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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126637
(Left) Larry Brooks on the way to the 80 Mod. w in. (Above left) Willie Surratt was fast. but inconsistent. (Above) Paul Denis en joys, Yamaha/NMA World Mini Grand Prix Brooks, Manneh, Surratt share . Mini Expert wins By To m Corl ey ORA NG E. C A. APR. 15-17 With the 12th annual Yamaha/National Motosports Association World Mini Grand Prix came hundreds of top Mini racers to Saddleback Park, which necessitated two divisions for most classes. The top points holders met in th e run-off events, shooting it out to bring forth a new ch ampion, 12 Kaw asaki sco red in -two maj or events w ith Will ie Su rra tt taking th e 105cc event whil e teammate Bader Manneh cl aimed th e 80cc Stock Ex pert class a fte r co lli d ing with points lead er Franki e Brundage. wh o wa s a lso Kawasaki-mounted, Larry Bro ok s was a maj or threat in both o f th o se co n tests but missed o u t slig h tly as h e tied p oints wise w ith S urra tt. hu t had th e lesser sco re in the run-off. Mann eh took hi s title o ver Bro oks by o ne m er e p oin t. T he R&D S uzu ki racer.Brooks, experi enced hi s sha re of ha rd lu ck . h u t also had h is time o f glory w h en he ea rned the 80cc Modifi ed Expert title co n vinci n g ly. There were three day s of racin g with 3 1even ts th at ran for tw o m o to s. Fo llowing th e scheduled tw o m o to s were th e run-off races. Leadin g o ff th e ru n-o ff races was th e 80cc Mod ified Expert 12+ co nt est. Bro o ks had th e best possibility o f wi nning from all a ng les, H e won th e second division of 80cc Experts and had three points co m ing int o th e run -o ff. T he closes t cha llenge r. points wis e. was Lowell Thomson. last year 's 60cc Race of C ha m pions ' w inner. a nd Ba d e r M an n eh . Wh en t h e gat e d ro pped in th is deciding run -off it was " W ild W ill ie" S u rra tt goi ng fa st er th an ever befo re o n hi s Dave Mill er Co ncepts- tu ned Kawasak i. Surra tt. even with th e lead po sition. had no poss ib ility o f w in n ing o vera ll. In hi s di vi sion h e had a poor 2 1 points. Bro ok s co u ld n ' t ca tch th e Kaw asak i. b u t a lrea dv kn ew th at a seco nd pl ace score would land him to p honors a nd it did j us t th at. Man neh wa s after Bro oks in th ird a nd ho ping th at th e S uzu ki wo ul d d evel o p a p robl em . b ut n o way. Thomson had problems in this run- off a n d was wa y back . Five po ints ga ve Bro ok s a cl ear victo ry o n th e troph y list o ver Manneh , Bob Mo ore. Scott Brown a n d Larrv Wa rd . Brooks. Manneh, Brundage a nd Bruner wer e w ithi n tw o points of eac h ot h er go ing into th e 80cc Stoc k Ex pe rt 12+ run -off even t. It was a m atter o f who won this important race. • Wh en th e race got un derw a y it appeared tha t th ere wa s go in g to be a tie between severa l rid ers. S u rra tt had th e lead ju st li ke he d id in th e mod ified event . but si m ila rly he had no cha nce o f winn in g the top trop hy , Beh ind Surra tt was th e Ka wasak i of Scott " L iza rd " Brown. Bro wn is back in action after tak in g a serio us injury wh en str uc k bv a noth er hi ke wh ile riding a ro und Saddlehack. Six mont hs o f in acrivitv di dn 't drain Scott o f h is sp eed . Edd ie H ic ks. Bader Mann eh a nd Bi llv Whitle,' hel d o ff La rrv Bro o ks ';'ho was ' moving up , hu't co u ld n' t m ak e