Riders ready for the start of the Cherokee; the first National Enduro
of the year and the first event for many snow-bound northern riders.
Mike Grizzle won the 200cc A class on his Kawasaki; Grizzle beat Keith
Shelton and Tommy Veator to take the class win.
AIfIA/RK Chain National Championship Enduro
Series: Round J
to a second overall finish, and
Husqvama-mounted Joey Hopkins
claimed third overall, 28 points
down.
The Cherokee National, cosal)ctioned by the AMA and
SE8cTRA and hosted by the Cherokee
Riders, brought many friends
together as it was the first National
enduro of the season and the first
outing for many snow-bound northern riders who traveled far to enjoy
what turned out to be a warm and
sunny day. Even though the area had
had dry weather for the week pre'ceeding the event, the lowlands were
muddy and the course was made
more difficult by slick exposed roots.
At the riders' meeting the Cherokee Riders acknowledged the assistance of the many. landowners, the
Greene County Sheriff's Department, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's
Department, Mr. Boswell of Greensboro Lumber Company, and Ranger
John Moore for his dilisent effort in
getting the land permlts to enable
Hines blazes trail"
at Cherokee Enduro'
By Phyllis Apone
ATHENS, GA, MAR. 15
KTM's Kevin Hines scored the overall win
in the 21 st Annual Cherokee Enduro. The
H&H KTM of Mableton, Georgia-backed
New Englander diopped 24 points, tq post
the lowest score in the 400 rider I
Honda ride~ Kurt ~ough
field.
dropped 27 pomts on hIS way
competitors to ride in the Oconee
Nauonal Forest. In memory of
Grayford Price, who organized the
starting area 10 years ago, the club
members promised to make a donation to the Price family's church.
Hines started the run on row 25
with off-road aces Mark Hyde, Dave
Bertram, Allen Gravitt, Jeff Russell,
Drew Smith, Gary Johnston and
Joey Hopkins all starting within a
few rows of one another.
The route charts humorously
forewarned the riders of what to
expect in each section, from the first
loop being quite muddy to the tight
virgin trails which caught many
riders late into the checks, to the 18
mph time change which caused some
of the faster riders to bum a check.
Consistency and no bike problems
were the keys to winning or placing
in the enduro, which turned out to
be 103 actual miles in length. Bertram dropped out of the running for
a top spot after running out of gas
twice before the first official gas stop.
