Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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r---------------------------------,~ International OId-lmers Motocross Series Season Finale Round 13: Sunrise Cycle Part z w ::E :; ~ Old-Timers Wrap It Up Columbia's, and our dollar goes almost twice as far as their dollar these days. If they can get enough people to confirm that they will be at the track for the Friday prior to the race weekend, they will arrange a bus tour of the Edmonton area. Jack Biery was our oldest rider this year. This 81-year-old drives an 18-wheeler and rides a street bike. He is very active "for his age." From race number one in Southern California to Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, and back to Adelanto for race 13, the series involves, to say the least, a bunch of traveling. More than 25 years ago, the Old-Timers started traveling around with vans full of bikes, pulling trailers in which to spend the weekend. This evolved to motorhomes pulling bike trailers. The motocross circuit, along with the motorhome industry, has produced some pretty hightech "trailers" that are really half-motorhomes. The Old-Timers have the best of all worlds: high-class travel to exciting MX events. These 70-year-old riders are not only still physically able to compete, they are mentally alert. The instant reactions necessary to avoid contact with other riders on the track does not allow for that "senior moment." These guys are sharp! They are truly amazing. They are creaky and may have had bionic bone replacements, angioplasty, heart bypass surgery but they still keep going, and going, and going. They should be in commercials for the battery industry. Gene Higginbotham competed in 11 of the 13 events and earned the number-one Over 70 Expert. His rivalry with Tony Armada made for some very close, exciting races, and consequently Armada earned the number-two spot, competing in 10 of the 13 events. Nate House from Oregon took the number-one position in the Over 70 Amateur class; he rode nine of the 13 events. eN By ANNIE MCCARTHY ADElANTO, CA, OCT. 27-28 ith the 13th and final round at Sunrise Cycle Park in Adelanto, California, the International OldTimers' MX season was complete. To qualify for year-end recognition, riders must travel to each of four zones at least once and then ride two more races in any zone for a total of six races. The four geographical zones are as follows: Zone 1 is Canada; the Rocky Mountain area, Idaho and northern Nevada make up Zone 2; Zone 3 includes central California, Washington and Oregon; and Zone 4 is comprised of Southern California, Arizona and the Las Vegas area. OTMX events are two-day events. Riders aged 40 to 59 ride three motos on Saturday and two on Sunday; riders aged 60 and up ride two motos on Saturday and Sunday, and are scheduled early in the day, for a few reasons "mature" riders prefer mornings, as they use up energy sooner; and then they can relax and bench-race/chat/ spectate for the rest of the day. Also, clearly they have earned the right to indicate their preference on the schedule - and that would be "first"! The OTMX classes include Novice (for true beginners over 40), Amateur, Expert and Master. The Master class is for riders who are really fast or Pros who have given up racing for money. There is always talk of creating an Old-Timer Pro class, but that's really not what the International OldTimers are all about. It's not about money; it's about the camaraderie of competing with others in their particular age bracket with comparable ability. We started at age 40, then added Over 50, Over 60, and Over 70. The Old-Timers have "aged" a long way! One of the series' stops was in Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, which is almost 2000 miles from California, so there were no Over 70 riders entered. The Alberta Old-Timers have been hosting their races at the same location - Olson's Farm in Antler Lake - for 24 years. They are extending a special invitation to their event in 2002 to celebrate their 25th anniversary. They plan a very special weekend of racing in true Old-Timer fashion. There will be some modifications to the track, and they plan to use as much natural terrain as they possibly can. Remember that their gas is even cheaper than British W 36 JANUARY 16. 