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The start of the 500cc class saw Ron Naylor take the holeshot ahead of Geoff Ballard. Naylor eventually dropped out and Ballard finished sixth. Ed Lojak rode his Husqvarna 250cc Enduro to first overall at the Black Coal National Hare Scrambles. beating Mark Hyde and Fritz Kadlec. National Championship Hare Scrambles Series: Round 1. 0 Lojak sacks Black Coal By Merle Acord LYNNVILLE, IN, OCT. 5 Ed Lojak, Geoff Ballard and Mark Hyde, all within a few points of a three:way tie in the point standings after nine races in the II-race National Hare Scrambles Championship Series wished each other luck in th~ startin'g area at the Black Coal National. And lined up in . . . the f lfSt row walung to move 14 into the lead should the leaders make a mistake were Fritz Kadlec and Ron Naylor. Lojak, riding a Husqvarna 250WR and starting a minute behind the Open bikes in the second wave of the five-wave dead engine start, turned in four l6.8-mile laps in 3:13.02 for back-to-back overall wins to take a commanding lead into the final race. Lojak now nc;eds a third oyerall to win outright the National Championship title. The best six finishes of the series are ilsed to compute the season's total points. "This was a demanding race," said Lojak "There wasn't anything real technical or difficult. It just beilt up your body and got you real tired. After I caught up with the big bikes early in the first lap I stayed with them and tried not to make any mistakes. I ,knew I had to do this myself, I couldn t e:,pe~t a,~yone to DNF and I wanted this Win. The Black Coal National Enduro M.e. broke their l6-year string o( National Enduro sponsorship and opted for a National Hare Scrambles. Jerry Schuler, past chairman of those 16 Black Coal National Enduros, turned over the chairmanship to his son John and trail lay-out to son Dan. Dan Schuler, an ISDE team member in 1985, said, "The trails are basically the same throughout the eight mile loop - tight woods, and some short but real sharp (steep) ridges. The fast riders should do a loop in about 42 to 45 minutes because we do have some stuff oui back where the big bikes could do 80 inph." "What I really need today is a win, - but if Fritz (Kadlec) comes in first and I'm second, I would be happy," said Husqvarna Automatic-mounted Mark Hyde prioTto the race. "It may help a little that Lojak is in the second row and will have to pass people to catch up with us," continued Hyde, "but that prob'l-.bly won't make much difference, Eddie has never had any trouble passing people." As it turned out the first row was not an advantage. John Schuler, the course chairman, opted not to have a practice lap and those in the first wave effectively broke trail. Kadlec, the first rider into the scoring barrels turned a 52-minute lap, his second lap was trimmed to 45 minutes. "I knew the race was going down to the last lap," said Kadlec. "I had a couple of problems and got behind Mark (Hyde) and then I couldn't get around and Mark sure wasn't going to pull over and let me pass. I didn't want to do anything foolish and crash so I had to wait for a mistake." On the fourth and final lap Hyde, Lojak and Kadlec, riding side-by-side on an off-camber rocky trail within an eight-foot wide lane marked with plastic tape, crested a small hil1' 50 yards from the scoring barrels. "After we had raced for three hours it all came down to the last 20 feet," said Hyde. "I glanced over for Fritz, and looked him right in the eye. I knew where Lojak was. I thought Lojak might miss the last corner (a sharp left just before the barrels). I had the trail and he was in the grass." Lojak didn't go down but did slide wide in the slick grass allowing Hyde to go to the inside and be first to the barrels. Kadlec was third. They pounded each other on the helmets and gave congratulatory handshakes all around. Lojak, because of his one minute adjustment, took the overall and rights to the biggest lumpof coal at trophy presentation. Ron Naylor, aboard a 500 CanAm, took the holeshot in the Open class and was in the top 10 at the end of the first lap. Naylor, who had suffered a hairline fracture of a vertebra while practicing a month ago, lost any chances he had for a championship when he reinjured his neck after hitting a low overhanging branch on the trail. "I need a win," said Can-Am's Geof£ Ballard before the race. "That DNF at Millville a month ago when 1 ran out of gas really hurt. It doesn't do me any good now, but Ifoundout my bike had a hole in the crankcase and that caused it to run very rich." But it was to be more hard luck for Ballard, who after running in the top four at the end of the first lap had to stop at the end of the second lap and replace a flat front tire. Ballard finished sixth overall, seven minutes off the pace. It was a shoot-out between two Kentuckians in the 250cc A class Scott Plessinger and Tony Hendon both on YZ Yamahas. Hendon got the holeshot and was first through the barrels bu t Plessinger kept the pressure on and won the class and fourth overall with a time of 3:15.36. "I had to slow down in the fourth lap," said Plessinger, pointing to a destroyed front brake cable, "but up until then I was staying right behind Lojak. 1 don't know, maybe if 1 would have had a front brake 1 could have done better." Hendon's problem wasn't braking. "I had a good start and I was right up front at the end of the first loop," said Hendon. "Then I got stuck in a deep rut and I had a hell of a time getting out. I just lost too much time and couldn't make it up." Hendon was 26 seconds behind Plessinger and 28 minutes ahead. of third place KTM mounted Bob Elliott. "I thought it was a one-lap race," said Kawasaki's seven-time ISDE gold medalist and today's 200cc A class winner Jeff Fredette. "The 200 class started behind the Seniors and the Super Seniors and during the first lap 1passed most of those guys. And, hey, it was tough getting around because the trails on the first lap were really slick. If you made a mistake it was off into one of the water holes or whatever. But after that first lap I saw just a few riders the rest of the day.