Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Round 10: Spring Creek MX Park AMAlMAZDA TRUCKS NA TIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 250cc MX SERIES By Davey Coom bs Pho tos by Karl Ockert MILLVILLE, MN, AUG. 15 e a m Su zuki ' s Greg Alb e rt yn moved another step closer - actually, ni ne steps closer - to the 1999 AMA /Mazd a 250cc National Motocross Champio nship title at the 10th round of th e series at Spring Creek Mot ocr oss Park. The aggress ive 26-year-old Sou th African rider scored his second overa ll w in of the se ries wit h a 1-2 tally, and picked up nine points on the rest of the field in the process. Albe rty n's poi nts lead ro se from 26 to 35 wit h jus t four motos left in the series. "You go in to every race expecting to win, but it's really nice when it actually sai d th e Ame rica n h a p p en s," Suzuki /MSR/ Smit h / Alp inestars / Dunlop -backed Alberty n, who al ready has three World titles from a previou s life as a gra nd p rix mo tocrosse r in Europe. "I'm ex tremely excited abo u t what's go ing on r ig h t now and I feel rea lly lu cky to be able to get Suzuki in a position to win this champio nship." When asked how he and his mechanic Joe Ma u rer would be spending the next 14 days befor e th e Broome-Tioga r a ce in New Yor k, A lber tyn sai d, "Work, wo rk, work." Finish ing secon d overall in Michiga n on was the resu rgent Jimmy Bu tton. Still ~ sparked by the first AMA Na tional vicgJ tory of his career two weeks ago at the g' Wa sh o u g a l Na tio na l, the Yam a h a oct YZ400 -mo u n te d Button was b ent on 6 showi ng the world tha t his win wasn't a T fluk e. With blistering starts and stro ng finishes, Bu tton ra n 3-3 to secure second overall and maintain his late-season roll. "Co rning off of last weekend was a really big confide nce-builde r," said Button of his renewed sense of con fidence an d commitmen t. "We'r e all great riders ou t here , a nd co n fidence is the th ing that can eit her make yo u or break you. Las t weekend was n o fluke - anyone who says Washou gal was a lucky deal .can all shu t up now." Third overall wi th a d own -an d -up d ay was Team Hond a ' s Kev in .Wind h am. Wind ham, ra nked seco nd in th e p oin ts s ta ndings going in to Millvi lle, flound ered thro ugh the first rnot o, d ropping from an early spot near th e fron t back to eight h, losing valua ble points to Alberty n in the process. But in the secon d m oto Win d ha m got it a ll r igh t, p assin g th e four-Ya ma ha gau ntlet o f Bu tto n, Doug Henry, Joh n Dowd and Cha parral/Yama ha's Tim Ferry to take the lead , and a comfo rtable wi n. However, with Albertyn finishing second, Wind ham 's great secon d-race effo rt on ly helped pull back three points of the 12 he lost in the first time out. "Somethi ng happened to me ou t there in the firs t mo to, an d I couldn't ge t it goi ng, " sa id Wi n dha m ·o f his fi rs t moto . "In the secon d mo to, from the d rop of the gate, no one held me u p. I w as m ak in g aggressive passes and that's what it takes ou t there - you have go t to pass people as soon as you can." The mercurial Robbie Reynard pu t in one of the best efforts of his ou tdoor seaso n, s ta lking hi s Suz uki tea m mate Albertyn all the way to the checkered flag in the first moto. However, somewhere alo ng the way in the second mo to he s tar ted fee ling t h e pa ngs o f h is s trained shou lder and h ad to ba ck it down a no tch in orde r to su rvive on the rough Spri ng Creek course. "My sho u lder jus t kind of fati gu ed on me in the first moto, and in the sec- (Top) Damon Huffman (31) took the early lead in the first 250cc moto but didn't stay there for long. Here, he' s pursued by Robbie Reynard (17), Greg Albertyn (8), Jimmy Bullon (10), Doug Henry (1) and Joh n Dowd (6). (Abov e) Albert yn extended his ser ies • poi nts lead with his second overall victory of the year.

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