up fo r g etting a had sta r t. T he o vera ll wa s looking g ood fo r Fr an ki e Brundag e; w ho was in th e to p fiv e pos itions , until he flew o ver a jump before th e fini sh a nd was taken out bv Manneh . Wi th Manneh in fourth pl ace, he tall ied up nin e points whi ch earned h im the o vera ll victorv ov er Bro oks, Bro w n . H icks a nd B~uner. Surratt had a hard luck story goi ng into both the 80cc Stoc k a nd Mod ified run -o ffs. H e won bot h o f those races. h u t due to h is poor poi nts tall y he was sho t down . T he 10Scc 12+ run -o ff was a di fferent storv co mpl etel y as W il d Willi e ca rne iiu o th e fin al with three points a nd was look in g good . Bro o ks had tw o po ints a nd it was goi ng to be a wa r bet ween thes e two. When they fir ed off duri ng th e fina l it was Bro oks and S urratt in th e lead . approp r ia te ly . Bro ok s m ain tai ned firs t p lace th e entire ra ce ti ll th e last la p wh en Surra ugot w ild a nd m ade an amazi ng p ass wh ile ha uli n g over the j u m ps go ing up Web co Hi ll. At th e c hecke re d i t was S urratt. Bro oks. Manneh a nd Wh irl ev, Both S u rra tt a nd Bro ok s had exac tlv fo ur p oints a nd th e NM A decided th e win by wh o had th e better posi tion in the run- off and th at was S urra tt. Brooks pl aced seco nd o vera ll a head o f Manneh , Whitley a n d Brown . Few peo p le ca n claim th a t they 've raced in a ll 12 World Mini Gran d Prix eve nts like Ku rt H enrick se n ca n . W ith the firs t event Ku rt wa s a Pee Wee. bu t today he is a to p 125cc Interm ed iate who to o k th e holes ho t in the important 125cc Stock Int er m ed ia te run-off. Kawasa ki ri ders Pau l Deni s a nd Sam Storer wo n the two division races a nd wer e situated best fo r the fi nal. Storer was after H en r ick sen a n d woul d dive into a swee per tryi ng to m ake the pa ss, bu t would co me o ut shor t. Sa m fina lly succeede d in taking over fi rs t pl ace wh en he ca ugh t Kurt o n the stre tc h h eading towards th e fin ish a nd as th ey turned th e co rner it was Sto rer in co m ma nd. Den is wa s not to o far behind a nd soon he found a ga p to ge t by H enricksen to tak e seco nd, It was a Sto rer ver sus Denis battle with Den is eventuall y taking o ver th e lead to take th e . win plus th e o vera ll, Sto rer was seco nd ov erall a head o f H enrick sen . Ma rk Toya ma a nd Steve Ste wa rt. T he Juni o r C ycle Stock 9-11 run o ff wa s d ominated bv o u t o f sta te and o u t o f co u ntry ri de rs: J u n io r J ack son fro m E. Molin e. III. . won h is divisi on a nd so d id Budd y An tu nez. w ith bot h of them h av in g two points. Wh en th e run -off got u n de rway it wa s J ack so n w ith th e lead a nd J eff Dail y from Eugene. Ore.. in seco nd wi th C h ris Hill from Mel bo u rn e, Australia running in third .• Th ev co nti n ue d in thi s o rde r till Dail y ca rne to th e sli p pery swee pe r below Web co T ower a nd he lost tr acti on a nd fell d own . H ill took ad va ntage o f th is a nd too k o ver secon d p lace with Dailv n ow in third . Hil l got a good brea k bu t he proved th at he was a skillfu l rider as he so o n passed Jacks on o n a jump sect io n . As H ill cro ssed th e finish li ne he t urn ed the co rner. flew over the next jump a nd d id a o ne- ha nder Australia n stv le. J ack son di dn 't hav e a ny reason to be d isap poi nted as he took t he o ver a ll victory w ith a 2-2 ta lly w