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/127157
Interview: 1988 Na~ional Hare Scrambles Champion - Tony Hendon in g busin ess in Ten nessee, ca lled Dee ' s T ruck ing, a n d th e wh ol e family is in vol ved in the com pany, in cluding Tony . " My dad is th e presid ent, and me a nd my brother a re vice presidents, a nd m y sister is secretary and treasurer. It 's a seven to five job, six da ys a week. It pretty much su p po rts my racing - it (racing expense) comes righ t o u t of m y own pocket." H end on 's fir st rea l try a t the National Hare Scrambles Seri es was in 1985, wh en he won the 200cc cla ss on a n IT200 Yamah a. From th ere, H endon mad e a serio us a ttem p t for th e o vera ll cha m pio ns h ip o n a Yam ah a YZ250 and fini sh ed sixth. In 1987, H endon was a ser io us con tender on a Can-Am a nd finished a close third behi nd Loj ak a nd Kevin Brow n. During th e sa me year, H endon tr ied h is luck in the ISD E Q ua li fier Series bu t failed to ma ke the tea m. In 1988, Hendon switched to ATK a fter th e demise o f Ca n -Am a nd won the cha m p io ns h ip ha nds down. Th e sta rt o f th e 1988 seaso n , H endo n kn ew wha t he had to do . " I went into it (the Nationa l series) with a clear mind. Just a bo u t every da y I was either doing so met h ing to m y bike or 10 m y body, ge tt ing ready for th e Nat iona ls. I kn ew m y bike a nd m y bod y was read y, and a ll I had to do was go ou t there a nd have fun . I kn ew I had to go o u t th ere a nd set a good pace a nd let everything come together. I di dn 't want to push myself too much and risk crashing or so me thing . I have too much going to go o u t there and kill m yself over a bike race." H endo n recei ved so me su p po rt from ATK. " I bought .tw o bikes (AT Ks) - I got pretty good deal s - a nd some parts, but I went th rough them rea l qu ick. That's a bout it." ~ C'J .... v The Z fastest hare 'in the woods ..0 8 v > o By Kit Palmer W 12 i n n i n g th e N ational Cha mpionship H are Scram - 01 bl es . title is just abo u t the hi ghest honor Kentucki an Tony H endon co uld ever want. The titl e mea ns you ' re th e fastest wood s rider in the nati on a nd th at's qu ite an honor for so meone from the eas tern pa rt of th e cou ntry where 99.9 percen t o f a ll o ff-roa d mot or cycle ridi ng is done in th e woods. Bein g th e best hare scra m bles race r in th e Eas t is like being th e to p dog sled racer in Alas ka. H endon was born a nd raised in Mu rra y, Kentucky, a nd he recently clai m ed h i s fi rst-eve r N at ional Cham p io ns hip H are Scra mbles title and did so with a near perfect record. In 12 races , wi th th e seven best rides co unti ng towa rds the N a t iona l Champions hip , H endon tallied si x wins and o ne seco nd to strip longti me rival Ed Loj ak of th e titl e. " I' m still o n cloud nine," said H endon . "T he Na tional Ch ampionship means a n a wfu l lot to me, a nd I proved to myself that I co uld do it. I had a goa l to win th e National, and I d id j us t tha t. It 's a grea t feeling." T he 24-yea r-o ld H endon bega n riding mot or cycles wh en he was five years old but d idn 't ac tua lly sta rt raci ng until 1982 when he was 18. " My first bi ke was a H o nda QASO, ya kn ow, th e o ne wi th th e littl e fat tir es, and m y older bro th er, Roger, ,had a n o ld TT350 or some th ing lik e that. H e's a lways had a bike, a nd as . far as I ca n rem ember, I'v e a lways had a bik e, too. H e never raced , but , Hendon rode a two-stroke A TK 406. giving the company its first National title. Hendon will return next year to defend his crown. Hare scrambler tony Hendon captured his first-ever National Championship in 1988 with a near-perfect record. we did do a co up le of enduros, the n we started hare scra m bling toge ther, the n he , sort o f, faded away from hare scra m bles. In 1982 I sta rted local hare scra m bles, a nd I' ve never rea ll y do ne a ny motocross or a nythi ng like that , u n til here of late." . H endon ' s fam il y h as ba ck ed Tony's racing full y, a nd a t most Nationa ls , yo u ca n usuall y fin d Tony with a crowd o f people arou nd hi m, usua lly fa mily a nd frie nds . " T hey go to just a bo u t every race - th ey love it. My who le fami ly likes it. " Hendon's family co nsis ts of h is o lder brother Ro ger, 30. his sister Sonia, 28, and h is pa rents Rach ael and Dors ey. ," T hey get so in volved. It 's kind of stra nge, beca use you kn ow wh en ya go to a race, you see a lot o f g uys there by the msel ves, and it seems like I got a bo u t five or six peo pl e a lways aro u nd. It 's pretty nea t." ,T ony's father owns hi s own truck-