Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126961
, Winner Ronnie Naylor (19A) and his Can-Am nails the holeshot ahead of Mark Hyde (1 A). Ed Lojak (2A) and Tony Hendon (79). Ed Lojak pilots his Husky through a water crossing to second overall. He crashed a couple of times and broke his throttle cable. Can-Am rider Tony Hendon finished third at the checkered flag but was later' disqualified for mistakenly cutting the course. AAfA National Championship Hare Scrambles Series: Round 5 Naylor takes Shasta Dam GP win By Rock Hardwood REDDING, CA, APR. 26 Ronnie "Needles" Naylor survived three hours and 17 minutes of choking dust and searing California sun to take top honors in the 6th Annual Shasta Dam Gran Prix, which this year consisted of three laps around a 32.S-mile course. Naylor, a local hero and defending Shasta GP Champion, roosted his Can-Am to the overall victory and finished II minutes ahead of H usqvama-mounted Ed Lojak. Naylor's Can-Am teammate, Tony Hendon, took a close third behind Lojak and ahead of series leader Kevin Brown but was later disqualified for cutting the course. Defendin~ Hare Scrambles Champion Mark Hyde and Duke Dowell rounded out the top five in the event, which was sponsored by Miller Brewing, CocaCola, Suzuki, VR Racing, and the Shasta Dam Lion's Club. The course started at the base of the Shasta Dam and featured three miles of asphalt road before getting into several miles of high-speed £ireroads. Next, rock and log-infested jeep trails took the competitors to the summit of their climb, then things got a little tight (for West Coast riders) as the course snaked through the woods and headed back down the mountains to the base of the dam. Water bars across the last three miles of the descent kept competitors on their toes. For East Coast riders the circuit seemed wide open, and an unusually dry spring left the course a virtual dust bowl over threequarters of the track. Last year Naylor rode a KX500 the complete race without pitting for gas, but this year he, and virtually everyone else, elected to pit every lap to take on fuel and water. When asked about this strategy, Naylor said, "Last year it seemed like a good idea to go the whole distance (without pitting), but I got dehydrated and actually lost time. So, this year we decided to stop after every lap." Naylor timed the start perfectly . and grabbed the lead instantly; he was never headed throughout the event. "My strategy was to be in the lead when we got off of the pavement. The ATK (torque eliminator) setup really made the difference on the pavement, and I knew I had it wired when I got to the dirt section first." Hyde, Hendon, and Lojak trailed Naylor's dust, while Brown was back in the pack as he hit the fireroad section. Brown was riding a borrowed enduro-ized Honda CR250R, and it took two kicks to light off on the line. The series points leader had to contend with traffic and heavy dust as he chased down the leaders. By check two Lojak had nailed down second place behind Naylor and set it on cruise for the remainder of the race. "I got off the line in third, then a guy passed me on the pavement section. The dust really wasn't. too bad up front. I didn't know it was Hendon who had passed me, but I saw an orange bike go over the highside, and I figured it was him. I passed Hyde then set a pretty easy pace. I didn't think I'd be able to run with Ronnie in his own back yard, so I just cruised," said Lojak. By the end' of the first lap Naylor had a three-minute lead over Lojak, who had about 15 seconds on Hendon. The Can-Am teamster pitted faster, though, and Hendon grabbed second from Lojak as they started lap two. Hyde carne through in fourth over Duke Dowell and Jeff Erwin.