Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Go in g into to wn Summers mad e h is move a nd overtook Norton before th e barrels . Lojak ro de third with Yamaha tea m mat e Jeff Russell a nd KTM rid ers Steve McSwain and H yde following . Summers put time o n Norton rig h t a way as th e sma ller KTM wa s for ced into the pits for fu el while Su m mers' Sportsr own pi t crew wa ved hi m through. On th e next lap, Lojak bega n a n attack o n Summer s th at resu lte d in th e Yam aha rider ta kin g th e lead o n th e third lap . Norton went by Summ ers as well a nd wh en .th e white flag came out a fter th ree laps th e leaderboa rd read: Norto n , Lojak , Su m me rs, H yde and Shephard. The 'fin a l loop a ro u nd th e muddy co urse, which was littered with a ba n doned motorcycles, began with Loj ak retaki ng th e lea d when N orton pitted for gas. Norton 's mechanics al so found th at hi s KTM 's front bra ke line was severed, and a lthough it d id n 't put him ou t o f th e race it d id a ffect h is pace. T he biggest error o n the last lap wa s th e one Summers made at the the first creek crossing. Runn in g third more th an two mi nutes behind Lojak and NOrian , Summer s cha rg ed th e str eam too q ui ck ly and drown ed hi s big H onda . Wh en Summer s unsnapped the sid ep lat e to expose the air filter, creek wa ter g us hed from th e a irbox. Hyde and S hephard fi led pas t a s Summers kicked a way . Somehow, th e machine restarted a nd Su m mers got ba ck into th e race, th ough hi s cha nces for th e overa ll win had float ed away. As soon a s Summ ers exi ted th e creek, sixth-p lace Ru ssell dropped in a n d drowned his bike a s well. Loj ak bega n to pu ll a way from Norton and for a wh ile seem ed hea ded for hi s th ird Blac kwater win , b u t nea r th e halfwa y poi nt o f th e fin al la p d isa ster struc k. Loj ak g ra bbed too m uch thrott le in a rock sect io n a n d caught o ne in th e ca ses near th e rear bra ke ped al. Coolant began flowing through th e hol e an d th e motor began to overheat. Lojak tri ed to repleni sh h is radiators wi th a co uple o f cans of Pep si he borro wed fro m a checkpo int worker , bu t the da mage was too gr eat to hold the flu id . A short time la ter Lo ja k's engine locked up tight. Now th e win was within N orton 's grasp and the l25cc pi lot set a bli stering pace tow ards th e checkered flag. Further ba ck. H yd e a nd Shephard battled for th e runner-up spot , though Shephard, li ke Hyde, thought they were goi ng for a ll the marb les. " I never kn ew a nyone was in front o f us, " said Shephard. " I thought we wer e go ing for th e win th o se last few mil es." In stead it wa s NOri an ', race to win a nd he d id so- in sp irited fashi o n , crossing the fin ish line sta nd ing up with hi s a rm s wa vin g wild ly. Wh a t followed wa s o ne o f th e more b izarre a ccep ta nce speec hes o f a ll time. Norton was h anded a bott le of cha m pag ne, to which h e a ns wered , " Booze is ev il, g ive me a cu p o f J oe (co ffee)." N ort on a lso sai d tha t hi s stra tegy was " victo ry a t a ll cos ts; take b ig cha nce s." The previou sl y un kn o wn ov er a ll winner wa s prom ised a chec k for S 1000 b y th e KTM peo pl e . on hand for th e race, th ough one o f th em la ter admitted that h e had n ever heard o f T homas Nonon befor e. "T h at' s th e wa y it wa s for me wh en I first won th is race, nobody kn ew me a t a ll," sa id H yde, who fin ally beat She p hard across th e fin ish line to finish second overa ll a nd win th e Open A clas s. Wh en a sked if th e race wa s a ny easier this yea r after la st yea r 's mud bath , H yde said , " It reall y was easi er than usua l th is time but I'm not taking One of the prerace favorites to win Blackwater was Scott Summers, but his Honda XR600 drowned out on the last lap. anyt hing awa y from