Series - Roun4 10 Rhinestone Cowboy ropes Hurrica By Gary Van Voorhis Photos by John Patrick Clarke and Van Voorhis 250cc International NEW BERLIN, NY,JULY 29 Team Suzuki's Rhinestone Cowboy, Kent Howerton won the biggest shoot-_out of his career at New York's Unadilla Valley Sports Center in the Bel-Ray 250cc USGP of Motocross. Howenon came back from ,a crash with less than three laps left in the final moto to close on Team Yamaha's Bob "Hurri- 6 cane" Hannah and grab the overall win on aggregate time. Howerton's pair of second place finishes left him tied on points - using the Olympic-style scoring system with Hannah's third and first place finishes. Thus, the overall was decided on total elapsed time for both riders in the two motos. Howerton. aboard his Greg Arnette-tuned Suzuki edged Hannah and his Keith McCarty-tuned Yamaha by 2.49 seconds. Russian Gennady Moiseev, the current 250cc World Champion, placed third overall on his factory KTM with Maico rider Kees Van der Ven fourth. Fifth overall and top privateer of the event was Mike Guerra on a self-sponsored Husqvarna. Lost in the heat of battle in the final moto, Husqvarna's Swedish star Hakan Carlqvist clinched his first 250cc World Championship with a solid third place ride. In Support class action. Moto-X track. But today it is getting rough. The rougher the better is the way I like it. " Fox's Suzuki-mounted Pat Maroney who had the largest and most enthusiastic cheering section of any rider - took the overall win with a pair of solid second placings. Mickey Kessler, riding a Keystone Motocross Works sponsored Yamaha and Fred Vertucci, aboard a Vertucci Power Equipment sponsored Suzuki collected second and third, respectively, going 4-1 and 1-4. A crowd estimated by police at over 8,000 turned out Saturday to line the serpentine· Unadilla Sports Center course, cheer on their favorites and pick out good viewing spots for the GP. On Sunday, the crowd had nearly doubled in both size and enthusiasm. Heat and humidity struck a one·two punch at many of the European riders who spend the majority of their time ~ racing in temperatures IOdegrees less than the low 80's. However, the track was up to European standards according to Carlqvist, who was the fastest rider in the timed practice sessions. "I like the track," said a smiling Carlqvist after the final timed session on Sunday. "Yesterday it was maybe a little too smooth and was just a fast With the drop of the starting gate, the 30-rider field (limited by FIM rules) funneled into the first turn with Vladimir Kavinov, one of two Russian riders on the KTM team, in the lead. An even mix of American and International riders were getting down to business in the first of two 40· minute plus two lap motos on the undulating one mile plus course. Kavinov was almost immediately pressured. by Honda's Marty Tripes and Carlqvist with Guerra, Moiseev the other Russian KTM works rider and Maico's Van der Ven. In a burst of speed, Carlqvist dropped Kavinov and Tripes to second and third and set off to put as much distance as possible between himself . and the. American riders. of whom he had said in an earlier interview, "were good racers, but talked too much." Meanwhile, Howerton and Hannah were stuck in traffic with Howerton about 12th and Hannah another nine positions farther back. The pair were slowly moving toward the front. Tripes hung onto Kavinov as Carlqvist opened up his lead with apparent ease. Then, on lap four, Carlqvist slowed dramatically and pulled into the mechanic's area. A nut holding the bolt on the top left hand . shock had worked its way loose, dropped off and, in turn, the bolt had slipped out allowing the shock to come adrift. Carlqvist began a long, slow walk to the pits. At the start of .the moto he had needed to end the day by collecting six points more than England's Neil Hudson to clinch the title. At this point Maico works rider Hudson was running sixth. But it would not be Hudson's day. The slight Englishman was bothered by the heat and slowly drifted backwards to a non-points finish. He did not start moto two due to the lingering effects of what was tenned heat exhaustion. ''I'm disappointed to lose the title this way," said Hudson at the end of the day. "I wanted to do well here and for the final rounds even though catching Carlqvist was a lot to ask." By lap six., Tripes was hounding Kavinov and then barged his way past in intimidating style. Two laps later Tripes hali an eight second advantage as Moiseev, Howerton and Van der Ven began to close. Guerra, also feeling the effects of the heat, and with sweat running into his eyes, began a slow trip backward to sixth place at the fmish. But he did not give up his position without a fight. Hannah, although moving steadily through traffic, appeared to be playing a waiting game. By lap 12 he was in Moiseev's shadow. For two laps they played, then Hannah - in the. same corner that Tripes had zapped Kavinov - powered past Moiseev. Hannah then set out after Howerton, who had gotten around the Russian two laps earlier. In the late stages of the moto Kavinov - as if without enough troubles from Howerton and then