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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126434
...-4 ot') M GJ ~ o ... (,J o AMA National Championship Enduro Series Sanford perfect at Prairie Dawg's Mile High National By Jim Anison CLOUDCROFT, NM, OCT. 14 Beautiful blue skies greeted 187 starters at the 20th Annual Mile High National Enduro which was sponsored by the Prairie Dawg Motorcycle 18 Club in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. Team Maico's AA rider Don Sanford turned in a perfect score for top honors while KTM rider Kevin Davis took top A honon and second overall after dropping only one point. Dick Burleson beat Drew Smith by 12 seconds at the tie breaker to take third overall. Overall B rider was john Laney of Midland, T _ who dropped only 15 points. The c:oune, located in the Lincoln National Forest, took riden through the beautiful SacruDelltO Moantains at an elevation of appmrimately 8000 feet. The view was fantutid Sneral riden com.......trd that they bad ItOpped juIt to enjoy the 1CeIIeIJ'. At ODe point OIl the ~te. ODe cou1cllee over 100 mila to the IOllth of E1 Paso into Mexico and 100 mila to the west to the ruged San ADdres Mcmntam. The view was breathtaking but 10 was the riding. Plenty of roeb, tree _ , hills and narrow trail was the main COW'Ie for the day. Speed aftnces varied from 12 to 24 mph. Upon checking the speed average the weekend before the event, ODe IIl!Ction had been bumped up &om 18 to 21 mph, but the chanse didn't throw any of the AA riden off. Kawasaki rider Mike Hannon was knocked down while trying to p.- a slower rider and broke a shift lever. He lost one minute while replacing the lever and never could make it up. Mike dropped four points and finished ninth overall behind john Fero, who also dropped four points. Hannon, wishing the speed averages had been higher and that the club had used more check in-check out sections, commented that he, "never really had to race." Fifty-ODe year old Delmar GroDleth &om Albuquerque, NM rode the Senior Open c1asI and finished all 105.6 miles OIl his 1967 Bultaco Sherpa T. He said be rode because. "I wanted to lee if I could still do it... Club referee Rusty Friesen threw out checks twO and four wben ir was discove-ed that the checkpoint perIOnnel had made an error and they were one minute off. john Fero and Dick Buriaon pratestrd the milease &om gas ODe to check five at the finish, 10 the club referee, Fero, Burleson and Sanford went out to re-ride the IIeCtion. The mil~ turned out to be spot on and thus Sanford was proclaimed the overall winner. AU was not smooth for Sanford in his victory. His Maico.suffered a Oat before gas one but Sanford's ace pit crew made a quick wheel chanse and had him out of the gas check in less than a minute. "The best country _anywhere'" is how Sanford described the enduro terrain after his victory. The Prairie Dawgs elected not to give trophies this year, instead they gave out belt buckles_ Each buckle was hand crafted by local southwestern artist Roser Hubert, and each was numbered on the back as a limited edition of 100 such buckles. All fint place winnen received silver buckles and bronze buckles were rewards for second through fifth places. Troy Davis, of Santa Teresa, NM, cancelled the em.-up contest in Thousand Mile Canyon when he wiped out the photographer and himRIf in a super crazy ~p. It was decided to cancel the contest for both the riders' and photograpberl' safety. In retrospect, the enduro came smooth with only minor problems: Flat tires seemed to be the rule of the day with several riden finishing the event on Oats: One Open A rider rode the entire event OD a front Oat - from check one to the fmish. Several riden reportrd beginner' luck; overall B winDer john Lan advanced to A class in his fint eve enduro; second place 12Sec Bride Bug Berry was also riding his first enduro and junior Class C Oat trade Dave Waring finished fourth in 12Sec B class. Also, Wendy Pravda, who is coming on as a real threat, t a fmt place in the 200cc B class.