Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eTRIALS AMAINATC National Championship Observed Trials Series: Rounds 3/4 ~ Ryan Young moved into the series points lead in the National Championship Observed Tria ls Seri es in Washington. Young takes over with Walker Valley wins By Lyndon Luhmann MOUNrVERNON, WA, jULYJ.4 ive-time National Ch ampion Ryan Young continued his domination of American observed trials, annihi lating th e compe tition in tw o Na tio nal rounds held at Walker Valley OHV Park, about 10 mil es southeast of Mount Vernon . Penns ylvanian Young, 26, rod e his fac tor y Gas-Gas to d ual vic tories over runner-up Aprilia-mounted Raymond Peters. " Although Young is undoubtedly the best trials rider in th e U.S., his overwhelming wins were somewhat tainted by the fact that none of the other top-five riders were in attendance. Nationally ranked number-two rider Geoff Aaron, who won the previous round in Pennsylvania, had recently left the country to compete in several World Championship rounds in Europe. The others failed to appear. Coming into the rounds, Aaron and Young were dead-even in the po int " standings, each with one win and a second-place fi nish to thei r credit, but Aaron's Fourth of July weekend wins put him alone at the top of the chart. The Walker Valley OHV Park is densely wooded with many narrow, hilly trails that are perfectly suited for trials and enduro " ing. Trialsmaster rid BillThompson and his Pacific Northwest Trials Association and Puget Sound Trialers Oub crews did an excellent job of organization, loop layout and section building. Nearly all the riders had high praise for the Everett Honda/Skagit Valley Yamaha-Kawasaki/ Adventure Graphics-sponsored even ts. " Day one greeted the 59 participants with a light drizzle, just enough to get the sections wet and slippery. Rain had soaked the area a few da ys earlier, and several mudholes, puddles and stream cross ings combined with the a re a ' s abunda nce of roots to challenge the riders and entertain the 300 spectators. Still, many riders commented that the loop was fairly easy. Fortunately, the rain let up early on. The first rider left the start at 9:10 a.m, to tackle the approximately three-mile, 13-sectionloop. Thesupport~a$riders left f1I'St, one rider per minute, with the championship contenders follow ing. F 32 Riders had five and a half hours to complete the trial without incurring penalty points for being late. Most riders made it with plenty of time to spare. Sections one through six were closely spaced and near the pits, which made for excellent specta tor access. Secti on two was for the Championship cla ss only, and was one of the more exciting sec tions of the day. It open ed with a gian t four-foot rock ledge on an uphill climb. Most of the 15 riders in the class made it over the rock, only to find no traction up the hill on the following side. Many fives were posted, though Young cleaned the section on each loop. Most support-class riders cla im ed that section six was the hardest of the ' day. Slippery, closely spaced logs and a steep, slippery, root-laden uphill just before the exit gave the competitors trouble all day. Section seven was also interesting, the main feature be ing a giant five-foot log that got more and more undercut as the day wore on. The approach was slippery and the log claimed many fives, especially in the support classes. . According to the results sheet, however, the 11th section was the most difficult for the Championship-class competitors. It opened with an eight-foot, slippery rock face tha t stopped most riders. Those who made it past the rock face were confronted with a fai rly steep drop-off, at the bottom of which was a sharp right tum that required some hopping to negotiate. Another steep, rootfilled dirt hill led to the exit of the section. Young's scorecard held 11 points after the first loop, and the only threat in sight wa s from v isi tin g Sw iss rid er Didier Monnin, who is now liv in g in Cincinnati. The Aprili a-mounted Monnin finished the loop with 16, while Peters dropped 22 points. On loop two Young made sure he wouldn't have any competition for the remainder of the day, collecting just two points. Peters was the next-lowest at 19, while Monnin scored a 22. As the support-class riders were completing their day at the end of the second loop, the Championship contenders began their third and final loop around the course. Young widened his alreadysubstan tial lead on the loop, picking up six p oints for a fina l tota l of just 19 points. Peters overtook Monn in for second place for the da y with a loop score of 16 and a total of 57. Also moving by Monnin was Gas-Gas-mounted Lonny Halstead , whose third-loop score of 18 points brought his total to 60. Monnin faltered , posting 23 for a 61-point score. Gas-Ga s rider Jess Kempkes, who was last year's High School Champion, was fifth with 74 points. Round four, on Independence Day, featured a completely different course, " tho u gh the same pit area was used . Though the day was quite overcast, no rain fell throughout the day, so the sections were somewhat drier. The 15 sections were grouped into three areas on the approximately four-mile loop , and riders were again allowed five and a half hours to complete the event. The loop w as a bit harder than that of round three, but sections were again slippery, tight and technical. Sections one through six were again very close to the