Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128008
the closest race of the week as the Kawasaki-rnoun ted Patterson put an exciting block-pass on Bau in the very last comer to clinch the biggest win of his career. Michigan's Sarah Whitmore continu es to climb the amateur charts, winning her second straight championship in the 85-105cc class with a pe rfect score. The to p Vet-cla s s riders were all aboa rd Yamaha equipment: Kevin Foley (Over 30), Crai g Pickell"(Over 40) and Steve Lewis (Over 50). The Loretta Lynn's race wa s founded in 1982 by MX Sports' Dave Coombs Sr. and Paul Shlegel. In the 18 years since its conception, the event has become the J ames Stewart Jr. was the top minicycle rider, winning both the 85cc Mod ified (1415) and Stock (9-13) classes . big gest a ma teu r motocross race in th e world. The qualifying program actually begins in the spring, with riders all over the country qualifying at the area level. After that the rid ers in 32 differ. ent classes move on to the regional level. fro m which th e top 42 riders in each cl ass qualify fo r th e A M A Amateur National MX Champion sh ip finals. This year more than 9000 riders tried to qualify for the Loretta Lynn's finals. Once in Tennessee, th e riders compete in three 20-minute-lon g motes, with all three motes counting toward the fina l results. Riders are limited to entering two classes each, and the AMA follows a strict int erpretation of the rules, with an impou nd ar ea for stock classes and random teardowns . Th e ev ent be gins with a full da y of pra ctice on Mond ay, then racing from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesd ay through Sa tu rd ay. The AMA Amateur Nati ona l Fina ls is also the only mot ocross race for di rt bikes tha t takes place at th e central Tennessee ran ch of famed country singer Loret ta Lyn n. The weather was perfect all week long. Pas tra na's ama teur career has been beset by as many injuries as champi- . onships. For instance, after winning his th ird ca reer title he re in '97, he m issed the '98 event entirely with an injury. But this time around , the tall , lanky Suzuki rider proved th at he has the mettle to dominate when he's heal thy. His only mota loss was a defeat a t the hands of ew Me xico's Justi n Buc ke lew in the first 12Sec A mota on Tu esday morning. " I got a terrible pick o n the sta rti ng gate - 42 ou t of 42," sa id Pastrana afterward. '1 had to start on the far o utsid e a nd was just too far back at th e begin ning to let a guy like Just in get away so far." Indeed , the Yamaha-backed Buc kelew cleared au t before Pastrana could make it up to second . However, once Pastrana m ad e it to second, he ga ine d littl e ground on his rival. A late-Wed nesday duel in the second 125cc A mo ta d uel saw Bucke lew again ge t th e ea rly lead , but Pastra na ran the Yamaha rid er down a nd evened th e score at one win apiece goi ng in to the fina l moto. "Tra vis was just riding rea lly well and his lines were better than m ine," said the g racious Buckelew after the loss. "O nce he passed me and started pulling away, I knew it was better to settle down , find where I was losing time, and get read y for the fina l mo ta . That's where the championship will be decided." Unfortunatelv for Buckelew, it wo uld be d ecid ed for "h im on the second la p when, while chasing Pastra na through the roIli ng whoops right after the Gatorade finish line, he lost control of his YZ125.a nd came down hard on his ankle , ending his w eek with a severe sprain. "When I came around the next lap and saw Justin the re, I felt. really bad for him," said Pas tra na after the race. "He's a reall y good rider and a ll, bu t he ha s ha d so me p ro blems wit h in juries ju st lik e me. This tim e I g uess he w as the . unlucky on e." . Pastrana 's 2-1-1 counted for the 125cc en en A overall, foll owed by fast Florid ian en Tyson H ad sell' s 5-7-3 and Northwestern er Mike Corder's 7-4-4 . Had it no t been for Pastrana, Hadsell might have had two titles, as the Yamaha rider also finished second to the Summer X Games gold med alist in the 250cc A clas s. Third 25