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/127282
_ B~WID~~~_n_~_~_m_G_p m .... v .D. o -..J U o Racers grid on the streets of down ~own Flat River, Missouri, for th e start of Sunday 's Vin tage competition. More than 650 participated in the 9th Annual Grand Prix. Riders negotiate across the river that gave the town Flat R iver its name. The ra ce featured fi ve 20-mile loops throughout the Saint Joe State Park. Naylor repeats at Flat River GP By Merl e Acord FLAT RIV M SEPT.29ยท30 ER, O, n th e ni ne year hi stor y o f th e Govern or 's Cup Fla t River Grand P ri x , AT K rid er R o n Nay lo r becam e th e even t' s fir st tw o-tim e winner. Nay lor turn ed five 20-mi le laps in fou r ho urs and two minu tes. seven minutes faster tha n T eam Yama ha' s Tonv H en don . a form er Nat ional Hare Scr~ mb l es Cha m p io n and 1986 Flat River G P winner. Scott Summers . reigni ng National H ares Scra m bles Ch ampio n. rode his Tea m Ho nd a XR600 to a th ird overa ll. 13 minutes off the pace. Six h undred sixty riders in nine classes were on han d for th e pa rade through downtown Flat Riv er. Missou ri, and th e start of the 100-mile race th a t began wh en th e lead vehicl e pulled off at the edge of town and th e field sp lashed th rough Flat River. and un der a rai lro ad trestle th ronged with race fan s. foll owed by a five-m ile dash to the ma in course. " T he rules are simple," said Carl Don ald son, race orga n izer and owner of Donalds on Cycle. "T he first rid er to ride five loops wins the Governor's Cup and th e Gale Halb rock Memorial Trophy." " We have just over a 20-mile loop," said Donaldson , "and it's a ll within Sain t J oe State Park. There are som e 1600 acres her e, making it th e largest ORV park in Missouri , and it's open all year excep t this on e day for the GP. The coo perat io n and assistance from the state of Missouri, and the Department of Natural Resources has been terr ific. T he Flat River Chamber of Commerce spo nso rs th e event and it's a good revenue rais er for them . It allo ws th em to do a lo t of things for th e kids which th ey wouldn 't be abl e I 24 to do o therwise. T hi s way everybody win s." Don aldson spoke as a prophe t when he said, "Th is is o ur ninth year , and we ha ven 't had a repea t winner. It doesn' t seem possible when you chec k o u t th e ca liber of riders in the pits. [ accuse th em of taking turns." " In the first lap rig ht aft er we came o n to th e main course after the downtown start, " said winner Ron Naylo r, " there was a foul-up with the arrowing and we were circling around trying to pi ck up the red arro ws. The red arrows marked the gr and prix course but th ere were al so blue and black from the Vintage and Mini races held earl ier. Kurt Hough and Scott Summers took a cha nce and blasted o n th ou gh and I th ey were able to pick up red arrows down the course. Wh en the y led th e wav the rest of us foll owed. " ' :1 finall y ca ugh t H ough," said Naylor, " and we went at it for a long tim e befor e I go t around. Then , aro u nd th e middle of the first lap. I pa ssed Summers wh en we dr opped off into a little ravine. I knew I had the lead so [ just settled down and rode stead y and tried to mak e as few mi stake s as possib le. It was a big advantage havin g a bike ou t there bigger than a 250.", " Loo k a t that tire!" said Tony Hendon, as he in spected a rear tire that had a ll the cen ter and most of the edge knobbies ripped away." It was best not to get behind anybody today . It was a good course," said Hendon. " they had tight woods and fast sections but most of th e trails were old trails and th e rocks were com ing through. " I don't know wh en I took over second," said Hendon. " I was in fifth - - - - - - Continued on page 50