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Kawasaki-mounted Steve Zoll carves his way through one of the rain forest sections towards his s8CQnd-in-a-row Mauna Kea 200 victory. Mauna Kea 200 Enduro win to Zoll By Kit Palmer HILO, HI, MAY 24-25 For the second year in a row, Kawasakimounted Steve Zoll captured the overall victory at one of the country's toughest and most grueling enduros -' the Rock Island .Riders' Mauna Kea 200. After riding more than 200 miles on . . .. the mam Isla~d of Hawall through deep ram forests, over lava fields and rocky dirt trails during the two-day event, Hilo's loll dropped just 25 points and easily beat the second place overall finisher Husqvama-mounted Walter Guild, who dropped 48 points. Roundingoutthe top five were Pat Gouveia (52 points), Gaylen MiyamolO (56) and Larry Holt (59), all from Hawaii. Top B rider was Honda XR200 rider Tom Leighton, who finished five points ahead of another Honda XR200 rider Dennis Furutani, 15-20. Third throufh fifth went 'to Eugene Coward, A Stiglmeir and Bren Donofio. "It was probably one of the, if not the toughest Mauna Kea 2005'50 far," said lolL "The trails were rough and technical, and the fast time schedule kept things irueresting." The 33-year-old Hawaiian, riding a Big Island Kawasaki- and Physique-sponsored KX250, admit.ted that his win came slightly easier this year, meaning that he did nOI have to contend with his usual Mauna Kea riyals - former National m?tocross nder and Mauna Kea wmner John DeSoto, and ISDE gold medalist Malcolm Smith, both of whom did not compete. After recently being elected as a City Councilman in Hawaii, DeSoto decided not to ride during his first year in office. Smith was busy racing in Morocco. "Luckily DeSoto and Malcolm had previous engagements, which gave local riders a chance," said loll. Nonetheless, loU ha<;l his work cut out for him. Over 90 of Hawaii's lOp enduro riders, as well as three riders from the mainland, started the event - 55 finished. Zoll was also a member of the winning Rubber Ducky Racing Team, which included himself, Darryl Vierra and David Hahn. The second place team went to The Good, Bad &: Ugly's David Amorin, Michael Gregory and Silverio Pegeder Jr., while third was wrapped up by the Outrigger Canoe Club's Brant Ackerman, Guild and Matt Kresser. The Budweiser-sponsored Mauna Kea 200 kicked off in front of the Astin Nanitoa Hotel in downtown Hilo and, for the second straight Derryl Vierra lifts his KTM350 over one of the many logs on day two. Vierra was a member of the winning Rubber Ducky Racing club team. year, the event was broadcast live on a popular local radio station KBIG FM. Riders were constantly interviewed live before, during and after the enduro. Many spectators witnessed the event, especially at the start and finish areas. The first group of three riders left the Astin Naniloa Hotel at 7:01 a.m. Saturday and would end the first day 105 miles and more than six hours later at the Mauna Kea Volcano State Park located at the base of the 13,970foot-high volcano. At 8:01 a.m., Sunday morning, the enduro continued. Riders were taken on a 95mile journey back to Hilo, ending the event a httle after 2:00 p.m.. Day one has traditionally been the toughest day of the Mauna Kea 200, and this year's event was no different. The first 60 or so miles- consisted mostly of tight jungle, rain forest trails that were cluttered with fallen logs, lava rocks and thick mud: This put most riders behind schedule right off the bat, including loll who dropped a total of 12 points after the first four ,checks; five more points than loll's total winning s-core last year. Check three - after the logfilled rain forest section - proved to be the killer check of the enduro for the A riders (B riders rode a different section). loll and Hahn (Kawasaki KDX200) dropped six points here, while next best went to Honolulu's Matthew Lyman, who dropped eight points riding a Yamaha IT200. But most riders, on an average, dropped nearly 30 points. Fourteen A riders houred out by the third check. After the first four checks, riders were treated to an one-hour lunch break, which enabled most late 'riders to catch back up to their original minute. The second loop carried rider~ up, around and over the Mauna Kea volcano for the finish of the first day. First day points showed Zoll having a two-point lead over his Rubber Ducky teammate, Hahn, and Wahiawa's Walter Joaquin (KDX200), 12-14. In fourth overall was Honolulu's Lyman with 23, and Patrick Gouveia (KX250) and Larry Holt (KTM350) tied for fifth with 27 points apiece. Top'B riders were Honda XR200 pilot Leighton and Kapaa's Eugene Coward, Honda XR250-mounted, with nine points each, followed by KDX200 rider Kent Hatayama (12 points), Furutani and Al Stiglmeier (XR250). Vierra, who was sitting 13th overall after the first day, said, "I got behind time for a while because I miss-ed a few turns and went down some wrong roads. Then I got stuck in traffic and just got tired. One time I got a little out of control on this one uphill and ended up bouncing off a rock arid drove right off the edge. I got stuck upside down in some big boulders." The 95-mile "jaunt" back to Hilo on day two featured a variety of terrain, but most of it consisted of lava and jungle trails. At higher elevation, heavy rains drenched the riders as they carved their way through the dense rain forests, which included one particular water hole that caused many riders to drown out and lose valuable time. Hahn drowned his KDX in the water hole, costing him 21 minutes lO the next check, which he carried over to the next couple of checks as welL It cost him a total of 50 points and any chances of beating lolL Even Kress-er had a time of it in the water hole. "1£ it hadn't been for that water hole, I would've done a lot better," said Kresser. "I hit something hidden in the puddle and the bike sucked some water, and it ruined my whole day. It set me way back, and from that point on it was catch up all day long." loll, who for the past few years has ridden a Kawasaki KDX200, opted for larger displacement KX250 this year. ''I'm glad I rode a 250