Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

that coming," said Hinkle of the collision. "I knew we were going to hit hard, and I knew that there was no doubt we were both going down. I had the clutch pulled in so the motor wouldn't stall," said the veteran Amateur National Open Champion. Hinkle took Open titles in 1978 and 1980. Yamaha mounted Mark Hatfield led the first parts of the second Open moto, which was a classic Hinkle race. Hinkle sped by in two laps and put a lot of distance on Hatfield before the checkered flag. Fint moto challenger Tailor lost his bid for the championship when the Maryland rider had problems with suspension and adhesive mud, and was lapped by the leader before the end of the race. Hatfield held onto second at the flag, while Husqvarna/RPM rider Paul Walker jetted into third ahead of Maico mounted Mitchell Huhn. Mark Hinkle ended the day with a commanding points lead, 16 up on Hatfield and 18 up on Hicks, Sunday (Left to right) Mike Roth. Connie FeIst. Jeff Spreeman and Mark Hinkle grabbed the Amateur NlItIonel MX thIes. AMA Amateur National Cbam~lo bl~ MX Final ... Both, Feist, Spreeman (I Hinkle take titles By Tim O'Hever Photos by Werner Streube BUCHANAN, MI, OCT. 5-4 The Nation's top amateurs gathered to battle in the Kawasaki/Hi-Point/Bell Helmets National Championship Final at Red Bud T'NT, and when the smoke had cleared three new champions stood alongside one previous champion_ Illinois' Mike Roth dominated lOOcc racing, Indiana's Connie Feist won the 1l!5cc class free-for-all, con· sistency wo!ked for Michigan's jeff, Spreeman m the l!5Occ class, and Mark Hinkle locked up his third Open class title. Rain played a pan in this year's event, with racers arriving for the fmt moto of the two·oay, four moto event finding a track that had been soaked by two days of solid rain. Red Bud's winding hilly terrain was more challenging than ever, with the upper sections slippery and the lower sections somewhat bottomleSl for the first few rar.es of Saturday. Red Bud's sticky mud holes became the yardstick by which the Dew champions were measured. Seturd8y 16 After an UDSuccesaful bid to ~ the program changed, the lOOcc class grimly lined up at the starong gate, and Mike Roth's RPM Yamaha powered off into the lead of the first 50 minute plus two lap moto. Roth was challenged by Ohio's john SimplOn on a Beechmont Yamaha YZ. SimplOn became the fint to fallon the slick course, but unlike many others who couldn't ~ unstuck or fried clutches, Simpson remounted to continue the chase in mid-pack. Roth led jon Schmitz's and Greg Chapman's Suzultis at the halfway point, but was picked off by Simpson after 25 minutes. "I didn't even see him go by," Roth said lath, "I came ..lp on him a little, but I couldn't catch him, and that's when I knew he wasn't a lapper." Simpson held on for the fint moto win when Roth crashed in a final two-lap challenge 'and remounted to finish second. Lisa Akins' Dynamic Cycle Yamaha led moto two, after she destroyed her clutch in moto one. Roth moved up and took the lead at the halfway mark and rode smoothly to win as john Simpson rode to a seventh place finish. Yamaha mounted Mark McLaren and Suzuki rider Troy Graham put on a ~ in the late going, both riden pushing into the top four hehind Akin, The first day's point totals left Roth on top with Simpson a difficult Il! points back, while Troy Graham logged third, two points shon of Simpson. Kawasaki mounted Aaron Pitts was the first 1l!5cc leader in the hardest fought, wildest and most spectatorwonby class of the weekend. Kawasaki's Billy Liles took over the lead after tn minutes, with jim Canner's YZ moving into second. Dave Hand put his Kawasaki KXIl!5 into third and began to challenge Canner at the 25 minute mark as Liles sped away with a comfonable lead. Things began to happen quicltly after Liles' mount died within SIght of the two-lap sign. Hand pounced on the lead, pushing past Canner on the last lap and winning as Pitts, jim Veugeler and Connie Feist rounded out the top five. "I had no idea I was in fint," said Hand, "All these people staned giving me the number one sign - I almost fell off the bike'" North Carolina's Rodney Barr holeshot moto two, but Keith Bowen and Billy Liles pushed Barr back into third and battled the last half