Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Events (Left) On the final weekend of AHRMA Western Regional Rat Track Series racing in Tulare, California, Ken Netto (33Y) took the Sportsman 250cc-clas s win over Brad Holt (50S), who took sec ond, and Jeff Lessley (12E), who placed third. (Right) Barry Carsten (56) dominated the 125cc, 250cc and Over 30 Open Expert classes at the Halioween Class ic at the Broome-Tioga Sports Center In Binghamton, New York. Barry carded perfect 1-1 sco res for top honors in ali three divisions. AHRMA Western Regional Flat Track Series Final Round:TulareCycle P ark Netto nets the last one By Dennis Suter TULARE, CA, OCT. 23 h e la st weekend of AHRMA ' s Western Regional Flat Track Series was held at the site that began the resurgence of vintage flat-track racing in Sou thern Califo rnia. The Monger family h as been p romoting AHRMA ra cing since 1992 at their track on Tulare city property . Some 135 entra n ts we re in attenda nce, and the d ay' s ma in -event ra cing sta rted with th e Super Seniors class. Triumph rid er s Mickey Alzola and Duane Spence swa pped the lead numerous times on the quarter-mile cushi on ov al, but Alzola' s ins id e move ou t of four fell just short at the checkers. Sam Grey finish ed third on a Honda. A new bike and ride r dominated the Cla ssic 500/750cc cla ss . Rob ert Cu n ningh am from San Mateo rod e his CB Honda tw in away fro m Ch ris Ru d y 's 750cc Har ley. Jeff Apple, on a Sp rin t, was third . In the Classic O pen m a in , Butch Cochran best ed Chris Ap p le, bo th on Triumph twins. Apple survived a crash . during practice in which bike and rid er cartwheeled thr ou gh the hay bales. Three Lessley brothers competed in the Classic 250cc race. Jeff had it won un til his brak eless Bultaco tight ened up on the last lap , handing the win to Ossa racer Tom Horton. Th e large field of Sp ortsman 600s were le d to th e fi rs t turn b y Denn is Spence. By the third lap , Brad Spencer had worked to the front from his fifthp lace start and pulled away. The battl e wa s on for second, as Robert Cunningham , Brad Holt and Paul Herman exchanged th e positi on almost every lap . Cunningham held off Holt's furious cha rg e to the finish , followed by Herman and Spence. Th e Western regi on experim ental classes had very .go od rider turnou t. Cliff Nagatani won the 250cc Novi ce class, Gary Swan took the 600cc Novi ce "CD .c win, and David Harness won the 750cc E Novice ra ce. Horton aced th e 125cc CD Sportsman contest , over Darren PritchCD C ett's four -stroke Honda. Herman started vintage racing in the 48 T ~ ... Support class, and he is now very com p etitive in both bi g sin gles AHRMA classes. He pow ered by Ron Hinton in the first tu rn of the '70s Sing les ev ent and h eld o n t o th e c hecke rs . Brad Spencer had bike problems and took a un characteristic trip into the hay bales. Mike Gonzales and Rod Lak e push ed a nd s hoved over sec ond, w hile Dana Perry grabbed forth . Spo rtsma n 250cc rider Ken Netto, on a s to ck-fra med Can-Am, s ho we d th e wav to Bultaco-mounted