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/127403
~ M oroeROSS AHRMA West Regional Vintage Motocross Series: Round 5 ~ $-I V ..0 o .... u o Ama teur Bruce Williams (95Z) leads Expert Ri ck Doughty in the Open Twin class. . Thorwaldson, Doughty donnIe at Fernley By Clay L ig h t FERNLEY, NV, SEPT. 29 evada 's Rich T horwaldson and California's R ick Doughty scored a pair of overall class wins at the AHRMAWest Regional Vintage Motocross Series held at Fern ley Motocross Park. Thorwaldson, the former Team Suzuki and Maico star of the 70s, proved that he's still got what it takes by winning the Vet and +40 Expert classes. Doughty's wins came in the N 32 Open Twin and 250cc Expert events, and they were joined by 26 class overall winners at the tro phy present atio n. The event, sponsored by the Nevada Old Timers Club, drew nearly 200 riders from California, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Alaska. Thorwaldson, who hails from nearby Reno and at 45 years old maintains a similar physique to what he had in the 70s, had an easy time wrapping up the overall win, the very competitive +40 class. CZ-mounted Mike Menesini and Husky rider Ranon Hanson landed hol eshot laurels in both motos, but Thorwaldson, who initially gated near the tail end of the pa ck, picked his way through traffic and took the lead shortly after the end of lap one in the first rnoto. After taking the lead , Thorwaldson opened up a good-sized margin over th e field for the win. Menesini tra iled Thorwaldson across the finish line to pick up second while Jack Morgan, Jim McClinton and Woody Pierson filled the top five. Moto two saw Thorwaldson improve his start and soundly proceeded to motor away with the race, this time with only a brief challenge from Morgan who was a quarter of a lap back at the finish . Thorwaldson's second overa ll win came after some stiffer competition from riders several years younger in the Vet Expert class. T he first rnoto saw Duane J oice heading the pack at the start. Phil Douglas moved up and battled with Joice for the lead unti l Joice dropped back with mechanical woes . Thorwaldson took advantage by catching Douglas and making a move stick to score the win over Douglas. MOIO two saw Joice blur to the head of the pack, but Thorwaldson took o over two turns later and was never seriously challenged. Joice, Clayton Ross, Clay Light and Douglas, wh o threw a chain, filled the top five. "It wasn 't too bad fora bike we threw together the Wednesday prior to the race," Thorwaldson said. " It was one that was sitti ng back in the corner of my shop and we just drug it OUL I guess it was o kay." Doughty's first of two overall wins came in the 250cc Expert class where he had tough competition from Douglas and Rich Thorwaldson Jr. Thorwaldson took the lead on the opening lap and was continually hounded by Douglas, who was riding a CZ. Things soured for Douglas when he threw another chain. By the time he got going again Thorwaldson was long gone. Doughty put his Honda into second ahead of Woodie Pierson. Doughty and Thorwaldson put on quite a show in mo to two. Dough ty posted the win af ter Thorwaldson coasted to the sidelines, leaving Douglas second over Pierson. Thorwaldson 's woes continued in the 125cc Expert class. After Thorwaldson handily won the first moto over Peter Urfer, his Honda went sour on the opening lap of moto two and he cou ld only watch from a distance as Urfer picked up the overall win. Douglas, riding the Dave Harris/ Jim 'Keeton -spo nsored CZ, carded the 500cc Expert class win after narrowly