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Mosier Valley USA GNC INTERNA TIONAL MX FINAL By Tony Alessi MOSIER VALLEY, TX,MAR. 19-20 eam Yamaha's Justin Buckelew took aim, pulled the trigger, and won the showdown at the 23rd running of the GNC International MX Final at Mosier Valley USA. Buckelew sewed up the 12Scc Expert-class overall victory with a win in the second moto, which was preceded by a third-place performance in the first moto. Fellow Yamaha rider Ivan Tedesco ended up taking runner-up honors, followed by Josh Demuth and Matt Walker. The first moto didn't go as smoothly as Buckelew would have liked. "Well, things kind of went bad right away," Buckelew said. "First, my RoUOHs stuck and broke; then my frontbrake rotor must've got bent in one of those deep ruts and caused my front wheel to lock up over most every jump.~ While Buckelew was busy dealing with his problems, Bryan McGavran was happily leading the way, but this would not last for too long. Like Buckelew, McGavran began experiencing brake problems - problems bad enough to induce a fall. "My rear brake was sticking, and it caused me to crash," said McGavran, who was celebrating his 17th birthday. Demuth suddenly found himself in the lead, and he was fast enough to hold it to the finish. Tedesco, meanwhile, had settled into second and he finished out the race in the same position. Buckelew worked through his difficulties to finish third. McGavran picked up where he left off in moto one with another holeshot in the all-important second moto. He then opened up a comfortable lead, while Buckelew and Tedesco engaged in a battle for second. The battle, however, was brief, as Buckelew. sliced up the inside of a highspeed ski jump and made the pass for second. Shortly thereafter, Buckelew set his sights on McGavran and reeled him in. Then, McGavran started experiencing more mechanical problems. "My bike started to get slower and slower," McGavran· said. "Then it started seizing up." McGavran's machine deteriorated rapidly and eventually ground to a halt. With McGavran out of the running, T (Above) Justin Buckelew scored the 125cc Expertclass win a1 the GNC International MX Final at Mosier Valley in Texas. (Left) Shane Bess rode to victory in the 80cc (14-16) Stock class. 30 Buckelew was able to click it into cruise control, and he styled to the victory and the overall win. 'Tm still learning more every time I race a 125," the former mini ace said. '1 am still learning how far I can push it." Tedesco crossed the finish line in second place, while first-moto winner Demuth, who battled back after a firstturn crash, finished third. In other class action, Johnny Marley was the top finisher in the 125cc Open class. Marley raced closely with Chase Reed in the first moto until the latter experienced problems. "Reed kind of fell over in one of those deep turns," Marley said. "It was easy from there."