Boykin bags Bounty Hunter MX
By Tom Prichard
LOS BANOS, CA, MAY 30
Josh Boykin was forced to borrow a mend's
250cc Kawasaki to compete in the Bounty
Humer race at the Los Banos Fairgroun<4,
but was able to steal the victory away from
the established stars by taking the main evem
win in from of over 2000 spectators. Boykin
was the seventh different wlOner in the series
as nobody has been able to win the main evem
more than once this year, making this the most
competitive series to date.
Hanford Suzuki/Yamaha-sponsored Pat
Bennett took the overall victory in both the
250cc and 125cc Pro qualifiers and set the
fastest heat time of the nigh I. This earned
Bennett the last position in the single-We
inverted start just behind Rusty Holland.
Boykin started in sixth, stating that he was
unhaPI?Y with his molO finishes and was
detemuned to let it all hang out for the win
in the Bounty Hunter main event.
When the starter threw the green flag, local
rider John Cook immediately made a dash
for the front of the pack, followed closely by
Robbie Baker. Baker grabbed the lead before
the riders reached the halfway point of the
first lap. The lead was short-lived, however,
as Boykin drove through the first five riders
and slammed under Baker. Boykin, Cookand
Baker started 10 pull away from the rest of
the riders, who were busy trying to sort each
other out. On lap three Rad-N-Bad Suzuki
rider Jeff Pestana made a mistake in one of
the corners and laid it down. Pestana was
already riding injured and he !leaded to pack
it in for the night.
In the meantime, Todd Nelson had moved
into third as Baker also experienced problems,
dropping him back to seventh. Right behind
Nelson was his teammate Bennett, who had
charged through the pack to fourth by lap
five. Boykin had a clear field and took
advantage of the other rider's problems,
opening up a five-second lead by the sixth
lap. JUSt before the halfway point both Nelson
and Bennett went around Cook, dropping him
to fourth. Cook's problems weren't over
however, as two laps later he laid it down,
dropping all the way back to eighth. By now
Boykin had built his lead to over nine seconds
ahead of the battle raging on for second. Both
Nelson and Benneu had managed to clear
traffic and were now up to full speed. With
only five laps 10 go Nelson appeared 10 run
out of steam, first being passed by Bennett
and then Dan Paladino and Holland. Once
Bennet managed to get clear of his battle with
Nelson he started reeling in the leader Boykin
at a rate of over a second a lap. Boykin kept
his pace through the last few laps and Bennett
was only able 10 close to within three seconds
when the checkered flag came out. Boykin
took his first Bounty Hunter victory in style
with a monster cross-up at the finish. Bennett
crossed the line for second, followed by
Paladino and Holland.
Results
BOUNTY HUNTER RACE: 1. JO$h Boykin (Kaw); 2. Pat
~nrtl (Sw); S. Danny Paladino (Raw); 4. Rusty Holland
(Sw); 5. Todd Ndson (Yam); 6. Glmo HarTison (Hon); 7.
Dave MOilheson (Hon); 8. John Cook (SUt); 9. Robbi~ Baker
(Suz); 10. Jdl Pesla.. (501).
P/W S1'K BEG; I. Jdlny Stark (Yam).
PIW MOD BEC: I. R ~ Harold (Yam}.
60 BEG: l. Ryan Morris (Raw); 2. Nic:k MeRrieit' (Raw);
S. ~ Gah.vU (Kaw); 4. Aaron Casados (Raw).
60 NOV: I. Randy Norman (Kaw).
80 BEG: I. Jack Tidwell (Xaw); 2. Adrian Rawlings (Yam);
3. Dennis Slapkton (Raw); 4. Mau O'Hanlon (Kaw); 5. Aaron
Baker (Sm).
80 BIW: I. Lucas Hayes (Kaw).
80 NOV; I. Jusun Quinn (Su.); 2. Chad Hodgn (Suz);
3. Mik~ Gomaln (SUl); 4. Jason T umcr (SUl); 5. Robert Blak~
(Hon).
125 BEC DlV I: I. Dar~1I Esau (Kaw); 2. Bobby Garcia
(Xaw); 5. Jason Jenkins (Hon); 4. Nick Noh~ (Suz); ~. Tim
R«d (Yam).
Sheak streaks at NY State
Motocross Championships
By Richard DeLibertis
B[NGHAMPTON, NY, JUNE 0.7
The lOth Annual New York State Championships held at the Broome-Tioga Sports Center,
played host to 300 racers, and Scott Sheak went
home with the wins in two classes.
Unfavorable weather forecasts, rainy nights
and foggy mornings kept many away from
what turned out to be two days of beautiful
race conditions after a muddy practice. The
125cc Expert classes proved to be tough going
for past [25cc Winter-AMA Champions, Chris
Coleman (1990) and Barry Carsten ([991) as
Sheak, the class winner in the 125cc and 250ccl
Open Expert combined class displayed that
staying power and determination are the
markings of a winner.
