Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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PHOTOS BY BART NEWMAN Red Bud Grass Race Red Bud MX Laughlin Laughs Last By BART NEWMAN BUCHANAN, MI, OCT. 17 ne of the coolest races on Michigan's MX schedule is Red Bud's annual Grass Race. It's an old-school affair, with no double-double or "Bubba Scrub " anywhere in sight. More than 500 riders came out to battle the stink pile, trees, O roots , and each other. Mark Laughlin won the Widowmake r clas s, w hich pitted many of the track hands against one another head to head in the last race of the Red Bud MX season. Hometown fast guy Mike laRocco hasn't m issed many of these fall races ; he likes to come ou t and play with his Wednesday night riding buddies. l a ughlin , T im Phe nd and Bob by Wagner pulled th e W idowmaker pack arou nd tu rn o ne , w it h Ric k Young, T im Ritc hie and Hal Carmichael all giving chase. Wagner had a great line t hrou g h t he wooded r ight -h an de r, and desp ite running a 125, he had a big lead when la p one was complete. Laughlin was solid in second, but Carmichael was com ing up fast - as was Michael Sparacio . w ho atta ched himself to Carmic hael's rear fender. With one lap to go , Sparacio got by Carmichael exiting the st ink pile. but a run at Laughlin came up short. The battle for fourth raged on , as Young, Phend, Ritchie and Eric Frye all jo c ke ye d for th at position. Frye moved into fourth , and after both Ritchie and Phend stalled their scooters, Young was fifth. When the gate fell for moto two, Laughlin and Carm ichae l shot out front and w ere dearly the class of the field. Sparacio , Phend and Ritchie w e re all loo king to better thei r first -moto scores. Ritchie went by Phend wit h a snicker and sneer and started swapp ing pa int with Sparacio . Carmichae l set up Laughlin on the hill and moved into first. laughl in tried to dose the gap but couldn 't , giving Carmkhael the win , but Laughlin ( 1-2) took the overall. Ritchie made the pass on Sparacio to nail down third, but it was Sparacio who claimed third overall. Phe nd finished fifth, holding off Young, but Young (5-6) got the last laugh and filth overall. Over on the little track, XRs were the ma in attraction, and on this weekend De re k Rose was the man who would be king. In the Single Shock class , jay Wagner and Rose led the gang through tu rn on e . It d idn't take Rose long to slice his way into the lead and leave Wagner suck ing fumes . It w asn't long after that that Mr. la Rocco bumped Wagner to third. However, by then, Rose was long gone. In the Twin Shock moto, it was once again Rose and Wagner out front, with Jeff Plawecki and Greg Watson in the mix. Rose did ano ther d isappearing act and won by a mile. Wagner rode around in second, but the race for third was a good one, as Ro nnie Weatherholt pushed and shoved his way into th at spot, grinning all the way. eN RED BUD MX BUCHANAN, MICHIGAN RESULTS: OCTOBER 17, 2004 X R SGL SHO CK : I. De re k Rose (Ho n); 2. Mike Lagcc cc (Ha n); 3. Jay Wagner (Ha n) ; tin Dasse (Kaw) ; ); 4. Justin Bansen (Suz). B5 )R: I. Kenneth Bass (KTM); 2. Jacob Be hri nge r (Suz); 3 . Zac hary Maley (Yam); 4. Tyle r Caldwell (Suz): S. Aust in Wagner (Kaw ). 85 SR: I. Broc Peterson (KT M); 2. Michael Chapman (KTM); 3. Dr e w Yenerich (5uz); • . lYle> BayI;s (Yam 5. zach"y H.,.. (Hen). ); 125 JR: I. Gregory Durivage (Hon) ; 2. Brett Wagner (Kaw); 3. Phillip Harris (Hon ); 4. Derek Johnson (Yam); S. Cody lee Davis (Yam). 125 A: I. Travis Sewell (Yam); 2. Dustin Pulle y (Suz); 3. Shane Sewe ll (Hon ); 4. Phillip Harris (Hon ). 