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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128119
85 STK (7-11): I. Joshuo Hill (Kaw): 2. Jeff
Alessi (Vern); 3. Austin Stroupe (Vern); 4. Jase Lewis
(Han); 5. Kyle Smith (Suz).
851'100 (9-13): 1. Mike Alessi (Yom): 2. Kyle
Chisholm (Kew); 3. Joshua Hill eKaw); 4. Daniel Seni
(Hon); 5. Jason lzlwrence (K8W).
851'100 (14-15): I. Brae Hepler (Suz): 2.
Jimmy Nelson (Yam); 3. Nicholas Evennou (Yllm);
(Left) Kevin Walker
won the Vet A 30+
class.
4. Chorlie1'lonison (Han); 5. Joshuo Grant (Act).
105 S/1'I1NI: 1. Jimmy Nelson (Yom); 2. Kyle
Chisholm eKew); 3. Teddy Maier (Kew); 4. Brae
Hepler (Suz); 5. I'Iatt Goerke (Yom).
125 A: 1. James St.ewllrt (Kew); 2. Ryen Morais
(Yam); 3. Troy Adams (Yam); 4. Joshua Summey
(Kew); 5. Steve Mertens.
(Right) After
dominating Ponca
City the week
before, Mike Alessi
came away with a
win In the 85cc
Modified (9-13)
class.
1251'100 (12-15): 1. Jomes Stewart (Kow): 2.
Nicholas Adams (Yam); 3. Ryan Mills (Hon); 4.
Bryan Johnson Jr. (Suz); 5. Sean Collier (Hon).
125 B STK: 1. Gavin Gracyk (KllW); 2. Donnie
McGourty (Yam); 3. Joshua Hzmsen (Yam); 4. Jesse
Casillas Jr. (Yam); 5. Cody Watford (Suz).
125 B Mod: 1. Michael Blose (YlIm); 2. Brian
Gray (Suz); 3. Donnie McGourty (Yam); 4. Richie
Owens (Kew): 5. Charles Ellis (Suz).
125 STK: I. Shaun Skinner (Hon); 2. Brad Alarid
(Yom); 3. D.C. Clork (Han); 4. Joke Griffis (Yom); 5.
Juslin Dikes (Suz).
125 STK (12-15): I. Nicholos Adorns (Yom); 2.
Sean CoJlier (Hon); 3. Ryan Mills (Hon): 4. Shewn
Clork (Kow); 5. Eric Nye (Yom).
Yamaha-mounted Carroll and California's Chris Young home in the Vet
c1ass,.then Pennsylvania's Shane
Lawson and Indiana's Larry "Sluggo"
Gessner in the Junior division.
Walker now has a total of six class
championships from Loretta Lynn's in
his trophy case back in Gray, Tennessee.
Longtime "Michigan Mafia" member David Mack pulled out the Senior
(40+) title with a 2-1-5 showing in
Tennessee. He bettered a couple of
familiar rivals in former class champion Larry Whitmer from Indiana and
fellow District 14 competitor James
Dlabal, who won the final moto
aboard his Honda CR250.
Ike De Jager took time off from
helping out at the Gary Semics
Motocross School to sweep all three
motos of the Masters (50+) class
ahead of Texan Darwin Huckabee
and Ohio's Henry Gref.
One of the best stories of the week
was that of the Tomac family, who
hail from Cortez, Colorado. John
Tomac is already a mountain-bike-
racing legend, but he was entering
Loretta Lynn's as a motocross racer
for the first time in the Vet BIC class.
Tomac's son Eli was competing in
the AMA Amateur Nationals for the
third time, and the promising young
Cobra rider scored a moto win in the
final 51cc Stock (7-8) event after
pushing his bike across the line (ala
Ryan Hughes at Steel City '95) the
second time out.
While the young Tomac suffered
some bad luck, Mr. Tomac had the
good fortune to somehow overcome
from a first-turn crash in the final Vet
BIC (30+) moto to score the class
championship. The Suzuki-mounted
Tomac had finished second in the first
two motos behind Alabama's Rodney
Cavender, and both he and Cavender
were caught up in a first turn pile-up
in the finale. As they charged through
the pack at the end of the moto,
Tomac was behind the Honda rider
and did not have much hope for the
title. But when Cavender crashed hard
in the late-going, Tomac motored by
and scored an unlikely class championship with a 2-2-7 tally.
BRIEFLY. ••
The AMA Amateur National MX Championships were making
their 20th consecutive appearance at the home of Lorella
Lynn. one of Country MusiC's all· time greatest stars. In the years
before the Hurricane Mills. Tennessee. race hrst appeared on the
amateur calendar In 1982, the AMA held separate youth and amateur Nationals at races revolving tracks around the country,
including Red Bud Track 'N Trail in Michigan. the old Hangtown
course at Plymouth, California. Gary Bailey's lake Sugar Tree
track. and Rolling Hills In ReedSville, North Carolina.
The AMA Amateur National Championship qualifying program includes Area and Regional events that begin in March and
run throughout the summer. A rider must qualify in the top 10 at
the Area level and then make an even beller finish al the Regional
level to make It Lorella Lynn·s. A total of 42 riders make it to
Loretta Lynn's in each of the 32 classes for a total of 1344 Loretta Lynn's entries. The classes range from 51 cc Stock (Shaft
Drive) for riders 4 to 6 years old, to the Masters class for riders
50 years of age and older. This year more than 13,000 riders tried
to qualify for the event. an amateur motocross record.
Once again, Florida won the AM State Championship trophy for having the highest overall scores, with winners with
Haines City's James Stewart winning two classes. Mulberry's
Ricky Renner winning the 65cc Stock