Michael Orr (Yam); -t. Ja me s Culbe rtson (Suz) ; S. Kyle
Kessinger (Yam). OP EN X 0 ·1: I. Jerem y Baeza. (Hon); 2.
Jo se ph Romano (Yam) ; 3. RyUl Leebelt (Yam) ; -t. Tanne r
AJexandeo- (Suz): S. Ryan H
RESULTS
Honda/Yamaha Sports Center AHRMA Northwest Post-Vintage
Hon ey Lak e Motocl'Oss Park
By GUY COULSTON
Ano t he r go od batt le seems to be taking
shape as jake jacobs and joe Gonzalez - re lative
newco mers to the Post-Vinta scene , and both
ge
Expe rts in t h e Ov er 40 clas s ca me ou t
SWinging. Gon zalez blasted out of the ho le in
the first moto and led from wire to wire , taking
not only first in his class but first ove rall. In the
seco nd moto, jaco bs shot o ut fir st , wi th
Gonzalez right behind him, and that's the way it
e nded , with jacobs garne ring first ove rall.
The re was a good tussle between tw o guys
in two different classes: Ric "Big Daddy Maico"
Tipton , in the GP 500ec Inte rmediate class, and
Jimmy Mercado , in the Ult ima 500cc Novice
class. Mercado got the holesho t and was able to
ho ld o rr " Big Dadd y" fo r three laps. On the
fourt h lap, Tipton slid by and was just able to
hold orr Me rcado for the win. In the sec o nd
mot o, Tipton was out front o n the first lap, but
Me rcado ea sed by on the seco nd lap. Tipton
had mechan ical pro blems afte r that, so the
Maico grem lins had the last word . O r did they ?
Mercado's pe rformance not only garnered him
first in his class, he was rewarded with a bump
u p t o Int e r med iate . (Tipto n's th e race
coo rdinator, and he gets to decide these th ings.)
Todd Kohlmeister wo n the Kool Bike Award
for his very t ricked -out 490cc Maico.
HondaIY
amaha Sports Cente r of Yuba City
spo nsors the series. For more information , go
to: www.AHRMA.org/northwest.
Thomsen Guns
to Echo Valley
MXWins
By BOB CHASE
BROOKSTON, MN, JUNE 13
early 500 ride rs signed up for Echo Valley Motocross Park's first race of 2004.
Th e t rack is under new managemen t, but it
sti ll has t he same layo ut t hat racers hav e
grown to enjoy. Cole Th oms en was on t he
podiu m in all t hree classes he e nte red, w inning t he 85cc (9-12) class and finishing seco nd
in B5cc ( 12- 1S) and 5upenmini co mpet ition .
Echo Valley is located in the heavily wood ed
Arrowh ead se ct io n of no rth ern Minne so ta.
about 40 minutes west of Duluth. As the name
N
4 0th Anniver sary
Jimmy Me rcado (13) leads Ric "Big
Daddy Ma ica " Tipto n (3 4) du ring
AHRMA Northwest Pos t-Vintage
action at Honey Lake Motoc ro ss
Park in Milford, Ca lifo rnia.
RESUL
TS
HSTRC SOD N OV : l. Guy Coulst on (Mai). G P 500
IN T: I. Bre tt Fo st er (Hus) : 2. Keit h Geddis (Mai); 3. Ric
Tipto n (Mai); -t. Tracy Ke hoe (Mai). GP 500 EX: I. Jake
Jacobs (Mai): 2. Joe GonuJez (Mai). ULTI MA 125 EX: I.
Ruu Wyant (Suz): 2. Ru" Held (Hon). ULTIMA 500 NOV,
I. Jimm y Mercado (Mai); 2. John Benevent o (Hon). ULTIHA
500 EX: I. Todd Kohlme ister (Mai). OPEN AGE N OV: l.
Jimmy Mer cado (Mai). 40 + NOV: I. G uy Cou lst on (Mai).
40 + INT: I. Brett Foste r (Hus): 2. Kei h Gedd is (Mai): l . Ric
t
Tipton (Mai). 40 + EX: I. Jake Jacobs (Mai): 2. Joe Gonzalez
(Mal); l . Todd Kohlmelster (Mal). 50 + INT: I. Jim Patt erson
(Mai). 50 + EX: I. Russ Wyan t (Suz).
suggests, the track is laid out in a grassy valley
and uses its elevation changes to the fullest. Most
of the jumps are downhill fly-eways o r uphill
jumps. The dirt is loose , almost sandy in parts .
Nearly the entire track is visible from the main
spectator viewing area, which has a grandstand
and is located vel')" close to the concessions.
In the firs t 8Scc (9- 12) mo to, Bra nd o n
Murp hy grabbed the hole shot, but Thomsen
mo ved into the lead before the first lap was
ov er and pu lled away. Murp hy wa s a
comfortab le second , followed at the line by
Stonm johnson and Brandon Bartelds.
Th e second mota wa s much mo r e
interesting. as the SScc (7- 11) winner. Cole
Seaton, got the holeshot, with Thomsen right
be hind him. They pulled away in thei r own
priva te battl e for t he lead . Thomsen pulle d
even on several occasions but could not make a
pass stick. Seaton won the mota, but his firstmoto 13th left him o ut o f conte ntio n for the
overall. Thomsen took the overall win, followed
in the mot o and ove rall by Murphy, joh nson ,
Bartelds and je remy Nathe.
Often , on e of t he most co m pe t itive and
entertaining classes is the Over 30 A class, and
th is race was no exce ption. In the first moto ,
Rick Amat uzio moved into t he lead early and
gapped the field. Behind him, the de fend ing
Ove r 40 A-class champion, Mike Nathe, held
seco nd for the first half of the race , but then he
drop ped back. Mike Masters and David Matten
wo r ked th e ir w ay into second a nd third ,
followed by Tim Bemloehr and Craig Janzig.
In mota two, Amatuzio again took the lead
on lap one and motored away. Nathe and Mark
johnson batt led over second for most of the
race , wi t h Nat he hold ing the spot to th e
checkere d flag. Maste rs held off Be rnloe hr for
four t h, giving him second overall. He wa s
followed in the overall results by Nathe (7-2),
Bemloe hr (4-S) and r-tatt en (3-6).
Other double winne rs on the day w er e Tony
De ma r ias, in 85cc ( 12. 15) a nd Super mini
classes; Kelly Brown , in the I25cc Band 250cc