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/127568
gMOTOCROSS e Kevin Walker notched both moto wins in the 250cc A class and was fifth in the 125cc A division. Conditions were extremely muddy. Steve Childress (82), Chad Lough (81) and Jim Neese (314) negotiate Muddy Creek's stairstep section in the 125cc A class. Walker goes wild at Muddy Creek By Barbara and Loren Williams BLOUNTVILLE, TN, MAR. 21 evin Walker played it fast and smooth at the Scott USA Day round of the Mega Series at Muddy Creek Raceway. Aboard a Yamaha Cycle Center of Kingsport, Tennessee,-sponsored Yamaha, Walker recorded double moto wins in the 250cc A class and finished fifth overall in the 125cc A division. Not only did Walker take home the first-place trophy in the 250cc class, he also earned more than K 30 $800·in purse money.and contingencies. Muddy Creek Raceway had barely emerged from a foot and a half of snow only to endure 12 hours of rain on the. eve of the race. Needless to say, all that water resulted in less-than-ideal conditions, but 460 racers, perhaps suffering extreme cabin fever during the winter months, just wanted to race - no matter what! "Shoot, 18 inches ain't nothin'," said Walker, who makes .his home in Penhook, Virginia. "Back home we still have about three feet of snow." The rider who topped the 125cc A class was Jim's Motorcycle Sales of Johnson City, Tennessee's Mike Brown. He earned the hard-fought overall win via 2-1 moto finishes and walked away with more than $S5O in prize money. Suzuki-mounted Chad Lough, a Bare Bros.!AXO/R&D Racing-backed rider, carded runner-up honors in both the 125 and 250cc A divisions. In the first 125cc A mota, Jim Chester, Chad Lough, Jim Neese and Stevie Childress shuffled back and forth for the lead until Lough broke free of the mayhem and set the pace out in front. But Lough's lead only lasted until lap four of the six lap moto, when he fell in the woods section and handed the lead to Brown, who had worked his way up through the pack after a so-so start. "I thought, 'there it goes:" said Lough of the slip. "Unless Mike (Brown) fell, I didn't think I could catch up." Moments after taking the lead, Brown did just that. Coming down off a horseshoe turn, Brown's front tire hit a rut and he crashed. Lough saw his chance and moved back into the lead. Brown was able to hang onto second, far ahead of third-place finisher Childress. Lough again led the pack at the start of the second moto, in front of Brown and Neese. Brown chased Lough lap after lap, and it wasn't until getting the white flag did Brown manage to find daylight around Lough. However, Lough fought back but fell a few turns later. Brown scored the win, while Lough recovered in time to keep second. A close third went to Neese. Newcomer to the class Nathan Ramsey nabbed third overall via 5-4 moto finishes. Lough, again, was the early leader in the first 250cc A moto. Neese and Walker settled into the second- and third-place positions, respectively, while Brown was found back in seventh. Before the first lap was completed, Walker had passed Lough for the lead, and from then on, Walker could do no wrong. He powered his Steve Utz-tuned Yamaha to the win, despite strong opposition by Lough. Neese dropped off the pace a little bit and finished third ahead of Childress and Shane Templeton. Meanwhile, Brown had retired after two laps with bike problems. Determined to