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/128345
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