125 B: I. Josh Radi (Yam); 2. G regory Durivage (Ho n): 3. Derek Jo hnso n (Yam): e ( Kaw); 5. Jeff PbwedO (Hen). 2S0/0 PEN B; I. josh Radi (Yam); 2. Brad Benjamin (Hon ); 3. Mike Sanano (Hon) ; -t. Josh Baldwin (Ho n) ; S. Justi n Garran ( Kaw) . lS D/O P EN C: I . Jason Adam s (Hon ); 2. Co re y Reimers (Hen); l . C had LeonanJ (y",,); • . Jon Heck man (y",,); $ . Robert Head (Hon). 16·24 : l. Corey Paulse ll (Hon ); 2. Michael Tomanek (Hen); l . Ilnd Benjamm (Hen) ; • . Kevin C lar k (Ka w ) : S. Jayme Re iners (Yam) . 2 5 +: I. Brad Jero m;nskl (Kaw) ; 2. Jay w.gn., (Yam l . 10m Zen t (Kaw ); ); • . Nick Yade<- (Hen ); 5. Erik Saldana (Kaw) . lO + : I. John Gr ewe (Hon ); 2. Conn ie Feist (KTM); 3. Jay Wagner (Yam): 4. Darren Bor cherding (Ho n) : S. Jef fre y Moore (Kaw ). 15+ : I. John G rewe (Hon); 2. Connie Fe ist (KTM); 1. Darren Borcherding (Hon) ; 4. David Johnson (Hon); S. Kip Bige'o w (Hon). 4 0 + : I. David Johnson (Hon ): 2. Conn ie Feist (KTM); l . Larry W"""" (Suz); • . I(;p Bigelow (Hen) ; 5. Roben w,gne, (y",,). 45+ : I. Larry W """" (Suz); 2. R;ck Walsworth (KTH); 3 . David Bo w ma n (Suz) ; 4 , Je ffre y Beerbower (Hon) ; 5. Brad Smith (Hon ). 50 + : I. Thomas Tim Ritchie wheels out of the tricky up hill oH-camber on his way to third overall in the Widowmaker class in Buchanan, Michigon. Y ork (KTM). NON-CUR: I. Raymond Bames (Ho n); 1. Mike Butler (Ho n) : 3. Ian Le e (KTM); -4 Dan iel Warner . (Hon ); S. David Mons (Hon) . WIDOWMAKER: 1. Mark Laughlin (Ha n) ; 2. Hal Ca r m ich ae l (Yam) ; 1. Michae l Sparacio (Suz): -t. Tim Ritchie (Hon ); S. Rick Young (KTM). Mid -South Hare Scrambles Series Cross Country Motorsports Championship Ro und 2: NATRA Scrambles Wars, Episode 2: A New Hope for Allen By DEBBIE ALLEN NEW HOPE, Al, OCT. 17 The se co nd ro und of Mid -Sou th 's C ros s I Cou ntry Moto rs ports C hamp ionship brought 5] I ride rs to New Hope, Alabama. The overall w inne r, P.A. Alle n, made his co me back and it took me about seven miles to pass him. had to really work to get back aroun d him: ' When he did, th e Pro Circuit/Shift/F o x!Tire Balls/Renthal -backed Tea m G ree n Kawasa ki ride r jumpe d a cre ek section when the trail was blocked by stuck riders and land ed in first place with a SO-second lead. win for th e Pire llVMoosel Maxxis/American Patri- DECEMBER 8, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS Sarge 's Cycles/Pro Act io n of Ken tucky/ Maxxis- spo nsored Gibs on ga r ne re d seco nd , while Maschino finished in third. do wnh ill slide , as he dropped back to fourth 36 complete opposite: He dived into the creek and t o ok a sw im , givin g Masch ino a nd Dust in Gibson one easy pass. Short ly the reafter, the le ad , with jeff C regg , joh n Maschino an d the re st of the pack follow ing. After that, it was a P.A. Allen (19) grabbed the holeshot and the overall victory at the MidSouth Hare Scrambles Series' second ro und, in New Hope, Alabama. Unfortuna te ly for C regg , h e d id the ot Getaways-suppo rted series. This Mid-South win was important for the four-time cham pion because it had been a while since his last victory. Off the stan, Allen charged his way into the Mean w hile, t he jo hnny Signs/ Moos e /Sco tti Alp inesta rs -suppo rted C re gg pic ke d up h is Kawasa ki and finished fou rth . place by th e end of th e first lap. 'Wter that, I really charged," Allen said. · Cregg and I pulled away from everyon e, and w e had a good battle. He passed me when 1 pitted for fuel. 40th Anniversary Th ro ughout mo st of th e AA rac e , t wo bat tles formed , and most of the changes were