Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Steve McQueen Memorial Classic Motocross AHRMA Western Regional Series Round 6: Eugene Motocross Park STORY AND PHOTOS BV CLAY LIGHT EUGENE, OR, JUNE 30 /n 1985, the inaugural Steve McQueen Memorial Vintage Motocross event drew only a handful of riders for what was then a new addition to the sport of motocross. Seventeen years later, the sport has reached new levels, as was evidenced by the record turnout this year at Eugene Motocross Park. Two hundred and fifty-two riders were on hand for the event, which also doubled as round six of the AHRMA Western Regional Series, drawing riders from a five-state radius and British Columbia. Only a few of those 252 riders, though, experienced the kind of success enjoyed by Oregon's Jim Rowand Washington's Larry Legarra. Row came out on top of the Sportsman 500cc and Open Age Expert classes, while Legarra nabbed the Classic 500cc and Premier 500cc Expert wins. The day's opening motos pitted several of the West Coast's top Expert riders in the combined 250cc Expert/Intermediate class. Former class winners Joe Casey, Dallas Nyblod and Husky rider Tom McKinney spent much of both motos locked in a close battle before the overall went in favor of Oregon's Casey. McKinney and Casey pushed Nyblod throughout the first moto, although McKinney later dropped out of action and Casey slashed into Nyblod's once-large lead to trail Nyblod by less than a wheel at the finish. Nyblod and Casey exchanged the lead several times in moto two, but Casey assumed the point position for keeps late in the moto and held off Nyblod for several laps before Nyblod began to tire and McKinney picked off the YZ-mounted rider to finish second. Overall, Casey picked up the win with a 2-1 punch, followed by Nyblod (1-3), McKinney (3-2),Chris Wilkes (4-4) and Blake Landon (5-5). In the adjoined 250cc Intermediate class, Honda-mounted Curt Michitsch and CZ jockey Terry Bentley split moto wins. Michitsch, though, gar- 68 JULv31,2002' c u e I EO (Above) Oregon's Jim Row won two classes at the sixth round of the AHRMA Western Regional Series, posting the overall Sportsman 500cc Expert and Open Age Expert victories. (Above right) Lany LegalTll was the top perfonner in the Classic 500CC and Premier 500CC Expert classes at the 17th annual Steve McQueen Memorial Classic. nered the overall win by virtue of his 1-2 placings, as Bentley's 10th-place first-moto finish, coupled with a moto-two win, left him fifth overall. Yamaha-mounted Oregonian Jon Morgan used a 2-4 tally to finish second, followed by another of the CZ-mounted Californians, Kenny Spratt (4-3). The Over 30 and combined Over 40 Expert classes pitted Row, Legarra, Casey, Nyblod and a host of other fast riders against each other. Nyblod had all of the answers for Row's challenges in the opening moto. While both riders were contesting separate classes, it was Nyblod narrowly edging Row's 1973 CZ 400 at the finish. Casey grabbed the lead at the start of moto two, followed by Aaron Hohman, Row, McKinney and Legarra. Nyblod, though, was buried midpack and would spend the remainder of the moto forging forward. Row displaced both Hohman and Casey to maintain the point position to the finish, which was good for an