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/146664
~ MOTOCROSS 25th Annual Mammoth Mountain MX ~ For the second year in a row, Team Suzuki's Steve Lamson was the top finishing Expert at the Kraft Foods-sponsored event and went home over $5000 richer. Kawasaki's Robbie Reynard styled to the 125 and 250cc Intermediate class wins. Lamson, Reynard rule. Mammoth By Donn Maeda MAMMOTH LAKES, CA. JUNE 25-28 ammoth Mountain means different things to different people. While some call Mammoth home, the mountain is most frequently associated with snow, skiing, fishing, vacations and motocross. Motocross? Yes, motocross. For 25 years now, thousands of racers have flocked to the resort town of Mammoth Lakes each summer for what is considered to be one of the premier MX events of the season. Many rid~rs plan their vacations around the event, as the location and atmosphere provide an ideal getaway. But don't tell that to Steve Lamson or Robbie Reynard. They came to Mammoth Lakes with nothing but business in mind. Suzuki's Lamson and Kawasaki Team Green's Reynard were the cream of the crop at the Mammoth Mountain MX. Lamson was the dominant rider in the Expert division, and Reynard in the Intermediate category, as they pounded their way around the mile-long course that winds through the-trees of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Lamson, fresh off his first National win at the June 14 Hangtown National Championship 125cc MX, carried his momentum to the mountain and topped the 250cc and Open ExPert classes, and finished second in the 125cc Expert class. And for the second year in a row, the Pollock Pines, California, resident also earned the M 12 $5000 bonus awarded to the weekend's most consistent Expert. As expected, Reynard took the 125cc and 250cc Intermediate class championships back home to Moore, Oklahoma. Though he walked away from his competition in the 125cc class, Reynard had to overcome a bad start and a pair of crashes to win the 250cc class crown. This year, nearly 1300 racers turned out for the four-day program. Vet racers took to the track on Thursday, while Open and Mini class racers got their turn to race on Friday. The 125cc class competition took place on Saturday, and the 250cc £lasses were run on Sunday, as were the Women's classes. Round three of the Motolink Pro Four-Stroke Motocross Series was held on Friday, in conjunction with the Open class program. The large turnout of entrants required that most classes be divided into divisions, with the Junior classes having as many as seven. Amateurs raced in two qualifying motos, with the top overall finishers transferring to the main event. Riders carried those points into the main event, and all three scores were averaged to determine their overall finishing position. Experts raced in a single qualifier, with the top finishers transferring into the final. Riders who didn't fare well in the first race had another shot to transfer in a last chance qualifier, and no points were carried into the 35minute plus one-lap mains.