Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

You were in firs t a nd seco nd gear a lot o f th e time." Problem s sta rted to hit th e fro ntrunners as soo n as th e seco nd loop got unde rway and H am el was one o f th e firs t to fee l the p inc h. " I started ge tt ing sto mach cram ps ab o ut five mi les into loo p two and ha d to' tak e m y kidney belt off and throw it a way, " sai d Hamel. " I guess some bod y has a so u venir, but I felt a little better a fter that." Ro esel e r had h is work cut o ut dealin g wit h a n o n-and-off rear bra ke. " It rnus r've been a bad bat ch o f oi l. T hey 'd get hot a nd th e ped al would go away wh en I started riding har d ," RoeseIer exp lai ned. T he terrain was challe nging eno ugh withou t m ech an ica l p roblems. " The branch es were a little low for so me body as tall as me," said Ri ch ardso n. " I kept ge tti ng ta ken o ff th e bik e and whacked on th e head." The local flora took a n even heavi er toll on second-placed Hunn icutt. " I star ted gettin g a headach e 10 miles into th e seco nd loop. W ithin five minutes it was so bad I co uldn 't see and I had to lie do wn because I was getting sick ," sa id Hunnicutt. " I th ink it was a llergies. My si nuses j u st plugged u p ." With Hunnicutt o u t of the ru n n ing, the event beca m e a two-man ba ttl e as th e 37-m ile fin al loop began. Hamel was still in from , bu t Roeseler had edged past Ostbo a nd So renso n to ca p tu re second a nd wa s on ly three m inutes beh in d. Sorenson and O stbo were neck 'n neck for th ird, six m in utes beh in d H amel , wi th Lewis, Gray, R ich ard son , Krause, Rudder a n d Corky Maughan a ll within 10 minutes o f th e lead. Vet ra cer Curtis Dice headed through in II th , ahead of Open Expert Mark Lundgreen , Scott Morris, Mike Birdsley a nd Paul Pitts. " I was sick a ll week and it really sta rt ed to ca tch up with me tow ards th e end, " sai d Dice. " I was tired. I just sta yed stead y and tr ied to maintain as best as I cou ld." The tired rid ers got a br eak as the grueling tight terrain o pe ned up into long valley sections a nd fast-paced roads for pa rt o f th e fin al loop. Ostbo ran wi de o pe n until he shoo k th e tenacious Soren son a nd was hard o n Roeseler 's heels. But the n th e cou rse went back in to the trees. "The trees were real tight a nd I tr ied goi ng th ro u g h there at R o esel er 's pace," sai d O stbo. " What a mi sta ke. I ended up o n m y face thr ee ti mes in a row . I go t ta ken o ff th e bik e two ti mes in th e first loo p as well. I' m no t that good in th e really tig ht stu ff." So renson h it th e wall just a few m iles into th e li na l loo p. . " I go t tired as soo n as it sta rted I j ust cou ldn' t hold o n a n ymore," he said. J im G ra y wa s ha vin g th e sa m e problem . " T he hi gh speed stu ff with a lot of whoops wore me o u t," he sai d. " I lik e that tight stu ff." J eff Ca p t screamed into co n ten tio n in th e 125cc d ivision wh en he caught a nd passed Ch ance Maughan halfwa y through th e fin al loop, but h is blitz fizzled o n the next uphill. " Stu pid dust," sai d Capt. "The air clea n er clogged up a n d th e bike wo uld n't go up th e hill. It just fell o n its face a nd I had to push it. " Paul Krause's p roblem sh u t him down com pletely just five m iles from the fini sh . " I seized my mot or a nd had to sit dow n a nd wait for it to cool for seven or eig h t minutes," said Krause, who ha d worked up im p ressively from 30th place a t th e end of the bomb. Hamel was the only rider to enj oy a dust-free course, as he led wire-to-wire . H amel ca me th ro ugh th e final 35 mi les u nsca th ed a nd, after more th an three hours a nd 110 m iles of ra cing, gree ted th e checker ed flag with a winnin g m a rgin o f exac tly si x m in utes. "That was a great co u rse; a bi g vari ety - so me of everything, a nd it was marked really well ," said H a mel. " I never go t lost o nce and I never missed a tu rn. It was a bit dusty, though." Bu t even the dust was to H a mel' s ad vantage. " I had a good ri de - j ust a few bra ke p roblems," said Roeseler. "T he club did a real good job with th e co urse. It 's too bad it was so dusty. We've been spoiled in th e last co u p le o f yea rs with th e rain at this ra ce." O stbo ra ced home less than a