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Randy Wing tries to go under Rod Huffmen at Clarks Branch.
Gregson grabs the
green at Clarks
BranchMX
By Delbert Longbrake
Photo by Steve Elder
ROSEBURG, OR, APR. 6
Mark Gregson took time out of
his busy racing schedule to return
home to Oregon and win both
the 125 and 250cc Pro classes at
...
.
40.
.
the Clarks Branch Motocross $500
Easter race. Gregson and his LOP
Yamaha took double moto wins in
both classes on the slick Roseburg track.
They say that only fools or newcomers
would try to guess the weather in Ore·
gon and at this time of year, that is especially true. One week earlier dust
was a problem on motocross tracks in
Oregon. That was on a Sunday. On
Monday moming it snowed. On the
Saturday before Clarks Branch the
snow level once again dropped with
rain in the lower elevations. The Roseburg track turned very gooey and slick.
Gregson was the most famous rider
behind the starting gate when the
250cc Pros lined up for their fint
moto, but there was a lot of heavy
talent on both side of him. One of
Oregon's hottest upcoming riden,
Tim Michlitch, was there as well as
Craig Prause, Randy Wing, Rod Huff·
man and a host of othen.
.
As the gate dropped Michliteh
leaped his Yamaha out of the hole and
up to the fint tum ahead of everyone
else. Behind Tim was the Honda of
Gary Rost, local Husky rider Wing,
Mike Somerville, Prause and Huffman. Gregson was a distant seventh.
On the third lap, Prause and Wing
both got by Rost putting them in second and third. Gregson. meanwhile,
had dropped back to ninth.
On the fourth lap Gregson finally
started to move, working up to sixth.
Rost, Prause and Wing battled for
second, third and fourth places changing back and forth. Wing dropped
back as far as fifth at one time when
Huffman passed him but Wing reo
passed Huffman on a long, steep downhill. At the halfway mark the order
was Michlitch, Rost, Prause, Wing
and Huffman. Gregson was still in sixth.
QI"! the .eighth lap, R~ foun~ hi~lf .
in fint place as Michlitch was hit by
another rider, getting his brake
crunched in the process. Tim dropped
back to fifth, just one place ahead of
Gregson. Rost's lead was short-lived,
lasting only two laps. He stalled his
Honda and pulled off the track. Prause,
too, was having troubles and it appeared
that his front brake cable was snagging.
This dropped him back to sixth.
Around the same time, Gregson got
around Michlitch and both riden got
by Huffman.
The next few laps saw an incredible
race between Wing, Gregson and
Michliteh for fint through third places.
Finally, Michlitch came up behind
Wing, who was still in fint place, and
tried to pass on a fast right-hand sweeping tum. Michlitch went underneath
Wing, but Wing didn't budge an inch.
Michlitch found himself drifting into
Wing and then found himself on the
ground. Wing rode on but lost his concentra tion momentarily and fell in the
next comer.
.
Gregson sat back in third watching
the whole affair and when Wing fell he
took advantage of the situation to go
around for fint place. Wing got back
underway in second followed by Michlitch and Huffman and that was the
order at the finish.
It rained hard just before the 125cc
Pros left the line and the track was
very slick. Gregson got the holeshot
and never gave up the lead. Behind
Mark was Jamie Classen, Roy Davis
and Rick Smith. Next to last in ninth
place was Michlitch.
On the second lap Davis pulled
around Classen and had second from
that time on. By the halfway mark,
Michlitch had moved from next to last
to fourth place. A few laps later, he
moved around Classen for third.
It is said that the number I S is an
unlucky number and lap IS turned out
to be a disaster at Clarks Branch. Wing
was having trouble with his 125cc
Suzuki and came out late in the moto.
He made about 15 minutes when,
while coming down the big downhill,
he got tangled wit,h another rider.
Randy said he felt a snap in his leg and
had to be carried off the track by
medical penonnel.
On the same lap, Michlitch's mechanic gave Tim the signal to go after
Davis who was in second. Just after the
signal, Tim lost control of his machine
on the same sweeping comer where he
,
•c
and Wing had run into each other in
the 250 moto. He was unable to restart
and pulled off the track. The order at
the finish was Gregson. Davis, Classen,
and Brian Mode.
