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/126478
o 00 (j") Jim Tarantino 161 leads the 250cc Pro start. closely followed by Warren Reid (9). Donnie Hansen (40) and Rick Johnson (96). Triple victory to Reid at 13th Mammoth MX By Terry Whytal MAMMOTH LAKES , CA, JUNE 27 -29 Team Kawasaki rider Warren Reid commented before the 250cc Pro final on Sunday, ''I'm really tired from the last two days and I haven't gotten enough sleep. My eyes are really tired but I want to win all three days. I hope I can!" And win he did. becoming the first rider to ever win all three 8 Pro classes at the Mammoth Mountain Motocross classic. Reid set the pace all three days, winning handily over Rick Johnson in the 125cc Pro race on Friday, battling with Yamaha . teamster Mike Bell in the Open class while lapping every rider but Bell and finally capping the weekend with come-from-behind charge on the early leader , Honda's Donnie Hansen, that gave Reid a perfect score for the annual event. Track preparation was excellent with a new dog-leg added after the downhill that proved to be difficult for many riders and brightly colored banners and snow fencing added for crowd control of the several thousand spectators who attended the three day even t. As usual, the little village of MamĀ· moth Lakes provided the atmosphere and beauty that have made the Mammoth races a motorcycle culture event for 13 years. The parallel between Mammoth and the old Barstow to Vegas desert classic is often drawn in the memory of old desert racers and it is nice to race in a welcoming and non -hostile environment once again. Friday The 125cc riders took to the track with Juniors and Intermediates running two qualifying motos for each division with the top riders transferring to a final with the qualifying moto scores counting as half the overall score. New to the format this year was the change from two final races for the Experts to one torturous 45 minute plus one lap final that determined the winner. When the 125cc Juniors took to the track for the final race Yamaha rider Bob Binns had the scoring lead with Chris Gable (Yam) and Don Hargis (C -A) within striking distance. Gable wasn't quite up to his previous performances and dropped back to sixth at the end of the mota allowing Hargis to take the victory and the overall win ahead of Binns. The 125cc Intermediate honors went to Suzuki rider Ron Brown, who easily won both his qualifying races and placed second in the final to snatch the overall victory away from Yamaha rid er Pete McConnel. Suzuki rider Dean Cates pulled th e holeshot as the 125cc Pros rocketed up the steep Mammoth starting hill. Right on Cates' rear tire was Kawasaki's Warren Reid and he outcornered Cates on the bottom of the downhill to take over the lead. At the completion of the first lap Reid had already established a commanding lead with Cates second, Suzu ki rider Roger Brown third, Honda-mounted Chris Heisser fourth and Troy Lee rounding out the top five on his KTM. Yamaha rider Rick Johnson was far back in the pack after starting poorly and was quickly building momentum as he charged toward the leaders. FolIowing in johnson's wake was Honda rider Jim Holley who was picked as one of the pre-race favorites and his moves on slower riders as he worked his way th rough the pack justified the expectations. Mea nwhile up fr ont Reid was wa lking away with the win as Cate faded from the pace, Brown fell down and Heisser temporarily took over second. A.J. Whiting moved his Yamaha up to battle with Lee while Brown remounted in eighth and Yamaha rider Erik Kehoe moved into sixth with Johnson on his rear fender , Johnson soon put the moves on Kehoe, . Lee, Cates and Whiting and moved up to pressure Heisser. Heisser struggled to hold off Johnson's charge but soon the Yamaha rider was into second and pulling away from the field. As the race neared the final few laps Reid settled in at a steady 2:23 second pace with a 45 second lead over Johnson who had a similar lead over the third place battle between Heisser and Holley. At the checkers it was Reid , Johnson , Holley, Heisser, Yamaha rider Jay Stanford a nd Lee. " I'm just going to go home and sit in front of the TV," said Reid after the race. "I've gotta save my energy for tomorrowl" Saturday The big Open class machines took over the sandy Mammoth course today with the expected results, huge whoops and bone-jarring ruts. By the final in late afternoon the track had become the challenging test of stamina that Mammoth has bec ome famous for. The Open Junior fin al was an exciting battle between George Prim m on a YZ465 and Mark How ard, also riding a Yamaha. Primm and Howard had each won both qualifying motos of their respective divisions and they finished 1-2 in the final with Primm the victor and Howard the runner-up. Keith Willis powered' his Yamaha into the lead in both qualifying motos for Division two O pe n Intermediates,

