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"Sammy Woulda Loved It"

RMTA Trials Series

Ute Cup

July 15 & 16, 2009

La Garita, Colorado

By Ron Pocher

Photos By Bill Brokaw

In an article in Cycle World Magazine’s December 1973 issue, covering the fourth Ute Cup, the legendary Sammy Miller was quoted as saying “This is the best terrain I have seen, world over” in regard to Colorado’s trials-worthy landscape. He went on to say “There should definitely be an international round here, it’s just fantastic.” Well, Mr. Miller got his wish, as Colorado did indeed hold a world round in 1979. That event was won by California’s Bernie Schreiber, during a mid-season tear of three wins and three podiums, on his way to America’s only trials world championship.

Since that grand era in observed trials history, when Bultaco, Montesa and Ossa ruled the sport, Colorado has hosted more national-level events than any state in the country. Miller, who was Grand Master (winner) of that previously-mentioned ’73 Ute Cup, probably would have had a touch of difficulty in finding any fault in this year’s 38th running.

Like the El Trial de Espana in California, the Ute Cup was first held in 1970, but while the “El Trial” missed just one year in 1990, the “Ute” was unable to take place in both 2002 and 2005 due to complications with the U.S. Forest Service.

The list of past participants and winners of this long-running event, form quite an impressive roster indeed. Some of the early stars of the sport, who competed in but could never quite muster a win, included recognizable names like Lane Leavitt, Marland Whaley, Martin Belair, Richard Delaney and the always stylish Schreiber.

Multiple Cup winners include Mark Manniko (5), Geoff Aaron (3), Dave Burke, Jr (3), Morgan Kavanaugh (3), Ray Peters (3), Bill Brokaw (2), Scott Head (2), Ron Schmelzle (2), and Bill Burgener who hoisted the Cup 10 years apart in ’81 and ’91 and finished in the prestigious top 40% (13th), at age 50, in this year’s edition. National stand-outs Ryon Bell (’99) and Chris Florin (’01) also managed to add the Cup to their resumes.

The Ute Cup was originally conceived as a “high altitude” trials that would test the endurance of the man and the reliability of the machine with 20 different sections and a separate 20-mile loop to be completed twice during each of the two days. While the initial intent was to set sections that the intermediate to advanced rider could enjoy, this format creeped more toward the expert level in the last twenty years and probably caused attendance to slowly dwindle. While this year’s event contained many of the traditional “above-timber-line” and “through-mountain-stream” sections known to the Cup, the difficulty level of the traps was more reminiscent of the 70’s and 80’s.

Billy Burgener

K&N’s Rick Daniel, an intermediate-level trials rider, who has won several District 37 off-road titles, Glen Helen “Ironman” endurance races, and competed in an ISDE; may have had the quote of the weekend. Daniel , who travels to each of the RMTA events from California, was heard telling the trials masters that “he had been racing all forms of off-road motorcycles for 35 years and this event was the most fun he’d had (or at least as far as he could remember, anyway).” That’s pretty much been the club’s goal all along.

Brothers Kevin and Keith Busch, who are not only expert-level trials riders, but quite efficient in all disciplines of motorcycling, were the head trials masters and laid out the two 22-mile loops and a good percentage of the sections for this year’s affair. Kevin was able to claim NATC national championships in both 1999 (Sr 30) and 2001 (Sr 35) while Keith bagged his two titles in the Sportsman and Senior 30 classes during those same years, respectively. This was the second Ute Cup designed by the capable siblings.

Larry Lund, who has set somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 trials events through the years and had a hand in exactly half of the Ute Cup’s, threw in his expertise on several sections while also sponsoring his usual two “Expert Teams” through his optometry practice in Salida.

76-year-young Bill Brokaw, whom many consider to to be the father of organized trials in America and a true living legend in the sport, was the fourth trials master in the group. Brokaw, who holds residence in both the NATC and AMA Hall’s of Fame, started the first trials clubs in both California (SCTC) and Colorado (RMTA) along with his wife Annie and a few other dedicated pioneers. Brokaw still competes in and often wins AHRMA vintage trials events in the Rocky Mountain region and was working (quite feverishly I’m told) on his seventh Ute Cup.

David Black

Although the Cup is scored as a 2-day cumulative, each day’s top finisher is recognized and honored with an award. When play had ended for day one’s 44 trail miles and 40 observed sections, four riders sat tied at the top with no marks lost. A “ride-off” ensued and the gallery seemed a bit more enthused than the cast.

RMTA member Zach Clement drew the high card and with it the unenviable position of being first to tackle the special section that had been previously laid out for just such an occasion. Clement cleared the “out” cards with a clean ride. Arizona’s Andy Saum, a mainstay on the national circuit in the early nineties, was up next but had to take points about three-fourths of the way through the trap and was thus eliminated. Kansan Dustin Land and Colorado’s Keith Wineland were the 3rd and 4th contestants and both were able to negotiate the rocky route and advance to the next round.

The tape was then moved to incorporate a pyramid-shaped rock, with little approach, that was unmistakably the obstacle-in-question. Clement took his three points all during set-up, which required a full agenda of “hop tricks”, but managed to clear the rock and the rest of the technical section. Land was able to position himself with less dabs, but then slid off the right side of the pointed rock when his rear tire flat refused to bite, landing him outside the tape with a five. Wineland’s set-up was dab-free so the crowd, most of whom had seen him conquer far more intimidating structures in the past, released a disbelieving gasp when he too slithered down the right side and out of bounds.

Clement, who probably had initial feelings of defeat after taking his three, was crowned Saturday’s “Top Finisher” while astride the “shoot-out’s” oldest steed. Wineland, with national # 4 on his Beta for the second year in-a-row and sitting aboard his 4th TdN team, was “expected” to win and thus maybe facing a bit more pressure than he may have liked at what’s supposedly considered a “fun”, non-points-paying event.

Keith Wineland

Sunday’s round boasted a whole new 22-mile loop and fifteen fresh sections, all to be ridden two times each of course.

Mark Manniko, who would have to be called the “Chief” of the Ute Cup with 5 wins, was day two’s “Top Finisher” after punching Sunday’s only zero card. Manniko, who borrowed RMTA treasurer Stan Hensley’s Beta for the meet, took his one and only point in the very first section on Saturday morning, then casually cleaned the next sixty-nine traps in-a-row. Manniko’s poorly-timed dab relegated him to 4th overall.

Saum took his first point in section 10 on Sunday’s first loop and with it, the final spot on the podium. Clement, who consistently flows through sections “like butter”, finished 2nd overall after waiting until section 14 of loop 1 to do his footing. Land, who didn’t put a pod down until Sunday, needed one more step along the way but still edged out last year’s winner, Bailey Tucker, for fifth. Tucker, who has been recovering from a recent surgery, showed he is quickly regaining form with just a dab on each day.

Sarah Duke

Kansan Jason Carpenter (3 pts), Colorado’s Keifer Jacobsen (4 pts), New Mexico’s Trevor Clancy (6 pts), and Texan Glenn Roblin (7 pts) rounded out the top ten.

Wineland, who must have surely been entertaining thoughts of cleaning the Ute Cup, finally let his perfect ride slip away in the 10th section of Sunday’s second loop. One year from now when the young Wineland is scanning the past winners on the back of the 39th commemorative t-shirts, I seriously doubt that he’ll spot an asterisk by his name, nor a little foot note reading: “failed to win Saturday evening ride-off”… won’t find that on the cup either.

Alex Tucker

Andy Saum