hi ch was sligh tly beuer tha n H ill 's 4- 1.Antunez p lace d third as th e top local rid er w ith Da ilv fourth a nd Steven Kot ajarvi fifth : Th e Australian rid er s did a Iine joh o f representin g th ei r co u nt ry a nd rh ev wa lked o ff w ith so me to p br ass to p ro ve it. C h r is H ill wa s their ho ttest 60cc rider a nd T rov Do ol an wa s t heir top 80cc rider. Do,;l an won both .rhe 80cc Stock a nd Mod ified Novice 12+ events . H e ent ered the m od ified • ru n-off w ith three poi nts a nd so did lo ca l rider Co lin Karcher. Steve Kendall wo n bo th o f h is d iv is io n bou ts a nd was lo o king best wi th tw o points. All three o f th ese rid ers had a fightin g cha nce. Wh en th e run-off sta rted it wa s Do olan with the lead. Karch er in seco nd a nd Kendall trai ling in third. Kendall' s S u zu k i sta rted sp u tterin g a nd a llowed th e rest to m ov e o n by. Dool an kep t up h is fas t pace a n d co ntin ued in th e lead stra ig ht till th e checke red fla g ca me o u t. Just lik e H ill . w hen Dool an flew o ver the j u m p past th e fin ish he d id a o ne-han de r Autralian style. Do ol an had the overa ll cl in ch ed w ith Karch er co mi ng closes t in seco nd a nd G a ry Trachy tak in g th ird. Bri an T homson from Po st Falls. Idaho . h ad two perfec t finishes in h is d iv is io n o f 80cc Stock Novice 12+ raci ng a n d Troy Dool an was the kin g of h is di vi sion. T hey m et in th e d eciding run-off. Thomson wa s wa y ba ck in 13th whil e Dool an took th e early lead. Karcher was af ter Dool a n j us t lik e in the Modifi ed race. H is chances of taki ng the fir st place spot were dest ro yed when he ca me to th e slippery co rner below Web co Tower a nd fell. Todd H a yes took over seco nd pl ace with Kar ch er pi ckin g up hi s Kawasaki and pl acing th ird. Steve Ken dall 's stock S uzu k i held to g eth er a nd h e was fo u rth in th e run -off. With four po ints Dool an to ok a n o ther win a n d a hu ge troph y back to Aus tra lia . Karcher had a very good da y wi th a nother fin e second place trop hy w ith Tod d H a yes cla im ing ' th e third p lac e brass . Id aho was o ne s ta te th at had severa l very fast riders with Sco tt Myers fro m Coeur D'A lene bein g th e mo st successfu l of th e da y. M yer s won hi s 80cc Mod ified Int er m ed iat e 12+ divisi on race a nd faced lo cal rac er Steve G ambl e wh o wa s in fir st p la ce in bot h of his m ot o s. When th e rider s hi t th e track for th e run-off it was Gamhl e who got : t he worse end o f it as he Hipped hi s Yam a ha on th e fir st jump w h il e going up. We bco Hil l. Steve Sk ibe l a n d Chris Burgess were th e front ru nners wi th Skibel ta kin g a spi ll a n d D N F on h is Suzu ki .· Bu rgess had th e lead and took the win a head of Lan ce Smit h a nd Mver s, C h ri s had a dece n t eig h t poi nts corn ing in to th e final wi th Burgess ha ving 15. T he ir tall ies d id n 't co mpare wit h th at 01 Mvers wh o had four points alo ng with a th ird in the run off which m ade him th e nu mber o ne Modi fied Int ermedi at e. Jeff Reyn olds was fourth in th e run -off a nd a lso o vera ll. Burgess was third a head o f Ga m ble w ho sti ll did well co ns idering h is fa ll in th e run -off. La nce Smi th was fift h . T h e fin al r u n -off befo re th e Rar e of C ha mpio ns wa s the 80cc Stock Interm edi at e 12 + class. C h ris Bu rgess on his Kawasak i had fou r points after