BLOUNTVILLE — Kingsport rider Steve Clark had never competed at his home track before Saturday’s Vintage Motocross National Championship race at Muddy Creek Raceway.
He made up for lost time with a third-place podium finish and a win during the weekend event.
Clark rode his Yamaha to a third-place finish behind Georgia rider Bill Wright and Alabama racer Larry Decker in the Vintage 60+ race. Dennis Ornduff from Elizabethton finished fifth in the rundown.
For Clark, there was more business to attend to, as he won the Vintage Open Age Novice race.
“It was a great day. (Track owner) Sam Gammon and his crew did a great job preparing the track,” Clark said. “I’ve watched national races here, but it’s the first time I’ve ridden here. It’s so good to finally get to ride the track.
“This track is prepared much better than the ones we ride across the country and there’s a lot of elevation changes, which make it fun for the riders. We’ve had numerous family and friends come out and we’ve had a great time.”
Others across the country had a great time as well with winners from the Carolinas, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Alabama and a half-dozen more from Georgia.
Jerry Mattox from Bryson City, North Carolina, won the Sportsman 125 Expert class, beating another Honda rider, Tommy Greer from Augusta, Georgia, for the win. Kenneth Thomas from nearby Burnsville, North Carolina, was the winner in the Premier LWT class.
MORE THAN COMPETITION
The Vintage Motocross National Championship served as a showcase for the older bikes and a reunion of racers past and present.
One of those was former Pro rider Sam Dayton, originally from Unicoi and now from Charlotte, N.C. Dayton has been racing 54 years, with the Saturday races being his first time racing at Muddy Creek in seven years.
He was swapping stories with former rivals Barry Higgins and Mike Graham at the weekend event. It was quite a feat for Dayton to be at the race track at all after being in the hospital with him ready to undergo a heart procedure before the doctors checked him out one more time.
SUNDAY ACTION
Piney Flats rider Hans Neel swept motos in both the featured Unlimited A/B class and the 30+ race featuring 22 riders to headline Sunday’s racing action. Neel, on a KTM, finished ahead of Cory Cooper in the A/B race with Mitch Hunley third. Cooper also won a race for riders ages 16-29 with Johnson City racer Trey Emert second. Brandon Whited from Bristol won the Unlimited C/D race as he and Zach Brewer finished 1-2 on a pair of Hondas.
A pair of Erwin riders also captured wins. Justin Ramsey was victorious in a pair of classes and Steve Tilson was winner of the Ultima 4-Stroke race.