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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127562
eSUPERCRaSS AMA Amateur National Su ercross Series: Round 4 m Josh Tarantino styled his way to the win in the 85cc 12-13 year-old class. Dennis Dahlin (110) parked John Sereika (77) in the 2SOcc Intermediate class. Ryan Oark (130) led Andy Harrington (88) in the first 85ce 14-15 year-old moto. in- San Diego By Tony Alessi SAN DIEGO, CA, FEB. 1 t was a day to remember for Dennis Dahlin, as the 18-year-Qld swept the 125 and 250cc Intermediate classes at the GFI and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group-promoted Amateur Supercross, held at San I:!iego's Jack Murphy Stadium. Hundreds of riders put their skillS to the test on one of the 1l).ost technicallydemanding courses to date. Only subtle changes were made to the course that the nation's best pro supercross racers competed on the night before. The track featured a pair of very steep tabletops, I 22 four sets of challenging double jumps, and a l00-foot long section of stadium rockers that struck fear in the hearts of the amateur racers. Dahlin, who resides in nearby EI Cajon, was competing in one of his first races in the States after spending a few months racing in Sweden. "I spent the whole summer in Sweden racing what would be called the 'Mosquito Hunt Series' in English. We raced twice a week and travelled across the country:' said Dahlin. When the gate dropped for the start of the ftrst 250cc Intermediate moto, it was Larry Linkogie who rocketed into turn one with E.J. Wright in hot pursuit. Dahlin, meanwhile, struggled near the back of the pack and completed the first lap well out of the top 15. "I got a good jump out of the gate, but I bogged and everyone passed me:' said Dahlin. Linkogle was the ftrst to falter, and surrendered the lead to Wright on the second lap. "I'm not sure what happened:' said Linkogle. "I was going good and the next thing 1 knew, 1 had spun a complete donut." Wright raced uncontested for the next two laps until Tim Staufenbeil came into the picture. Staufenbei1 began to pressure Wright and made his move at the end of the long whoop section. Just when it looked as if he would make the pass, Staufenbeil went down and dropped out of contention. "I was inside him but I hesitated for a second:' said Staufenbeil. "I should have just followed through." After the demise of Staufenbeil, Wright twisted his throttle and went on to win. "I saw Tim, but I wasn't really worried:' said Wright. Linkogle was second ahead of Joe Tuttebone, while Dahlin made an incredible charge through the pack to garner fourth. Staufenbeil recovered from his crash in time to finish ftfth. The second moto saw a early battle for the lead between Linkogle and Ty Kady, but Linkogle again lost concentration and dropped from contention. Staufenbeil raged through the pack after a so-so start and began to pressure Kady. As the two riders hammered through the whoops, Staufenbeil pulled alongside Kady in the long whoop section. This time, StaufenbeiI didn't hesi- tate and dove. to the inside of the next turn where the two collided and went down in a heap. With Staufenbeil and Kady on the ground, Tuttebone and Dahlin took over the top two spots. Tuttebone's time in the spotlight was short-lived, however, as Dahlin was flying and easily took over the lead. Dahlin rode off with the win ahead of Tuttebone, Linkogle, Jeff Tilton and first moto-winner Wright. The top three riders were tied on points with Dahlin's 4-1 edging Tuttebone's 3-2 and Linkogle's 2-3. Bobby Navarro led the early laps of the opening 125cc Intemediate moto, but couldn't withstand the pressure of Staufenbeil and Dahlin, both of whom blasted past on the second lap. Navarro tried tQ stay with the lead duo, but crashed over a set of doubles. Dahlin pushed Staufenbeil right to the ftnish, but carne up only inches short and was forced to settle for second. Tilton, Wright and Lex Malan rounded out the top ftve. The second moto featured a repeat battle between Staufenbeil and Dahlin. But this time Dahlin wouldn't be denied, as he made a pass in the rockers. "I had a trick line through the whoops where I was making up a lot of time:' said Dahlin. Not one to give up easily, Staufenbeil passed Dahlin back and bounced into the lead. "There was a piece of wood sticking up in my line:' said Dahlin. "My rear wheel kicked up and I lost traction." Dahlin struck back near the end of the race, diving underneath Staufenbeil in the turn following the whoops. Staufenbeil tried to retlliiate, but flew too far over a double and jammed his handlebar into his side. Dahlin flew to the moto and overall wins aboard his Escondido Cycle