Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

--------_._----- Tony Hendon kept the pressure on winner Kevin Brown. After more than 60 miles of racing, Hendon finished 10 seconds behind Brown. Brown charges into the pits for refueling. The Hon.da CR250 rider leads Hendon by 38 points in the standings with four rounds remaining. Third overall went to Husky-mounted Mark Hyde. However, Hyde dropped to third place in the standings with Hendon moving into second. AMA National Championship Hare Scrambles Series: Round 8 .Brown 'rocks Plymouth Hare Scrambles By Merle Acord PLYMOUTH, IN, JULY 26 . Kevin Brown charged his Honda CR250 through the scoring barrels to edge CanAm's Tony Hendon by 10 seconds after five 12.2 mile laps that took three hours, three minutes and eight seconds at the Plymouth Blackhawks . . . fIrst-ever HOOSier 100 Nauonal Hare Scrambles. 10 With four races left in the 12 race series, Brown has taken a commanding 160 point lead. Hendon moved past Eddie Lojak for the second slot in the point standings with 122 points. Brown said, "A lot can happen in four races, but I've got my weight down to about 155 pounds and I'm training two to three hours «ach day and if those other boys don't do that, this thing is mine. " The Open and 250cc class riders were first off the staggered five ~ave start. Brown followed Hendon mta the high speed left hand sweeper 50 yards down the starting chute but he soon put his Dunlop Tires/Arai Helmet/Smith/JT Products-sponsored Honda out front of the pack. The starting/pit area, also used as part of the course, was a flat out drag strip. The trail, laid out along the edges of two adjoining flat grassy sand fields that were separated by a 20-yard strip of scrub timber, exited into a stand of commercial pine trees (planted on six foot centers). The pine trees provided a high sPeed . "down the row" trail before the arrows led the riders onto an open series of sand whoops. "We've got a little of everything here," said Cliff Bean who shared the duties of race coordinator with his wife Shirley, "tight trails, and I mean tight trails, a .gravel pit, two river crossings, some mud, a couple of minor sand hills and some hi~h speed straights. The tight stuff WIll open up after the first lap. The river crossings aren't that bad. We put oak pallets down where the bottom isn't gravel and if the riders stay between the ribbons they won't have any trouble." With no appreciable rain for two months the Yellow River was low and at the crossings the water was midway up on the side cases and late in the run a few of the overheated riders couldn't resist the temptation for a cooling belly-up in the water. "I had a bad start," said fourth overall Bob Bean, who was riding a 360 KTM from his Action Cycle shop, "and when I got to the pine grove at the end ~f the pits I got tangled up in a knot of riders, so I moved over a row and tried to go around. I was doing okay until I· went through some brush and spotted a 10g wedged in the trees about handlebar high across the trail. I was hauling pretty good in fourth gear and just knew I'd had it. I didn't have a chance to stop but I locked everything up anyway and when I hit the log it was rotten and just kind of blew away." At the end of the first lap Brown was in the lead with Hendon in second followed by Bean. Ed ~ojak pulled into the pits with mechanical woes. Lojak had crashed on the start. "I blew my knee that I just had operated on," said Lojak, "and I think that's when I dinged my shocks. They never worked right and after a lap or so they stuck down. I was gomg to try to finish but I couldn't ride at any speed." Team Husqvama's Mark Hyde, riding a 430 Auto, (inished third overall, one minute and 12 seconds off the pace and had this to say about the race, "I thought 1 had a/relty good start somewhere aroun fifth but I got bumped in the first comer and lost a few places. I wasn't too worried, they said this was a tight course with some mud and when you're from Ohio you love tight woods and mud. I had a good fourth lap and when I came out of the woods back at the starting area I saw Hendon on the other side of the field and thought I'd catch him and still have time to get Brown. Only Hendon caught Brown first and they started racing and. I just couldn't catch up." The pride of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Hendon said, "I caught Brown right after the start of the fifth lap. I was right where I wanted to be, in second place on the last lap. The trails were narrow and I kept waiting for KB to make some kind of mistake or slow down but he didn't and I couldn't get around,"

• Cover