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EVENTS ChaparraVGlen Helen Amateur Motocross Championships
By Matt Freeman
SAN BERNARDINQ, CA, MAY 8-9
others Day weekend marked
the beginning of the AMA
National Motocross Series,
ut before stars such as Jeremy McGrath
and Ricky Carmichael lined the starting
gate on Sunday, amateur racers got two
full da ys of racing beforehand on a
modified version of the track. For tl)e
event known as the Chaparral Amateur
Motocross Championships, Glen Helen
Raceway opened its gates to racers and
spectators alike on Friday to kick off
three f}ill days of racing. The amateur
races also served as a southern-area
qualifier for the California State MX
Championships, so rider turnout was
huge, causing some classes to be divided up into two divisions.
Perhaps the biggest news of the
weekend (other than the races on Sunday) was the return of North County
Yamaha's Justin Buckelew, who broke
his tibia and fibula last November at a
race in Florida. In his first major race
back since suffering the injury, Buckelew lit the 125cc Intermediate Division
One class on fire by winning both
motos. His only close competition came
from YZ-mounted Micl1ael Young, who
eventually crashed in mota two, ending
a hopeful, close race for Young.
"Mike Young and I jumped out to an
early lead in both matos," said
R&D/Fox/Shoeicbacked Buckelew.
"Mike was riding really great out there
and keeping me honest, but he had a
tumble in the second mota and that
gave me a pretty good-sized lead over
second place.
M
(Top) Justin Buckelew raced his first
major event since breaking his leg last
November and won the 125cc
Intermediate Novice (Division 1) class at
Glen Helen.
(Above) Willie Musgrave (44) raced his
CR500 to wins in the Vet Expert and
Junior Vet Expert classes.
"This is only my second race back
from my injury," Buckelew continued.
''I'm excited because my bike worked
great and everything went well. 1 feel
good."
Young's second-place first-mota finish, coupled with an 18th-place finish in
the second mota, put him back in eighth
in the overall standings. Suzuki rider
Hawk White 'went 3-2 for a solid second
overall, and Dusty Walters tallied up a
3-5 on his YZ to round out the top three.
The closest race of the entire weekend came in the Junior Vet Expert class
when race favorite Willy Musgrave got
the surprise of his life from CR250-
mounted Greg Wall. Musgrave pulled
the holeshot at the start of mota one, but
Wall made a surprise pass on the outside of turn one, leaving Musgrave
behind. Lap after lap, Musgrave .and his
CR500 tried to make several passes on
Wall but none of them would stick. Wall
herd it all the way to the finish, with
Musgrave right on his rear fender. Scott
Takacs and John Whitaker rounded out
the top four.
"I got a second-place start and followed Willie (Musgrave) to the outside
and made the pass," said Wall, who
drove down from Washington to compete. "1' II be back for the Vet World
Championships in November. I just
came to test myself and have some fun."
In the second mota, Musgrave once
again got the holeshot, but this time he
never looked back, taking the win with
a 2-1 moto tally. Wall stayed close in
second place all the way to the checkered flag to take second overall. YZ250mounted Whitaker turned in a thirdplace finish in the second mota to beat
out fourth-place finisher Takacs, who
went 3-4 on a KX250.
Musgrave took more than one class
win for the weekend. While competing
on the same bike as he did in the Junior
Vet race, Musgrave took the holeshot in
both motos of the Vet Expert class as
well.
.
"I got a good start in every moto
today," said Musgrave, who has not ridden his CR500 since last November.
"The track is real rutted, so 1 just tried to
figure au t some good lines for every
moto and ride smooth. I felt a little pressure from the second-place riders now
and then, but I just upped the pace and
never really saw them put a wheel in
after that."
.
In four-stroke action, Husqvarna.mounted Gordon Ward snagged the
holes hot in both motos of the FourStroke Expert class. In the first moto,
Ward held on to the lead until the start
. of lap two, when he stalled the bike in a
comer. That allowed Spud Walters and
his White Brothers-backed YZ400F to
move into the number-one spot and run
off with the win. Kevin Foley rode to
second aboard his Yamaha, and Ryan
Mortensen rounded out the top three in
mota one, also riding iI YZ400F.
When the second moto came around,
Ward was once again out front, with
Walters coming up strong from a bad
start. Foley was tailing Ward, closely
cl1allenging for the lead.
"1 got a really crummy start. 1 spun
pretty bad coming out of the gate," said
Walters, who was also planning to ride
with the Pros on Sunday (where he finished 23rd). "Toward the end of lap one,
I passed a lot of guys down the straightaway, and then 1 caught Gordon (Ward)
on the second lap and passed him."
W(l.1ter's first-place position lasted all
the way to the finish, giving him the
class win. Ward ended up second in
moto two, but his first-mota showing
was only good enough for a fifth-overall
finish. Foley's third place in mota two,
combined with a second in the first
moto, netted him second for the day.
Troy Kalina and his Yamaha four-stroke
went 5-4 for thilt:! overall.
When the stars of tomorrow took to
the track in the 60cc (9-11) class, all eyes
were on Mike Alessi as he shot to the
lead right out of the gate in moto one.
Alessi stayed in the lead all the way to
the finish, with no real challenge from
second-placed Robert Memoli. It was
th.e battle. behind Memoli for third
between Sean Borkenhagen and Carlos
Gonzales that came down to the last
turn. Borkenhagen got the nod for the
third position, but he was not as lucky
in the second moto.
The second moto saw Alessi once
again run away with the win, with
Memoli in tow. Gonzales improved
from fourth to finish third, giving him
the final podium position in the end.
Borkenhagen settled for fourth on the
day in what was his last race on a 60cc
motorcycle.
''I'm moving up to the 80 class now,"
said 10-year-old Borkenhagen, who had
a fairly successful run in the 60cc class
for the past three years.
Glen Helen Raceway
San Bernardino, California
Results: May 8-9,1998
PIW 0-1: 1. 'Forrest Lane (Cob); 2. Orlando Torres
(Lem); 3. Jake Lacey (Kaw); 4. Ryan Reichlin (KTM).
P/W 0-2: 1. Sean Renshaw (Yam); 2. James Bisher
(Yam); 3. Kyle Brown (Yam).
P/W (0-6): 1. Blake Baggett (Cob); 2. Forrest Lane
(Cob); 3. Kyle Sm;th (KTM); 4. jake Lacey (Kaw).
PIW (7-8)' 1. Cole Seely (KTM); 2. Jake Hulett (Lem);
3. Andy Straight (Cob); 4. Bryce Terzian (KTM);
Orlando Torres (Lem).
60 (0-8): 1. Travis Christensen (Kaw); 2. Brian Ainer
(I