Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

200S AMA Parts Unlimited Spring Classic and a rising star was found in Port Orange, Florida's young Adam Cianciarulo. Over the course of the weekend, the young rider took home four championships, more than anyone at the event. Cianciarulo got things started early by taking his heat race in the 65cc (7-9) Stock class. In the second moto, he looked well on his way to a sweep, leading for the first two laps, but then he dropped back to fifth on lap three, allowing Darian Robinson to take the lead. Cianciarulo, though, worked his way back up to second, good enough for the overall. Robinson used a 4-1 combo to take the second podium spot. The young Cianciarulo continued his winning ways in the 5 Icc (7-8) Stock class by once again winning his heat race, followed closely by Andrew Pierce. Cianciarulo left no doubt that he was going to win, as he cruised to victory in the second moto for the overall. Pierce finished the second moto in third, giving him second overall, and, thus, the rivalry had begun. Meanwhile, Brandon Mays, from Lancaster, New York, was busy taking the overall in the 65cc (10-1 I) Modified and (7-I I) Open classes. In the Open class, Mays went wire to wire in the first heat race, edging out Cole Thompson and Jessy Nelson. Nelson, who would be Mays' top competitor during the week, looked to make things interesting as he got out in front in the second moto. However, after leading for the first lap, Nelson took a spill, dropping all the way back to 35th, from which he only managed to recover to 33rd. Mays was quick to move into the lead and effectively checked out. He then repeated his winning performance, sweeping both motos in the 65cc (10-1 I) Modified class. In the 65cc (10-1 I) Modified class, it was Cole Thompson and Jessy Nelson who found themselves once again chasing Mays in the second moto. Thomspon ended up in the second podium spot, and Nelson finished third overall. Nelson, however, got some sort of revenge in the (10- I I) Stock class when Mays fell after leading the first lap of the second moto, dropping back to seventh. The opportunistic Nelson quickly took advantage of the miscue by Mays to take the second moto, securing the overall and a Whitney championship. Mays took fifth overall after easily winning his heat race. KTM's Zach Osborne was another multiple winner, taking the overall in both the Senior Supermini and 85cc (14-15) Stock classes. In the ultracompetitive Senior Supermini class, Osborne used a 2-1 finish to just beat out defending Loretta Lynn's Supermini Champion Mathew Lemoine. Team Green's Lemoine won his heat race and looked ready to take the class. However, in the second moto, it was American Suzuki's Nico Izzi who grabbed the early lead, ahead of Osborne, Blake Wharton, Lemoine and another Team Green rider, Kyle Cunningham. Izzi fell back to seventh on lap two, handing the lead to Osborne, who was followed closely by Lemoine, Wharton and Cunningham. Wharton then fell, landing back in 33rd place. When the checkered flag flew, Osborne crossed the line first, followed by Lemoine, with Cunningham completing the podium. Izzi came all the way back to fourth. Lemoine and American Suzuki's Wharton also left Whitney with a championship added to their resumes. Lemoine took the second moto of the (14-15) Stock class, giving him the overall ahead of Izzi, Osborne and Cunningham. The younger Wharton brother captured the championship in the (12-13) Modified class ahead of Eli Tomac and Terren O'Dell. Tomac came back to win the (1213) Stock class, edging out another talented gate that included O'Dell, Shawn Rife, Blake Baggett, Ian Trettel and Wharton. Izzi finished the week with two seconds and a fourth. Elk City, Oklahoma's Trey Canard, another Team Green rider, was the king of the Schoolboy class, taking the overall in both the Stock and Modified divisions. The JM Racing Kawasaki pilot is in his first year aboard the big bikes and seems to have carried his minibike speed with him. The surprise in this class may well have been Osborne, however, as he managed a second overall in the Schoolboy Modified class. Many of the big guns in the schoolboy class chose to compete in the fourstroke version of this class, with Broc Tickle coming out on top at the end of the day. Last year's Loretta Lynn's Champion, Josh Hill, managed a second overall ahead of third-place finisher Wil Hahn. The main attraction at this year's Whitney National had to be Team Green phenom Ryan Villopoto, and the Washington native didn't disappoint. Villopoto took home the overall in the Collegeboy, 12Scc B Modified and 2S0cc B Modified classes. In the process, he clocked an impressive fast lap of 2 minutes and 15.306 seconds in his heat race in the 2S0cc B Modified class. The marquee matchup was the muchanticipated duel between the phenomenal Villopoto and Hill. The two intermediate riders cranked out lap times that would have put them on the podium in the Expert classes. On this weekend, however, it was Villopoto who came out on top, though Hill showed that he has picked up right where he left off at Loretta's last year and that this show is far from over. As impressive as Villopoto's lap times were, nothing compared to

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