minute behind Roeseler to claim th ird overa ll and fir st in th e Vet class . H is ta ttered slee ves contrasted wi th Roesel er ' s almost undamaged jersey. " The trees were bru tal - I was tea ring branche s o ff all over th e pl ace," sa id Ostb o. "The course was beauti ful with a grca t m ix-up of stuff. You had to go fast the n at th e end of that you had to adj us t yo ur mind for first gear stuff. It was fun." O stbo was follow cd in by So renso n a nd Lew is, wh o took seco nd a nd third 250, respe cti vely. " I rod e a bi t too conservative at th e begi nning and co u ld n' t ma ke up th c tim e," sa id Lewis. " I was o n the leaders' pace - j ust a m in u te o r two back. " Da n Ri char dso n crossed the finish lin e in sixth o vera ll. " It was p retty tight for a hare a nd ho und. Excep t for about 10 m iles, it was first a nd seco nd gea r most o f th e way," said Rich ardso n. " But I los t m y brand new wa tch. It was o nly o ne ri de o ld." J im G ra y crossed th e line in seven th , a head of fellow 250cc ra cers J ohn Rudder a nd Co rky Maugh an. " T he sta rt o f th e th ird loo p rea lly wore me o ut because it was high spee d wi th a lot o f wh oops," sai d G ra y, wh o is mor e a t horn e in th e tigh t trees o f · Co lorado. R udder described the co u r se as " very, very cha llenging - o ne o f th e best Nati onal s this year." An d Maugh an agreed: "T o ug h, wi th a lot of co rners; m y ki nd o f co u rse," said th e Su zuki RM 250 race r, " I fell just after the start - went over the bars over o ne o f th e sa nd dunes, but ot her than that it was o kay." O pe n Expert Mark Lundgreen wa s Team Green 's newest member, Jimmy Lewis, finished fifth overall and third 250. Paul Otsbo topped th e Over 30 Expert class, and crossed the fin ish line third overall. th e nex t ra cer across th e line, a head of Morris, Krause a nd Dice, seco nd Vet a nd 13th overa ll. Further back in the pack, Pa rry edged Lee Sch effers o ut o f third in the Vet class in 20th overall. Maugha n finished a t th e head of the I 25cc pack in 14th overa ll. . " I go t the (class) lead abo u t five m iles before th e fir st pi t a nd led it th e who le way fro m th ere," sai d Maughan. Capt finished two spots back in 15th to ta ke seco nd in the 125cc class a nd Van Stee recovered from his slo w start to fi nish th ird 125 a nd 23rd overa ll. Bill Max im was seven places a hea d o f his near est Over -40 rival wh en his KX500 cro ssed the fin ish in 24th overall. " Ex trem ely d us t y b u t extreme ly fun," said Maxim. Don Fu ller claimed seco nd in class, just two places a head o f R icha rd J ackson . The tw o -loo p race sa w O ver- 50 Expert Ca r l Weskamp top Art Mo re a nd Dav id Roc kwell , a nd Christine Ogren took th e chec kers in the Women's di vision. ai Unofficial results 0 / A: I. Danny Hamel (K:1w): 2. Larry Roese ter (K:1w); 3. Pa ul 0 " 00 (K:1w): 4. Ed Sorenson (Yom); 5. J imm y Lewis (K:1w): 6. Dan Ri chardson (Kaw); 7. Jim C ray (Yom): B. John R ud der (ATK): 9. Co rky Maughan (Sw); 10. Mar k Lu ndgreen (Yam): J I. Sco u Mo m (Kaw ): 12. Pa u l Krause (Kaw); 13. Cu m. Dice (Yom) : 14. Chance Ma ug han (Sw) : t5. J eff Lundgreen (Yom): 16. J eff Ca pt (Ka w ): 17. Pa u l Pius (Sw): l B. Mike Birdslcy; 19. Bria n Mill o- (Ho n ): 20. Kenn y Pa rry (Kaw ): 2 1. Lee Schef fers (Su, ): 22. J eff Boyd (Ya m); 23. Dana Van Stee (Kaw ): 24. Bill Max i m (Ka w) ; 25. Vina' Lucero (Hon ). OPEN EX: I. Danny H amel (Kaw) : 2. Mar k Lundgreen (Ya m ); 5. Scott Mo rri s {Kaw]. 250 EX: 1. Larry Roese ler ( Ka w ): 2. Ed Sorenson (Yam); 3. J im my Lew is {Kaw) . 125 EX: I. Chance Maughan (Su,) ; 2. Jell Ca pt (Kaw) : 3. Dana Van Stee (Kaw ). OVER·!O EX: I. Pa u l Ostbo (K:1w ); 2. Cu rt is Dice (Yam ): 3. Kenny Pa rry (Kaw). OVER-40 EX: I. Bill Maxim ( Kaw ): 2. Don Fu ller : 3. Rich ar d Jackso n (K:1w). OVER-SO EX: I. Ca rl w eskam p : 2. Art Mo re: 3. David R oc kwel l. AM A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP H&:H SERIES POLVT STANDINGS (Un officia l): I. La rry Roeseler ( 101) I win ; 2. Danny Ham el (90) 3 wins; 3. Ted Hunn icu ll (64): 1. J immy Lewis (60): 5. Pau l Krau se (57): 6. Dan R ichardso n (SO) 7. Paul Os tbo : (49): B. Dave Ondas (33): 9. Do n Criewe (31); 10. DOl O Ashcraft (29). 17

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