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/126434
Michigan's new 250cc Amateur Motocross Champ. Mark Hicks. Denny Bentley wickad his 125cc Suzuki to the National win. AMA National Amateur Motocross Championship Michiganintroduces By W. H; Spencer Photos by Don Jones and Spencer PLYMOUTH, CA, OCT. 14 Fortune smiled only briefly for the best in the West as Eric McKenna became the new 500cc National Amateur Motocross Champion. He was the only double winner of the day's racing, which was highlighted by great depth in the fonn of the Michigan Mafia. Mark Hicks took home the win in the 250cc class while 10 Denny Bentley won the 125cc class brass and Michigan had seven riders finishing in the top five of their class. Under mostly gray but dry skies, the weekend run was long but fairly smooth with three great big water trucks to keep the dust minimal. Except for not having a trophy presentation Sunday night, the gripes were at a minimum for the CES Promotions event. The Atlantic Region had a good winner in Todd Harrell with Yamaha taking the top five spots in the 100cc event. Suzuki picked up the first two 125cc spots while Honda was a winner in the 250cc event and Maico was the big boy in the Open with McKenna and Alan King putting a grand display of racing on the very loamy surface that seemed to change with every lap. On hand from the AMA was Hugh Fleming who adeptly handled the usual problems of people traveling a long way to a strange track with a different way of doing things. In general, the show was a good one with the racing competition the absolute highlight and deservilJg of high praise for all riders who played the game, joined the system and hopefully, rea ped the benefi ts. Running 20 minutes plus two laps for each mota required thought as the deep sand would wear out both rider and suspension if one didn't attend to the business of motocross. The first 100cc mota was led for one lap by Karl Jordan of Largo, FL, but he succumbed to the track and DNF. Scan Hinkle. brother to '78 500cc champion Mark, took over the lead on the second lap passing Todd Harrell, Billy Abel, and Bob Jeysey in the process. Harrell dropped to eighth behind Abel on the second round and had to work hard for a fifth place finish and only 16 points on the new National style point count. Hinkle and his RPM machine appeared headed for \ an easy time with second going a long way back to Jim Wolfenbarger, just in front of Tommy Watts of Shelbyville, KY, and Abel. Ronnie Weatherholt, John Eidenberger and Aaron Pitts were all in close tow, lending credence to the special competition of the National. In the opening of the second moto, Hinkle took off for a distant run but suddenly disappeared for a DNF and nothing while Karl Jordan took over and won the mota easily but his first mota DNF led to a seventh overall in from of Hinkle. Harrell played the proper game, holding on to a firm second spot and the avera II wi n wi th a 38 poim count on his Hamme Yamaha properly tuned by his pop and the North Carolina troops were a grateful and happy bunch. Jim Wolfenbargber of Pontiac, MI, tied the score but came away with second. John Eidenberger from Port Washington, WI, brought in a close third with a 34-point total and only one poim behind was Ronnie Weatherholt of Elkhart, IN. Fifth was Aaron Pitts, in with 28 points. Denny Bemley really dominated the 125cc National tally with 1-2 finishes despjte some fine .runnings by two Californians in the second moto. Bentley Jed the entire distance in the first moto winning with ease and a lot of distance between his RPM Holder Suzuki and Johnny Spaw's CR 125 Honda. Connie Feist and Jimmy VanAndei ran a close third and fourth with Todd Philips beating out Mark Patterson for fifth place points. Brad Harrison had started 16th in the fLTst mota and got up to 11 th when he crashed once tno often and then DNF with mechanical problems. Harrison came back in the second moto to start 13th and get around Bemley for the second moto win with four laps to go. Bentley led the second moto outbound but i~ was Jimmy Cunningham doing some fancy passing on his Yamaha Sports Center special. Cunningham had finished 15th in the first round but dueled with Bentley for two laps and was taking off for the outer limits when he threw it away going for a giam clicker near the end of the fourth lap. Cunningham got up and off the track a little sbaken but all right. though unable to cominue. Bentley led until the end of the eighth lap when Harrison picked up his hard charge through the pack and waf! handily but finished sevemh due to the first round DNF. Finishing second behind Bentley wirh 35 points was Crown Point. IN. rider Mark Patterson on an RM 125. Third wem to Johnny Spaw only one . point short with 34 on his Honda out of Cedar Rapids, IA. Fourth with 31 points wem to Jimmy VanAndei on a trick KX 125 from Muskegon, Ml, and fifth to Atlantic region rider Alfred Farmer from Severn, MD. on a Yamaha YZ. Michigan riders really showed their