Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.MOTO·CROSS. ." . ' AlIA Amateur National MOtocross Championships Loretta Lynn's Ranch, Jennesse (Left) Ricky Skaggs (4) and Casey Johnson (58) mixed it up in the 125cc A Modified class with Johnson taking the win. Skaggs won the 250cclOpen A Modified division. (Below) A record 6200 riders turned out lor the 15th running of the Loretta Lynn'S even!. Answer / Bell / Smith-backed Yamaha rider had to work all week long to over, come a first-mota fi fth before claiming the championship in the final mota. Smith trailed Ohio's Karl Scott going into the final mota and needed to beat Scott by two positions in order to get the title. Smith got some help from Georgia's Shae Bentley in the final mota wh~n Bentley was able to withstand a fierce charge from the Pro Action / Boulevard Cycle/Wiseco-backed Scott for second, giving Smith the cushion he needed for the title. "I just wanted to go out and win the last mota, and whatever happened was going to happen," Scott said. "I was riding a little ragged and some guys got close to me, but I was either going to crash or I was going to win." "It was a good race and I got a good start, but I just couldn't hang in there and keep the speed," Scott said later. "I dropped off the pace for a little while, but by the time I got it going again it was too late." For his efforts Scott would later be awarded the J.D. Collins OverAchiever lUnder-Receiver Reward, named in Honor of the late J.D. ·Collins. Scott will have a full ride from Team Green in 1997, along with direct support from numerous other companies. "With three races you have to be consistent and that's what I was, but I wasn't winning," said third-place Bentley, who has two previous AMA Ama- . teur National titles to his credit. "I was ready for everyone else's race this week, not my own. I just need to learn from this race and go home and work harder for next year." Smith's second title came at the expense of the same players - Bentley and Karl Scott. Smith finished 2-1-2 to win the 125cc B Modified, while Bentley ran 1-2-3 in three motos and Scott went 3-4-5. The third-mota winner was California's Jiri Dostal, who had two poor motos before catching fire in the third to salvage 16th overall. Rising Ohio star Mark Burkhart was on it all week long in 250cc B-c1ass action, picking up three solid wins aboard a Honda. Florida's Jason Thomas was the runner-up three straight times, while local hero Jon Boruff was an impressive third overall via 5-5-4 scores. Burkhart also wort a mota in the 250cc B Stock class, but that title fell to Michi- gan's Nicholas Wey, who won the first two motos and then trailed Burkhart home in the third. Burkhart's tally (2-2-1) was enough for the runner-up trophy, while California's Danny Carlson was third overall with a 3-4-4 showing. Honda-mounted Ronny Huckabee topped the Open B/C class with a clean sweep of all three motos ah~ad of Michigan's Scot Poland and home-stater Kerry Wisdom. In the Vet B division, Kansan Donnie Fox put in a perfect week of his own, leading Kawasakimounted David Sawyer (2-2-4) and the aforementioned Wisdom (5-4-3) for the title. A pair of schoolboy winners raised a lot of eyebrows at Loretta Lynn's, as Nick Weyand Costa Rican flyer Emesto Fonseca each took home championships. Wey's clean sweep of the 125cc (12-15) Modified class over Fonseca had race watchers rating him as the "next big thing" in amateur racing on the heels of those victories and his 250cc B Stock title. Wey was putting in Carmichaellike laps on the Ranch track and should "It was a tough week for me because I just came off a wrist injury and then I had to start-from way back, but I worked through the pack pretty g ad and just tried to keep looking ahead and not thinking about my wrist or the other riders," said Fonseca, who also won a Loretta Lynn's minicycle title last year. "Once I got through the first mota, I just rode smooth and I got the title." Yamaha's Justin Buckelew was perfect in three 85cc (14-15) Modified motos to score a class title for the second year in a row in Tennessee. The NCY /R&D/ ShOO/ AXO/DHMA-backed ew Mexican bettered longtime West Coast rival Billy Payne (2-2-2) and Georgia's Matt Walker (3-3-3). "I wouldn't really say I'm the next Carmichael or anything, because I kind of filled in where he left off in the mini classes this year," Buckelew said. "I felt a little bjt more pressure this year to win, but I think I put more pressure on myself than anyone else, and I think I delivered this week. I ran three perfect races and I'm real happy about that." Buckelew also had a shot at winning be a heavy favorite in the 1997 amateur season. Fonseca ran second all three times for the vice-championship while Team Green/Fox/Pro Circuit/CTi-supported Brett Racine took a step toward being an amateur hero himself with a 53-3 score. Fonseca, 14 years old, got a title of his own in the 125cc Schoolboy Stock class. The Kodak/BSY / AXO/Oakley Yamaha rider won three motos there but not without controversy. After qualifying through the regular program by flying to the United States for both his area and regional rounds, Fonseca's entry was never received by the event organizers and his qualifying spot was given to another rider. So when Fonseca arrived for the event, there was no place for him on the 42 man gate. Against the protests of some parents, the promoters allowed Fonseca to start in the second row due to his special circumstances - an entry lost in international mail. But the Latin American came through in all three motos of this division to pick up the win ahead of fast young Californians Jerry Aleman (2-3-3) and Racine (4-5-2). the 85cc Stock (14-15) class, but ran into a red brick wall in the form of California's Bryan McGavran, who won the first two motos and then cruised home behind Buckelew in the third to place his American Honda/Bill's Pipes/ Smith-backed Honda CR80 in the winner's ciicle. Buckelew ran 2-3-1 for second overall, while Texan Travis Elliot posted 3-2-4 scores for third overall Payne got a title for himself in ·the Supermini (12-15) class by winning two 'Of three motos from McGavran for the championship in that class. The Team Green/ AXO / Pro Circuit-backed Payne finished 1-1-2 to seal up the title, while McGavran was a late-starting 5-4-1 for runner-up honors. Michigan's Joshua Woods was third on the week with a 25-3 total. While most minicycle fans might be familiar with the likes of Buckelew, Mcqavran and Payne, Suzuki-mounted Brandon Jesseman came out of nowhere to snatch a pair of minicycle championships. The American Suzuki/ Cernic's/ AXO/NGK-backed Jesseman, who hails from western Pennsylvania,

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