Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

PHOTOS BY MATT BENSON AHRMA AMS Racing Cross Country Series Round II: Portland Trail Riders A Muddy Good Time By MATT BENSON PORTlAND, MI, AUG. 29 A n hour-long cross-country race on an old /"'\motorcycle is to ugh e nough. But an hour of fighting the mud and m echanical gremlins caused by wet co ndit ions - let alone batding aga inst o ne 's fe llo w competitors - Is a real challe nge. All in the name 01 "F u n on Old Wheels." of co urse . With 2 1/2 inche. 01 ra in lalling the night belore adding to already soggy conditions, the Portland Trail Riders were sent scrambling on race morning to reroute some of the low . tying portions of their cross-co untry course. The end result was a bit shorter than the original 3mile length of the circuit. When the green nag waved , 55 riders were sent 0(( on a course that snaked back and fort h thro ugh the wo o ds. occasionally popping o ut into the grassy edges o f the pit area and around portions of th e club 's mo tocro ss track. The Post -Vintage Experts were all first, and Rick Sims was out fro nt on h is Can -Am . Competing against Sims in the Post -Vintag e Open Expert class, Husqva rna rid e r Robert Pistole w as challenging the le ader by the hallwa y mark. On the ne xt lap , it was Pisto le lead ing the w.oy The Husky rider maintained a . narr o w lea d until the checkered nag was shown after se ven laps. Former pro bas ketball player Rik Smits finished th ird in the c1 ass on his Mako, also completing seven laps. On the Sportsman Open Expert side , some of the usual fro nt - runne rs ran into problems in the mucky conditions. Spencer Bal en t ine ' s Pe nton lo st spark in the b ig mudhole just be fore the sco ring sta tion , and he spent most of the race getti ng the mach ine going again . In the end, he tu rn ed in th ree laps to finish second in class. behin d winner Kevin Kline. James Smith had a wire come adri ft on hi. Can-Am, and he completed five la p. to win the Sportsman 200cc Expert class after a pit stop to get things sorted out. Michigan'. Tom Boyd was at the head 01 the Vintage crew acr o ss the finish line, do ing seven laps o n hi. Hu. ky to earn the Vintage Ov er SO Expert win . The o nly other Vintage -class rider to complete seven laps in the mud was the Honda-mounted Kline. CN PORTlAND TRAIL RIDERS PORTlAND, MICHIGAN RESU tTS : AUGUST AHRMA doesn't declare an overall winner in cross country, but Husqvorna-mounted Bob Pistole was the first rider to receive the checkered flag, w inn ing the PostVintage Open Expert division. RE SU L TS . 0 BEG, I. M........er (KTM); 2. Kody Rubright (KTM ); 3. G iovanni r-ta va r (Cob); .. , Chelate Kollar (KT M); S. Matthew Fusco (Ho n). 50 (4-6) : I. Robe rt Vall (Co b); 2. Stephen Gretchen (KT M) ; 3. Brady Patte rs o n (KT M); .. . Robe rt Lcule Reicher (KTM); S. Conner Lmdon (KTM). 50 (7 -8) : I. Jo shu a Boyd (SUI) ; 2. Dr e w Lo w e ry (KT M); 3. Tan ne r Nemett (KTM): <4 . Austin West e m (Pol); 5. Jona th an Kissel (Cob). 65 BEG : I. Jam es Galloway III (Suz); 2. Tim Matson (KTM); 3. Chase Sparks (Kaw) ; "I. Nathaniel Sanford (Kaw ); S. Evan Weekley (Kaw ). 65 (7-9): I, Logan Kamow (KTH ); 2. Cade Clasen (KTM); 3. Aus tin Paeecs (KTM); ... Jord an Brewer (!enwood (Suz). 12. k I. W"m,n Laney (Y am); 2. Za

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