Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

VINTAGE IX AND FLAT TRACK 14TH ANNUAL OINO DAZE County ORV Parle SATURDAY By Clay Light Mc:CLEARY, WA, JUNE 6-7 or the second year in a row, Honda-mounted Grayson Hart placed his name among the prestigious list of A-class winners after dominating this year's running of the Dino Daze Vintage Motocross at the Thurston County ORV Park. The Portland, Oregon, rider's four-class-win tally was a continuation of his Northwest vintage motocross supremacy, as the weekend's winningest rider posted wins in the 125, 250cc, Over 30 and Gran Prix classes. The two-day event, which also included motorcycle shows, swap meets and a festive carnival atmosphere, was promoted by the Tacoma Motorcycle Club and was by far the most successful event of the 14-year-old happening. The turnout for the extravaganza included nearly 500 riders and more than 2000 spectators. Notables in attendance included the entire Pomeroy'clan, who came from Yakima, Washington; Tom Rapp; multitime winner Buck Murphy (who, instead of racing, performed watering duties); Nationally ranked dirt trackers Mickey Fay, Troy Rose and Del Schnitzer; and former hotshoe Dusty Coppage. S.peaking of hot shoes, the legendary Ken Maely, who came up from Corona, California, was on hand as well. While Hart, whose four-win tally is one that may never be equaled (unless, of course, he himself competes in five classes next year), was on fire in Washington, so was former Bultaco teamster Rapp, who now resides in Montana. Rapp was nearly equally impressive, winning the hotly contested Over 40 A main and also finishing second to Hollister National winner Ron Fish and just ahead of CZ-mounted Fay in the Open A final. Joining motocross dominator Hart in the upper echelon was former AMA Expert dirt tracker Steve Kendig, who was the winner on the TMC's eighthmile oval on Sunday. Kendig won the Open Twin A main event, where he ' narrowly beat Californian Butch Cochran. BSA-mounted Larry Saxton earned a victory in the Premier A main. • (Above) Mickey Fay (6) gets the Jump on Grayson Hart (72), Rory Clevenger (8) and the rest of the pack in the 125cc A main. Hart won it. (Left) Butch Cochran leads eventual winner Larry Legarra (56) and Terry Hyde in the Open Twin A final in saturday's motocross races. Hart's stellar performances started off with qualifying wins in the 125cc, 250cc and Over 30 preliminaries to sit on the pole position in each of those events on his pair of 1974 Honda CR E1sinores. Fay took the lead at the unleashing of the 125cc A main, followed by Hart and Suzuki rider Rory Clevenger. Fay's lead, however, would only last less than a lap, as a bobble from the former AMA 600cc ational Champion allowed Hart to take the lead - a lead he would maintain to the finish for his first of four wins. He was follo,,¥ed by Fay, Clevenger and Penton-mounted Greg Blazek, who was one of the multitude of Californians on hand. Rapp and Ron Pomeroy - former Bultaco teammates from the early 1970s jumped out in front of an impressive field of contestants in the Over 40 race, but it was Pomeroy's 1974 Bultaco Pursang 250 leading Rapp coming out of turn two. Pomeroy's lead, though, was of short duration, as his sano machine quit a lap later, continuing his long streak of winless events, all due to mechanical problems. This gave the advantage to the man from Montana, Rapp, who found himself with a big advantage over AHRMA National regular Blazek, who this time out was aboard a Maico and would trail Rapp to the finish. Oregon's Bill Row netted third, ahead of Larry Saxton and CZ-mounted Kenny Brynn. Ron Fish, winner of one of the three Open Two-Stroke qualifiers,' put his 1974 Yamaha YZ360 ahead of the Open A main, followed by the other riders victorious in the preliminaries - Rapp and Fay - but it was Rapp's 1974 360cc Bultaco Pursang taking the lead two turns later. Fish retaliated a lap later with an airborne assault over the head of a surprised Rapp (Fish was one of only two riders to attempt the double jump) to take the lead. From that point, Fish didn't flounder, thereby elimina ting the high hopes Rapp had for a double class win - the rider who was considered to be one of America's top motocrossers in ·the InterAm days ended up finishing second. Fay's impressive showing in what was his first-ever ride on a CZ netted him third, ahead of Bultaco rider Wayne Grimm and the durable Saxton, who rounded out the top five. Another of the many AMA Expert dirt trackers on hand - none of whom competed in the following day's racing was Larry Legarra, who was one of the few double class winners over the weekend. Legarra, who rode an Ariel, patiently trailed former Canadian Motocross Champion Terry Hyde throughout the Open Twin A main, and then he made his move across the finish line to relegate the Rickman-Triumphmounted Hyde to second. Legarra, from Longview, Washington, would later come back to top Hyde in the Premier A main, although this time his lead would come much earlier. He was followed by third-place finisher Kevin Hamilton, who was mounted on a Matchless. Hyde's three-class quest was partially succe sful, however: He picked up a win in the Over 50 final, ahead of Rick Downing. Hart's second win - this time aboard his CR250 - came the hard way. While leading the 250cc A final, Hart fell, which allowed fellow Oregonian Joe Casey to snatch the lead away from him. Casey said that after that point, he felt he surely would finally earn a win in the

• Cover