pits, and sections three and five were for the 15 . Championship-class riders only. Section two was quite challenging, with a slippery, boulder-filled, uphill stream. Following that was a loose dirt bank which exited the streambed. Though many fives were posted here, Young cleaned the section on loops two and three. Section five opened with a pyramid-shaped rock, followed by a couple trick y rock slabs. Next, several fallen logs, spaced about a bike length apart from each oth er, led to an alm ost impossible l 8O-degree left tum. After a couple more logs and turns, the section ended. Young got the crowd buzzing when, ins tead of hopping the bike in the tum, he aimed stra tegically for a tree and gassed it, ricocheting the front wheel off the tree and executing a perfect tum. Section seven was the most challenging of the day. The first obstacl e was a four-foot rock, which was followed by a . one-foot slippery log that riders had to hit at a 45-degree angle. Next was a series of very slippery, gnarly, pointed rocks. Inch-perfect control and balance were required to keep riders from winding up down in a ravine . Nearly all riders, including Young, fived the section at least once, usually twice. Only Peters and Gas-Gas rider Andy Saum completed the section all three times without incurring a five. Section eight was also difficult, opening with a three-foot log crossing. The log was followed by a couple of tight turns that led to the highlig ht of the section, a six-inch log lying across a stream. Before the log were several rocks and ~er it was a five-foot-tall dirt ba nk . Some rid er s used the rocks to launch completely over the log to the top of the bank. Only Cory Pincock and Den nis Sweeten managed three passes without fives. Sections nine and 10 were combined, wi th ri ders completing both sections without stop ping in between. Both were in a stream and very easy, so muc h so that only one five was recorded in either section all day. Young completed loop one and headed into loop two w ith only 10 points, w ith Monnin next-best at 20. Pete rs ' scorecard ca rr ied 21 points. After the second loop , however, the gap had narrowed somewhat, as Young dropped 12 points while the other riders improved their marks. Still, Young had little to worry about, as his 22-point total was substantially better than second-place Kernpkes' 38. . Young put the competition away with a six-point final-loop score for a total of 28. Peters nearly equaled Young's loop score with seven points dropped, but his total was 50, good enough for the runner-up spot. Kempkes had another impressive ride for third place; of his 59-point total , 21 cam e on the final loop. Hallsted was fourth with a 66-point total, and Monnin's 73-point score completed the top five. Young's win was the third of the season for the defending champ, with one ' second-place finish. Young appears well on his way to yet another title, as only a rider's best five scores count in the eightround series. (2\" Results ROUND 3 C"SHP: 1. Ryan Yo u ng (G-G); 2. Raymond Peters (Apr) ; 3. Lonny Hallsted (e.G); 4. Didier Monnin (Apr); 5. Jess Kempkes (e.G); 6. Dennis Sweeten (e.G); 7. Kip Webb (Fan) ; 8. Andy Saurn (G-G); 9. Cory Pincoc k (Fan) ; 10. Kenny Leduc (Fan ). EX: 1. BiIISparks (Fan); 2. Ron Schmelzle (Bet); 3. Kevin N orton (Mon); 4. Dave Fra9' (Bet); 5. Kenny Lane. IVSCHL:1. Matt Moore (e.G); 2. Tom Hunter (Bet); 3. Ryan Bell (e.G); 4. Derek Martinson (G-G). SPTSMN: I. Robert Oark (Bet); 2. MiIce Huddleston (Bet); 3. Steve Dickson (Apr); 4. Kevin Couves (G-G); 5. Jim Ca m pbell (Bet). SR 30+: 1. Robert Schwenke (Fan) ; 2. Rob Weiher (Ap r); 3. Stan McVey (Bet); 4. Doug Elliott (Fan). SR 35+: 1. Howard Galbreath (Apr); 2. Shan Moore (G-G) ; 3. Jim Snell (G-G ); 4. Kent Graha m (A p r ); 5. Th om .. Kemper (Apr). SR 40+: 1. Keith Adams (Apr); 2. Clive Hannon (Fan ); 3. Robert Larsen (Fan) ; 4. Mike Fenner (e.G); 5. Rod Kempkes (G-G) . . SR 45+: 1. Dale Mala sek 2. Mike Bucholz (Man); 3. Larry Schmelzle (Bet); 4. Marty Paulson (Bet); 5. Dallas Peak (Fan). SR 50+: 1. Bill De Garis (G-G); 2. Stan Hensl ey (Yam ). SR 55+: I. Jade Hemin way (G-G). SR 6G+ 1. Art Webster (Yam ); 2. Hawley Slayton (G: G). ROUND 4 CSHP: 1. Ryan Youn g (G-G ); 2. Raymond Peters (Apr); 3. Jess Kempk.. (e.G); 4. Lonny Hallsted (G-G); 5. Did ier Monnin (Ap r); 6. Ktpp w ebb (Fan); 7. Cory Pincock (Fan) ; 8. Andy Saum (G-G); 9. Denn is Sweeten (G-G); 10. Kenny Leduc (Fan). EX: I. Bill Sparks (Fa n); 2. Ron Schmelzle (Bet); 3. Kevi n N orton (Moo); 4. Dave Fracy (Bet); 5. Kenny Lane. IIISCHL: 1. Ryan Bell (G-G) ; 2. Matt Moo", (G-G); 3. To m Hunter (Bet); 4. Derek Ma rtinson (G-G). SPTMN: I. MiIce Huddleston (Bet); 2. Robert Oark (Bet); 3. Steve H u izin ga (Bet); 4. Kevin Ceuves (Bet); 5. Sco tt Tyler (e.G). SR 30+: 1. Robert Sch wenke (Fan); 2. Stanl ey McVey (Bet); 3. Rob Weiher (Ap r); 4. Do ug Elliott (Fan) . SR 35+: 1. Howard Calbreath (Ap r); 2. Jim SnclI (GG ); 3. Shan Moore (GoG); 4. Bill Cameron (G-G); 5 . Th oma. Kemper (Ap r). SR 40+: 1. Keith Adams (Ap r); 2. Ga'1' Lewer (G-G); 3. Clive Hannon (Fan) ; 4. Mike Fenner (G-G); 5. Robert Larsen (Fan). SR 45+: 1. Dale Mal asek (G-G): 2. Mike Bucholz (Mon); 3. Larry Schmelzle (Bet); 4. Dalla . Peak (Fan) . SR. 50+ : 1. Bill DeG aris (G-G); 2. Stan Hensley (y am). SR 55+: I. Jade Herni n w ay (G-G) . SR 6lw.1. Art Webster (Yam); 2. Hawley Slayton (GG). te-e»

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