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/127806
.MOTOCROSS By Tony Alessi GALENA, MO, OCT. 4-6 eath Voss put his Tom Morgantuned Honda CR125 in the winner's circle for the second year in a row at the second annual running of the Branson USA Motocross Championships held in Galena, Missouri. Voss won both 125cc Pro motos and joined nearly 800 other entrants who traveled from 38 different sta tes, from the four comers of the country to participate in the only. true national located in the center of the continent. ·The event drew riders from the AMA, NMA and GNC regions and allowed the use of those race licenses for the one-week shootout for the national titles. While Voss was impressive for the second year in a row, Ron Turner, who is a month shy of 40 years of age, also returned and defended his championship from a year ago with class victories in both Over 35 Vet and Over 25 divisions. Team Green's Travis Riley was the top Intermediate rider of the weekend by powering his FMF Kawasakis to a pair 'Jf championships in both the 125cc stock Intermediate and the 125cc Open classes. Riley battled throughout much of the week with rising star Keith Johnson, who pulled off a championship of his own in the 125cc Modified Intermediate. Johnson took advanta e of a fall H \0 0\ 0\ ,..... C'"5' N 1i:J .g ... o 24 Heath Voss won the 125cc Pro class for the second year In a row at the Branson USA Motocross Championships. by Riley late in the final race to post the moto and overall championsl;tip. A Mini rider from last year, Mark Thompson, made the big move to the 125cc Stock Novice division and won the' class. Thompson looked like a winner in the Modified ranks, too, but a fall early in a moto opened the door for Heath Frazier, who went on to post the first-moto victory: Frazier put the icing on the cake when he returned to pass Thompson for the lead in the final moto to declare that he was the rightful heir to the throne of the "king" of the Novice class. Justin Buckelew seems to have reached the next level in minicycle racing by turning· the we.ek's fastest lap time of 1:35. Buckelew easily outdistanced the competition in both the Modified (14-16) division and the alwayscompetitive Super Mini division <;>n his Yamaha YZs. Buckelew did, however, experience a setback in the 80cc Stock (14-16) race when a blown radiator hose relegated the future pro to a disappointing sixthplace iinish. This setback opened the door for Team Green rider Chad Johnson, whose consistent 1-2 finish secured the overall championship. New Mexico's Kevin Johnson finished a strong second while Doug Levitt, Levi Humphrey and Jeremy Riensenbers rounded out the top five. Nathan Davenport of Wiggins, Mississippi, was the undisputed star of the 11-and-under age division by posting an awesome four class championships abqard his Kawasakis. Davenport used aggressive riding and a cool head to earn his victories in the BOcc (7-11) division, where he topped Florida's Bryan Johnson. Johnson pulled the holeshot aboard his quick yellow Suzuki in each moto, but as each race wore on, the green Kawasaki of Davenport would hunt down and pass Johnson for the ultimate victory. The first 65cc (9-11) race saw arguably the best race of the day where Davenport, Johnson, Matthew Goerke and Nick Evennou engaged in a fourway battle for the lead. The moto was won by Johnson, but Davenport returned with a vengeance in the allimportant second moto for the overall victory. . Team KTM's Mike Alessi, the current number-one plate holder from Caliiornia, faced off against his East Coast counterpart Davi Millsaps, the AMA champion from Florida. In all; the two (Top) Nathan Davenport had a great weekend at Branson, winning the 65cc (911) Stock and Modified classes, as well as, the &Scc (G-ll) Stock and Modified classes. (Above) Mike Alessi (800) and Davl T Millsaps (18) battled In four clssses. They each took home two championships and Alessi captured a third In the Pee Wee Stock (7-8) class. boys lined up next to one another in five different races ranging from Pee Wees to the 60cc divisions to determine the fastest 8-year-old on the premises. When the dust settled, Alessi won six out of six motos in the 50cc divisions, topping the 50cc Stock, Modified and Super Pee Wee divisions aboard h!s Dean Dickinson-tuned KTM. But Millsaps had the last word by winning all four motos in both 65cc (6-8) Stock anti Modified divisions on his Kawasaki. Cody Gilmore was a consistent frontrunner and finished third in most motos, while Jimmy Albertson from nearby Billings, Missouri, finished inside of the top five in both the 65cc (68) races and the 7- to 8-year-old Modified 50cc class.