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/126598
(A bove) Lone 125cc Honda rider Louie Franco (91) leads eventual 125cc Expert winnner Mark Meredith (44) and Craig Dale (78). (Inset) A Pee Wee rider listens toa little last minute race advice. ' AMA ~mateurSupereross Championship Series: R~und I Whelchel wipes outAmateur Supercrossers By Karel Kramer ANAHEIM , CA,JAN. 51 There were no factory bikes and no factory stars (unless there were some future stars) in attendance at today's Anaheim Amateur Super12 cross. More than 350 riders showed to do battle on the slightly modified track the Pros raced on the night ' before. When the smoke cleared after 12 hours of practice, qualifiers and racing, Yamaha support rider John Whelchel took home the cash in the largest of the Expert ••1;4¥es, \fhc;lfl}lil .di~ not have an easy ' . time of it; _her was bothered .with poor starts and Kawasaki riders all day. Tony Riddell and Arizona's Robert "Sky King" King took turns making life rough for the Yamaha ace all day long. The Experts really did race all day long. They ran two motos, in two groups, as qualifiers and a six P.M . final. Bryan Mayes on a Yamaha grabbed the start of the first l!50cc Expert moto and was really moving. Mayes opened a small lead on the first lap with Kawasaki-mounted King,Jim Sendelbach and Dave Pettigrew on Suzukis filling out the top four . King and Sendelbach closed the gap on Mayes, and the first three riders were very tight. Coming out of the back of the course, King passed Mayes over a jump, and for the top three, the race was over . King took the win followed by Mayes and Sendelbach. A new face led the pack into turn one of the second moto. Michael Rehm held his Yamaha on a little longer than King and Mayes into turn one. King took over the lead right after the sand pit on the first lap and disappeared. Positions behind him were up for grabs as Rehm was fading and Mayes went down. Sendelbach and Brand Johnson moved into fight over second with the nod going to Johnson. Johnson combined that finish ' with a first moto fourthto take second overall. Sendelbach cashed in a pair of thirds for third overall while Mayes recovered from his fall to ta ke fourth overall . In the second Expert division , things ' looked about th e same from a distance - a Kawasaki in front . Tony Ridd ell put th e whip to his gr een meanie an d holeshot the moto followed by Honda -mounted Todd Kessel and new l!50cc ride r , Vince McMah on on a Yam aha . McMahon was, up into second almost immed iately and after Riddell. Riddell tu rne d up th e gas, and McMahon turned up the heat. Together the two pulled away from the pack. Riddell was smooth as McMahon berserked it. He crossed the KMET Rockers three times in a row without touching the pegs and was doing front wheel landings all over the track. He even collided with Riddell in the last turn of one lap. Riddell hung tough , stuck to his lines and held his lead. McMahon's mistake cost him when Whelchel moved in . Whelchel seemed to come from nowhere and slipped past McMahon with little effort. Whelchel closed th e distance on Riddell , but time ran out. Suzuki -supported SCOtt Cavness , who won the first Open Expert moto, grabbed the point position for round two of the l!50cc Experts with a loyal following of Riddell , Whelchel and Yamaha pilot Doug McRae. Whelchel slipped past one rider each lap, first Riddell then Cavness, to lead. Caveness refused to let Riddell by to punue Whelchel 50 they finished tha t way. The day's last event was the l!50cc Expert final. The first races were little more than double heat races as only the final paid money. Twenty l!50cc Experts exploded off the line . By the end of the first lap, Kawasaki's King was in the lead followed by a surprisingly fast Richard Collins a n Whelchel. Collins had no problem staying with the front -runners on hi 'Suzuki even though he managed onl an eighth in his heat race. Whelchel made his way aroun Collins and set out after the "Sk King." King looked very smooth an was going very quickly, but Whdch was just too aggressive.