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o.n Smith captured his second National Championship win in a row, gying it was one of the hardest nlcas he's ever ridden. Second place finisher riding a big-bore Husky, Garth Sweetland, gets checked in after one of the loops. He finished seven minutes behind Smith. AlIA National Bare and Bound Championship Series: Round Z Smith sails to Tarantula win By Anne and Tom Van Beveren Photos by Tom Van Beveren ALAMOGORDO, N.M. MARCH I Team· Husqvarna's Dan Smith, who was recently named AMA Amateur Athlete of the Year for his domination of last year's National Hare and Hound Championship Series, ran away from the competition in the sandy terrain south of Alamogordo, to take the checkered flag more than seven minutes ahead of Husky teammate Garth Sweetland. Aftel:..just two events in the ninerace'series, Smith's two-for-twoJlVinning record has already put him OUI in front in the points race for the prestigious National title. "That was the hardest course I've ever ridden," said Smith. "My legs are likejello,and I'm too tired even to smilel It was tight and boy was it rough!" The 125-mile race was held at the Tarantula 100, an annual event sponsored by the Prairie Dawgs, M.e., and drew a field of 150 riders. With much of southern New Mexico reserved for military use and the local BLM severely restricting riding in the remaining portions, the organizing club found it impossible to lay out a true "once around the course only" hare and hound. Instead, they laid out one 25-mile loop and assigned five laps to the Expert riders, four to the Amateurs, three to the Novices and two to the Beginners. As Duane Summers, last year's win- ner of the championsthip title in the 125cc class, put it, "The'course was a lot different from anything we see in District 37, that's for surelIt was dead flat and there wasn't a rock anywhere, but it was still really tough. It was rougher than you could believe and really tight and twisty - a killer 125-mile course. There wasn't even one wide open section out there and there are so many bushes! This is a pretty different kind of desen!" The banner dropped for the LeMans-style stan just after 8 a.m. Smith put in seme fast footwork in the sprim but didn't fare nearly as well when it came time to get on the bike. "I have to tell you about my start," said Smith. "It must've looked so funny! I had my bike dug into the sand on the staning line so it would stand up until I got to it. I rdn over there to swing my leg over it, and I guess I didn't get my leg high enough because I knocked the bike over! [was scrambling around on the ground trying to pick it up and everyone else was leaving!" As the first wave of riders swept past the smoke bomb and out imo the first loop, Summers was out in from. In a bid to.overall the National event, Summers had traded his usual l25cc Cagiva for a 250cc Husky and had it in full cry at the head of the pack. Hard on his heels in second overall was an Open class Husky piloted by Sweetland with the hard-eharging Smith, racing wide open in a bid to make up for his slow start, already working up imo third overall. About 10 bike lengths back from Smith was 250cc Husky hotshot Scott Morris with Team Husky's Paul Krause. Summers turned in a fast starting loop and was 30 seconds up on Sweetland as the riders charged through the pits for the (irst time. Smith was holding third overall, and Krause had pushed past Morris to take over fourth. Coming on strong in sixth overall was local hotshot George Ellinger on a I25cc Honda just ahead o(Tim HarringLOn on a 250cc Honda. The (irst casualty in the leading line-up was Krause, whose Husky gave up about six miles inLO the second loop. "I don't know what happened - it just quit," said Krause. "[ think the main bearings went or something it won't kick over. I had just started riding good and I could see whoever was in front of me. I had set my mind LO catch them, but like every other weekend this year, my bike and I had different ideas." The second casualty among the fromrunners was Summers, whose reign at the head o( the pack bit the dust halfway around loop two. "They have some really gnarly thorns out here and one o( them actually punctured the tank and I ran out o( gas," said Summers. "I was carrying half a gallon of gas in a bottle and I punctured that too, so it was all over." Summers wanted to thank Alberto Camelli o( Cagiva (or giving him the opportunity to ridethe 250. "I wanted to overall this one real bad, and I didn't think the 125 would be the right hike for out here, so he let me try it on the 250. Everything was going so well too!" By the time the riders appeared at the end of loop two, the lead was in the hands of Smith. The Husky fourstroke pilot had built up a 30-second lead over Sweetland with another minute back to Morris, who was locked in a head-to-head battle for third overall with Ellinger's l25cC; Honda. Harrington's 250 was in fourth overall with two minutes back to 250cc Husqvama rider Daryl Folks. As the racers entered their thi rd loop, the going staned to get tougher. Large whoops built up on the course and there was a constant stream of slower traffic. Smith turned in a 4O-minute third lap and was still out in front as he cleared home check and slid into the pits. "That's the roughest son of a bitch I've even riddt;n in my Life," said Smith before powering off into loop (our. Sweetland was still running in second overall going into loop four, and Ellinger had slipped past Morris. to take over third. Harrington was maintaining a steady pace in fifth overall just ahead o( Folks and local 125cc Yamaha pilot Mark Berry. The lead positions remained unchanged as the race drew to a close with Smith putting in a last minute sprint in the final loop that took him out in front of Sweetland by a full seven and a half minutes as he crossed the (inish Line. "What a course," said Smith (Husqvarna/Autolite/Golden Spectro/ Metzler/Goldbelt!Alpinestar/Scott! BeIVHRP/Pro Gas/Renthall). "You never went more than 20 yards in a straight line - you had to tum all the time. Smith had nothing hut praise (or the other competitors at the event. "Everyone here is really courteous," he said. "They all pull over to let you through and make the race a lot easier. These people here in New Mexico are first class." Second overall was taken by Sweetland, who was one of a group o( riders that went into the event with no National points after getting lost on the. course during round one of the senes. "Very, very rough," was Sweetland's description of the course. "With all the traffic, it got really whoop-dedooed bad," said Sweetland. "It was all up and down and th~e was basically just one line in most places. It was so bushy you couldn't get out of it. It really wore me out. I crashed coming in on the last loop. I just got too tired and couldn't hang on to it any more." Third overall and (ir. in the I25cc class went to George Ellinger, who is a regular competitor in District 25 events. "It was fast and it wa.s very rough, even rougher than what we are used to here," said Ellinger. The first 250 to cross the finish Line was Morris, who finished a high fourth overall despite losing his rear brake twice. Fifth overall and second in the 250cc class went to Folks. "That course beat the heck out of me - it beat me to a pulp," said Folks. "It was one of the roughest courses I've ever ridden. I feel like Mohammed Ali has been beating on me all day!" Harrington finished just behind Folks to take sixth overall, third in the 250 class. Open Expen Jim Thompson piloted his CR500 into seventh overall. Thompson said he came south from Oregon to avoid the snow in his hometown riding areas. "The race was fun until the last loop," said Thompson. "I just got tired and then it got really bad! I Liked the course though, and I'm going to ride a few more of the Nationals if [ can." Tom Bradshaw finished ninth overall on a 250cc Husky with 10th place going to the second l25cc to cross the line, Mark Berry on his Yamaha. Berry finished just ahead of L25cc rival Jeff Miller. • Unofficial Results: 1. Dan Smith CHual: 2. Gerth S_and lHus~ 2. George Ellinger IHonl: 4. Scott Morris (Hu.~ 5. Daryl Folks (Hua): 8. Tim Harrington CHon): 7. Jim' T h _ CHon~ 8. Gary HoI...... (Hua): 9. Tom Br-.w (Hua): 10. Marl< Ilarry (Yam~ 11. J8If Millar CHon~ 12. Kevin c.. (Yam): 13. Paul Ban· nett (Hon): 14. Joe Cc~~.dD' (Kawl: 15. Jamie Dryden IHUS/.