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(Top) 0venI1I winner Terry Cunningham tak8a on gas. (Above) Trouble on the nil. AMA National Championship Enduro Series: Round seven Little Burrsilver anniversary win to Cunningham e e By Raymond M. McCoy LAKE HOPE STATE PARK, OH, MAY 30 Husqvarna's Terry Cunningham blasted his 420 Automatic to the overall win in this year's running of the Little Burr Na- 24 tional Enduro. Cunningham dropped a total of 37 points on his way to collecting his third straight championship series overall win. Again Cunningham's closest competitors were Husky teammates Mike Mehon and Mark Hyde. Mellon dropped 48 points to put himself on top of the AA ranks while Hyde followed closel y with a loss of 5 1 points. Kawasaki T eam Green teamsters Fritz Kadl ec and Drew Smith followed Hyde dropping 54 a nd 65 points, respectively, The point sta ndi ngs show Cunningham leading Melton by 21 points, 161 to 140, while Kadlec holds third a t 109 and H yde has 103 points for fourth. Th e sponsoring Enduro Riders Association o riginally laid out a course that read 171.6 route card miles, which, with 26 miles devoted to resets, amounted to 145.6 miles of trail. For weeks prior to the event hardly any rain fell around Lake Hope State Park and trail cond itio ns would have been "great for a reall y good ride," according to one club member. As it turned out, rain began to fall the night before the event and continued off a nd on until th e morning. Pre-riding the trail before the start, club members found several nasty waterholes within a few miles of the start. Vic Ely , the acting referee for th e club, had to make a decision. "We co uldn' t have left thos e sections in th e run without losing half the riders," said Ely, " a nd to route them around them would have amounted 10 a road ride." Consequently, the first 24 miles of trail were cut out. The key time was adjusted to co mpensate and correspond with the route ca rd. As it has in the past, the club used Lak e H ope State Park for it s staging area. T wo hundred twenty riders start ed th e event which led th em onto slip pe ry trails with standing water in low areas. The feeling expressed by many riders was it was a difficult ride whi ch demanded a ll your attention. One section, where the speed average changed from 24 10 30 mph, was 12 miles of single and two-track riding, which took points from all riders. Cunningham was the fastest in this section by a couple of minutes. "You wouldn 't believe what I did,': said Cunningham. "I went into the section and rode a couple of miles and thought I was on time, but because of the speed change I really wasn't. I had to gas it up. " "I crashed several times in that section," said Melton. One other section which deserves mention came at 118 miles. It was a 26 mile section which included a half mile ride up the middle of a creek. Drew Smith was a spectator favorite, doing a very good imitation of a powerboat as he blasted through. jack Penton took the ride a bit slower. Kawasaki's Penton had problems early in the run and didn't want any more. "I keep fouling plugs," said Penton. "I had to stop in one section that had an emergency check and change plugs." Penton finished eighth overall with a loss of 82 points. Wally Wilson rode his Husky hard most of the day, trying to make up for a problem early in the run. " I really goofed. l'said Wilson. "I went around a slower rider to pass him and ended up stuck in a mudhole up 10 my exhaust pipe. I thought I'd never get out." For his efforts, Wilson picked up overall A class honors. Can-Am's john Martin had his bike's engine lose compression in a long woods section and wasn't seen again until several hours later when he got out. john Fero had misfortune strike in the form of a flat rear tire on hi s Suzuki . That cost him a lot of points. Fero took the AA Lightweight class win. This year's running marked a quarter century of holding the event for the organizing Enduro Riders Association. john Penton won the first two even tsand eventually accumulat ed seven wins in all. • Results OVERALL: Terry Cunningham (Hus) . HIGH POINT A: Wally Wilson (Hus). HIGH POINT B: Gary Klassen (C-A). M : 1. Mike Melton (Hus); 2. Merk Hyde (Hus); 3. Fritz Kadlec (Kaw); 4 . Drew Smith (Kew); 5 . Ron Bolzi (HUll; 6. Rod Bush (KTM); 7. Jack Penton (Kaw ). M UW: John Faro (Sud. OPENA : 1. Wayne Beindorf (Hus); 2. Jim Robson tHus); 3. Vernon Pecholke (Han); 4 . George Dawson tHus); 5. William Moroz (Hul). 