Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eOBSERVED TRIALS SchreiberCu~ e _ _------.,.-- After a one-year stint abo ard Betas, Mark Manniko debuted a new Fan tic K-Roo an d scored the Champi onship class win . Manniko reclaims Schreiber Cup By Don Williams Photos by Kell y Callan LUCERNE VALLEY, CA, APR. II ark Mann'iko battled Nation al caliber sectio ns, a robust loop, a n unrel entin g su n a bove rugged Cougar Buttes and three-tim e Nat ional Ob served Trials Champion Scott Head to take home his fourth Schreiber Cup win in five years. The Faruic/Section One Trials Products/Kal-Gard/Shoei Helmetssponsored Manniko had his first and third loop scores matched by Head on a . three-year -old Beta air-cooled TR34C. It was a stunning four-point middle loop that gave Manniko the victory margin. " I just happened to ride real well (on the second loop)," Manniko said. " I finally got used to my bike and I wasn 't tired yet." The Schreiber Cup, honoring 1979 M 26 World Champion Bernie Sch reiber wh o started hi s career as a mem ber of the event-s po nso ri n g Vall ey Ob served Trials Enthusia sts, was held under bri ght, su nny desert skies. The tem perat ure stayed at a constant 80 degrees in the shade throughout th e day, but virtually none of the sectio ns were in the shade. The 21-year-old Manniko was com. peting [or the first tim e on a Fantic K-Roo that he received just six days prior to the event. After seven years on Fanrics, the Littleton, Colorado, rider switched 10 a Beta Zero last year and rode to his th ird #3 National ranking. For '92, Manniko decided to make the switch back to his famil iar Fantics. "I'm surprised at everything it (the K-Roo) can do," Manniko explained. " It worked much bet ter than I antic- ipated. The suspe nsio n wor ks much bet ter for me and it ha s a lot mor e po wer (than last year's Beta )." Head led Manniko on cleans after the first loo p when both riders tallied 10 points. Kenny Leduc was on ly a sing le dab behind the two leaders. Ledu c, riding a Gas-Gas GT32 out of Napa, Ca liforn ia, sponsored by GasG a s, AXO Sport Am eri ca , Shoei Helm ets, Renthal, Pirelli and Power Bar , said " the sections were pretty rowdy." Leduc and Head both singled o ut section 10 as the toughest section of the day. Section 10 was a technically oriented section, in contrast to the brutal largestep sectio ns that characterized most of the trial. _ The Championship class riders were required to climb diagonally across a loose rock face and stop at the top of a slab before descending a near vertical wall while tu rni ng to th e righ t. Alt ho ugh th e dro p-off wasn ' t where the po ints were ta ken , it did req uire the riders to moderate the aggressiveness of their cli mb preceding it. It was the cli mb through the unsteady boulders that grabbed the most po ints [rom the riders. Some points were also taken as the riders had to circumnavigate a garage-s ized boulder that guarded the exit following the ride down the wall. Local five-time defending American Trials Association Cha mpion Tom H am ann of San Diego, California, fin ished a respectable fo urth, o nly five points beh ind Ledu c. H am an n, who was battlin g a sore ri ght index finger that spo rted eight sri tches fr om a co ll is io n wi th a hammer, didn' t sing le ou t any section as bein g particu larl y diffi cult. "Nine o ut of 10 (were bad ). They're all really hard for me," Hamman said. " It's really ho t out there." The heat factor was inte nsi fied by a fierce loo p th at too k the riders down in to a n earl y impassable canyon behind Ragged Moun tain for three sectio ns. The canyon had been used for last year 's Schreiber Cup wheu it was th e firs t ro und of the North Ameri can T ria ls Council National Cham pi onship Series. " I don 't ride much anymore," said th e semi-retired H ead, who resides in th e mo u ntain com m u nity of Oak View, Californ ia, north of Ventura, "so th e heat is taking its 1011." This year 's Schreiber Cup lacked the glamor of a Nat io na l ro und, but all four riders in th e Ch am p ions hi p class we re Na tionally ranked ri ders or former Nat ional Champions. Instead of th e rid e bein g for Natio na l points, Manniko and Ledu c viewed the even t as a warm-up for the nin e ro und AMA /NATC Na tional Championship Seri es that begin s on May 23 in Manniko's home sta te. " T here are no other major events beforethe Nationals, so it's a perfect time to practice and get warmed up," said Manniko, who is coming off a ligament injury to his right thumb that he sustained in a riding accident. "It was nice for me to have a layoff because I'm a lot more jazzed now. I'm reall y excited to ride ." Manniko also had a hernia operation during hi s hiatus to repair a congential defect. " I' m going to ride th e first six Nationals and try 10 have as much fun as I can." said Manniko before adding that he will " base h is decision 10 travel to the National rounds in Pennsylvani a and Rhode Island on his results at the ear lier rounds." Leduc seemed satisfied with his ride as a warm-up for th e National s. _ " Take away a cou p le of rid es and I th ink I would have been kn ocking o n Scott 's door rea l cl o se," sa id Leduc, wh o expec ts to ride th e fir st six rounds of th e Nati onal Ch ampionship Series. This year' s Nationa l Championship Series favors western riders. With six of the nine rounds west of the Great Pl ains, it will be difficult for nonsponsored East Coast riders to make a majority of the events. Only a rider's top five finishes are counted toward cham p io nsh ip points. Head, who has retired from National competition and rides selected local California events, saw the Schreiber Cu p as a good challenge. "I'm glad I came out," Head said . "The normal events aren't that aggres-

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