Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

GM orDeROSS Florida Invitational ~ Col ema n won th e 500cc Pro class over runner-up Brown an d Jeff Gl ass. Ronnie Ticheno r bagged $4000 by winning both the 125.and 250cc Pro classes at the Florida Pro Invitational MX at Ocala . Mike Brown (483) leads Chris Coleman (80), Tichenor (12), Todd DeH oop (32) and Mik e Treadwell (67) in a 250cc qualifier. Tichenor stars at Ocala MX OCALA, FL, DEG. 29 Uf Racin g's Ron Tichenor bagged the lion 's share of th e .$25,000 purse with wins in both the 125 and 250cc classes in the first Flor ida Pro In vitational MX Ra ce, held at Oca la Motocross Park in Ocala. Chris Co lema n, wh o rod e all three cla sses, incl uding back -to-back 125 and 500cc r 14 30-m in u te main events , too k ho me th e big share in the 500cc class. N in ety pro rid ers , in clud in g Ticheno r, Ryan Hu gh es, Gene Naurnec, Todd DeHoo p , Barry Carsten , J ohn Dowd, Ch ris Coleman, and Kurt McMillen, ga thered to compete for the cash purse. A class win paid back $2000, wi th T ichen or taki ng hom e the biggest ch unk at $4000. With qualifier money being paid th e raci ng was fast and furiou s fro m th e "star t. Mike Brown , wh o raced all three classes, as well as Col eman, DeHoop and McMillen , cou ld not be beaten off th e Iine as he ho leshot almost every q ual ifier and mo to he compe ted in. Brown went o n to wi n both h is 125 and 250cc qual ifiers and was a close seco nd to Col em an i n th e 500cc qual ifier. Dowd won th e other 250cc qualifi er , pu sh ed hard by Vin ce DeVane. T ichenor was off to bad starts in bo th his q ua liife rs and had to ride hard to fin ish fourth a nd second, respecti veIy. With just a bri ef rest, 30 riders lined up for the 125cc main event and this tim e Pat Barton go t hi s whee l in front, But soo n after Ticheno r moved into the lead , as Barton dropped back. Rya n Hughes pushed hard beh ind Brown for almos t half the race until Hughes made a suicidal cut inside Brown, taking them both OUL Cliff Palmer, who had been ru nning in third for the first few taps and was still a close fou rt h, inheri ted second and held o n until the fina l lap , when Hughes ma naged to retake him. Barry Carsten held stea dy to a fifth place start to finis h fourth and DeHoop wo rked up from 13th to take fifth. Eighteen 500cc rid ers took the line, with Kawasaki 's Gen e Naumec favored to take the win , but a broken left foo tp eg early in th e race ended his cha nces. Colema n gr abbed th e earl y lead and paced him self carefu lly to hold on to the win . Brow n was fourth th e fir st tim e past the sco rers and qu ickl y ove rtoo k th e h and icapped Naumec an d Surf Deter gen t's J eff G lass, bu t co u ld nOI pass Co leman. Jeff Frisz, ridin g for The American Insti tu te for the Pr even tion of Addietion, a non -profit organizatio n promo ting healthy, you thful activities, rode to fou rt h p lace. DeH oop, starting fro m a second-place start, faded slightly and settled for fifth . After a 45 minute inte rm issio n, a full gate of 250cc ri ders lined up to thrill the claimed 2200 spectators on hand, many of wh om were seeing the .spo rt for th e first tim e. Tichenor wasted no time in sho wing the m wh y he carries the National nu mber 12, as he stole the lead from Bro wn after the first lap and quickl y opened up a 20 second lead . Meanwh ile, Brown had his hands full , first with DeVan e and then with Dowd. By th e halfway po int, Dowd had tak en over second and with just two laps to go DeVan e also passed the tiring Brown. Coleman fini shed out hi s most profitable single da y's worth of racing with a fifth place finish , and DeHoo p proved hi s ironman status with a sixth. C'I Results 125: 1. ..Ron T iche nor; 2. Ryan Hugh es: 3. e liH Pal mer; 1. Barry Carsten : 5. Todd DeHoop. 500: I. Chris Colema n: 2. Mike Brown : 3. Jdl Glass; 1. Jefl Frisz; 5. Todd DeHoop. t5O: l. Ron Tichenor; 2. Joh n Do wd; 3. Vinet: DeVane; .... Mike Brown; 5. Chris Co lema n.

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