Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

(Above) Mojave Valley Raceway: Tom Horton (55) leads Stu' Cardo tt (behind Horton) and Chr is App le (2A) in the Class ic Open race at t he Art Fredenburg Memor ial AHRMA Regional Flat Track races in Mojave Valley , California. (Left) Rose Motocross Partt : Jeff " Bad Boy" Burkett (13) took wins in all six motos he entered for a sweep of the 125cc Intermediate, 250cc Intermediate and Open Amateur classes in Somerville, Tennessee. In the 125cc Intermed iate contest , Memphis Husky rider K evin Lambert took the holeshot, but before Lambert could say he h ad the lead , the Hon damounted Bond fl ew by him in the rhythm sec tion and nosed ahead . B y the ti me th ey h ead ed into the uph ills, the order was Bond and then Yama ha pi lot Co x, fo llowed by B urkett , w it h Lam be rt dropping back . Bond p ut a few seconds between himself and Cox and Burkett and led the pack . Burk ett , on h is bl u e m achine, toyed w ith Cox until midwa y t hro ugh la p t hree; th en Bu rkett launc hed his Yama ha over a hill k n own as " Yam ah a He ig hts " an d land ed in second pla ce , behfnd Bond . W i th Burk ett d o i n g s o m e serious th r us ti n ' and d us ti n' , Bond bega n to kee p an eye on t he qu ic k ly approaching Bu rk ett. Co ming out o f a hidden section of the tr ac k ca lled "The Hidd en Va lley ." Bo nd and Burkett flew across a lon g tabl et op si de b y side, past t he fi nish line , down t he starting -gate straig htaway, up t he uphills and down t h e d ownhil ls. Wh en they approac hed Yamaha Hei gh t s , Burk ett k icked in th e afterburn ers and , running at wa rp sp eed , b lew past B ond t o t ak e th e lead . For th e last three lap s, Burkett slo w ly edged ah ead of Bond an d Cox and to ok the c hec k ers ki ckin ' it sidewa y s for the w in . On t he day, t he 17 -y ear -o ld Burk ett clim bed to th e top of th e 125cc In termediate , Open Amateur , and 250cc Intermediate p od iums. Te n-year-o ld Brandon Mill er , from right down the road in F isherv ille, Ten nessee, cam e close to achieving a threeclass sweep but was foiled by E.J . Cox in the 85 - 105cc Open Mini class . Astride his Sarge 's Cycle-sponsored KTM, Miller cam e out k ickin' in the 65 cc class and, exce pt for a few tangles with Ouy Bar baree from Whi te Hall , A rka nsas, pull ed off both moto wins to tak e the ho nors in t he class. M ill er and Barbaree clashed again in the 85cc (7 - 11) Junior con test. Mi ller, aboa rd his Yam aha, took both moto wins and the first -p lace trophy. Wi th two victories under his belt, Miller wa s set to co ntest the 85- 105cc Open Min i class , to see if he cou ld also pull a three-cl ass sweep, like Burkett. Ho wever , Cox spoiled h is p lans by ta ki ng the wins in both motos, leaving M iller t o settle for second in th e cl ass. Sho wi ng no di scou ragem ent at all , M iller we nt home a happy lad with hi s 65cc and 85cc (7 -1 1) Junior wins and his we ll -deserved second p lace in eN t he 85 -1 05cc O pe n Mini co ntest. Rose Motocross Parte SomelYille, Tennessee Resu lts : April 9, Zooo (Round 31 5 0 (4 -8 ): 1. Spence r Coo k (Cob) : 2 . Kyle Sellers ( C ob ) : 3 . Luk e Hobson (C ob ) ; 4 . Ju st in Ca rv er (Cob) : 5. Erik Gentry (KTM). 