Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Cunningham'sJack Pine win is his fourth in five years. Husqvarna's Randy Hawkins was third overall with 10 points, finishing three points behind winner Terry Cunningham. National Championship Enduro Series: Round B Cunningham crunches 60th Jack Pine By Merle Acord MOORESTOWN, MI, AUG. 17 Team Husqvarna's Terry Cunningham, aboard a 430cc Automatic, dropped seven points and overalled the 60th Lansing M/Csponsored Jack Pine Enduro classic. Today's win was Cunningham 's fou~th ' . Jac k Pme overall 10 the last five years (Mike Mehon won it in 1984). Cunningham tied 20 , . .. John P~nton s. four wms but IS s.u~1 three wms behind Oscar Lenz, onglnatal' of the Jack Pme. . There wereI4 secret checks,. muluple ~bservauons and 30.5 miles ?f resets 10 the 196.8 miles of traJls laLd out by Pathfinder's Mike Mendel, John pence and Gerald "Hound" Bassett. "We didn't layout thi enduro forthedouble A riders," said Mendel, "but they influenced our thinking. When .we located a ch~ck I wo~ld thmk, If Iwere ndmg, 1 d be behmd but guys Itke Cunnmgham and Melton would be right on time, a we went deeper in the woc;xl before ,,:e had a check. The enure enduro IS held on state land, and the ecology rules. are no water crossmgs. That also mclude~ any swamp areas. But there are mJles and. miles of ught woods. and a lot OflllS old tralls.but we always work m some vlfgmal stuff each year. W do have some fast t~o tracks but no blacktop.. ~heonly time they come outof the pI Illes 's for gas. This is a tough run. No one has ever zeroed Jack Pine and we aim to keep it that way." "Jack Pine is the lange t enduro on the National circuit," said overall champion Cunningham, "and that works to my advantage. I seem to be able to keep my concentration on these long runs and I'll put points on the guys during the last part of the run. I really like th~s run, and to Improve It, 1 would hke to offer tbls comment. 1 would rather see the club put in an extra check and a reset if they need it in place of changing the 24 mph average." Cunningham stroked the cowbell travelling trophy and said, "1 don't know how many times you have to win thi cowbell before they let you keep it. But I'll be back next year and try to make it three in a row." David Bertram, Randy Hawkins, Berry Bell and Kevin Hines all turned in scores of 10 with Bertram edging Hawkins for econd overall. Hawkin was 12 seconds better at the emer~ency checks taking third overall with Bell slippin~ past Hin . "I had a good day," said Bertram "but I was having trouble with my concentration. I think I'm looking ahead to see the I DE in Italy in a ouple of weeks. Some of these Michigan trails are £ast and it's not that hard to get hoI. 1 had to slow down a couple of times. Lose your concentration here and it's trouble." "I like to rail those corner ," said Hawkios "and this Michigan sand has enough textur to build great berms. This is somewhat like home (orth Carolina) except the woods are longer. I really like it." Mike Melton is still being hampered by his hip injury. "Brain failure," said Hines about his IO-point score. "1 lost some points that r should've never lost. What can r say, r was only five points behind T.C. in the National points standing before today's run, and after the boys back in New Jersey read the scores, it may be more - ever hear of anyone from New Jersey having trouble with the numbers? Guess I'll have to use this as a 'throw away. Ron Ribolzj used to say that's what you got 'em [or, use 'em." Bell was elated with his fourth overall. "1 thought 1 had only dropped nine but the backup sheet didn't agree with my score card. I guess 1 should say the way they read my score card, the numbers were kind of hard to read. Anyway. I'm happy. Thi is the first time 1 was ever able to finish a race up north (Bell i from Mis issippi). And 1 beat my buddy (Gary Johnson)." Gary Johnson finished sixth overall with a score of II and in his soft Mississippian accent remounted his ride. "My computer went on the bum. Thankfully, Dwight (Rudder) was riding on the same minute with me, and