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AMA: Mazda Trucks Keep Motocrossers on Track

20 August 1998

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Thanks to Mazda Trucks, 40 riders of the American Motorcyclist Association's (AMA) Mazda Truck Motocross Nationals recently split $30,000 in bonus money. The payout was the second installment of the 1998 Mazda Trucks $100,000 point fund, and was presented following the July 26 race at Kenworthy's Motocross Park in Troy, Ohio.

Yamaha's Doug Henry and Kawasaki's Ricky Carmichael were at the top of the second round of payouts, but 38 other riders also benefited from the generosity of Mazda Trucks.

"These bonuses from Mazda Truck really help to fuel the series, and I mean that in the most literal sense," said Merrill Vanderslice, director of competition for AMA Pro Racing. "The top riders, Doug and Ricky included, are fortunate, and they deserve all the support they receive from sponsors. But I'm sure they can remember a time when they would've used this money for gas and tires. There are riders coming up through the series who need the Mazda Truck bonuses to cover the basic expenses, and this support can make the difference between riding out the season, or packing it up early."

Doug Henry -- who collected the top 250cc award of $1,150 in the first-round Mazda Truck bonus payout earlier this season -- did so again in the round-two payout. Henry currently leads the 250cc Mazda Truck Motocross Nationals aboard the Factory Yamaha YZ400F four-stroke.

Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Ricky Carmichael topped the list in the 125cc class, and also collected a $1,150 check from Mazda Trucks. Carmichael leads the 125cc division of the Mazda Truck Motocross Nationals, and with just two races left in the 1998 series, appears poised to capture his third pro title in a row.

Mazda Truck will pay $100,000 in season bonuses to 125cc and 250cc class riders over the course of the 1998 season. The top-20 ranked riders in each class of the AMA Mazda Trucks Motocross Nationals split $15,000 after the June 14 round at Motocross 338 in Southwick, Mass. The second round of Mazda Truck bonuses were paid following the July 26 round at Kenworthy's Motocross Park in Troy, Ohio, where the top-20 riders in each class split another $15,000. The top-20 riders in each class will split $20,000 following the season finale at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa.