Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Above) Mike Keen maintained a fast. steady pace throughout the race to finish third be hind Martin and Hyde. (Below) Martin celebrates. (Above) Can-Am's John Martin went home with the win and his first National Hare Scrambles Championship. (Below) Mark Hyde took second. AMA National Championship Hare Scrambles Series: Final 'round Sugar Grove win, HS title to Martin By larry Bell SUGA R G ROVE , OH . OCT . 13 Can-Am' s John Martin pulled off the w in a t Su g ar G ro ve o n a pre-p roduction liquidcooled 280cc m achin e over H usq varn a 's Mark H yd e and his 400W RX a nd closed the book 16 o n the 1985 AMA Na ti onal Cham p io ns hi p H are Scra m bles I Seri es WIth the Na tio na l C ha m pion ship i n his pocke t. Martin in heri ted th e lead o n th e l Ot h of 12 la ps whe n leader Kevin Bro wn cras hed h is Athens Sport Cycle/T&TI Sm ith Gogg les/ H i- Po int-s u pport ed Ya m a ha YZ490 , Martin 's victo ry m a rg in was a n u noffi cia l 50 seco nds, a nd h e a veraged 15 mi n u tes per 5.5-m ile la p . Husky-m ounted Mike Keen . H on da d evelopment ri d er Drew Smit h a nd H us kv r id er Fr ed H oess ro u nded o u t th e top five overall behin d Ma rt in a nd H vde, Bro wn fin ish ed si xt h desp ite sus ta in ing a possi ble bro ken foo t in the cras h . A jubila nt Ma r tin sai d aft er th e race. " T he ser ies boil ed down to th e last la p o f the last ra ce to d etermine th e cha m p ," Mart in a n d H vde ca me into th e fin a l ro u n d tied ' in po int s fo r t he overa ll tit le. whi le defendi ng National C ha m p io n G eo ff Ball a rd , Martin 's tea m m a te, trailed th em by a m er e si x po ints. Th e titl e wou ld fa ll a mong th ose th ree wi th Ball a rd h a ving a n o u tsid e cha nc e if th e leaders eit he r Dl\'F o r fini sh ed fo u rt h or low er. " T he luck o f th e d raw was good as th e Open cl a ss went first ; if th e 250s had gone fir st th e resu lts m ay hav e been differ en t," Martin said in retrospect , referrin g to the co u rse whic h had been la id o u t bv rh c Cc n tra l Ohi o Co m pe titio n Ride;·s. T h e th ree-wave, dead -en gin e sta rt had the r ide rs begin o n the m otocross track th en sna ke in to th e woo ds for 90% o f the co u rse a nd th en ret urn to the mo tocross tra ck fo r the trip th ro ug h th e sco r in g ba rrels, M o st rid er s a c k no w ledged th e d eceiving ease o f th e short co urse (by N ational standa rd s) whi le a t th e sa me time cr itic izing it for being so ri de rinf ested a n d di fficult to pass o n in tight a rea s. U nsea so na bly wa rm a nd hum id weath er - in th e 70s - p ro m ised a welcom e rel ief from th e co ld , w et a u tu m n seaso n . Man y ri d er s wa nted ra in to "settle" th e co u rse a nd they go t th eir wish wi th a stea dy rain rail Saturda y ni gh t. " It looks lik e it will be ha rd to pass. T h e start will be impo r tant ," sai d Ball ar d o n Saturday . H yd e ch ip ped in o n Su nday m orning: " W ith th is rain it loo ks OK .It 's a short co u rse, but good for specta to rs." Of hi s m ain co m pet itio n , H yde sa id , " Marti n 's been a rea l 'good co m pe titor a ll year. Thi s 10-race series is down to thi s o ne." H yd e was racin g th e sa me Husky h e had been usin g th rough out the previ ous rounds. But hi s Can -Am co u n terpa rts were usin g Sa tu rday after noon to do so me preliminary testin g. Ba llard was di aling in a 1986 350 ASE m ount whi ch had a modi fied ai r box a nd " d ifferen t rear sus pen sion va lvin g a nd spring." Ma rt in was br eak in g in a 280cc liq uid-co ol ed pro to type '8 7 m od el. Short ly before 12:30 p.m, Su nday. th e fir st wa ve o f rider s - O pen a nd 250cc-left w it h th e d rop of the Ilag. Balla rd , H yd e, Bro wn a nd Ma rtin wer e o u t front fo llowed by the 125, 200cc, Four-st roke. Seni or a nd Super Sen ior waves a t 30-seco nd interva ls. Comi n g o u t o f the firs t wood ed sectio n a nd tra vel ing a pa th into a no th er . bad lu ck struc k Ball ard w h ic h would end h is ri d e fo r the da v. " Hyd e a nd I cr as hed together inio a tree. I sm ashed m y bi ke up qui te good. I bent th e fo rk, th e su b-fra me and th e hand leba rs," Ball ard sa id as he li m p ed a bo u t th e pits. L at er in th e race, H yd e would a lso cra sh o n one of the h ill s, setting him back furth er. This reshufflin g o f th e frontrunn er s had Brown in front followed by H yd e, G lad win Cy cle's Keen and Martin a ll j us t seco nds apa rt a t th e en d o f la p o ne . Rei gnin g Nat io nal End u ro C ham pi on T err y C u n n ingha m wa s out of co n ten tio n o n th e fir st lap w hen his H usk v' s k ick sta r rer bro keand he had to p i t'fo r approxi ma tely 15 m inutes to repai r it. Hi s pi t tim e cost him a la p a t th e leader 's pace. Lat er in the ra ce. a fte r a strong effo rt to ma ke u p grou nd. h e ret ired.

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