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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127731
.OBSERVED TRIALS:Series Round 5: New York AMAINATC National ChampionshipTrials oun ~e ~ e ace that I can remember," said Young, after earning th e 47th National win of hi s career. " In the past, six wins almost guaranteed you the championship, but it looks like the seconds and thirds are going to count this year. There are four guys who can win on any given day. I'd lik e to wrap up this championship as early as possible, and my personal goal is to get 50 career wins." Young topped the field aboard his Gas Gas USA-backed JT25 with a low 37-point total. Aaron was 10 points adrift with 47, while hometown rider Raymond Peters nabbed third aboard his Fantic with 64. Beta's Lonny Hallsted and Gas Gas' Matt Moore rounded out the top five. Missing from the front of the pack was round-three winner Jess Kempkes. The Nebraska hotshoe was in contention for a top-three fi nish, but was disqualified for ridi ng on the loop backwards. "I had a flat tire, and I rode back to the pits to repair it," said Kempkes, who was surprisingly calm about the ordeal. "I just took the shortest route to the pits, and I got DQed." The AMA District 4 Trials Commit- tee-promoted event was held at the same site as the 1992 United States World Round, and 93 riders showed up to compete in the jagged rock waterfalls of upstate ew York . The short, fourmile loop consisted of 14 sections, and . riders were allowed five-and-a-half hours to complete three laps. The jagged rocks in the waterfalls caused plenty of problems for the riders. and every Championship-class competitor experienced at least one flat tire. Some, like Moore. suffered multiple flats - as many as five. Most of the Championship class riders clea ned the opening section, which gave the riders a modera te challenge and a good opportunity to warm up. Section two, however, was quite tricky. A massive log section, some of the fallen tr ees we re chest he ight, with mo re logs waiting behind them. Because the obstacles we re so close together, it was hard for riders to get a straight shot, making ho pping absolutely necessary. Of the Championship riders, only Young, Hallsted and Moore were able to successfully navigate the trap on the first lap. (Left)Geoff Aaron couldn't match Ryan Young's performances in the slippery Watkins Glen sections. (Below) Chuck Sutton made the long trek from Arizona worthwhile. He finished s ixth. .By Craig Moore WATKL"JS GLEN, NY, MAY 21 Or the past few seasons, the AMA/NATC National Champi onship chase has come down to wins. Never mind the number of points that a rider accumulated - it was the rider with the most wins that emerged victorious. Because of the "throw out" rounds - and the fact that only two riders have been doing all the winning - it basically took six wins to wrap up the National Championship. This year, however,"things appear to be different. Although defending National Champion Geoff Aaron and six-time champ Ryan Young look to be the dominant forces, several other riders have a legitimate shot at this year's title . Former High School National Champion Jess Kempkes scored the first National win of his career in San Diego, and several other riders are just waiting in the wings for their chance, as well . Still, Young and Aaron seem to have their sights set on wins, rather than points. Only a few hours after Aaron scored his second win of the season in Pennsylvania, Young struck back with a solid win in the picturesque waterfalls of Watkins Glen. New York. But while the two riders sit "tied " with two wins each, Young has the actual series point lead with 135, 11 more than Aaron's 124. 'This is the most competitive season F 32 (Above) Ryan Young scored his second win of the se ries and extended his point lead. (Below) Home rider Raymond Peters earned third - his best finish of the year.