overall win in the Over 30 class, while Casey, who was contesting the Over 40 class, scored a win in his class. Casey, though, did not finish moto one (due, it was found later, to a plugged-up silencer), and the consistent McKinney (2-2) won overall in the Over 40 class, the Californian's best performances of the day. Legarra, who fell in the first Over 40 Expert moto, had a much better day in the Premier 500cc and Classic 500cc classes, scoring four runaway moto victories. Legarra, riding a 1969 Bultaco EI Bandito 360, bolted to the head of the pack in both Classic 500cc motos and never looked back. n e ... s The rider from Longview, Washington, had only BSA-mounted Califomian Jerry Winkelbauer to contend .with in the early stages of both motos, but Legarra broke free to finish well ahead of the field. George Gerstenberg, who rode the lone Cheney machine in attendance, finished third overall, ahead of Ken Gerard and Husky rider Neil Giertsen. Triumph-mounted Oregonian Jim Cole wasn't far off the Experts' pace and snared a win in the Classic 500cc Intermediate class, beating BSA riders Randy Wilder and Rick Downing. Ossa-mounted Washingtonian Dirk Murphy was the top performer in the combined Classic 250cc class which included Expert, Intermediate and Novice contestants - posting a double-moto whammy aboard his 1969 Ossa Stiletto. BSA-mounted Michael Roebuck and the third Ossa rider in the field, Rick Nicholsen, trailed Murphy in the two motos, with Nicholsen picking up an overall Intermediate-class win. The Classic 125cc class featured a battle between the highly competitive CZ riders Bill Rimy and Guy Tolomeo. The two Californians ran at the head of the field in both Expert motos, which were finalized in favor of Tolomeo. Rimy trailed Tolomeo in both motos to latch second overall. Riding a 1971 Suzuki TS 125, Oregon's Mike Falcioni finished third in both motos. Bryson Williams aced both Intermediateclass motos, while his father, Dirk, placed his Monark GS into the winner's circle in the Novice portion, also with a 1-1 tally. I:N Eagene MalIIcrDss Parle Eag.as, 0..... Raults: Jan. 30, 2002 (Rauad IJ SPTSMN 125 NOV: I. Tyler Cornell (Hon): 2. Dole Stephens (C-A); 3. Ellen Roebuck (Hon); 4. Marty Karadanis (eZ); 5. George Fuller (Pen). SPTSMN 125 II'iT: I. Scott Lowson (Hon). SPTSMN 125 EX: I. Jered Longe (Yom): 2. David Germain (Hon). SPTSMN 250 NOV: I. Tyler Cornell (Yom): 2. Timothy Bentley (Cl): 3. Steve Tolbott (Pen): 4. Mike Coruso (Hus); 5. Robert Loveless (Cl). SPTSMN 250 INT: I. Curt Michitsch (Hon); 2. Jon Morgon (Yom); 3. Ken Sprott (C2); 4. Rlchord Dyer (Hus); 5. Terry Bentley (Cl). SPTSMN 250 EX: 1. Joe Cosey (Hon); 2. Dollos Nyblod (Yam); 3. Tom McKinney (Hus); 4. Chris Wilkes (Mon); 5. Bioke London (Kow). SPTSMN 500 NOV: I. Rondy Dole (Yom); 2. Terry Dele (Cl); 3. Mike Wilkes (Hon): 4. Justin Young (Yem); 5. Bred Chestllin (Yern). SPTSMN 500 INT: 1. Toby Youn~ (Yom); 2. Roger Landberg (Bul); 3. Scott Boze (Cl); 4. Donnie Wilson (Cl); 5. Jerry Vismon (Mol) . SPTSMN 500 EX: 1. Jim Row (Cl); 2. Aoron Hohmon (Hon); 3. Chris Wilkes (Hon); 4. Dirk Murphy (Hus); 5. Neil Giertsen (Hus). WMN NOV: 1. Arloe Cole (Yern); 2. Erin Hohmon (Hon). WMN INT; I. Ellen Roebuck (Hon). OPEN AGE NOV; 1. Cole Fournier (Cl); 2. Terry Deles (Cl); 3. Mike Wilkes (Hon); 4. Justin Young (Yom); 5. Carroll Stanley (Yom). OPEN AGE INT: I. Curt Michitsch (Hon); 2. Terry Bentley (Cl); 3. Jon Mor~an (Yom); 4. Rolf Greenhill (Mon); 5. Mork Sl4nley (Hon). OPEN AGE EX: I. Jim Row (Cl); 2. Aoron Hohman (Han); 3. Chris Wilkes (Han); 4. George Gerstenberg (Che); 5. Devid Gennein (Han). 