2002' cue I ~ Sunrise Cycle hit Adelantll, Califomia Filllll Results: lIc:1Dber 27-28, 2001 lAfter round 13 of 131 40... NOV: 1. Terry Tate; 2. Phil Daugherty. 40+ AM: I. Clayton Moore; 2. Jeff Kissinger: 3. Stacy LeDou: 4. Doug McBride. 40 EX: I. John May: 2. Dennis Spence. 50 AM: I. Allen Bray: 2. Randy Layne. 50 EX: I. James Harris; 2. Steve Machado: 3. Laurence St. Pierre; 4. Leroy Smith; 5. J.R. Meusling. 50 ... MSTR: I, Mike Perry; 2. Garry Roestel: 3. Bob Krah. 60 ... NOV: 1. George WlIll. 60+ AM: I. Chuck Woody; 2. Harold Noell. 60+ EX: I. Phil Frisbie; 2. Gary Bonds: 3. Tom HlImm: 4. Gene Hrobsky; 5. Stan Woods. 70+ AM: 1. Nate House. 70+ EX: 1. Gene Higginbolh"m; 2. Tony Armada; 3. Johnnie HlIlI; 4. Fred Parsen. MSTR A: 1. MlIrk Franklin; 2. Andy Tudor; 3. MlIrk KlIestner; 4. Herb NachtigalJ; 5. Glynn Higgins. MSTR B: I. ClIrl Chlldwick; 2. Ron Hudson. e n e _ SO AMP National Track at Prairie City: Cobra tamer Chris Arroyo took a big Pee Wee win at round five 01 the AMP/GFI Super Gold Cup Octoberfest series in Rancho Cordova, California. AMP/GFI Super Gold Cup Octoberfest Series Round 5: AMP National Track at Prairie City Arroyo Streams to Prairie Win By JIM AND JUSTIN ENOS RANCHO CORDOVA, CA, NOV. 11 ound five of the AMP/GFI Super Gold Cup Octoberfest Series descended upon the AMP National Track at Prairie City, and it was Cobra pilot Chris Arroyo who took the top honors in the Main Track Pee Wee (0-8) Open class. The series, presented by Swift Auto World and Merced Powersports, continues to see its popularity grow, as was evidenced by yet another strong turnout of more than 300 riders. Making sure everyone enjoys their race day is priority number one, and for the Pee Wees, the AMP crew redirected the track, eliminating the two uphill sections. While the little guys were probably pretty happy about not having to climb the hills, the parents were the most thankful, as the thought of rescuing Junior at the top of the hill would have proved to be a tiresome chore. "While some of the Pee Wee bikes probably have enough power to make it up, it just isn't fair for the ones that don't," noted Jack Azevedo. "Besides, some of the kids would probably be scared to death coming down, and of course we wouldn't want the parents to work harder than they already do." However, down on the flat lands, the little guys got down to business. In the first Main Track Pee Wee (0-8) Open moto, Brian Yorton grabbed the early lead while Calvin LaCurelle, Kyle Freitas and Arroyo gave chase. R LaCurelle quickly took over the lead, but only for a short time, as he tucked the front end in a corner. Arroyo was hard on the gas, and he had made his way into second; he seized the opportunity, taking the lead and opening up a huge gap in a hurry. Freitas also made his way by LaCurelle and had a firm lock on second. At the checkers, the race was for third, between Yorton and LaCurelle. After a brief battle, LaCurelle made the pass, and Yorton had to settle for fourth. Zachary Van Meter rounded out the top five. In moto two, it was all Arroyo. He grabbed the holeshot and simply checked out on the field. LaCurelle, who was running second the whole moto, went down hard on the whiteflag lap and Freitas took over the runner-up spot. In fact, Freitas managed to hold off Van Meter and took a solid second overall on the day. LaCurelle rebounded from his hard get-off to take a respectable third on the day via a 3-4 tally, while Van Meter (5-3) and Yorton (4-5) rounded out the top five. Polini pilot Elric Flory snagged a pair of moto wins to take the Pee Wee (7-8) Stock-class win. Flory, who has been dominant in the tiddler class, went unchallenged in both motos. KTM rider Jordan Hausmann went 2-2 on the day and had to settle for runner-up honors. Cody Evans posted a 4-3 score on the day, rounding out the top three. Although normally joined by four or five others, Gunner Sigler and Keith Clark were the only two