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/128162
Parts Unlimited Vintage Iron World Championships Glen Helen Raceway Park (Left) The highlight of the Vintage Iron World Championships was the Yamaha Race of Champions, which Included, among others, these guys: peft to right) Ron Leehien, Gary Jones, Jim Holley, Broe Glover, Jim Gibson and Goat Breker. (Right) Lechlen made the podium in one of the four YROC motos. By ROD SIMMONS PHOTOS BY MITCH FRIEDMAN SAN BERNARDINO, CA, JUNE 20-23 "Ii' he bikes were old but, no matter LJ how archaic they might've been, the racing was always new at the annual Vintage Iron World Championships at Glen Helen Raceway. And there was plenty of both this weekend, as hundreds of riders and their old steeds, many of the bikes better taken care of and prepped than most modern bikes, attended the two-day event. The first day (Saturday) focused on the real old bikes, the true "vintage" bikes (pre-'75), and the second day (Sunday) highlighted the Evolution bikes of the mid- '70s to early '80s, where cool old Makos and Suzukis seemed to overrun the track. All of the bikes, however, weren't old. One of the traditional highlights 58 JULY 10, 2002' cue I e of the weekend was the Yamaha Race Of Champions, where stars of the past compete on modern YZs in a four-moto format. This year's YROC competition again featured some major players of yesteryear, as well as some superstars from around the world. Not only were they competing for personal reasons, but for team pride as well. This year's YROC competition also featured an MX des Nations-type points system, where Team USA challenged Team World over the four motos. Moto scores are tallied and the team with the lowest score is dubbed MX des Nations Champion in this just-for-fun event. The inaugural event was won by Team USA and was led by YROC individual winner Broc Glover. It's hard to believe that 25 years have passed since Glover won his first of six AMA outdoor titles. The 42-year-old "Golden Boy" dominated this year's YROC with style, speed, and an aggression that had some trackside observers speculating that perhaps Glover ought to be on the start line at the Unadilla AMA National next month alongside old adversary Danny LaPorte. In its third year of existence, the YROC competition serves to celebrate the lifetime achievements of former n _ vw (Left) Glover was fast all weekend and came away with the YROC overall championship. (RIght) Former World champ Georges Jobe was fast, too. The Belgian took "Inner-up honors. s National and World Champions, while simultaneously showcasing the manufacturer's 2002 model lineup. The four-moto format in which each rider takes his turn aboard the YZ125, YZ250F, YZ250, and YZ426F - ensures that the eventual overall victor is the event's best all-around rider. As for the MX des Nations, the world team consisted of five-time FIM champ Georges Jobe of Belgium; former Husqvarna and Kawaski factory ace Torlief Hansen of Sweden; Australia's Mr. Motocross, Stephen Gall; 125cc World Champ Pekka Vehkonen; four-time Japanese champ Hideaki Suzuki and, in a last-minute substitution, former French National Champion Patrick Boniface (a.k.a. Steve's dad), who filled in for former World champ Jacky Vimond after he was snake-bitten with last-minute visa problems. On the U.S. side, past YROC champions Glover and Jim Holley were to be teamed with Ron Lechien, Jimmy Ellis, four-time National champ Gary Jones, and 1980 U.S. GP hero Marty Moates. Ellis, however, tweaked his knee the week prior and was replaced by past YROC supersub Jim Gibson. On race day, Moates fell victim to a herniated disk and recruited Goat Breker to take his spot. Good-guy Moates took on the selfless roll as chief cheerleader and goggle washer. The first moto of the YROC competition set the tone for the weekend, with Glover taking the win ahead of Jobe, both mounted on YZ250s. Lechien took third aboard the 426F, with Holley and Gibson coming in fourth and fifth, respectively, on the 250Fs. Further back, Hansen and Jones (who rode with a helmet camera) battled for the Over-50 bragging rights, something they'd repeat in each of the weekend's four motos. Things heated up considerably in moto two, as Holley signaled his intention to defend his crown by going wire to wire for the win. The fireworks took place behind Holley, as Glover barged Jobe with a Rex Staten-esque display that demoted a seething Jobe to the bottom step on the podium. Fill-in Breker, wearing Moates' six-sizes-too-big gear, came home fourth and earned accolades from Speed Channel announcer Bob Hannah during a bench-racing session taped later that evening. When Breker questioned what it would take for Hannah to compete next year, the "Hurricane" replied that if Goat card- ._ -