2SOCc A : 1. Joff Russell (Hus); 2. Rick Partee (KTM); 3. Mike Draka (KTM); 4. Randy Simmons (KTM); S. Dan Jam .. (KTM). 2DOcc A: J . Randy Kline (Vam); 2. Terry Flynn (Hon); 3. Brent Ball (Hon); 4 . Mark Williams (C-A); S. Dlvid Pierce (Ylm). OPEN B; 1. S'""e Hain.. (Husl; 2. Jeff Tricken (HUll; 3. Tom Bel la mY(Yl m ); 4 . A.J. Krajacic (Hust; ' 5. Rodney Michalko (Hus). 25Dcc B: 1. Randy Stephens (Husj; 2. Bill Humphrey (Hus); 3. Jim Crowloy (Hus); 4 . Steve Voung (C·A); 5. Dennis Welser (KTM). 2DOccB: 1. Denny Ashworth (Vaml; 2. lJIIrry Lyne (Hon); 3. Glen Griff i'h (Hon); 4 . RonJohns,onbaugh (Vam);' 5. Ron Monnig (Hon). 125cc B: 1. Tony Partee (Hus); 2. Bob Ellion (KTM); 3. Jerry Watkins (C-A); 4. Rick Pedersen (KM): 5. Jerry Voung (Hus). OPENC: 1. Jeff Whetstona (Yam); 2. George Fitch (Hus); 3. Dana Exline (Hus); 4. Dean ExIIMe(KTM). 250cc C: 1. Gerry Sholts (KTM); 2. Jeff Arn old (Hus); Oavid Mitchell (Hon). 2DOccC: 1. Jim South (Suz); 2. Vic Picket (Kaw); 3. Paul Johnson (Su.); 4 . lJIIrry Rench (Su.) . SR: 1. Dick Nalle (Hus~ 2. Don Harle .. (Honl; 3. Farrall Lord (Kaw~ 4. Lester Snook (KTM). SUPER SR; 1. John Buffaloe (Hon); 2. Harold Denny (Vam); 3. CI..us Kuhn (Yam). AMA NATIONAL CHAMPI ONSHIP ENDURO SERIES POINT STANDINGS : 1. Terry Cunningham (1611; 2. Mike Ma~on(I40I; 3. Fritl: Kedlec (1 D9); 4 . Mark Hyde (103); 5. Jack Pen'on (90); 6. Drew Smith (B7); 7. John Martin (Bl); 6. Jeff Fredette (6B); 9 . O""id Bertram (60); 1O. John Faro (57); 11. Jeff Irwin (65); 12 . Ron Ribol.i (441; 13. Tom Webb (39) ; 14 . Darryl Kuan.er (3B); 15. Kevin Hines (35); 16. Jeff Henning (33); 17. lJIIrry Roeselor (30); lB. (TIE)Rod Bush /Man Cullins (22); 20. Rick Munyon (21). ,Worl d Champ-ionship' O bserved Trials Series: Round five Burgat wins home French round By M ike Rapley ST. LEONARD, FRANCE, MAY 23 Defending World Champion Gilles Burgat scored his first win in this year's World Championship rounds when he won his home French round of the series at St. Leonard, near Le Mans, som e 250 kilometers southwest of Paris. In scoring the win over Eddy Lejeune of Belgium who was second and American Bernie Schreiber, Burgat has achieved an immense boost to his morale. for it is his first major international trial win since he switched from SWM 10 Fantic machinery. Once again, tire choice proved to be critical in determining who would win this trial, and unfortunately it seemed as if Schreiber made the wrong choice. With several compounds of the Michelin tire now available to the top men, both Burgat and Lejeune chose the ultra soft compound, while Schreiber went 'for a slighty harder mix, reckoning it might last better over the three laps of 15 sections. It was an unwise choice, for Bernie posted first and second lap scores of 40 and 44 to total 84, while his rivals Burgat and Lejeune had scores of2536 and 31 ·34, respectively. Realizing his mistake, Bernie changed 'wheels at the end of his second lap, and with the soft compound put in a final lap of 34 10 secure ' third place by the greatest number of cl eans over Thierry Michaud who lost the same number of marks. So critical is the choice of tire , that all of the riders in th e first 20 were on Michel in , with the once so dominant Pirelli now out of favor . Not a particularly thrilling trial , the event nevertheless went off well . Using grass, rocks and tight turns, the organizers easil y found a winner, but the event will not go down in memory as being a classic. Youth now predominates in the results over experience, with Britain's john Reynolds gelling his first points this year, while jaime Subira was a welcome visitor to the top 10, now almost fully recovered after injuring his back in Belgium. The top three in the world, now more than ever have reached a standard where they cannot be beaten for the crown. As to who the eventual '. winner will be is still very uncertain, but while it was Schreiber and Lejeune who were the favorites, the return of Burgat to the winner's rostru m, has more than upset the apple cart. • Resu lts 1. Gilles Burga' (France - Fan) 93; 2. Eddy Lejeune (Belgium - Hon) 99; 3. mE) Bernie Schraiber (USA · SWM)lThierry Michaud (France· SWM I 119 ; 5. Toni Gorgot (Spain - Mon) 121; 6. Jaime Subira (Spain · Fon) 12B; 7. John Reynolds (Bmain - Mon) 130; B. mE) Fred Miclulud (""ance • Bul)1 Chari.. Coutard (France ' - Bul) 138; 10. John um"in (Britain - CCM •.