Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

I' Todd DeHoop (Yam) grabbed his first win of the year in the AMA 1PJl National Arenacross Series by MSRI Answer with a wire-to-wire victory in the 125cc class Friday during rounds nine and 10 of the series at the MetroCentre in Rockford, Illinois, December 6-8. DeHoop led Jeromy Buehl (Yam) and Chad Pederson (Yam) across the line. Buddy Antunez (Hon) claimed the 250cc main-event victory Friday, finishing ahead of teammate Denny Stephenson (Hon) and Cliff Palmer (Suz). Palmer returned Saturday to win the 125cc main over Mike Jones (Kaw) and Stephenson while Grayson Goodman (Yam) stepped up to win the 250cc main ahead of Stephenson and Palmer. Kawasaki's Ty Davis scored the overall win at the Laughlin U.S. Hare Scrambles Championship in Laughlin, Nevada, December 7. Second place went to Kawasaki rider Dave Ondas, while KTM-mounted Nick Pearson took third. Rounding out the top five were Jim Gray (KTM) and Steve Hengeveld (Kaw). KTM's Scott Plessinger won the fourth round of the Mid-South Hare Scrambles Series in Lynnville, Indiana, December 9. Finishing second was Yamaha rider Doug Blackwell, while Honda of Troy's Mike Kiedrowski, competing in hjs first hare scrambles event, took third. KTM's Jason Dahnersofinished fourth, while Kawasaki rider Mike Sampson rounded out the top five overall. Although 1-800-Collect has indeed pulled its sponsorship from American Honda's AMA Supercross and National Motocross team, it's not for the reasons we reported last week, according 'to 1-800-Collect's senior manager of marketing programs, Catherine Smith. "It has nothing to do with logo sizes," Smith said. "We are not going to renew because of a redirection of our marketing budget. It's purely a financial decision and not unhappiness as your news item indicates." Will 1-800-Collect maintain its association with the sport in any way? "We would like to maintain our association with motocross and supercross, we're just not able to secure the same amount of financial commitment," Smith said. "We won't have full team sponsorship, but we haven't made a decision on how we'll be involved. We've enjoyed having Jeremy (McGrath); we think he's great and he's been a great spokesman for us. But we've had no direct conversation about next year at this time because as you know they've been racing in Japan. We love the sport, but we just can't give the support at the level Honda needs. We have no bone with Honda at all and we definitely want to maintain a presence in the sport." The AMA has posted the 1997 National Championship HilIc1imb Series schedule. The nitro-burning dirt churners will start off the season at Middlebury, Indiana, May 18 and continue with rounds in Jefferson, Pennsylvania, June 1; Steel City, Pennsylvania, June 8; Avoca, New York, June 15; Marquette, Michigan, July 20; Jefferson, Pennsylvania, 'August 3; Haydenville, Ohio, August 9; Dansville, New York, August 17; Steel City, Pennsylvani

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