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/126912
Ed Thompson paddled his way to fifth place in the 200Cc A class at the Big Bear 100, but a leu fortunate rider didn't fare as well. Mark Hyde nabbed the holeshot on his 430 Husqvama and never was challenged during the AMA/Wiseco Big Bear 100, held in West Virginia. AMA!Wlseco/Suzukl 10o-Mlle Hare SCrambles Series: Round 4 Hyde masters Big Bear 100 By Jimmy Derek BRUCETON MILLS, WV. MAY II Mark Hyde raced his Husky 430 Automatic to the overall win at AMA/Wiseco/Suzuki 100-Mile Hare Scrambles Series' Big Bear 100. The 26-year-old Team Husqvarna pilot dominated the event by charging to the front early, then methodically weaved through lapped traffic to stretch his lead. 14 Teammate Fred Hoess gave chase late in the race, but could not make up the four minute gap Hyde had put between himself and the pack. Hoess scored the 250cc A class win to go along with his second overall. Third overall Jim Maltba was a full 15 minutes behind Hoess at the finish, early problems having put him out of contention. Other class winners included Ben Harmrick, Henry Steinkowicz, Gig Roach, Scott Summer, and Lee Lavely. The 10-mile-long Big Bear course consisted of many light wood sections, various tram roads and the infamous Big Nasty hillclimb. Course designer Dave Seville installed new wood sections in hopes of controlling dust caused by a two-week dry spell. The dust was present throughout the race, but it was not nearly the problem that many of the 210 riders expected. Although Hyde's dominance was complete, the victories by Summers and Lavely were equally impressive. Summers rounded the first section near the front of the Four-Stroke class. but suffered a rear flat tire that forced him into the pits. He lost several minutes on the leaders before reentering the race near the back of the pack. Summers completed the first lap four-and-one-half minutes down on leader Amos Bennett, but lap two saw Summers move around second place Tim Harmon and close to within a minute of Bennett. On the next go-around Summers fell four more minutes off the pace after a lengthy fuel-up, but on the foNowing lap he shot past Bennett and quickly established a five minute lead that grew to 10 minutes by the end of the race. Bennett finished second with Jim Rector third and Lyle Kirk fourth. Harmon faded to fifth. Lavely's Open B win was almost comical. He and pal David Molnar showed up late at Big Bear and were still in the process of signing up when the race started. Lavely finally got on the track seven minutes down on the other 26 riders in his class, and •. rounded the first lap in 15th place, eight minutes off the pace of leader Charlie Uphold. But lap-after-Iap Lavely moved his big 500 KTM through the pack until he found his way into fourth place, behind new leader Bob Ellis, Uphold, and Jeff Barnhart. With one lap to go, Lavely roared through the barrels one minute behind Ellis and one second behind Barnhart. Uphold had dropped out after suffering numerous problems. Just one-fourtb of the way into the final loop, Lavely moved into tbe lead for the first time. The other late arrival, Molnar, passed 43 250cc B riders but could not reel in Roach, Martin Doubert, and Kurt Loebach. Roach led every lap on his KX250. In the Expertelasses, Hyde grabbed the early lead from the first row of starters. Each class had been placed in rows down tbe front straight, with the Open As flagged off first. Hyde was followed closely by local favorite Tom Harris on a 490 Yamaha. Although Harris was suffering from minor jet-lag after catching a red-eye flight from Nashville, he was able to keep Hyde in sigh t for the first half of the lap. By the time Hyde hit the barrels, however, he was two minutes clear of second place. Hoess followed KTM-mounted Barry Jeffries when the 250cc A class raced into the woods. As Hoess moved by Jeffries, Maltba was picking himself up after a turn-two fall. He re-entered the race near last, but moved into third near the end of the first lap. Hamrick came through the first check one minute up on Lojak Cycle-sponsored Ed Thompson in the 200cc A class. The first casualty in the Expert ranks was Stan Lojal... Fresh off of a Fireball 100 win two weeks earlier, Lojak had hoped to make it two in a row on his big YZ49O. He looked· strong early, rounding the second lap in tbird place, but half a lap later Lojak spent his backing plate, rendering him brakeless. By that time Hoess had displaced Harris, but could not gain on the AXO/Autolite/Acerbis/Hi-Point backed Hyde. The leader was making no mistakes; he came through the third-lap check four minutes up. Hoess was standing second overall, and had a 250cc A class lead of six minutes on Maltba. Hyde enjoyed a 12-minute lead on John Rutherford in the Open A ranks. The final lap saw Hyde ease through the bush and calmly move around the lappers as he maintained his lead. Hoess was having trouble with a chain that did not want to stay on the sprockets, but Maltba could not take advantage of the situation. Hamrick thumped through the checkers on his XR200 with an astonishing 27-minute lead on Mike McCarren, the only 200cc A rider thai he did not lap. Steinkowicl fought hard for his Senior A win. Scott Wolfersberger never let Steinkowicz get more than 15 seconds in front of him, and that was on the first lap. The two New Jersey riders diced themselves into a lead over third place that measured more than a lap at the finish. Steinkowicz crossed the line a mere 10 seconds in front of Wolfersberger. In other Amateur di visions, Joseph Hull outpaced Don Stanley and James Saubert for the Senior B win. Forrest Stark beat Larry Cooley, Eric Weiland, and 25 other 250cc B riders. Harry Greenlee bested Charles Galbraith and Charlie Hyde for the Super Senior tropby. • Results OPEN A: 1. Mart< Hyde (HUll; 2. John Rutherlonl (Hanl: 3. Rob Toole (Hanl. 250 A: 1. Fred Hoeaa (HUll; 2. Jim MlIltbe (KTM); 3. Barry Jeffries (KTMI. 200 A: 1. Ben Hamrick (VIm); 2. Don Bigley (VarnI; 3. Kent Stanley (Kaw). SR A: 1. Henry SllInkiewicz (HUll; 2. Scott Wolfer_rger (KTM); 3. Ed Brailaford (C-A). 200 B: 1. Forrelt Stark (Yam); 2. Larry Cooley (Kaw); 3. Eric Weiland (Kawl. SR B: 1. Joseph Hull (KTM); 2. Donald SllInley (KTM): 3. Jemea Seibert (Vam). SS: 1. Harry Greenlee (Hanl; 2. Charles Galt...ith (HuI); 3. Charles Hyde (HUll. 250 B: 1. Gig ROlICh (Kaw); 2. Martin Daubert (HanI; 3. Kurt Loebach (KTMI. OPEN B: 1'. Lee Lavely (KTMI; 2. Bob Ellis (Yam); 3. Jeff Barnhart (HuI). 4-STRK: 1. Scon Summers (Hon): 2. Amos Bennen {Yeml: 3 Tim Hermon (Honl. OVERALL: 1. Mark Hyde; 2. Fred Hoess; 3. JIm Maltba.