Just before the start of the second
matos, a herd of sheep decided to cruise
onto the track but were quickly ushered
off the facilities. After all they hadn't
paid and besides, none had pit passes.
When the gate dropped on the
second 250cc Pro moto, it was Somer·
ville who jumped out ahead. He was
followed by Michlitch, Gregson, Huffman and Arne Hettman. On the second
lap, Gregson got by Michlitch and
then flew by Somerville on the downhill. From then on, fint place belonged
to Gregson.
Michliteh.also got by Somerville. The
next few laps saw Somerville and Mich·
Iitch battle for second. The battle end· .
ed when Michlitch fell. Tim was obviously upset with himself for falling
and he looked as though he couldn't
be.lieve it had happened. Tim didn't
remount for a few minutes and when
he finally did get bacl~ underway he
was in fourth place behind Huffman.
At the checkered flag it was Gregson
fint with Somerville in second, Huff·
man third and Michlitch fourth.
The spectaton were beginning to
get a little bored what with the cold
drizzly day and the 125cc Pro class was
just what the doctor ordered. Gregson
got the holeshot and led for the fint
lap. Behind Mark was Carey Lund, a
local Yamaha rider, Michlitch, Mode
and Davis. Everyone waited for
Gregson to pull away from the 15·
year· old Lund. Everyone but Lund,
that is. "Scarey Carey" not only didn't
, lose sight of Gregson but passed him
going up an uphill.
Still, the crowd wasn't convinced
and sure enough, Gregson repassed
Lund. Everyone thought that would
be the end of it but Lund wasn't going
to let it be. He rode up to the top of
the big downhill, bounced off a twofoot cutbank, dove down the hill and
passed Gregson in midair as the two
riders jumped the two jumps which are
about one-third of the way from the
top. Lund jumped so far that he hit
the lip of the second jump. Seeing this,
the crowd starled going crazy and
everyone waved Lund on.
Carey led for three more laps until
Gregson /?nce again pulled beside
Lund and passed him. Gregson later
commented that he was really surprised by the young rider and that "I
just couldn't believe the line he was
taking." Finally Gregson and Michliteh
both got by Carey but Lund had shown
a lot of determination. He also woke
up the spectaton.
Now Gregson had another problem.
This time it was Michlitch's tum to put
the pressure on Gregson and he did get
around Mark. Mter 15 minutes of racing, the order was Michlitch, Gregson,
Lund, Classen and Davis.
The lead got away from Michlitch
when, once again, he fell letting Gregson by for the checkered flag. Mich·
litch came in second followed by Classen and Lund who later commented
that he did get tired and also during
the moto it started raining and he
couldn't see well.
Michlitch also rode the Open Pro
class but as it turned out, he was the
only Open Pro. It didn't really matter
because Michlitch's mechanic, Bob
Cicerchi, was the big show during the
moto anyway. Bob was either flipping
his hat up and holding his thumb out
as Tim would ride by or waving on the
Open Intermediate rider who was behind Tim. Bob would give the rider
the go fast sign and motion to the rid."..
~.
. .
~
er that he was closing in on Tim.
When Tim makes the big time. he will
have one of the most colorful mechan·
ics on the circuit. Tim, by the way, is
working with LOP for a sponsonhip.
After all the cash and trophies were
given out, the Clarks Branch track was
one again turned over to the sheep for
two more weeks until the motorcycles
would return once again.
Results
125 PRO: ,. Mark Gregson IYam); 2. Jamie Classen
(Kawl; 3. Roy Davis (Yaml.
250 PRo: 1. Mark Gregson (Yam); 2. Rod Huffman
ISuzl; 3. Tim Michlitch (Yam).
OP£N PRO: 1. Tim Michlitch (Yaml.
MINI BEG: 1. John Ellingson ISuz); 2. Todd KOIlhort
(Yaml; 3. Anthony Valarzuela lSuzl.
MINI JR: 1. Rod Yeil.. IKawI; 2. Denny E