6 5 (7 - 11) : 1. Bran d on Mill er ( KTM ) ; 2 . Oz zy Barb aree ( Kew) : 3. Jacob Patterson ( KT M ) ; 4 . T yl er Cox (KTM ); 5 . To lland Weem s (KTM ). 85 (7 · 11) : 1. Bra ndo n MHier (KTM) ; 2 . Ozzy Barb ar ee (Ka w); 3 . Cody Patte rson (S uz) ; 4 . Garrett Murra y (Hon) ; 5 . Toll and Weem s (Suz). 85 (12-15) : 1. Tripp Atkinso n ( Ho n ) ; 2 . Blair Mi IJer (Ya m) ; 3. Devin Coo pe r (Ya m) ; 4 . T r ent Bedw ell (Suz); 5 . Cha rles Co bb ( Han) . OP EN MINI: 1. E.J . Cox ( Ha n) ; 2 . Brandon Miller ( KT M) ; 3 . Devi n Cooper (Ya m) ; 4 . Charles C obb (Hon) ; 5. Cody Patterson (SUI) . 125 BEG : 1. Will iam Sim pso n (Ho n) ; 2 . Daniel Halp ai n ( Kaw) ; 3. Zac h Ro ge rs (Yam) ; 4. Taylor Burde tt ( Han); 5 . Steve West ( Hen }. 125 NOV: 1. John Bo nne r ( Kaw); 2 . B ra ndon Hend rick s (S uz ) ; 3 . B ria n Brewe r ( Ha n) ; 4 . B lai r Mille r (Yam ) ; 5. Kevin Bu rk ha rt (Yam ). 12 5 INT: 1. Jeff B ur kett (Ya m ) ; 2 . E .J . Cox (Yam ) ; 3 . J am aa l Bond (Yam) ; 4 . Kev in Lambert ( Hus) ; 5. Michael Smith ( Kaw). 125 EX: 1. Blak e Keeton (Suz) ; 2 . Davi d Brewer (Ke w) : 3. T race Fow ler ( He n) : 4 . Rod d y Fr ank ( Hon). 250 BE G: 1. Willia m Simpson (He n ): 2 . Sha nnon Va n nucci ( K aw); 3 . Da n iel Davis ( Ho n) ; 4 . Mik e T ay lor (Ho n) ; 5. M ich ael J ohnson ( Kaw) . 250 NOV: 1. We sl ey Du ren (Ka w ) ; 2 . Lu ca s La ngley ( Ka w) ; 3. John Wright ( Ho n) ; 4 . Ma rc Stac ks ( Kaw ); 5 . T racy Atki nso n ( Suz) . 250 INT: 1. Je ff Bur k ett ( Ya m ) ; 2 . K eit h Schlotterbeck ( S uz) ; 3. Kev in La m bert ( Hus); 4 . Jamie Lee (Yam) ; 5 . Jamaal Bon d ('Yam ) . 250 EX : 1. Bla k e Keeton (Suz) ; 2 . Tr ace Fow ler ( Ha n) ; 3. D av id Brewe r ( Kaw); 4 . B lak e Wi n g o (Yam ); 5 . Roddy Fran k ( Han) . OPEN AM.: 1. J eff Burk ett (Y am ); 2. Bran don Hendri ck s ( Suz) ; 3. Mi cha el Sm ith (K aw ) ; 4 . A ndrew Ca nnon (K aw) ; 5 . Sha ne Grimes ( Han). 25+ : 1. Dav id B rewer (Ka w); 2 . B rook Matthews (Ya m) ; 3 . W ade Hu nt er (Yam ); 4 . Sha ne G rimes ( Ho n) ; 5 . Keith Schlotte rb ec k (Suz) . 30 + A M.: 1. Rayf ord Co lli ns ( Ha n) ; 2. Bro ok M atth ew s (Ya m) ; 3 . Bu bb a Sm it h ( Ka w) ; 4. Tony Cog dill (Han ) ; 5 . Don Fik e (Yam) . 3 0 + EX : 1. Danny A k ins ( Ka w) ; 2 . Cary Mor ris ( Ho n); 3 . St eve W atkins ( Ha n) ; 4 . T ra c e F owle r (H an ) ; 5. Keith Davi s ( Han ). 