he would make hand signs when the next possible (check) could be and we rode most of the day like that. I may be in a lot of trouble with this computer, I've read the instruction book and still can't set it. And the worse part - computers are part of my business. Think it's brain cramp?" Dwight Rudder, riding a Kawasaki KDX200. won the 200cc A class with a score of 12. "1 enjoyed the ride," said Rudder, "1 just wi h they would put more checks at the start of those long tight trail section. I can't feel good about staringat my watch waiting for my minute to come up before entering a woods section and then not having a check until the end." "1 wanted to ride at least one Eastern enduro before I retired," aid Senior A rider, Californian Richard Christen. "Well, I've rode it and 1can tell you, we don't have anything like iton the West Coast. This was tough." Former National Champion, Mike Melton suited up and rode 100 miles before nagging aches from his serious hip injury, caused him to pack it in. Daniel Griswold became an instant A by toppi ng a II the B riders with a' score 24 aboard a 400cc Husky. Willard Root gave new meaning to the word determination. Root, after riding 130 miles of Michigan trails on a 125 Can-Am, did a get-off and broke his throllie cable. He managed to get enough of the cable to wind around his finger and still operate the throttle. Root completed the run by riding 36 miles of the toughest woods section of the enduro and lost 91 points to give him a total of 156 points. That was good enough for second place in the 200cc C class. It was the 60th runoing of the legendary Jack Pine that had its origin in 1923 when Oscar Lenz, using a Harley 74 flathead side-hack, performed pathfinders duties for the first 500 mile event. 10 those days you could also ride the run that you laid out. Lenz won the first Jack Pine with a 45 Harley and would amass a total of seven win before retiring in 1936. The run has been held continuously in lower Michigan except for the war years and 1968 when outlaw bikers created an incident. To celebrate the anniversary,there was ao antique bike exhibition that included Oscar Lenz's Harley. Also a Harley sidehack thilt had been ridden in competition and used as a pathfinder, plus several BSAs and Tri· umphs. After the exhibition the machines took a parade lap around the club grounds to show they were still in racing form. Jim I)unn, the last rider to ride Oscar Lenz's Harley in competition joined other well-known names in Jack Pine history, such 'as Harold Farnam, John Penton, BiU Strickland and Chuck Fischer. • Results OVERAll: Terry Cunningham fHus). HIGH POINT EX: David Bertram (Husl. HIGH POINT A: Berry Bell (KTMI. HIGH POINT B: Daniel Grilwold (Hus). HIGH POINT C: Steve Vollman (Husl. AA EX: 1. Randy Hawkins (Hus); 2. Kevin Hines (Husl; 3. Gery Johnson (HUll. 125 A: 1. AI Frederickson (KTM); 2. larry Arrington (Cag): 3. Douglas Phelps (KTMI. 200 A: 1. Dwight Rudder (Kawl; 2. John Hoffman (Kawl; 3. John Korsog (Kawl. 250 A: 1. Alan James (Suz); 2. Eric Shafer (Hus); 3. Jim Boyne (HUll. OPEN A: 1. Steven Maclean (Kawl; 2. Tom Buckles (HUll; 3. Jeff Haasl fHusl. 4·STRK A: 1. Vern Pacholke (Hon); 2. Frank Abney; 3. Phil Westendorf (Honl. SR A: 1. Steve Smigiel (Husl: 2. Dennis Wagner (Kawl; 3. Carl Sharphorn (Hus). 55: 1. Buddy Norton (Vaml; 2. Richard France (Kawl: 3. Richard Lanaver (Kaw). 125 B: 1. Lerry Brown (Hus); 2. Martin Murphy (Honl; 3. Kenneth Beesley (Hus). 200 B: 1. Bryan Dull (Vaml; 2. Bruce Layher (Kawl; 3. Alan Bohren (Vam). 250 B: ,. Brad Maloni (Hus); 2. Bret Dittenber (Honl; 3. Patrick Waldie (Husl. OPEN B: 1. Jim Keys (Hus); 2. Rory Densmore (KTM); 3. Barry Gaston (Hus). 4-STRK B: 1. Douglas Hodge (Hon); 2. Jim Cain (Hon): 3. Pat Daniel (Han), SR B: 1. John Bombyk (Hus); 2. Harold Hall (Hus); 3. Gary Doer (Suzl. 200 c: 1, James Hunt (Yam); 2. Willard Aoot (C-A); 3. Jeff Brown (Kawl. 250 C: ,. Terry Shauver (Han): 2. Tim Whetstone (Hon); 3. Donald Elzinga (Kaw). OPEN C: ,. Daniel Kot (Hon); 2. Robert O'Oell (C-A); 3. Broan Johnson (Hus).

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