RACE STORY & PHOTOS

National Vet MX Championship
Motocross of Marion County

BY CRAIG AND ANGELA JOHNSON
REDDICK, FL, FEBRUARY 21-22, 2004

The first annual National Vet Motocross Championship was a huge success. Veteran riders came from all over the Eastern part of the United States to see who would be crowned champion. The riders raced for great contingencies with Vortex being the title sponsor. Vortex gave out contingencies to the top three in all classes. There were also plenty of other goodies given out to the top riders such as handlebars, goggles, grips, and oils just to name a few.

You could not have picked a better weekend to race, as there was plenty of sunshine and the temperatures were in the 70's. To make it even better there were no riders that completely dominated. It seemed that everyone had there chance at glory. One rider did win two classes but had to work in getting the wins. Zach Ische, from Bonita Springs, Florida, took the Over 25 and 30 Amateur classes.

The Over 25 and 35 Amateur raced a combined moto with Jacksonville, Florida rider George Masdea getting the first moto holeshot. Pennsylvania rider, Mark Burkholder was second followed closely by Ische, Curtis Johnson, and Craig Allen. Masdea put a few bike lengths on the pack when the green flag flew but lost it a couple of laps later. Ische passed Burkholder on lap two and reeled in Masdea. Just before lap three was over Ische made the pass for the lead in the new rhythm section. The battle for third on the track also tightened up with Johnson passing Burkholder at the finish line with still a couple of laps to go. Ische pulled out to the win with Masdea in second. The race for third was not over. Allen, leading the Over