Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ M OTOCROSS 25th Annual Mammoth Mountain MX ~ R.C. Bennett (76), David Pingree (28) and Craig Decker (15) battle for position. Drey Dirks (44) led Rich Taylor (66), Ryan Hughes (26) and eventual winner Lamson (15) down the famous Mammoth downhill at the start of the 250cc Expert final Kyle Lewis (69) passed Ty Davis (3) en route to the Motolink Pro 4-Stroke race win. 16 Reynard. "I just kept trying and trying, and never gave up." Reynard's second in the final, coupled with his qualifier wins, was good for first overall. Geyer was second in the overall tally, ahead of Pingree and BennetL Unlike the rest of the races, the Motolink Pro Four-Stroke Challenge race incorporated a traditional, twomoto format. Kyle Lewis thumped away with the holeshot in the first eight-lap moto and quickly began to pull away. "It was easy to go fast with no one ahead of me," said Lewis, who piloted a White Brothers-sponsored Husqvarna. "I just rode smooth and mistake-free." Behind Lewis, Ty Davis, Rex Staten and Todd DeHoop battled over the runner-up position. Davis' ATK broke a valve spring and he dropped to eighth, leaving Staten and DeHoop to do battle. DeI-ioop gained the upper hand on Staten before the finish, while Gordon Ward and Willy Musgrave rounded out the top five. Davis holeshot the second moto, but Mike Young was quick to steal the lead Once out front, Young turned up the wick and easily pulled out a five-second advantage. Lewis forced his way past Davis and into second, but seemed content to run in that position, knowing that the overall was his. DeHoop gated miserably, but worked up to Davis' rear fender by the eighth lap. Young's muffler began to fall off on that same lap, and his Husqvarna began to sputter and lose power. Slowly but surely, Lewis began to gain ground, and really poured it on when he saw Young struggling. "I wouldn't have caught him, but when I saw his pipe, that was it, he was mine," said Lewis. Lewis zapped Young on the last lap and carded the moto and overall wins. Young held on to second, ahead of DeHOQp, Davis and Staten. DeHoop's 2-3 finishes edged Staten's 3-5 for second overai1. "I can't beleive what bad luck I've been having," said Young. "A bolt that holds the muffler on just snapped." In the Vet Expert class, Staten holeshot the final and was never seriously challenged. Larry Wosick ran second early on, but couldn't fend off the advances of a hard-charging Joe Waddington. Wosick held on to third, though, ahead of Dave Coupe and Pete Murray. Staten crossed the finish line well ahead of Waddington, but a crash and subsequent 14th-place finish in one of his qualifying motos relegated him to fourth overall. Waddington's 5-1-2 finishes edged Coupe's 3-2-4 for the overall win, while Wosick garnered third overall·. "I knew I didn.'t have to pass Rex in the final," said Waddington, who turned 30 just before the Mammoth event. Jason Partridge was the quickest off the line in the Mini Expert class and led Ricky Carmichael, Casey Johnson and Jeff Willow through turn one. Johnson was on the move and scooted past Carmichael on lap one. Johnson then reeled in Partridge, and the two riders banged bars before Johnson took over. Carmichael's bike screeched to a halt on lap six with a seized crank, and Ryan Clark was happy to move into a distant third Johnson held on for the win ahead of Johnson, Clark, Jeremy Diel and Willow. Dustin Nelson cleaned house in the Mini Intermediate class, as he ran away with easy wins in his qualifiers and in the main. Travis Preston was second overall, ahead of Eric Schnell and Shaun Perolio. ./ Jimmy O'Neal captured top honors in the Mini Junior class over Andy Harrington, Jeff Northrop, Timothy Beattie and Mike Gonzales. O'Neal also competed in the 125,250 and 500cc Junior classes, finishing 16th in the 125s and 23rd in the 500s. Tom Webb blitzed through his qualifying motos and easily won the Open Junior main, well ahead of Todd Sweaney, Sten Rasmussen and Jason Trubey. At the end of the day, however, a protest was filed against Webb, who was also scheduled to compete in the 250cc Intermediate class, and Sweaney was declared the winner. Sweaney returned to action in the 250cc Junior class and finished fourth overall behind winner Dave Smith, Rich Thorwaldsen and Lawrence Lewis. Lewis was the big winner in the 125cc Junior class, as he posted 2-11 finishes to earn the overall victory. Second in the main and second overall went to Jason Chis~m, who thwarted a last-lap pass attempt by Theo Bernard in the main event. Foiled, Bernard re-entered the track quickly enough to salvage third overall. After "retiring" last year, Mercedes Gonzalez returned to the track and spanked the competition in the Women's class. Dee Ann Wood dealt Gonzalez her only defeat in the first qualifier, as Gonzalez crashed on the opening lap and was forced to come from well off the pace. In the second qualifier and in the main event, though, Gonzalez stormed back with a vengeance and notched two convincing wins. Wood crashed on the opening lap of the final and worked her way from fast to fourth, behind Kristy Shealy and Jeannie Pruitt. Gonzalez' 3-1-1 scores were more than good enough to· secure the Women's class crown for another year, while Shealy, Wood, Pruitt and Nadine Holbert rounded out the top five and will have to wait another year to dethrone Gonzalez. CN Results MINI JR: I. Jimmy O'Neal (Hon); 2. Andy Harrington (Hon); 3. Je£f Northrop (Suz); 4. Timothy Beatty (Suz); 5. Mil

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