MRA DEC/JAN 2005 • 24
2004 AMA District Six Expert Champion
Clint Johnson #924
Name: Clint Johnson Event: D6 Championship Series Hometown: Red Lion, PA Age: 25 years Ride: RM 250 / RMZ 250 District #: 924 Experience: Racing 11 Years Classes: 125 A / 250 A Sponsors: Action Motorsports, Triangle Automotive, Thor,
FMF, Keeney Motosports, LA Sleeve, Pro X, Twin Air, Cycra, ASV, Bendix, Pro Taper, M2R, E x c e l , M o t o r e x , DeCal Works, Scott USA, RK Chain, Vortex, 661, Draper Tools, Bastard on Wheels, N Style. MRA would like to congratulate Clint Johnson for winning the D6 Class Championships in both the 125 Expert and 250 Expert Divisions for the year 2004. MRA caught up with Clint at the last D6 Points Race of the year at ATCO MX. Clint had the 250 championship sewn up coming into this event but the 125 title was still on the line. Clint has battled with long time D6 veteran Barry Carsten all year long in both divisions with Barry only a few points back coming into this race. Due to a low rider turnout (which can determine the points spread) Clint had only to take a second on the day to retain the points lead ahead of Carsten for the class championship. And that’s exactly what he did, Clint rode A few of Clint’s Sponsors. fast but smart at Atco, he settled in behind Carsten and finished the day in second place winning the crown in the 125 A division as well. These championships have been a long time coming for Clint, he has been a consistent rider over the years but has had his share of struggles as well. Clint reached expert status in the spring of 1999 and went on to win the 125 title that year. He spent the next year or so competing around the district and in the spring of 2002 Clint raced the Wilkes-Barre arenacross on a Saturday night then headed to round # 1 of the North East Classic at Doublin Gap the next day. In his first moto of the day there was a huge pile up in the first corner, Clint got caught up in that and suffered severe burns on his upper arm. It seems his arm got hung up under a bike with the throttle stuck wide open and it sat there and rotated on his upper arm causing the injury. Clint headed off to the hospital and the complications began, surgery had to be done on his lower arm to reduce pressure that built up inside and the long recovery began. Months later when he finally crawled back on his pit bike he could barely hold on for 5 minutes. Clint was off his race bike for 7-8 months, then the rehab began and only 2 races were run at the end of 2002. In 2003, last year Clint decided to go for it all, he trained and rode and hit some Nationals. He qualified and went to Loretta Lynns; he thought it might be his last big hurrah !! So he wanted to do it all. Fast forward to the present, Clint has a solid bike sponsor in Action Motorsports and he’s teamed up with another major sponsor, Triangle Automotive in Dallastown, PA. He’s your District 6 Champion in both expert divisions and its full steam ahead for Clint at Doublin Gap
Clint at Sleepy Hollow For Immediate Release – October 28, 2004
MX Sports Announces 125cc Two-Stroke Only Format for Schoolboy Classes at Loretta Lynn’s 250cc “F” four-strokes no longer legal for 12-15-year-old youth group Morgantown, WV – MX Sports, producers of the Air Nautiques/AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, will change the structure of the 125cc Schoolboy (12-15) class for 2005. The class will now only be eligible for 125cc two-stroke machines; 250cc four-strokes will no longer be allowed to compete. The rule applies to both the stock and modified divisions of the 125cc Schoolboy (12-15) class. “Most of our minicycle riders graduate into the Schoolboy class once they’re ready for full-sized bikes, and we want to make that transition easy for them,” said MX Sports Director Tim Cotter. “We believe a 125cc motorcycle is an easier first step for a 12 to 15-year-old racer to handle.” The decision was made jointly through MX Sports and the AMA after thorough discussion. The new rule will apply in all levels of qualifying for the AMA National Championship. The 250cc four-strokes will also not be legal to qualify in the Schoolboy classes at the Area and Regional qualifiers. The 250cc four-strokes will, however, remain legal in all other 125 classes at the National Championships, including 125 A, B and C divisions. The AMA Air Nautiques Amateur National Motocross Championships presented by Amsoil is the world’s largest amateur motocross race. This year over 20,000 entries attempted to qualify in 33 classes for the event, which took place on August 2-7, 2004, at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Winning an AMA Amateur National Championship is considered the launch pad to a lucrative pro motocross career. Sponsors include Air Nautiques, Amsoil, Maxxis, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, KTM, Cobra, Fox, FMF, Gatorade, Parts Unlimited, Scott, Alpinestars, Boyesen, CTi, DC Shoes, Kicker, Ogio, Liquid Performance, Wiseco, Moto Tees and EK Chain.
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Fast Turn around Time
Clint at Atco after wrapping up both titles.