Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

1J j ~~:..": f' . MOTOCROSS . . .. : .AMA Amateur NationalMX Champlo,nShips . . .. # In~ham perlect again at Loretta Lynn's By Davey Coombs HURRICANE MILLS, TN, AUG. 8-13 or the third yea r in a row Baton Rouge, Louisiana's Kevin Windham left the Loretta Lynn 's Ranch with a perfect record after d ominating the week-long AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships. The 16-yea r-old Windham, piloting Team Greenbacked Kawasaki m otorcycles, won all thr ee motos in both the 125 and 250cc A Modified classes. His three-year tota l o f six titl es matches the record of forme r amateur star Tim Ferry but his remarkable 18-straigh t moto wins is unprecedented. "The records we re always in the back of my head, especially in the las t moto w hen I almost messed up," said Windham, who alm ost threw the streak and the 125cc A Modified class win away when he mis timed a whoo p section. "Believe it or not, ther e's a lot of pressure on me to do we ll this week. 1 wanted to do something really special here beca use this is my last year for Loret ta Ly nn'S. What could be better than to go out undefeated?" Windham also took his rightful pl ace in the record book as the most s u ccessfu l amateur motocrosser ever with his seventh and eighth career National Championship titles , surpassing the seven win totals of Ferry and Kevin Foley. • Windham wasn't the only double class champion this year. Minicycle legend-in-the-making Ricky Carmichael, who also went sixfor-six this year, won both 85cc (14- to 15-year-old) Stock and Modified classes. Also, rising West Virginia star Joshua Sweat, Team Green Mini prodigy Nicholas Weyand Pennsylvania newcomer Shane Shipley each captured two titles in the two classes each entered. The field of riders for the 13th Annual Loretta Lynn's amateur finals totaled 1176 youth and amateur riders, each of whom went into the final program of 42 riders-per-class from an initial Qualifier and Regional entry total of over 5000 hopefuls. (Riders are limited to entry in just two classes at the National Finals. ) Once they got to Tennessee the competitors were welcomed to three long motos on the rough, riverbed track of country singer Loretta Lynn. Added twists this year included another healthy dose of sawdust and a reversal in d irection, marking the first time in the event's history that the track ran clockwise. "We only race here once a year bu t we were getting a lot of pressure from the riders and the teams to try the track backwards," said Dave Coombs, who, along with Dave McCarthy, organizes the event through MX Sports. "Some of these kids have been coming here for years and we thought we might throw them a curve by changing directions and make it rougher than normal. It's hard to do much else because of the wa y we have the water truck lanes set up, and the ground is pretty much flat." F The first set of motos began on Tuesda y afternoon and were completed by early Saturday afternoon. The riders and the organizers were fortunate to ha ve perfect, rain-free weather ali week long. Windham opened the week with what had to be a confidence-shattering effort for his competitors. With nearperfect form, Windham effectively ran off from the rest of the 125cc A (Expert) Modified field and set th e to ne for things to come over the next five da ys. His one scary moment came in the final 125cc A Modified moto. Going through the finish line rocker section - a complicated set of uneven single and double jumps - Windham momentarily lost control of his motorcycle and bounced awkwardly into the banners. . "They kind of knocked off the lips of ali those jumps so I figured 1 could jus t hammer through them, " said Windham, who is backed by AXO, Pro-Circuit, Dunlop and Scott. "I was running 752s on the back and it was getting it little slick going through the first jumps. My tire washed out right when I got on the gas and 1 high-sided into the next one . It was a little scary and it threw me off the bike, but I was lucky to save it. That was the closest call 1 had all week - it really had me on the edge." Earlier in the moto the same section claimed Nebraska's Brian Deegan , a regular on the 125cc Pro National circuit this year. " I caught a rock coming ou t of the Kevin Windham rode Into the record books at the Loretta Lynn 's AMA Amateur Nationals with his eighth career title and an l 8-mota winning streak spann ing three yaars. turn at the fini sh and threw my front wheel up:' said dass runner-up Deegan of the mistake that let Windham get away. "I couldn't save it so I had to catch up from behind. I had a couple of bent lev ers to slow me down but the heat and humidity seemed to be killing everyone else. 1 like that kind of weather, so 1 was able to wo rk up to where 1 needed to be to clinch second." Deegan's three-mote tally in the 125cc A Mod class read 2-2-4 . Michigan's Jeff Curry direct ed his Tuf Racingbacked KXl25 to third via 64-5 finishes. North Carolina's Jim Neese and California u ps tart Greg Sch nell, an amateur class competitor in '93, rounded out the top five overall. In the 250cc A Modified class, Windham was even more relentless in his pursuit of the records. He ran uncontested in all three motes, while Neese, Curry, Deegan and Texan Roy Schnellenberger grappled over runner-up honors. Neese came out ahead with a 4-2-3 sco re, edging the 3-3-2 of Curry and Schnellenberger's 2-8-6. " I just wasn't getting the starts I needed this week:' said Curry, who was thought to be one of Windham's only p o te n tia l tr o u b le sp o ts this week. "I'm used to riding (Pro) Nationals wh ere we start a little slo w and save ene rgy for the end. Here you have to go from th e d r op o f th e gate because th e m ot os a re n ' t as lon g. I needed to ch ange my mod e th is w eek but it just d idn' t h app en that w a y. It takes me a littl e while to find new lines and change my style - too slow for this week." A close battle for the 12Sec A Stock ti tle developed between first and second moto winner s Rob bie Sk a ggs a nd Case yIoh ns on. Ca li fornia 's John son grabbed the th irdmoto lead bu t need ed Skaggs, from Kansas, to finish third or worse to s nag t he cha m pio nship . As Johnson pulled away Florida 's Paul Currie got into the thick of things by takin g up the race with Ska ggs. Th e two excha nged the runnerup p o sit ion several times befo re Skaggs p u t the las t, title-w inn ing move on Cu rri e to bea t Johnson's overall score. "I got really tired because 1 crashed earlier today in another class," said Skaggs, who also won a title here last year . "I got a good start bu t Casey went past me an d Paul came up and caught me. I let Paul by once but th en I go t him back and ju st held on for th e championship." "I got into the lead and kept a close eye on Skaggs and Currie but it didn't work out for me, " said Johnson, a Kawasaki rider. "I did everything 1 could and I think that Paul did, too. Everybody sets a goal at an amateur event. I had a good week but I would have liked to win this championship." Johnson's payback came in the 250cc A Stock class, winning ali three motos to clinch his second title in as many years. Currie was second w ith three runner-up rides, while California's Jeff Willoh was third each time out. Some finger-pointing took place in the 125cc Schoolboy classes between close rivals Jason Partridge of Nevada and former Mini hotshoe Charley Bogard of Texas. After some on-track banging at one po int during the week, the two took turns saluting each other with fingers and shaking fists before resuming the action on the track. However, the winner of the 125cc Stock was California's Shaun Perolio, who ran 2-2-1 in three races to win his first AMA National Championship. "I'm really stoked about w inning because 1 worked so hard for this," said Perolio, whose sponsors include CTi, PJl, 100%, O'Neal and Tom Morgan. "I knew 1 was going into the last moto two points behind Jason Partridge and 1 knew that 1 could win if I won the moto and he got third. Fortunately, that's the way it worked out." "I went down on the start and 1 had to work my up from about 15th," said a disappointed Partridge. "I charged so hard that by the halfway point I was so

• Cover