Brad Holt and Jeff Lessley. Cunningham had ano the r four- stroke Honda runn ing well for fourth. Big-bore Sportsman Triumphs ridd en by Rod Spencer and Horton went one-two in their even t. Yamaha -mounted John Proto finished third, while BSA rid er Mike Van Lienden mo ved up to fou rth . Van Lienden won the Sen iors race over Marty Lewis arid Steve Lacey. Robert Hansen and Craig Haas took th e hole sh ot in th e Vet main , but Jeff Lessley had the lead by the end of the firs t lap. H is lead wa s sho rt-lived , as Rod Spencer pow ered aro und the Bultaco rid er for the first spot and the wi n. Hansen hung on for third . Cra ig Rod gers ' XR Harl ey smo ked into the lead of the Unlimited Support ra ce, but Rod Lake's outside lin e was good for the first spo t after the ini tial lap . Jeff Apple, rid ing the w heels off a Yamaha, finished second . Wood-Rotax rid er Don n ie H ar rell went flag to flag ahead a goo d-sized Pro fie ld. Randy Bereman passed Da nn y Rich ie about mid race for second, an d Scott Podergois, who was comi ng fro m eN the penalty line, finished fourth. Tulare Cycle Park Tulare, Califomia Results : October 23, 1999 e Ls e 250: 1. Tom Horton IOss ): 2. Ron Less ley (Bu1); 3. Ierry Le ssley (Bu1); 4. Tom Moore (R-£); 5. Jeff Les sley (Bul). ci.sc 5001750: 1. Robert C u nning ham {H e n), 2. Ch ris Rud y (H-D); 3. Jeff Apple (H · D); 4. Da vid Brown (E9 A); S. Henry N o menma d er (H-D). CLSe OPEN: 1. Butch Cochran ITri); 2. Chris Ap ple ITn); 3. Da vid Harnes s (Tri); 4. Stu Ca rdo n (Tri ): 5. Daryl Foster (BSA). NOV S PTS M N 250: 1. C liff Naga lani (Bu!) ; 2. Micha el Lessley (Ho n); 3. Bob Stu scavage (Yam) ; 4. Dan Casema jor (Bul); 5. BobCellini (Bul) . NOV SPTS MN 600:: 1. Gary Swan ITri) ; 2. Dav e Cheney (Yam); 3. Jack Dennis (Bul); 4. Alan Shaw (T n); 5. Curt Haisley (Yam ). NOV S PTS MN 750: 1. David Harnes s (T r i); 2. Richard Held (Yam); 3. Da vid Nich olson ITn); 4. Gerald Spe ncer (Tri); 5. Bill Blyth (Tri). SPTSMN 125: 1. To m Hor ton (Kaw): 2. Da rren Pri tche tt (Hon ); 3 . C u rt Lang (Bu l); 4. Rod Les s ley (Hu n); 5. Tim Dowd (Hem). S PTSMN 250: 1. Ken Netto (C-A) ; 2. Brad Ho lt (Bul); 3. Jeff Lessley (Bul); 4. Robe rt Cu nni ng ha m (H e n): 5. Nic k Nazzisi (Yam ). SrTSMN 600: 1. Brad Spe nce r (He n): 2. Robert Cun ni ngham IHo n): 3. Brad Ho lt (8 u l); 4. Pau l Herma n (Yam); 5. Denn is Spence (Hen) . SPTSMN 750: 1. Rod. Spencer (T n ); 2. Tom Ho rton (Tri): 3. John Proto (Yam); 4. Mik e Van Lienden (BSA); S. Ma rty lewis (Tri) . D INO: 1. Ma rk Milton (ln d) . ' 70s SCI..: 1. Pa ul Herman (Yam); 2. Mike Go nza les (Yam ); 3. Rod Lake (Yam ); 4. Dana Perry (Yam); 5. Ro n Hinton (Yam) . VFr 35+: 1. Rod Spencer (Tri ); 2. Jeff Less ley (Bul) : 3. Robert Hansen IHc n ): 4. Tedd Mello IKa w ): 5. Craig Haas (Yam) . SR 50+: 1. Mike Va n Liend en (85 A); 2. Ma ry Lew is (Trl): 3. Steve Lacy (Hen): 4. Hen ry N oncrn ac her (HMD); 5. Warren Ada ms ITri). S/SR 60+: 1. Du an e Spence (Tri): 2. Micke y AI7.o 1a (Tri): 3. Sam G rey (Hon): 4. Jim Ch isu m

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