Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Winner Hyde didn't mind the mud at the finish . Husqvarna-mounted Mark Hyde took the checkers to claim the 13th running of the Ann ual Blackwater 100. The infam o us Blackwater race offered such obstacles as impassable bottlenecks. seat-high creek crossing"s and rock -strew n hillclimbs. Wiseco/Suzuki National Cross Country" Championships: Round 5 Hyde wins fourth Blackwater 100 By Davey Coombs DAVIS, WV, JUNE 21 Team Husqvarna's Mark Hyde survived an afternoon of racing in mud and rain to top over 500 riders in the 13th Annual Blackwa ter 100. Run through the street and surrounding va lleys of a small West Virginia communi ty, I this year's Blackwater wa s one of the wettest yet, but nonetheless it was Hyde's fourth overa ll win in seven tries, wet and dry. The victory pushed Hyde ahead of Kevin LaVoie as the winningest rider in the history of the infamous event, It was also the Malcolm Smith/ Acerbis/Metzeler /Spectro/ Autolite/ Arai-backed pilot's second overall win in a row. Following Hyde home in the overall tally were KTM pilot Wally Wilson, West Virginia underdog Tommy Harris, 250cc A class winner Fred Hoess, and Eddie Lojak, Class winners included Ben Hamrick, Joseph Hull, Scott Summers, and Harry Greenlee. This year's Blackwater, billed as America's Toughes t Race, incorporated the shortest course ever used for the event. Shortly before the conclusion of Saturday's 4oo-rider ATV race, rain began to fall on the valley in the form of hourly cloudbursts that continued well into Sunday morning. T he planned 26-mile loo p had to be scrapped due to flood- level waters at the numerous river cross ings, and when the race finally began the course ha d been shortened to just 12 m iles . Despite stormy weather, the largest ever Blackwater crowd was on hand. Because admission is free to all spectators, it is difficult to say just how many people were on hand, though a local TV network affiliate put the count at 25,000 fans. The riders began lining up on the main street of town more than an hour before the planned 1:00 p.m. start. The format called for 100 rows of five riders each to take off at five second intervals with the Experts occupying the first hundred or so spots. With the popular first creek crossing chest deep, the riders were ro uted across an old wooden bridge where they were asked to push across the p lanks. From there the riders would head into the Canaan Valley outback for 10 mi les of makeshift trails, as planned by Dave Saville and Tim Coombs, until they found themselves at the no torious R ou te 93 Crossing. .Waiting for them at that point was a seat-high creek crossing, im mediately followed by a rock -strewn 20foot climb that can best be described as straight up, all surrounded by approximately 5000 wildy enthusiastic specta tors. La beled by Dirt Rider magazine's Tom Webb as the "Mud Fleas," the Rout e 93 fans are famo us for their hands-on help , always wi lling to lend a hand to the struggling riders. This year's Fleas had a fu ll day's work on their hands due to the extreme conditions. Yamaha-mounted Bucky Lojak drewnumber one at the pre-race sign up and was the first rider to cross the wooden bridge when the row o ne rope dropped shortly past the hour. Lojak would lead H o nda-mounted Keith Rodgers, Maryland's Willia m Lord, and Indiana Husky rider Terry Flynn for four miles before bei ng displaced by Hyde as the fro n trunner. Soon Hyde was bei n g engaged by Yamaha-mounted Tim Shephard, a one-time MXer who has made a name for himself in the cross country ,wo rl d , and the evercompetitive Eddie Lojak. The three would freight train most of lap one until the 93 Crossing, where Shephard slowed and Eddie Loj a k gained the distinction of being th e first drown-out of hundreds that da y on the 93 banks. Even Hyde would have to pump out twice (laps three and four) in the treacherous wa ters. Hyde's Husqvarna stablemate Hoess had more trouble than H yde with the crossing on his way to an eventual 250cc A class win. From his number 73 grid position, the New J ersey rider climbed steadily thro ugh th e ranks on the first go -around until taking in water at Rou te 93. This wo uld hap pen again every la p until the last for Hoess, yet he somehow managed to clear his Husky's lungs each time. His lead over 250cc rival Lojak, who also had his share of mechanicals, was just 25 seconds at the checkers. The two ran so close throughout the day that at one point they were simultaneously changing fouled plugs on the banks. Beh ind the two in the final 250cc tally were Pa ul Lemon and Mike Frazee. Dirt Bike magazine's Eddie Amet, in his Blackwater debut, was a commendable fifth. Another Jersey winner was Super Seni or B champ Lee Kesselring. The Yamaha veteran opened a massive lead early on West Virginia's elder statesman Johnny Lee and held a half hour advantage wit h a lap to go. Bu t Kesselring began to slow as tro uble tracked him down, and soon Lee was within a min ut e. Bu t Kesselring held the line and took ho me the top trophy. Ben H am rick's 200cc A class wi n was the th ird in a row for the West Virgin ia native. Early in the race the Kawasaki pilo t ran o u t of gas j ust before th e 93 Crossing. In true Mud Flea fashion, a trackside bystander flagge d down other riders a n d gathered enough fuel for Hamrick to make it back to town and stay ahead of early contender J im Maltba . Da ve Fallas worked past Maltba

• Cover