Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

goal of d oubling Whal ey' s accomplish men ts, but even a fu ll-time effort won't be enough to stop Aa ro n. Ca Na t ion al Champion, three- '1.' Trial des ations team member, '94 Nebraska State Champion, ranked fourth in '95. Sponsors: Gas Ga s USA, Rising Sun Imports, Hebo, Gaerne. J ESS K EM PK ES is th e o n ly other rider to have scored a Nationa l win in '9 5, d oi n g so at the d ry, rocky Califorevent. n ia Th at a bou t su ms up Ke m pkes ' streng ths - the lo ng-h ai red Neb raska n is o n e o f th e boldest riders on the circui t, an d is often the firs t to try a d an ger ous or scary line. But in Kempkes ' case, such courage has its pen a lt ies . Kemp kes isn't afraid to crash, a nd th a t' s good - because it's some thi ng that he d oes often. Tou te d as one of th e m ost ta lented up-and-comers, Kempkes needs to overcome his tendency to hold his bike wide. o pen when he lo ses control. Ranked fourth in '95, Kempkes will likel y add a win or tw o to his resume in '96 ut we don't see hi m progres sing any higher than third . For now, that is. T H E day, how ever, Clamagiran d is a se rious th reat , and could be the spoi ler in '96 if he can put it all togeth er. c :<>01 Cha F10n, two-time Trial ati0 11S team member, threetime Oklahoma State Champion, ran ked seventh in '95. Sponso rs: Gas Gas USA, DMR, Sin isalo, Braking, N-Style, Sidi, Moto Mex , M&J Sales, Dillo-T, Moore's Body Sh op, Risin g Sun Imp ort s, Goat Eyewewar. O K L AH O M A N Matt Moore is re garded by many as o n e o f the country 's m ost p r omi s in g yo un g ri ders . U nlik e m any of hi s co mp etit or s , M o ore ' s life re v o lv e s aro u nd trials, and he has no d istractions to keep him fro m pro gressing h igher u p the rankings . A high sc hoo l se nio r, M oo re spends m os t of h is- free ti me rid ing . Unfortunatel y, Moore' s loca l pract ice areas ha ve litt le to offer, and the former High School National Champion has little or no challenges to help him ele vate himself to th e next level. Thus, Moore is forced to dri ve to the ne ighboring st ate of Texas to find more severe terr ain. Ranked seventh in '95, Moore is a twotim e member of the American Trial des Nations team. One of the youngest riders following the serie s, Moore rides with more matu rity than one would expect of a I7-year-old. A clown in the pits, Moore becomes a serious competitor between the tapes. With you th and enthusiasm on his side, we see Moore jumping at least two spots closer to the top . Once ranked as high as th ird, Pet ers h a s yet to s co re a Nationa l win, but could do so if th e cond itions are right. Th o ugh h e 's on ly 22, so me feel that Pe ters has al ready reached his prime. We feel th at he may be bumped down a few n ot ch e s b y h u ngr ie r rid ers, but wou ld like nothing better than to see h im prove us wrong . safe," fo r fea r of be ing inj u re d , but is rea dy to let it all hang ou t in '96. Unfo rtuna tely, like Lonny Hallsted , Bell will not com pet e in the entire series. Th is year, Bell will compete in the famous Scottish Six Da ys Tria l, which w ill cause him to m iss the Tennessee doubleheader . Still , Bell should tum in enough good finish es to sta y within the series' top 10 for '96. am member, oJil can at '94 I ri al des Nations, !l'a sixth 111 '95. Sponsors: Beta Motor Ital y, Cosmop olitan Mo tors•.Axo Sport, Rentha l, Powerbar, Northeast Trials , Sudco International, Com foot, Starman .M otorsport, Portland Off Road Center, Trainer Tuning. n rap o.nsh ip, '94 South Eastern Trials Riders Association Champion Sponsors: Axo Sport, Tryals Sh op, Gas Gas USA, Galfer, H e a rt of Dixie, Schaeffer C ycle Supply, PRSM, Michelin . L ON N Y H ALL - sted is arguab ly the m o s t a m b it io u s o f the Ameri ca n ri de rs . So am b itio us, in fa ct, th a t h e will m iss several ro un ds of the seri es he w hile trains and co m petes in Sco tla nd. Fo llow ing the '95 season in w hich Hallsted ended up sixth, the Orego n rider decid ed that the o nly w ay to truly improve was to compete overseas. If Hallsted has a w eakness, it may be his .tenden cy to become ps yched