"In the second (25OcclOpen combined)
moto, I knew if I could get out front and keep
the pace he (Coleman) would drop (off the
pace) and I could win. He had to be tired
after six molOS, I know I was." Sheak said
before expressing his appreciation to his
sponsors Team Green, Pro-Circuit, Scott, Fox
Radng, Bell, Renthal, Geet, Dunlop, Tsubaki, Pro-Artworks and Powermist.
Chris Coleman earned his vindication by
finishin~ first overall in the 250cc Expert
ranks WIth a 1-2 showing. His first molO in
the I25cc Experts saw him drop slowly back to
fifth after a flat took the air out of his pace.
A flat also cost Barry Carsten the 125cc
overall win, slowing his progress enough to
allow Sheak to complete hts charge to the front
on the last lap. Sheak took the inside line
and second place away from Carsten at the
base of the downhill for the overall.
Sheak missed out on what could have been
a perfect day when he crashed in the first 250cc
Expert moto. "We were going into a rutted
section and his front wheel got caught up in
them. He lost control of the front end and
went down in front of me," Carsten said.
Sheak remounted quickly to take third for the
moto.
.
,....;
David Farmer (39) and John Walton (58) diced at the N.Y. State MX Championships.
The HOI!Jdicap main event win at Glen Helen Speedway went to Gary Hicks.
Results
JR MINI; I. J.....,y Cook (ltaw); 2. Karnpion; 12. James funis.
SCHBY: I. Mi¥ Peat; 2. Danid Bumar.; 5. Scott Rockwe:U;
4. Mike Ftioeh; 5. P..., Sper.ono; 6. Jdf McMahon; 7. Jdl
Lan ; 8. Andsky; 5. J.....,y
Cook; .. Mike Dougherty Jr; ~. Willie Doug'" Jr; 6. Bobby
Silvarole.
MINl9-15: I. John Schneider: 2. Amo~oMagaro:5. R~
Gregg; 4_ Tommy Lake; 5. Jostph Buratu; 6, Zac:h I>nonneau;
7. joshua Demuth.
Schwartz, Hicks blast Glen
Helen Speedway
Story By M. Sober
• Photo By Jim Thom
GUN HEUN, CA, JUNE 10
Former two-time World Best-Pairs Champion
Bobby "Boogaloo" Schwartz made short work
of the Scratch main event before a nearly
packed house of 3300 spectators at the Glen
Helen Speedway. Former British League
regular Gary Hicks was victorious in the
eight-lap Handicap main.
Starting out of gate number two, Schwartz
poured on the throttle from the start of the
Scratch main and never looked back. Scott
Brant had drawn the pole for this race but
could not catch Schwartz and had to settle
for second after trying in vain to work the
outside line. Brant, who was also out-gated
by brother-in-law Steve "The Bad Boy"
Lucero, had to put together a couple of
excellent laps just to wrestle second place away
from the fading Lucero. Mike Farta was not
on the program due to leaving the United
States earlier in the week to pursue the
individual World Championnship in
Eng[and.
Gary Hicks started the Handicap main
event on the extreme rear next to fellow
Russell Racing teammate Scott Brant. In front
of them were Bobby Schwartz and Charlie
Venegas. The 3O-yard-line was choked with
three riders; John Aden, Gary Ackroyd and
Jesse Ochoa. The final partidpant was Greg
Appleman on the lo-yard-Iine.
As 'the tapes went up App[eman jumped
out in front only to be swallowed up by Aden,
Ochoa and Ackroyd by the end of the first
revolution. Entering the first set of turns on
lap three, Appleman succumbed to the
pressure, drove lOtO the tum too fast and fell
1010 the soft outside dirt. Ackroyd was close
behind Appleman and had to lay his bike
down to avoid running over the first division
rookie. This brought out the red flag and a
complete restart.
Due 10 the fact that three full laps were in
the books, the rider. restaged in single-We
order with Hicks on the zero-yard-Iine,
Schwartz on the ten and Brant on the twenty.
with no one in front of Hicks on the restart,
it was smooth sailing for the twenty-two-year
old from Riverside. Schwartz also tried in vain
to use an outside line to assume the lead but
fell back and eventually pulled out of the race.
The sidecar main had the look of a threering circus, as the lead cltanges, bumps and
great moves had the crowd on its feet
screaming for more. The initiallead was taken
by the team of Joe PetragloviclAlan Bilger,
who were soon displaced by Peter Lewis/
Jamie Macy. Ross Miller/Dale Leeder also
passed the displaced leaders for second place.
Miller/Leeder then went on to pass Lewis/
Macy only to have them come right back and
retake the front spotl The win was taken by
Lewis/Macy just ahead of Miller/Leeder with
PetragloviciBilger close behin,d in third.
Results
SCRATCH MAIN: 1. Bobby Schwaru (GM); 2. ~u Brant
Uaw); 5. SleV'e Lucero (eM); 1. Chris Manch~ (jaw).
HDCP MAIN; I. Gary Hieb (GM); 2. B....; 5. John Aden
Uaw); 4. J.... Ochoa (Gdo); S. Olarlie Ven_ (Wes); S.
Gary Aeltroyd (W..); 7. G
