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/127145
The 125cc Schoolboy finalists blast off the start li ne at the Chehalis Half Mile. Georgie Price (1 N) won , Larry "The Baltimore Bullet" Pegram topped the 500cc Amateur class in the short track. IT lind half mile events in the Pacific Northwest. AliA Amateur/Youth Grand Nationals Stars of tomorrow compete'in Northwest By Derryl Anderson BELLINGHAM, WA, JULY 9, CASTLE ROCK, WA, JULY 13, CHEHALIS, WA, J U L Y 16 Look ou t, Bubba Shobert! Here comes Georgie Price, Larry Pegram, Dann y Stanley, Josh Currey and a h ost of other you n gsters who in the three-meet AMA Amateur/Youth Grand Nationals, which were being held for the first time in the Pacific Northwest, proved they know 18 group of "we're almost ready for the . big time" Pro-Am riders and a co ntingent of Senior and Super Senior class riders. how to hus tle a bike around a dirt track. Amateur racers from across the country poured into the State of Washington to compete in a' short track at Bellingham, a TT at the Castle Rock Fairgrounds, and a half mile at the Chehalis Fairgrounds. Along with the youngsters came a Local favorite Danny Stanley took his Steve.Baker Yamaha/Budweiser/ Cougar Gulch Kawasaki & Rotax sponsored machines to wins in the 250 and 500cc Pro-Am classes. Steve Hyson crossed the finish line first in the 750cc Pro-Am class. New Jersey's Georgie Price Short Track runner-up performance but Bel, lingham winner Jerod Moore was forced to settle for sixth. .. Jeff Gabhart, the 65cc Stock class winner at Bellingham, gave Moore some company in the "win some, lose some" department as he left Castle Rock with only a seventh place finish to remember. Beau Manley had the biggest smile after the main event, as he led Josh Curry and Darrin Belcourt across the finish lin e. Currey added a runner-up trophy to the two third place trophies he earned at Bellingham. Both Johnny Murphree and Ryan Anderson chalked up double class wins in minibike action; Murphree topping the 65 and 85cc Modified (7II) classes while Anderson's victories came in the 85cc Stock and Modified (12-15) divisions. Georgie Price was once again a three class winner, topping the 125cc Schoolboy, 250 Amateur and Open Amateur classes just as he had done at Belli ngham. _ Price's most brilliant performance came in the 250cc Amateur final in which Pen nsylvania's Joe Bromley, who had won a heat race, took the initial lead over Price, Larry Pegram, John Bredfield and the remainder of the finalists. Within two laps, though, it was Price out in front and that's where he stayed, leading Pegram and Bromley across the line. Price topped a name from the past, the motocross past, in the Open Amateur final. Buck Murphy was the . name and Buck Murphy was the racer who finished second to Price. Danny Stanley continued his winni ng ways as he again top ped both the 250 and 500 Pro-Am classes. Tony Thorn, who fin ished fou rt h in the 750cc Pro-Am class at Bellingham, came home the winner in that division at Castle Rock, topping Brian Baldwin who had also finished second at Bellingham. The Bellingham short track winner had to settle for fourth behind Thorn, Baldwin and Matt Holden. Matt Holm improved his finishing position one spot above where he finished at Bellingham in the 30-plus Senior class and that made him the winner at Castle Rock, wh ile the winner in the 40-p lus Senior division was loca l favorite Dan Kirk. chalked up three class wins at Bellingham. Price came home the victor in the l25cc Schoolboy and 250cc Amateur classes, defeating th e number one plate holder, Larry Pegram, in the latter class, and then topped the Open Amateur class to prove he can more than handle any size dirt track race bike. . Jerod Moore topped Tony Souza Jr. and Joshua Currey in the 50cc class to start competition amongst them that would coriti nue throughout the Grand Nationals. Jeff Gabhart beat Beau Manley in the 65cc Stock class; Gabhart would chalk up another win in the Grand Nationals and Manley would also later take a checkered flag for a victory lap. Oregon's Ryan Anderson began a string of Grand National wins as he held off Brian Strong and Jason Ayers in the 85cc Stock (12-15) class , after Noah Kirland and Nathan Bourland finis hed 1-2 in the 85cc Stock (7-]]) division just as they Half Mile . would do in the TT and half mile The Mt. SL Helens M.C. worked events. hard for severa l days preparing the Kevin Varnes, a member of the ' half mile track at Chehalis for the Pennsylvania family that has proGrand Nationals finale. Pitching in duced countless racers, was the were many of the out-of-town peo p le winner in the 125cc class, barely who camped at the track as they edging out Matt Wait and J .P. helped to wheel-pack the half mile Simonsen. oval late into the evening prior to Defending .champ Larry "The the event. The extra help and effort Baltimore Bullet" Pegram showed showed on race day as the oval never that he had the right to carry the bro ke up and remained wide and number one plate as he rode his , smooth all day. '_ Riley's/ Pj l-backed Ro tax to victory , After finishing second in th e two in the 500cc Amateur class final. previous race meets , Tony Souza Brian Larcom topped the 30 and Junior finally got his number one over set in Senior co mpetition, wh ile plate as he topped Josh Currey and Bill Fogg proved there's life after 40 Jerod Moore in the 50cc Stock final. by topping the 40-plus Senior class. Jeff Ga bhart made it two Grand TT Nationals wins as he topped Castle Rock winner Beau Manley and The day before competition was to begin at Castle Rock, the TT multi-trophy winner Joshua Curreyin the 65cc Stock class. course resembled the one that faced John Murphree made it three-forcompetitors in the AMA 600 three as he again won the 65cc National earlier in the year - very muddy. But. the area's bad weather Modified final , this time topping spared the facility the following day Randy Shank and Gabhart. and by race time competitors had a Kenny ' Coolbeth topped Belbeautiful, .smooth and wide track to lingham winner Shank and Na than Wait in the 85cc Modified (7-11) do business on. After some very heated action in final. class heat races, the main events were Ryan Anderson scored his third straight win in 85cc Stock (12-15) run and action stayed heated. Josh action to cap a perfect performance Currey, who had fin ished third at Bellingham's short track, had what in that class. Anderson had to settle it took to -take the winner's trophy for fourth in the 85cc Modified (12home from Castle Rock in the 50cc 15) ranks as Jake Zemke went home the winner over Bellingham winner class. Tony Souza Jr. repeated his