40+: 1. Flet ch er Lambert ( Hus) ; 2 . Roddy Fr ank ( Ho n ); 3 . M ich ael Lam bert ( Ka w); 4 . J oe Hall ( Han) ; 5 . Ton y Cog dill ( Ha n) . Art Fredenburg Memorial AHRMA Regional Flat Track Races Mojave Valley Raceway Cunnington, Horton Hot in the Desert By FRED W INDUM MOJAVE VALLEY, AZ, APR. 30 ob ert Cun nin gto n and Tom Ho r to n used t heir k nowledge of the t rack from the nigh t befo re and went home with nearly half of the top honor s at Ge ne Rom ero's Art Freden bu rg Memorial A HRMA Regional flat -t rack r ac es , he ld o n M oj ave Vall ey Raceway's one-th ird -mi le oval. A mateurs al ways wonder wha t it would be like to ride t he same track as the Pros, and t hi s Su n day, AHRMA Vi ntage racers were t rea te d to a wide, fas t groove la id down b y the Pros in the e- moola .com West Coast F lat Track Series . T hree-w ide racing was th e norm in several classes, and the track surface was ta cky a nd pre dictable even off the groove. Cu nn ing ton disabled t he brak e o n hi s 1966 4 50 cc Hond a and to ok co n trol o f the Class ic 500c c c lass, with Hort on following on his Classic 250 c c Ossa . Cunnington continued out front on the fi rst " bi g " Japanese twin , and whi le Horton c ould close in , th e l ittle Ossa didn't have t he beans t o run pa st the twin . Bi ll K iriakidis was third , o n one of th e o nly hardtails that day , and M att Campbell wa s fourth on a pair of 500cc T rium ph s. Classic O pe n belon ged to Ho rt on . He left t he lin e with Stu Ca rdoU on his right but pulled away in turn tw o and never looked back . C hris A p pl e then pulled up on C ardott t o challenge for second, b oth r id er s sq u irmi ng under acce lerati o n comi ng o ff t h e corners . A pple came up th e insi de on th e front R c u e I e straight, bu t Cardott held o n to the spot , at least for tha t lap. W it h t w o lap s to go , Apple tri ed th e in sid e m ov e on the fro nt straight again as Car dott' s bike ga ve a big wigg le c om ing off o f t urn fo ur, w ith Apple slip p ing by fo r second. Ho rton cruised to the wi n , with Apple second and Card ot t third. Joe Steffen's Ya ma ha l e d th e Spo rtsman Vintage 2 50cc class into t urn o n e but slowed abruptl y, letti ng Horton past and allow ing Vi nce Holt t o c lose in. Horton onc e again began to pull out a lead on his Bu ltaco, leaving Steffen t o c o n t en d wi th H olt. W ith three laps to go , Ho lt's Bul taco began to sour o n t he back st re tch , lea vin g Ho rt on wi th the wi n and St effen sec o nd . Holt nursed his bike in for third . Brad Hol t , Bob Graves and D a v e Cheney all left the line together in the Sportsman Vintage 600cc race - but starter Scott Zimme rma n hadn 't actu all y thrown th e flag y et , so t hey were all sent to th e ba ck row . Cunnington, thi s time with th e brakes working on hi s H ond a t w in , wh eeli ed into the lead, wi th Brad Holt, Horton and Gary Pettis runn ing three-wid e down the ba ck st ra ight an d in t o tu rn t hree. Ho lt grabbed seco nd on the low line; Pettis took th ird on th e groove. Cu nnington continued to run on the h igh edge of the groove, runn ing smooth an d fast o ut front. Ho rto n go t tu rned q u icke r than Pettis and stole third , pulling up on Ho lt and trying the low lin e for th e p ass. Holt he ld th e li ne , for cing Ho r ton to go high if he wa nte d th e p ass to work. Bo th riders kep t their co rner sp eed u p, bu t Horton 's hi gh li ne in n e vv s MAY 24,2000 51

• Cover