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/127743
·MOTOCROSS . AMA AmalU NaIIonaIIIotocI'QSS Championships Loretta Lynn's Ranch souri's Brian Stone after crashing to the back of the pack on the first lap. "I've been working real hard for this," said a jubilant Sellards in the winner's circle, "the hardest I ever worked in my life. I did a lot of motos - 45 minutes in sweatshirts, windbreakers, whatever it took. Man, I was sweating my butt off. It looks like it all paid off." As for his rivalry with Charley Bogard, aborted in the last 125cc B Modified moto after Bogard lost his chain, Sellards claimed victory. "Bogard wasn't really a threat. I caught him from way back. I just worry about him taking me out - I don't really worry about him beating me. He cut me off right at the start to take me out but that didn't work. I came up from behind again and went to pass him and he slammed me out into the mud. I knew he was wearing down, making mistakes. That wasn't very smart riding on his part. He didn't have a chance at the overall, but I guess he just wanted to win:' Finishing second in the 250cc B Stock class was the aforementioned Stone, who ran 3-1 in two races. "I saw Sellards fall and I thought, 'Wow, this is my chance:" said Stone. "I passed Ryan Leach and built a lead and thought Pat Foster was behind me the whole race. I thought I ha~ the championship until I saw Sellards finish second." West Coast riders Foster and Ryan Terlicki finished third and fourth. In the 125cc B Modified class, Michigan's Thomas Barron was again second on a Suzuki, while Texan Caleb Leath finished third. (Left) Mike Alessi took first-place honors In the 51 cc (4-6) class. (Below) It was a fight to the finish In the Women's class. Dee Wood (25) leads Amber Hughes (4) and eventual class champion Krlsty Shealy (2). Berkers (6-3) and Texan Billy Smith (38). In the Masters 50+ class, which ran behind the youngsters in the Senior 40+ class, Ohio's Larry Evener clinched his first Loretta Lynn's win with two firstplace finishes. Canadian Bill Van Vugt Sr. was second both times out with Ohio legend Henry Gref ·third. (Gref, a former CZ factory mechanic, is celebrating his 40th year in motocross in 1995). In the other age-group race for adults - the Vet B (30+) class - another championship went back to Ohio with Hondamounted Vincent Karnow Jr., who ran an unsteady 1-7 in two races but still carried the lowest score. Former quadcycle racer Donny Banks was second overall with an 8-1 score, while Yamahamounted Shane Wills placed third. Charley Bogard is another former quadcycle racer and the feisty Texan was his usual combative self at Loretta Lynn's. Bogard won the 125cc B Stock title with a 3-1 punch, besting fellow Suzuki rider Thomas Barron's 1-3 in a tie-breaker. "I've been struggling with my starts all week and that time I decided to go with something totally different and line up way inside," said Bogard. "It worked and I couldn't believe it! Once I got going I just smoothed out and took off, but I got nervous when I got so far out front: I messed up and fell but that brought me back down to reality and I started riding good again." Finishing third in the class - and giving Suzuki a 1-2-3 sweep - was California's Eric Schnell. The star of the B classes was Ohio's Brock Sellards, who broke out the big bikes this year after spending a frustrating '94 season as an over-sized minibiker. Sellards won both the 125cc B Modified and 250cc B Stock Championshipson Team Green-backed Kawasakis. He won three of the four motos he entered, losing only the last 250cc moto to Mis- Leach won his third career Loretta Lynn's title with a pair of convincing moto wins. Mississippi's Cary Morris and Illinois' Kevin Popaeko were next on the podium. The C-class winners at Loretta Lynn's were Californians Aaron Baker (125cc C Stock), Tom Harrison (125cc C Modified) and Jason Abbott; all three of whom contributed to California's winning of the AMA's Best State trophy for 1995. . Another fast Californian to ride into the winner's circle at Loretta Lynn's was Mike Alessi. Mike won both 51cc Stock (4-6) motos to lead a KTM sweep of the top five places. Ohio's Zach Ames (2-4), Florida's Ricky Renner (6-3), the champion's younger brother Jeffrey (5-5) and Indiana's Reed Crane led the white-bike surge in the youngest of Loretta Lynn's classes. Ironically, the Alessi brothers finished in the reverse order at last week's NMA Championships in Oklahoma. The 51cc (7-8) Stock class was one by Cobra-mounted Mitchell Dougherty of New York, who finished 1-2 to better the 3-1 of Michigan's Wayne Bryan Den~ nis. Third in the class went to the KTM of Pennsylvania's Broc Hepler, while Cobra pilot Tyler Grubb of Ohio was fourth. James Stewart Jr. was perfect in the 65cc (7-9) Stock class, reeling off two moto wins to get his second AMA National title in three years. The Kawasaki-backed Floridian topped rivals Chris Whitcraft (2-3), Nick Adams (4-2) and Broc Hepler (3-4) to get a good start on going after Carmichael's record of eight minibike titles. In the 65cc (10-11) class, Pennsylvania's Gene Stull took the title with a 2-1 showing after first-moto winner David Whitcraft, a rival from just across the border in Ohio, injured himself in an Fourth in the 125cc B Modified class went to California's Casey Lytle, who came back later to post a perfect 1-1 score in the 250cc B Modified class to win his first AMA Championship. New Jersey's John Schneider was the runnerup with Washington's Billy Binckley third. In the Open BIC class Oregon's Ryan 80cc-class race. Whitcraft struggled to 10th in the final moto but was still third overall. Splitting Stull and Whitcraft was Californian Shane Bess. "I didn't have a great start, but I came through the pack pretty quick and played it easy once I got out front," said Pastrana of his title-clinching secondmoto win in the 85cc Stock (7-11) class.