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IAbove) Marla~ Whaley squeezes his Montesa ~entwo Blue Ridge
boulclers.IBelow) Lane Laavitt was feeling Uland his anticipated challenge.
to Whaley never came.
IAbove) SCott Head pushed hard up "Rfth Avenue" on his way to eighth
p1aca.lBelow) Lane's ''better half" Debbie Laavitt scored a third place In the
Sportsman c1....
AMAINATC National Championship Observed Trials Series Round seven.
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Whaley clinchestitle at Blue Ridge
By John WiHiams
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BLUE RIDGE, AZ, AUG. 26
With the beautiful Arizona sun filtering down
through majestic Ponderosa Pines" Marland'
Whaley, prepared for the' seventh roun<;l of
the AMA/NATC National Trials Series. Running three times through 14 traps
at an altitude of 7,500 feet didn't
'leader, but. 'still high off. the ground.
.
Riding Morgan's tail was another
seem to slow this champion one
Colorado rider, Bill Burgener with
bit. On loop number one,. he
steps numbering 10·12·11 for 55.
touched down only seven times; loop
The real wing-to-wing battle was for'
number two was somewhat better,
fourth place ,between jockeys Jack
with 'six dabs, but on loop three, he
Stites and pan SufflD, both taking a
scored perfect. "0" for a total of 13 in
total of 56 steps to get off the ground
the three runs. When it was over he
in the three runs. But the Tennessee
had clinched the AMAIN ATC
mountain,boy won out, with 26 ,cleans,
National Championship Observed
leaving Dan on his tail with 23 cleans
Trials Series title.
to pick up fifth.
.
Everyone was watching for a battle
David Burke took just two steps too
of the stars between Whaley and Lane
many to beat Lane Leavitt out of sixth
Leavitt as they tackled the heights of
place, although he gained with each
Arizona. But Lane stumbled down the
.loop, - staning with 17 the fint run, .
IS for number two, and number. three
hill 14 times th~ first run and 1!l times.
was only 13 for 45 at (he finish.
the second time and, really feeling
badly, the third run took 17 to wind
Th~ traps set up by Babe Sarver and
up with 44 and sixth place.
his. hard.w~rking cr~ .from Cent~1
Who, then came in second? Morgan
Anzona Tnals Assoclauon took their
Kavanaugh from Colorado with 12.10.
~oil on th~ other 15 as the sCores
10 fo~" UJ,hiJ5! nJiTJ ~
• (~I~m) ~g~-rl a ~~,;.-'
a
10
TJIf
number three seemed to start them off
on their "five" marken. Four was
pretty much like riding a cloud OYer.
"The Gulch." Of coune, "Killer Hill,"
number 11, was the downfall of many
like Scott Head, who came in eighth
place with 54, ninth placer Dennis'
Seiler with 56 points and Keith Adams
wno pushed off for a total of 61 points
and beat out Greg Kurtz with 69.
, Bob Hopkins "Roc1I.ed and Rolled"
through number five and wound up
the day with 72 while Eric Barber was
sailing up "Ylfth Avenue," number 12,
and wound up in 15th place with 74.
The "Twister," number eight,
swallowed up such hopefuls as Michael.
Bernbaum who tried 87 times to make
14th place and Duane Feland with 95
and Anthony DiLabio with 98 for 15th
and 16t h piaces.
;rom Headwall and Bruce David
had some "MisG"
IVlDgs, " num ber'
mne,.
about the whole day coming in 17th
and 18th. When .the high fliers were
all out of sight everyone watched a
very close race as two fellows tried to
ick their feet up off the ground fOr
C place. With 156 steps each Mickey
ast
Hutcheson managed 'one clean to beat
out Bill Brokaw of Colorado.
In the Senior class. Harold Cole.
Arthur Webster and' Len' Weed
tramped their way through with. 155.
151 and 147 points, respectively, while
Wi~J~~,,~. . ~ fA ~.
with 66.
The tint four places in the Sports·
man c1aIs could very well be Champion.
ship class riden. Guy Bodin tiptoed off
for 76 points and fint place. Keith
McLaughlin almost stepped on him
with second and 78 steps. Third place
went to the sweetheart of trials,
Debbie Leavitt, with 80 short steps.
Trying. to catch. Debbie, but never
quite making it, was Pete Rudnick
'with 85.
.
When all eotnr;tition was over, and
,everyone was waiting to pick up his or
her trophy, comments were made like
"SUI1M' trials," "--lIent trials." CAT,
r-'
~~~
you've done it again; we hope you get
another one next year.
•
Results
NATIONAL: 1. _
WhIIey-7-M 11:»; 2.
Moogon ~-12·111-10 132); 3.1llII~111-12.11 l33l; 4. Jeclt S_-111-21-6 13lIl; 5. Dan
Suffin,-12·13-11 l3ll1; 8. lAne 1Mvitl-14-13-17 1441;
7. DevicI_-17-16-13l46l; 8. Scott _-18-2313 1541; 9. Dennis SelIer-I9-~12 l68l; 10. Keith
_-16-23-22161); 11. Greg Kurtz-21·20-28 (69);
12. Bob Hopkins-I9-:l9-24l72l; 13. Eric --~
=(7~:-~~-42~~29D~:
32-34-321981; 17. Tom _1-:z9.38-3lII105l; 18. .
Bruce DlMo-4D-37-33 Cl101; 19. Mickey_-
39-60471146)1
0-..
a-; 2O.1llII_-~11361
SPORTSMAN: 1. Guy 1lcicIin-28-22·25 f7II); 2. Keith
McI.8ughlin-24-24-30 f7II); 3. ~ LelNitI-30-27·
23 l8D1; 4. Pete Rudnick-30-27·26 1831; 5. Richlrd