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/126966
Kawasaki KDX200-mounted Jeff Fredette bites the 'dust during a special
test section. Fredette went on to finish fourth in the 260cc class..
Husqvama's Fritz Kadlec (120) leeds KTM's Kevin Hines (220) during
the motocross special test. Hines ended up taking the overall.
AMA ISDE Reliability Qualifier
Series: Round 2
Hines rocks
Wrentham Two-Day
By Paul Clipper/Trail Rider Magazine
WRENTHAM, MA, MAY 24-25
Kevin Hines came back to Massachusetts
and home this month after a six-month tour
of the U.S. racing scene, and celebrated his
homecoming by taking the overall victory
at the King Philip Trail Rider's AMA/ISDE Qualifier this
.
Memonal Day weekend. .
The H&H KTM/2-Racmg/
Malcolm Smith/Dunlop/Offroad/
Duralube/Kal-Gard-sponsored rider
matched wits against Lojak Cycles
Husqvama rider Eddie Lojak - they
both rode on the same minute - and
two days of bar banging came down
to a slim 22-second victory for Hines
after a decisive win in his final
motocross special test. Third overall
fell to Kurt Hough on his 250 Honda.
After chasing Lojak all weekend
Hough was only 10 seconds shy of
Lojak's score.
The event was very carefully
planned and laid out by the King
Philip Trail Riders, a NETRA club
that has used the local trails for years
in their enduros. It was "Another
typical New England course!"
according to NETRA Champion
Steve Vanasse, who worked the event,
and £0 riders unaccuslOmed to
NETRA enduros the ~oughness of
the course came as a bit of a shock.
"All this course proves is that local
riders can beat the big boys on their
own trails!" complained Intem rider
Dwight Rudder. "This kind of
riding is just plain dangerous!"
Not all of the Imem riders agreed
with Rudder, and the local riders just
shrugged and wem on riding. A King
Philip spokesman explained that the
layout crews don't go out searching
for hard spots and difficult trails, but
that this was "all we've got to ride
on up herel" The fact that most of
the trails had been ridden heavily for
years. certainly contributed to the
overall roul:I:hness of the event.
"The traIls were in good shape,"
said Hines. "I could tell that the club
spent a lot of time grooming the
trails. There were very few logs and
other trash across the trails, most of
the face-slappers were trimmed.
They did an excellent job." ,
Even so, the rocks were there to
stay. ''I'll complain and say I hate
it," said Team Husky rider Jeff
Irwin, "but I had a good time. They
had some good riding out there, but
if, wasn't easy."
Day one
After a drenching downpour early
Sunday morning, the decision was
made to run at the "dry" or "A"
schedule. The course was damp, but
not necessarily muddy (by New
England standards), and the rain was
appreciated by all who experienced
the local dusty conditions before the
start. The route consisted of two laps
of an approximately 50-mile loop,
with a motocross special test timed
to the second on each lap, and a
timed terrain test in the afternoon.
Right from the start, the rocks were
the main topic of trailside conversation. "I haven't found a sPot yet
where I could let go long enough
to pull my Roll-OfEs," complained
ISDE veteran Ron Ribolzi, sponsored by Dave Mungenast's Louis
Honda. "This course is going to
hammer us, a lot of guys won't make
it. But still, you gotta love it!"
Ribolzi sai