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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127254
~ CROSS COUNTRY AMA Wiseco/Yamaha/Yokohama Grand National Cross Coun ~ Yamaha's Jeff Russell came from behind to win the grueling Sand Flea 100 Grand National Cross Country in Sanf~rd. KTM·mounted Dave Fallas (282) led the start of the 200cc division and went on to finish second in the 200cc A class. Russell scores Sand·Flea 100 National win By Davey Combs SANFORD, NC, MAR. 12 eam Yamaha 's Jeff Russell survived a grueling eight-mile course and numerous challenges from some of the top woods rid ers in th e coun try to win th e opening round of the 1990 AMA Grand National Cross Country Series ' in Sanford. Russell, piloting a Hi-Point/Scott/Arai /Dun- r 12 lop/B el -Ray/White Bros.lPow er MistlTwin Air/FMF-backed Yamaha YZ250WR, passed ear ly leaders Ed Lojak, Tony H endon a n d Du ane Conner en route to hi s first-ever Grand National Cross Country win. The Ohio rider's winning margin over runner-up Lojak measured five and a .. . half minutes in th e three hours-plus Sand Flea 100. Lojak, wearing th e number on e plate for the ninth straight year, was tra iled by fellow Yamaha riders Frank Keegan, Tim Shepahrd and T om Harris in the final overall results. Kevin Brown grabbed his customary Series:Round1 holeshot from the far ins ide wh en the first row of 250cc and Open A riders left the dead-engine starting grid. As the riders filed into th e first tree-lined section Steve McSwain was left stra nded on th e line with a seized 'engine, the result ' of a possibl e ring failure on his KTM. While Brown led the early going on his KTM, Lojak, Russell, Shephard, Conner and ATK's Greg Zitterkopf moved up to form the lead group. Yam ah a-mounted Tony Hendon was al so in the earl y hunt but bailed and was forced to call it a day before comp leting a lap. Brown's race would end early as well when he lost control of his bike over a double-dip dit ch in the woods and tweaked hi s right kn ee. That meant th at Lojak would lead everyone into th e barrels after the first 30-min ute lap. Ru ssell rode j ust 10 seconds back with Conner another 10 ticks back on his Kawasaki KX250. Ohio's Gary Roach held fourth with Shephard , defending B class champ Frank . Keegan, l itterkop f and Mark H yde in tow. On the second lap Loja k would make a costly mistake. " I came to a big mudhole and th ere were a few guys stuck in it," said the defe ndi ng series cha m p. "Someone po inted me to the left and I went out aro und th e th in g and picked up some arro ws. Turns o ut they were ATV arrows (fro m Saturday's four-wh eeler run)." . This cost Lojak a couple of minutes and once his direction was corrected th e leaders were nearly two minutes ah ead. Conner led Russell into the second lap check with 20 seconds to spare. Keegan was third at this point on his Yamaha, while Lojak recovered for fourth just ahead of Roach. Oui of the . ra ce at thi s p oint was American H onda-backed Scott Summers, who crashed alongside ATK-mounted Joe Zierrnan and th en had to work Zierman 's foot out from his rear wheel and swingarrn. Conner continued to gather ground on Rus sell and opened a lead of just ove r one minute after three laps. However, th e race track was taking its toll on the leade r and before the fourth lap was comp leted he would fade all the way back to sixth. On the next lap Co nne r wou ld drop ou t of the race completely wi th possible heat prostratio n. Russell inheri ted th e lead and soon found himself a minute ahead of second p lace Keega n. Lojak continued in thi rd with Roa ch , Shephard and the steady Mark Hyde coming up from the back. . H yde would event ually wi n th e Open A class by several minutes. lierman got his foot out of Su mm ers' wheel in tim e to continue for second with KTM riders Matt Sp igelmyer and Greg Holden placing th ird an d fourth. The next rider to fad e from the lead scene would be California's Zitterkopf, who shredded off th e sp rocket bol ts on the fourth loop. H e was in eigh th overa ll after th e completion of three laps. With mechanical casualties mounting, Russell seemed to ease the pace out front, When th e white nag came out hi s lead over Lojak was three minutes. Keegan , who had been displaced by Lojak the previous lap, appeared content with a well-earned third and was fading from the hunt. Shephard, making his 250cc A class debut after several seasons as an Open A front-runner, was fourth with Roach in charge of fifth . When the checkered flag finally came out Russell had eased into a five minute-plus lead on Lojak, "I just tried to be careful and pick some good