detailed process of finding an
original Penton gas tank builds
a common language of passion
and camaraderie. Ultimately, the
joy of vintage bikes and racing is
about celebrating imperfection
and character.
Most often, the pilots of these
antiques come from the same
era as the machinery, as if they
refuse to let go of a favorite
memory. The competitors are
truly what define the Daytona
Vintage Supercross, since it is,
after all, a race and not a swap
meet. So, here's a bit about those
daring middle-aged men on their
flying machines.
A dominant figure at this
year's event was Georgia's Rob
-
bie Horton, who won both the
Vintage 1975-80 and the Vin-
tage 1987-96 classes on a pair
of Hondas. Cameron Pappas
(Honda) and Jacob Heinselman
(Honda) filled out the podium in
the Vintage 1987-96 class, while
Jason Gilleland (Suzuki) and
Joshua Bonnes (Suzuki) did so
in the Vintage 1975-80 class.
In the Vintage Pre-1974 class,
it was Wade Doering (Kawasaki)
with the win, followed by Nicho
-
las Devito (Kawasaki) and Jerry
Mattox (Honda).
The Vintage 1981-86 class
was won by Scott Sayers (Su-
zuki), followed by Randy Westfall
(Yamaha) and Marcus Ricketts
(Honda).
The Vintage King of Daytona
division, which is made up com-
pletely of Honda XR200s, was
topped by Riley Ripper, with Na-
than Mock and Dylan Metheny in
second and third.
The Warrior class, open to
the military and first respond
-
ers, was won by Torre Streifthau
(KTM), with Mike Caddell (Hon-
da) and Dusty Steelman (KTM)
in second and third, respectively.
In the age classes, Donny
Banks (Yamaha) won the Elite
Masters (65+) class, while Tod
Gilbert (Yamaha) topped the
Golden Masters (60+) class and
Frank Koenig claimed the vic
-
tories in the Masters (50+) and
Silver Masters (55+) classes.
CN
VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P61
Kenneth Hempen
Sr. prepares for
the start of the
Vintage 1975-
1980 class on his
Bob Hannah-ish-
looking Yamaha
YZ250.
Honda CR12R-
mounted Buddy
Antunez got back
in the saddle. His
day was highlighted
by a second-place
finish in the Vintage
1997-2006 class.
