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AMA/NATC Nat'I. Championship Observed Trials Series: Round ~ Buckeye Leavittized by Lane By Len Weed Photos by Keela and Wick Wicker NEWCOMERSTOWN, OH, AUG. 30 Seven - count 'em - seven National titles crammed in one little pickup. Lane Leavitt, three-time champion, and Marland Whaley, a...ne L8evftt (.txrve) beat M8rtImcI Whaley (below) by • single point (44-46) in Ohio. but Wheley came beck with • win in Alebeme. 14 four· time champion, trucked to Ohio wgether. The title-heavy twosome evidently traded some heavy-duty trap tips en route_ They took turns posting low lap scores, and when the dust. .. er, goop . .. had settled, it was Leavitt by one point over Whaley, 44 to 45. He also won Trials, Inc. 's last Buckeye National, in 1978, with a score of three. The Tl braintrust moved the trial site to Abner Cycle Hills, 400 acres of forested hills. The cycle park is located outside of Newcomerstown, hometown of baseball's legendary Cy Young. Despite the severe flooding in Ohio earlier in the month, there wasn't a single mudhole section_ However, heavy rainfall does tend to activate the vegetation. Clerk of the Course Dave Sarnowski, Roger Ansel, Wayne Kirk and Mark Koehler showed up the week before the trial to stake- in the pre·sdected sections. But they had to hack their way to tbem first. Trials, Inc., formed in 1979, draws its members from Ohio and Western PA. The club laid out a well-marked eight-mile loop. Championship riders tackled 18 sections twice_ The support classes rode 14 each loop. Entries totalled Ill, about 20 more than the western rounds drew. As the series resumed after a three·month summer break, Oregon's Brad Skreen held on to an II-point lead over Canadian Bill Sparks. Skreen posted a second in the NorCal opener. Then won in SoCal on his Montesa West of PortIandJSkreen Construction-sponsored Montesa. Sparks did not make the trip east. Neither did Mark Eggar. And Don Sweet, New England's perpetual champion, didn't venture south. Leavitt started strong, posting a 20 on the first loop to lead Whaley by five. Marland dropped his score to 20 on the fmal go around, but it wasn't quite enough. Whaley's second straight second (plus a second place finish that was lost on a time disqualification) moved him within seven points of Skreen for the series lead. Brad, one of the original Furry Freak Brothers of the Great orthwest, finished seventh. Scott Head, who just turned 18, made it a SoCal sweep in Buckeye Land, taking third on his Bay Area Bultaco. That's the best finish to date for Head, a protege of Bernie Schreiber who has been competing in trials for less than four years. Last year he posted four fifths to rank eighth nanonally. Scott, Number Two in SoCal trials last year and duelling Mark Eggar for Number One this year, moved up to fourth in the points race, two behind Leavitt. Jack Stites, riding his new yellow Tryals Shope SWM, claimed fourth. Jack, the only Eastern currently in the top 10, finished just 1.8 points behind Head. Rounding out the top 10 were Morgan Kavanaugh, Marv Heath (who bested Skreen for the Pacific Northwest Championship), Brad Skreen, Mike Komer, Keith Adams, and John Stanicar. Pennsylvanian Nils Manuof05, second in the Sportsman class at the SoCal round, moved up one notch for his first win of the year. Three points behind, Brian Lewis edged Christopher Arnold on cleans. Steve McNeal (Albama) picked up his second High School win of the year, easily topping Michael Passino of New York. Don Wilcox (Wisconsin) ended Norm Sayler's winning string in the Super Senior class with a 15-point victory. Jay Kavanaugh, Morgan's dad, finished third. In Senior action, Bud Mylerberg took his second win of the year. Glen McNeal finished 16 markers back. Carl Peters (New York) was third as Curt Comer, Sr: took fourth. ( Meanwhile, Curt Comer, Jr., winner of the NorCal opener on his Cosmopolitan/Motor City MCY Montesa, extended his run of bad Iud. Last Maya bizarre one· mile an hour crash put him over the bars into a tree limb in southern California. Dazed, he finished out of the top 10. The Ohio get-off was even freakier. Curt made it to the top of a hill section clean, but as he came to a stop he lost his balance and tumbled all the way back to the bottom, with his bike cartwheeling behind him. His frame was tweaked enough by the fall to force his retirement. Results CHAMPIONSHIP: 1. Lane leoNitt IBuII 44; 2. Wholey (Monl ~; 3. Scott . - IBuIl 59.2; 4. sa.. lSWMI 61; 5. Mo<_ KaYonough (Bull 63; 6. ~ - . (Bull 66; 7. Brad Slu_ lMan! 67; 8. Mike Komer CMon) 70; 9. Keith Adorns IBulI 74; 10. W""",,_lYoml76; 11 . .John S _ ~ 76; 12. IliII !Iurllor-lBuQ n. SPORTSMAN: 1. Nila MonIZOfOS CMonl 67; 2. Brien _ Jack ~ lSCWl w_70; 3. ChrioIophor AmoId IMonI 70~. David lBulI 74; 5. _ .Jor.-lSWMl "'; 6. Normon Colin lBulI81; 7. cain Illockwood lHonl81; 8. Ted Atmom lMonI82; 9. Mortin Mcleod lBulI88; 10. Carlton IIonodict (MonI88. SENIOR: 1. Bud MyIorborg (8u1l 56; 2. Glen _ IBufl n; 3. Cart Peters lBuIl n; 4. C... Comer. S<.lBul) 84; 5. Gil Smith IBull 95; 6. Robert CopisIrlWlt CBuIl 95; 7. Gone Tuck lBuIl 100: 8. Brion Aherne lBull 102: 9. Len Wood 102: 10. David _IMonll04. SUPER SENIOR: 1. Don Wolcox IBuIl 94; 2. Norm Saylor IBull 109; 3. Jttv ~ lBuIl 115; 4. ARt WobstorlBuIl 1 18; 5. E _ Newmortin (Bull. HIGH SCHOOL: 1. Steve MeN'" (Mon) 64; 2. Michool Possimo CMonI83. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS: 1. 8fod Skr_lMonI31; 2. Morlond Wholey IMonI 24; 3. Lane Loovitt IBull 22; 4. SeO" Hood IBull 20; 5, Jack Stiles (SWMIIMorgan Kovenough IBull 17; 7. Bill Sportt. IMonl '8; 8. Cun Comer (Monl '5.8; 9. Mark Eggar (Mon) 14, AMAINATC Nat'I. Championship Observed Trials Series - Round 4 Whaley back on top with Dixie Dandy By Len Weed Photos by Keela and Wick Wicker MORGAN CITY, AL, SEPT. 1 The sun rises in the East, summer follows spring, and Marland Whaley heads the U.S. Trials Championship series. So what else is new? Marland's first win this year, paired with two seconds, vaulted him past Brad Skreen for a seven-point lead. Marland won in typical Whaley fashion total race face concentration fOf an amazing final loop performance. He dropped just two dabs in his final 15 rides. Whaley was the fmt loop leader with a 10. He faltered on the second, dropping 17, Morgan Kavanaugh, Number One in Colorado and Number Six in the last year. and Cun Comer. current Colorado points leader. posted low score 1g, for the second loop. That left Kavanaugh three up on Whaley