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Washougal Amateur Days Washougal Motocross Park 1fu~man, Smai [eadthe Way 4. ,.~ STORY AND PHOTOS BY CLAY LIGHT WASHOOGAL, WA, JOlY 23-26 ust shy of 1800 riders converged on Washougal Motocross Park for the 23rd annual Washougal Amateur Days. Riders from as far away as Maryland and Hawaii came for four consecutive days of racing leading up to the Big Show - the AMA 125/ 250cc National. Oregon's Ryan Huffman and Washington's Lance Smail were among the elite A-class riders in attendance. Huffman won the 125cc and 250cc A classes, while his fellow Yamaha rider Smail won the Over 30 A class and also trailed Huffman overall in the 125cc and 250cc classes. Both riders used this event to get in some additional track time, as both would later compete in the 250cc class at the National. Huffman's first overall win came during Thursday's race action. The rider from Roseburg, Oregon, had brutally tough competition from Smail and Idaho's Cole Siebler. Neither Smail nor rookie Pro rider Siebler could put the clamps on Huffman, who won both motos, leading Smail (2-2). Siebler (3-3), Colorado's Matthew Whitmarsh (6-4) and Tyler Kavaney (4-6) into the top five overall. Smail was Huffman's closest competition in the 250cc Pro class, although Huffman again carded the overall win with another 1·1 sweep, while Smail's 2-2 performances netted the rider from Kent, Washington, second place. Oregon's Tyler Fick, a second-year Pro, finished an impressive third overall out of a field of 33 riders. Fick's consistent 4-3 placings J netted the former minicycle star the final spot on the podium. Idaho's Cory Christiansen (3-4) and Kavaney (5-5) rounded out the top five. Smail finished his day on a positive note. The 30-something-year-old gave the competition a lesson in the agony of defeat, taking a 1-1 win. Fellow AMA National competitor Don Bisceglia trailed Smail in both contests to finish second overall, while Californians J.R. Mason, Monty Ware and Kelly Hammer finished third through fifth, followed by Colorado's Troy Lessa r. The Supermini class, like the majority of the classes, was jampacked with riders. Some classes utilized three divisions. While the Supermini class had a "mere" 45 riders, many classes had well over 100 riders competing. The 125cc C class, at 143 riders, was split into three divisions, which were won by Nic Wolfer, Matt Frye and Justin Posey. Oregon's Danny Gubser was one of the few double-class winners during the four days of racing. The Yamaha rider won the 85cc (12-13) and Supermini (12-15) classes. Gubser swept both 85cc (12-13) motos, beating Honda-mounted Byron Young and Californian Matthew Spencer. Gubser came back several races later to again pound the competition and cap off his double-class sweep on the day. Buck Ford - who, with his family, made the trek from Vacaville, California - finished second twice to take the second-place laurels, followed by Hollister's Joshua Duppong (5-4). In the adjoined Supermini (9-11) class, Washingtonians Mikey Schmeck and Chris Howell placed one-two. While Schmeck aced both motos, Howell's 2-4 placings bettered those of California's Zachary Andrade (5-2) and Utah's Dacoda Sorochuk (6-5). Fifth place overall fell to Richard Rinaro (13-3). Hawaii's Bronson Hethcote was impressive while taking a pair of overall wins. Riding a Kawasaki, Hethcote won every moto he entered. Hethcote first won the 125cc B class (Division One), finishing ahead of Californians Carson Washington's Lance Smail 1801 . trailed Huffman in the 125cc and 250cc AlPro classes but later won the Over 30 Pro class in Washougal, Washington. 60 AUGUST 20, 2003' cue • e n _ VII' S Meyer and Craig Smith; then he did similar damage in the Before The Hill B class. Utah's Justin Fraughton (32) and Californian Zachary Woodward (2-3) spent much of both motos trying to keep tabs on the f1yin' Hawaiian, but they were no match, and Hethcote stood among the scant few double-class winners on the day. There were also three divisions of the 250cc C class, with a total of 115 riders. Out-of-staters dominated two of the three divisions, as Montana's Mike Rosengren and Californian Mark Dwyer topped Divisions One and Two. Washington's Kris Jorgensen won Division Three. Oregon's Gary Terlecki and Californian Pete Kasten split moto wins in the competitive Over 25 A class. The overall went to the Suzuki-mounted Terlecki (1-3). Kasten, however, wasn't as consistent in his other moto and used a 7-1 tally to place fourth overall to Terlecki, Shawn Bushnell and Craig Wesner. In Saturday's Over 40 A class, Californian Ken Beebe and Washington's Darryl Zumstein collected moto victories. Zumstein, who has won more overall wins at Washougal than any other rider in the track's 30-year history, added another win to his incredible tally with his moto-two victory. Beebe, who trailed Zumstein, Dominic Franza and Shawn Hybarger in moto two, finished second overall on a 1-4 tally. Franza (4-2), Brad Bolmes (2-6) and Hybarger, who forged through the field of 21 riders in moto two to finish third, rounded out the top five overall.