40. NOV: I. Terry Dale (Cl); i. Randy Dole (Puc): 3. Mork Boer (Cl); 4. Dovld Guillory (Hon); 5. Robert Ciayton (Cl). 40+ INT: 1. Toby Young (Han); 2. Ken Sprett (eZ); 3. Roger Lendberg (Bul); 4. Donnie Wilson (Cl); 5. Jerry Vismon (Mol). 40+ EX; I. Tom McKinney (Hus); 2. Delles Nyblod (Yam); 3. Joe Cosey (Hon); 4. Lorry Lego"o (Su,): 5. Guy Tolomeo (Cl). 50+ NOV: 1. Jerry Shields (Han); 2. Ken Guirley (Hus); 3. Bill Rionda (Cl). 50+ INT: 1. Randy Skiver (C·A); 2. Merk Stanley (Hus); 3. Bob White. 50+ EX: I. Jerry Winkelbauer (Hon); 2. Bill Row (Cl): 3. Russ Wyant (Yom). 60. NOV; 1. Hank Cusio (BSA); 2. Glen Finnerin (C·A); 3. Dellin Knutson (Yam); 4. Fred Germein (Hon); 5. Don Miller (Hus). 60. INT; 1. Charles Stondeford (Mol); 2. John Wilkes (Han); 3. Ron Predmore (Mat); 4. Eric Kresk (Yam); 5. George fedie (Yom). 60. EX: I. Lelond Loper (Oss). CLSC 125 NOV: 1. Dirk Willioms (Mrkl: 2. Morty Karodonis (Cl); 3. Chris Kerber (Hon): 4. Scott Knauf (Mrk); 5. Cloy Light (Pen). ClSC 125 INT: 1. Bryson Williems (Hus); 2. Den Roberts (Hus); 3. Mike Fugere (Suz); 4. Randy Wilder (Cl); 5. Dino Medina (Cl). CLSC 125 EX: I. Guy Tolomeo (Cl): 2. Bill Rimy (Cl); 3. Mike Falcioni (Suz); 4. Russ Wyent (Suz); 5. Jared Longe (Yom). CLSC 250 NOV: I. Scott Knouf (A·E); 2. Ken Guirley (Oss). CLSC 250 INT: I. Rick Nickolsen (Oss); 2. Mlchoel Roebuck (BSA); 3. Reese DenQier (Cl); 4. Rick Dominguez (Due); 5. Deen Newton (Tri). CLSC 250 EX; I. Dirk Murphy (Oss). CLSC 500 INT: I. Jim Cole (Tri); 2. Rondy Wilder (BSA); 3. Rick Downing (BSA). CLSC 500 EX: I. Lorry LegaITo (Bul); 2. Jerry Winkelbouer (BSA); 3. George Gerstenberg (Che); 4. Ken Gererd (BSA); 5. Neil Giertsen (Hus). PREM ~ NOV: 1. Lorry Roberts (<:l). PREM L/W INT: I. Reese Dengler (Jow); 2. Charles Schank (Moi); 3. Rich Dominguez (Due). PREM 500 INT: I. Fred Mark (Esc); 2. Dennis Moore (BSA); 3. Ron Predmore (Mot). PREM 500 EX: 1. Lorry Lego"o (An); 2. Robert Doran (Esc). HSTRC 125 NOV: I. Tyler Cornell (Vom). HSTRC 125 INT: I. Scott Lowson (Hon). HSTRC OPEN NOV; 1. Bill Metcolf (Hus). HSTRC OPEN INT: 1. Christopher Jemes (YllIm). HSTRC 50. EX: I. Bill Row (Hus). HSTRC 60.: I. Don Miller (Hus). GP 250 NOV: I. Kerry Broekling (Hon). GP 250 INT: 1. Merlo Andreini (Yern); 2. Christopher James (Yam); 3. Bill Grubin (Hon); 4. Brondon O'Brien (Mol); 5. Guy Snider (Hus). GP 500 NOV; I. Ric Tipton (Mol); 2. Andy Shoffer (Moi); 3. Richord Corbin (Hus). GP 500 INT; I. Morio Andreini (Yom); 2. Don Gerner (Suz); 3. Marvin Newton (Mal); 4. James Conwey (Mai); 5. Doug MacDuffee (Hus), ULTIMA 50+ (NT: 1, Cherles Standeford (Mai); 2. Lorry Reed (Hus). OLTIMA 250 NOV; I. Borry Relnche (Moi). OLTIMA OPEN EX: I. Bloke London (C·A). BMBR 40. NOV; I. Dole Stephens (Hus); 2. Mark Beer (Mai); 3. Kerry Broecklng (Hon). BMBR 40+ INT: I. Lance Cornell (Yam); 2. Morty Moyhew (Hon); 3. Doug MocDuffee (Hus).

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