Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

C Y C L E N E W S • JULY 19, 2006 55 AMA Bike Days Stark County Fairgrounds A Memorable Flat Track in Canton BY LARRY BARNES CANTON, OH, MAY 27-28 F or Amateur, Semi-Pro or Vintage dirt-track enthusiasts in the Midwest, Canton, Ohio, is becoming the place to be on Memorial Day weekend. In its third year, the AMA Bike Days event drew 175 riders from Ohio and surrounding states on Saturday, and 161 on Sunday. Former Ice National Speedway champion Scotty Brown has promoted the event the past two years. With the help of his wife, Staci, and many friends, the event is becoming a premier spring motorcycling happening. The grandstands at the Stark County Fairgrounds were packed full of people who had come to enjoy the racing, two days of bike shows, a swap meet and vendors' stalls, trials-riding exhibitions, live music - and to witness "Jumpin' John" Maley's 110-foot ramp-to-ramp leap on a quad ATV. The half-mile cushion track was kept in amazingly good shape throughout the two days with frequent watering and conditioning by a fleet of American flag-flying pickups. No groove developed, so riders were able to ride high and low, seeking a way to pass. The races themselves featured a wide assortment of riders and equipment, from Tyler Tudor, celebrating his eighth birthday on a 60cc Suzuki, to Rotax rider "Grandpa Jim" Beck, who at age 75 is the AMA's oldest licensed professional motorcycle racer. Doug Horner rode an Indian, and Barry Jenkins rode Harley hand-shifters. Even the fairer sex was represented very capably by Miss Katie Keane, who rode a Kawasaki 125 and a Suzuki 250 in her two classes. Numerous brother-vs.-brother and father-vs.-son battles raged, including riders such as Rich Long and his two sons, Aaron and Bubba Long, and the incomparable Ronnie Rall and his son Chad Rall. Brothers Kyle, Travis and Cody Wyman all ride for Harv's Harley-Davidson in Macedon, New York. The Sunday race was dedicated to the memory of Jim Lombardi Jr., a former racer who died in 2002 after many years in a coma. At intermission, nearly every racer took a parade lap in his memory. In the Youth 100cc class, Cole Yauchzee was followed by Ryan Wells, Cody Wyman and Matt Zacher. This was one of the closest races of the day; others that featured photo finishes were the 50cc and A Open classes, won by Kyle McGrane and Casee McCammon, respectively. Unfortunately, McCammon was later transported to the hospital with what appeared to be a broken collarbone after one of the more interesting races on Sunday. The 17-rider Open Pro class saw K.C. "Coyote" Knodel win a flag-jumped restart and a hay-bale-bursting crash by McCammon and two other riders, followed by a single-file restart. RESULTS Saturday 50 JR: 1. Timothy Wells (Yam). 50 SR: 1. Jeff Lowery (Cob); 2. Kyle McGrane (Con); 3. Tyler Tudor (Cob); 4. Wade Ward (Pol). YTH 60: 1. Jeffrey Lowery (Suz); 2. Tyler Tudor (Suz). YTH 80: 1. Ryan Wells (Hon); 2. Cody Johncock (Yam); 3. Cody Wyman (Hon); 4. Tyler Butts (Suz). YTH 100: 1. Ryan Wells (Hon); 2. Tyler Butts (Suz); 3. Cody Johncock (Yam); 4. Cole Yauchzee (Yam). 125 A: 1. Cody Johncock (Yam); 2. Cody Wyman (Hon); 3. John Long (Yam); 4. Katie Keene (Kaw). 250 2-STRK A: 1. David Schaaf (Hon); 2. John Long (Hon); 3. Eric Iddings (Hon); 4. Douglas Yeager (Hon). 250 4-STRK A: 1. Travis Wyman (Hon); 2. Eric Iddings (Hon); 3. Sam Wiggins (Hon); 4. Jesse Diem (Hon). 450 A: 1. Brad Hazel (Hon); 2. Jordan Hughson (Yam); 3. James Liles (Hon); 4. Corey Crawford (Hon). 450 EX: 1. Kyle Whitis (Hon); 2. Brian Vincent (Hon); 3. Dave Woods Jr. (Rot); 4. Lowell Carson (Hon). 505 A: 1. Corey Crawford (Rot); 2. Benjamin Boyce (Yam). CASH A: 1. Guy Hughson (Hon); 2. Kirk Knodel (Rot); 3. Corey Crawford (Hon); 4. Travis Wyman (Hon). OPEN 50: 1. Kyle McGrane (Con). OPEN A: 1. Travis Wyman (Rot); 2. Casee McCammon (Hon); 3. Jordan Hughson (Yam); 4. Michael Callen (Rot). PRO-SPT: 1. Kyle Wyman (Hon); 2. Ben Evans (Yam); 3. Robert Descenna (Rot); 4. Eric Whitis (Hon). OPEN PRO: 1. K.C. Dean Knodel (Rot); 2. Jeff Landrum (Rot); 3. Nicholas Evans (Rot); 4. Kyle Wyman (Hon). OPEN MNY: 1. Kyle Whitis (Hon); 2. Eric Whitis (Hon); 3. Kyle Wyman (Hon); 4. Brad Hazel (Hon). 30+: 1. Dave Woods (Rot); 2. Tom Englehart (Hon). 40+: 1. Guy Hughson (Hon); 2. David Waters (Hon); 3. Kirk Knodel (Rot); 4. Doug Horner (Tri). 50+: 1. Larry Hodges (Rot); 2. Steve Burroughs (Hon); 3. Rich Long (Rot); 4. Charles Sekura (KTM). 60+: 1. Ronnie Rall (Yam); 2. Bob Gerberich (Hon); 3. Bill Dunlap (Yam); 4. Jim Beck (Rot). PRE-1952: 1. Doug Horner (Ind). L/W VINT: 1. Mark Moore (Yam); 2. Robert Peters Jr. (Bul); 3. Kevin Eblin (Suz); 4. Tony Pitts (Suz). M/W VINT: 1. Robert Descenna (Hon); 2. Aaron Long (C-A); 3. Corey Jerew (Yam); 4. Bubba Long (Yam). H/W VINT: 1. Kurt Cerwinsky (Tri); 2. Chad Rall (Hon); 3. Benjamin Boyce (Yam); 4. Doug Yeager (Yam). SPDWY: 1. Chad Rall (Jaw); 2. Charles Lengle (Jaw); 3. Marc Monroe (Jaw); 4. Michael Callen (Jaw). LT BRAKELESS: 1. John Bova (Bul); 2. Jim Ackley Jr. (BSA); 3. James Paden Jr. (H-D). MED BRAKELESS: 1. Carl Forkey (Tri); 2. Rich Long (Tri). HVY BRAKELESS: 1. Rick Hoffman Jr. (Tri); 2. Don Blyar Jr. (Tri); 3. Jim Ackley Jr. (H-D). YTH KNBY: 1. Quinn Wentzell (Yam); 2. Alan Green (Yam). L/W KNBY: 1. Quinn Wentzell (Hon); 2. James Lombardi (Hon). H/W KNBY: 1. Frank Stinespring (Yam); 2. Paul Wilmott (Hon).

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