Norton . No ma tter wha t it's l ike if yo u wi n th is race, yo u have got to be goi ng fas t." Sh ephard 's th ird overall fi nish a lso gave him the victory in th e 250cc A class. Su m me rs ca me into town six minutes lat er with Keegan in fifth. G eorgia's All en G ra vitt was an other five minutes ba ck with Russell finall y ge tt ing o u t of th e creek an d into th e seventh o vera ll spot. Ohio KTM rider G a ry Roach was eig h th with Duane Con n er a nd vete ra n Fra n k Ga llo rou nding o u t the top 10 overall. G allo, an o vera ll winner a t th e Blackwat er in th e lat e 70s, was th e Vet A class winner by six minutes o ver GNCC Series cla ss leader R ick Kresic. T erry Meal er beat J oe Loj ak by three minutes to win th e Senior A race while Mike Park s sco red third. Th e Ju n io r cla ss was won b y Yama ha ride r Ted Fisch er, wh o beat Mich ael Cornett by 22 seconds aft er ne arl y five h o urs o f a ction . Mike L agomarsino beat Tom ' H a rr is for. th ird. Ro n Pal erm o beat 74250cc B clas s riders to top th e class and als o beat more than 350 amateurs to win th e B class overall. Pa lermo was trail ed by Jeff Cu rr y a nd J o hn ny Bomberger. eN Yamaha rider Ed Lojak looked like h e was head ed to hi s third win at Bla ckwat er, but a cracked en gine case caused by a rock forced him out of th e race. Winner Nort on declined the tra d it iona l bottle of ch am p agne for a cu p of coffee on th e victor y podium. H e was also awarded a $1000 check (ro m KTM. Results 0 / A: I. Thomas N ort on (KT M) ; 2. M ark H yde (KT M): 3. Ti m She pha rd (Ya m): 4. Scou Su mmers (Hon) : 5. Fra nk Keegan (Yam); 6. Allen Gravitt (KTM); 7. J ell Ru ssell (Ya m); 8. Gary Roa ch (KT M); 9. Duan e Co nner {Ka w): 10. Fra n k Ga llo (SlU). O PEl'! A: L Mark H yde (KTM); 2. Scou Sum mers (Hon); 3. Steve McSw a in (KT M); 4. Ma tthew Sp igdmyer (KT M); 5. Charles Rogerson (KTM). 2!)() A: 1. Tim Shep ha rd (Ya m); 2. Fran k Keegan (Yam ); 3. Allen Graviu (KT M); 4. J ell Ru ssell (Yam); 5. Gary Roa ch (KT M). 200 A: L T ho mas Norton (KT M): 2. Stan ley Lo ja k (Yam): 3. J oh n Vincent (Kaw): 4. Jell Fredette f Kaw ): 5. Robert T om in ello (Kaw) . 4 STRK A: L Harv ey Whi", ker (Hon): 2. Ca rey Stump (KT M): 3. Robe rt Ruby (Ho n): 4. Joseph La wson (Hon ). VET A: l. Frank Gall o (Suz); 2. Richard Kresic (Hon ): 3. Gallie Wa rd (Yam): 4. Ch a rles H uegel (H us): 5. Ja ck Pen ton (KT M). SR A: l . T erry MeaIer (Yam ); 2. J osep h Loj ak (Yam): 3. Mike Parks (ATK): 4: Roger Allen {Ka w]. JR: I. T«I Fische r (Yam ); 2. R ich ard Co rn ett (Ya m): S. Mike Lagomarainc (KT M); 4. T om m y Harri s (Ya m ): 5. Dona ld Bigley (AT K). O PEN B: t. Rodman Rod gers (KT M): 2. Sam uel Dyke (KT M): 3. Flip J endro (KT M): 4. Douglas Miller (Ho n ): 5. Ron Bumfiels (Yam). 250 B: l. Ron ald Palerm o (Yam ); 2. Jeffrey Curry (Yam ): 3. J ohnny Bom berger (KT M): 4. Benn y Mean s (Hon); 5. Mark Gricewich (Yam ). 200 B.: 1. Kel vin Hull (Yam); 2. Timothy Are tz (Yam): 3. J oe Han o r (KT M); 4. Ro bert Thompson (Ka w): 5. David Black {Ka w ). 4 STR K B: l , Rick Pa rsons (Hon ): 2. Mark NigSl:'m yer (H on ); S. Darren Groves (5 w ); 4. Robert Chr isto pher (H on) ; 5. Don Bohn (Suz). VET B: i , Ha rold Nicholson (KTM ): 2. Manley Bradshaw (KT M); 5. Sa m Forrester (Yam); 4. Soon Evans (KT M); 5. Randy Man sberger (KTM). SR B: l , Phi lip Andrews (H e n ): 2. Larry Watkins (H on ): 3. Donald linz (Hon ); 4. Ch arl es McLevy (KT M): 5. Fra nk Erbe (Yam ). S/SR : I. H arry Greenl ee (Ya m); 2. R o bert Lapinski (KT M): 3. Roger Schultz (AT K); 4. Dona ld Harl ess (Yam): 5. Eames, H uffm an (KT M). NOV: t. Mike Decherd (H on); 2. Dean Venoy ( Ka w) : 3. Neil Brown (KT M); 4. Bryan Huntsinger (Hon) : 5. Edw ard H enderson ( Ka w) . TEAM: I. G reg Barn han (H on) / Kei th Kirb y (Hon).

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