of the race for first. Bowen's YZ controlled the moto from lap two, with Liles challenging often but settling for second. Michigan's Frank Shepanslti rode smoothly to third ahead of New York's Carlo Coen and Hand. Hand was the points leader after two motos, holding a seven point advantage over Iowa's Canner. Pitts was nine points back in third. Maico suppon rider Billy Abel battled Yamaha support rider jeff Spreeman in the first l!50cc moto. Spreeman took command early with Abel a fast but distant second. Spectaton enjoyed Scott Hinkle's 10th to third charge on another suppan Maico, as Kawasaki riden Tom Bloux and Rod Alford staned and finished in the top five. jim Van Andel cranked out a second moto lead on his Ivan's Kawasaki ahead of Wetzel Husqvarna's Harold Robison and Hinkle. Van Andel's lead was shon lived after the Michigan rider broke off a footpegand dropped back. Hinkle's Maico lunched a crank and Robison showcased the moto with a smooth methodical performance to win. Indiana's Larry Witmer and Spreeman turned bad stans into good finishes, placing second and t¥rd with some cautious riding on their Yls. Spreeman found himself on top of the poInts total, nine points up on Ohioan Robison with West Virgtnia's Bioux holding third. 1979 250cc Amateur National Champion Mark Hicks led the Open class through its lint laps, as Maico riden Glenn Tailor and Del Vasey chased Hicks' Honda. Tailor rode away with the lead before the halfway mark, but staned feeling heat from Mark Hinkle's Maico. The two lap sign initiated a wheel to wheel challenge between the two, with Hinkle leading. Spectaton found the race in a complete frenzy with half a lap to go, as both leaders went down in a collision. Hinkle was the fint to remount and sped away with the win while Tailor was still restaning. "I saw Chilly temperatures, light rain and overcast weather did little to improve the mucky track -- there were two fast lines at best in any.section, with the rest of the terrain being a bottomless lake of Slicky mud. Open racing was the fll'St class in an invened schedule. The day would clearly amount to a HinkldfailoT confrontation. The battle belonged to Tailor, who came from behind to wrest the lead from Hinkle in both motos, but the war was all Hinkle's whose 2-7 SCOTe carried him easily to the O~ class title. Hinkle was all smiles m the pits among a small crowd of well-wishen. "I didn't really feel any pressure. I just try to look at it as another race. I didn't have to beat Tailor today, and I was 50 points up on second place after the third moto. I was mainly concerned with finishing the last moto, " said Hinkle. Abel logged the fint 250cc moto win as points leader Spreeman rode solidly to second ahead of Witmer, Van Andel and Todd Harrell's Suzuki. The final 250cc race belonged to Yamaha suppon rider Tommy Watts, who blasted away with the win ahead of Witmer, Van Andel and Spreeman. Spreeman claimed the championship, being the only rider in the top four not to place out of the top ten in any moto. Witmer placed second with a 2l! -l! -3 -2 score, placing Witmer among the many whose championship bids lay at the bottom of Red Bud's mudholes after their fint moto. "if anybody deserves to win the championship, jeff does, " Witmer said afterwards. "I didn't ~ a good stan all weekend," said Spreeman, "lucltily I found a line on one of the downhills where I could pass about 15 guys if I had to. I felt this all coming together, I thought I could win, but I didn't think that last moto was ever going to endl" Barr's YZ came out smoking in Sunday's flJ'St 125cc moto, but gave way to AMA Youth Schoolboy 1l!5cc champ Bowen at the 10 minute mark. Bowen was tested again by Kawasaki's top amateur rider. Liles. Liles fought his way into second and preaed for the lead. Points leader Hand had a dis· astrous race, finishing 14th after many crashes and mishap-. Bowen held off Liles again, winning the IDOlO as both riders banzaied their way back into the points struggle. Coen took a consistent third. Three motos of 1l!5cc racing proved rather inconclusive, with no less than seven riders capable of winning the title - with the proper combinations of finishes in the final race. Hand still led in points followed by Canner, with

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