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/127540
~ M OSS Grand NationalChampionship International MX Final oroeR e - ! !:;, l C'! O"l O"l ........ . Robbie Reynard (67) wo n 10 out of 12 mo tos in the four In term ediate and two Ope n classes at Lake Wh itney. Those he di dn't wi n were won by rival Craig Decker (75). . . Eleven -year-old Ri cky Carmic hael (167) is one of the country's most promising up- and-coming Mx ers. H e won th ree mot os and a cla ss cha mpi onship a t Whitney . - Reynard near-perfect at Lake Whitney By Kit Palmer LAKEWHITNEY, TX, MAR. 6-8 o u rteen -year-o ld Robbie Reyn ard ca me within o ne win of a perfect weekend after postin g five clas s wins o u t o f six tries at th e GNC Fina ls a t La ke Wh itney Cycle Ranch. The O kla ho ma n scored th ree o u t o f fou r overa ll win s in th e h ighl y com petit ive In termedia te classes a nd two in th e eq ua lly to ug h 125 a nd 250cc O pen d ivisio ns aboa rd hi s fleet o f T ea m Gree n / Fo x R acin g /P ro- Circuit/ Scott/D u nlop-backed Kawasaki s. After racing a tota l o f 12 mo tos, 10 o f w h ich he won , Reyn ard fou nd wo rds hard to co me by, but he did have eno ug h ene rgy left to sa y, " I was gett ing pr etty tired there towards th e end, especially in my last race. But I'm rea lly happy ho w things tu rn ed ou t." T he on ly rid er who ma naged to cross the fin ish line a head of Reyn a rd in a n y o f the 12 mot os was Ca li fo rn ia n Cra ig Decker, who top ped Reyn ard twice. Decker also foiled Reyn ard 's wou ld-be per fect overa ll record , besti ng Reynard 's 3-1 tally w ith a wi n ning 1-2 perfo rma nce in th e 250cc Stock Int ermed ia te class . " Ro b b ie' s r eall y 'to u g h ," sa i d Decker, wh o co m peted in every cla ss th a t Reyna rd d id. " H e sets a go od, fast pace tha t's hard to do a ny thing abo u t." Desp ite winning five classes, Reynard wasn 't th e fastest rider of ' th e F 10 H weekend. That ho nor went to the two Exp ert class winners - Denni s H aw thorne a n d Jaso n Ed wa rds . H a wtho r n e; a na ti ve o f T ex as a n d a Nati on a l MX Series veteran , scored th e 125cc Expert class win, while Edwa rds, a no the r Texan , did th e deed in . th e 250cc divi sion . " I just felt real goo d in th e J25cc class, but I cou ld n' t get it togeth er in th e 250cc class," said Hawthorne, who fin ish ed third in th e 250cc div ision beh ind Edwa rds a nd ru n ner-up Terry T in ney. " In the second (250cc) mot o , Ed war ds let it hang o u t a littl e bit farth er th an I wa nte d to." " T h is is th e onl y (Am a te u r ) Nat ion al I ' ve n ev er won ," sa id Edwards after clin ching the 250cc class cha mp io ns h ip w ith a seco nd -mo te win . " I got the sta rt I needed in th e seco nd mot a , a nd the fans han ging over the fen ce cheering me on helped p ump m e up." Edwards is a thi rd generation racer. Hi s gra nd fa ther, Ted Edwa rds Sr. wo n severa l Na tional dirt track races and fini sh ed second in the 1947 Dayton a 200 in a ca reer that spa n ned from th e la te '30s to th e early '50s. His fa th er, T ed Ed wa rds Jr., wh o now oper a tes a Kaw asaki dealership, was a pr ofessio na l dirt tra ck racer in th e '70s. In th e Mini (85cc) division, Lo ui -