Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ 00 .... Q.) ..0 8 Q.) ;> o Z J ohnny M arti n launches his ATK 406 over a jump en route to his fifth consecutive v ictory at the Illinois Cross Country Championship. Tak ing second overall was Team Green 's Jeff Fredette. A nine-time IS DE gold.medalist, Fredette f inished two minutes beh ind Martin. Honda-mounted ' Kelly Getz was an early leader in the race before a combination of problems forced him back to third overall . Martin aces '1llinois Cross Country Championship By Merle Acord MO RR ISON, IL, ocr. 22 Former H are Scrambles National Champion J ohnny Martin won the 13th Annual Il li n ois Cross Coun try for the fifth time. Martin, ri ding a 1990 AT K 406, comp leted 18 two 57 -mile lo o p s i n fiv e h o u rs, 14 min u tes and 10 I seconds, which was two minut es quicker than second place fini sh er , Ka wa sa k i-m ourned Jeff Fredet te, and 10 mi nutes faster than Honda rider Kell y C etz, "The first loo p we rod e pr ett y mu ch together," said Mart in. " We (the leaders) wer e kind o f feeling each o ther o u t and wai ti ng o n the ot her g uy 10 ina ke a mis tak e or do so me thing th at we co u ld ta ke ad vantage 01'. The co u rse was 120 miles lo ng a nd that slowed us dow n a li ll ie bit. I pu t m y 406 in third gear and just set a pace. " I did have a probl em o n th e first lap. I ducked under a tree branch th at caugh t m y thrott le ca ble an d took it righ t o u t of th e housing. I lost so me time, but I fixed it wh en I go t to th e first gas. This even t puts a strai n o n gea ring. There's real tight st uff, rea l fast stu ff, a nd lot s o f stu ff in bet ween . . . I'll be back aga in next year, because th ere's no o ther even t in th e U.S. lik e this o ne ." Fredett e, wh o had just returned from Wa l ld u r n , Wes t G erman y, where he ca p tured hi s ninth ISDE go ld medal , sa id , " I was a ro u nd fifth at th e start a nd so mew here a ro u nd fifth a fter th e first loop. I cras hed right a fter first ga s. I hit a log wrong a nd IOn fast. I j ust had ti me to th ink , 'O h boy! he re I go .' T hat was a rea l ru sh, L ucki ly, a ll I d id was p us h th e hand lebars down aro u nd m y kn ee caps. I m oved them up , bill I was still shook-u p a nd not th ink in g 100 stra ig h t, a nd had the bars too h ig h, so I had to stop agai n a nd move them down. "T here wa s o ne wat erhol e that was bad even o n the first loo p. T he gro u n d wa s so ft. The fir st tim e a ro u nd it got a few rid ers, bu t the second time a ro und it got a lo t. Bill (G usse) did a good job, aga in, layi ng o u t the loo p - he had a liul c bit o f everyth ing o u t th ere." " Maybe it was a little lon g , and ma ybe it was a littl e to ug h, but thi s is th e la st race of th e seaso n fo r th e Ill in o is Cross Co u n try Racing Associa tion , a nd it 's su p posed to be a ll those things," sa id Bike Ram o wne r a nd race promot er, Gusse. " Besides I want to giv e them so me th ing to talk about durin g the winter." ISD E team members Mall Sta vish a nd J oe Zierma n will have somethin g to talk about thi s winter. Slavi sh was di cing for th e lead th rough th e first loo p a nd left th e pits in second p lace onl y to tak e the wrong line a t th e first wa ter crossing th at buried h is machine. After d iggi ng hi s bike o ut , Slav ish ga ve u p the race in d isg ust. Zierman lat er siezed goi ng wide ope n across th e p low ed fie lds a nd dropped o ut. G etz wi ll have happi er. mem ori es. " I was lead ing for a while in th e firs t loop ," sai d G etz, wh o fin ish ed thi rd overall. " I was so far in front in th e first loop , th at I co u ld n ' t hea r Mart in and th ose g uys. But then I got lost a nd sta rte d circl ing aro und when a ll th ose guys cam e u p o n me. T hen I go t ca ugh t in so me barbed wire a nd lost tim e clea n ing th a t o u t. I a lso had a real slo w pit stop a t th e end of th e first loop - I came in in seco nd an d left in fourth. T hen m y brak es sta rt ed to fad e, but th e ' bummer part was th a t I go t tired. I ha ven 't rid den th at much th is year a nd I' m no t in the best shap e." Fourth o vera ll went to Ha rvey W hipp le , ridi n g a J o n G ieson Mot o rsport-ba ck ed Ka wa sak i .

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