out. A bad crash before the sta rt of last season forced Hallsted to sit out the first few round s with a br o ken shou ld er, a n d upon his return he appeared to be a bit gun-shy . . The tim e he sp ends in Scotl and w ill likel y do H all st ed a world of goo d . In sp ite of missing se veral o f the early ro u nds, w e're bet ting that he w ill turn in eno u gh top finishes to end u p se ven th overall. Who knows, he m ay even earn his first N ational w in with hi s newfound overseas expe rience. JOH N C LARK 1 5 a somew h a t con ser vati v e ride r who saw his ' 95 season cut s ho r t w ith a n ag gi ng back inju ry . Th ree bulging d iscs an d the p a in that resu lt ed m a de it im possible for Clark to finish out the season, but following a winter-l ong rehabil- . ita tion, Clark sa ys th at he's fit and ready for the new se ason. At press time Clark had yet to secure m otorcycle sponsor, but indicated that he would be either Ga s Gas- o r Betam ounted. Once th e sale Montesa rider o n th e Champ ion ship level, Clark 's chan ge in machinery sho u ld give him a boost. Clark's back injury will be th e only th ing tha t can hold him back, as he openly admits that he' s still no t confid ent on large st eps and drop-offs, for fear that he m ight rei njure himself. If Clark can over come hi s lack of co n fid ence, he shou ld tu m in consistent top10 fini shes. a ONLY European reg ular ly con testi ng the series, Oli vier Clam agirand h as a riding styl e that is distinctly different than tho se of h is A me rican co m pet ito rs . Th e form e r Belgian Nationa l Champion is poetry in mo tion, an d p o s se s se s th e g racefu l moves that a re a re g u la r sigh t at the W orld Championship level. So what is keepi ng Clam ag ira nd from com p lete ly dom inating th e American se ries? That' s a good questi on . . Clamagirand appears to be the mo st talented rider at times, but little mi stakes keep h im from tasting victory. Unbelieva bly, Cla magirand h as ye t to win a U.S. N ati on al. According to some people close to him, Clamagirand is an unpredictable rider who needs to b e catered to. On several occasions last se ason, Clamagirand became flustered and his results suffered greatly. On a good rial ations team member, '95 Ute Cup winner. ranked fifth in '95 . Spon s o r s : Scorp a France, Try al s Shop, Cycle Service Center, Axo, Shoei. des O :-.l E LOOK AT R a ym on d Peters' hometown, and m o st tri a ls en th usia sts ' m o uth s w ill b eg in to wa t e r , Watkins Glen, New Yo r k, pl ayed host to the 1992 Trial d es Nations, and th e Europeans have been d ying to return to th e waterfall-lad en riding spot ever since. As w ou ld be expected of a rid er who grew u p in such an area, Peters is a m aster w hen the going gets wet. Like Ryan Young, he is a precise rider who enjoys the technical sections best. Big obstacles are his weakness. Career high li g ts: '94-' 95 Oregon State Champion, ranked 10th in "95. Age: r-up in '93 Ca re er highligh ts: Ru High sch ool National Championship, runner-up in Canadian Tria ls Rid e r s As sociation Seri es, ranked n inth in '95. . Sponsors: M ountain M otor cycle, Thetis Cove Join ery, Kenco Mot orcycles, Swisher Developments. YOUNG R YO N Bell is o n ly one of m an y Ca n a d i a n s wh o t r av e l across the b o rder on a regul a r basi s to com pete in the American Na tio n als . Th e s toc kv rid er trie's ha r d an d is regarded b y som e as a futu re cham pionsh ip contender. Last year, Bell says that he "played it Sponso rs: Cycl e Tra ck s, JT USA, Skagit Vall ey Yamaha / Gas Gas / Beta. D E ;-.; N 1 5 Swee ten is the hardest -w o rk-. in g rider o n the Cha m pi o n sh ip tou r . A former p ro m o tocr oss er, Sw eete n di d n ' t b e g in r iding trial s ser io us ly unt il h e w a s in his mi d 20s. A regular practice partner of Lonny Hallsteds, Sweeten gets through the sec tions m ore with sheer determination than ou tstanding skill. H e's not fla shy or spectacular to watch, but Sweet en has proven th at he has what it takes to ge t the job done arid sh ould have no prob0' lem staying in the series top 10. 15

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