Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

aquired fa ctory KTM rider from Massachusetts was blitzing through the bigger bikes with class rivals Craig Jones, Stan Lojak, Gen e Onail and Robert Tominello in pursuit. "Norton was really motoring there . at the beginning. I was trying to race with him and we were really getting out over the edge,': Jones said. " I started crashing and getting stuck and then decided to back off and ride my own race. Then he really got stuck. " It was on the third lap that Norton got his KTM hoplessly embedded in a creek bank, leaving Jones and Stan Lojak to battle for the class win. Onail's ride came to an end when he tagged a tree limb on his face. The incident bloodied the Yamaha rider's nose and he pulled out of the race a short time thereafter. In the end, Jones broke away from Lojak but then seized the engine in a mudhole 50 yards from the finish line. He was able to push across the line with 90 seconds to spare on Lojak. Tominello placed third on the day with Norton fourth and KTM rider Brian Walker fifth. Jones, Stan Lojak, Tominello and Nonon all finished in the top 10 overall for the day. Meanwhile, up front, Summers challenged for the lead with Plessinger as they worked toward the lap-three check, one hour into the race. McSwain was also cutting a fast path around the trail, which was by that time littered with ruts and ditches. Summers' earl y plan was to let the KTM riders call the shots. "I don't like the ruts much and I didn't want to do anything real stup id that early in the race. Scott (Sum mers) and Steve (McSwain) were both riding pretty good, and I was just trying to stay with them and' wai t for them to make the mistakes." Plessinger committed the first error when he got off th e main tra il and barbed wire wrapped up in his swingarm. That cost the 23-year-old at least five minutes and was followed a short time later by a smashed pipe. Plessinger eventually dropped out of the race completely at the two-hour mark. As for McSwain, a similar confrontation with a downed fence ended his bid for a homestate win after four laps and left Summers all alone at the halfway mark. The 250cc A riders had started one minute behind the Open A class and were left to chase Summers' four-stroke. "I was up there in third or fourth off the start," said Russell. " I could hear Scott's (Summers) bike all da y long through the trees, but I could never see him. I had made up the minute on lap two, which actually gave me the overall lead , but that didn't last for long. I got caught on a stump or fence and popped my knee out. That was lap four and afterward, I just went into the survival mode and tried to get some points." That left the 32- year-old Cunningham as the only rider with a realistic chance of catching the American HondalHondaline/Bridgestone/ Ara i/Oakley/ Sp rocket Specialists/ Camelbak /Tsubak ilP J 1/ W h i te Bros./Maier/Fredette/ICO/HondaKawasaki of Bloomington-backed Summers. After completing the first lap in ' 12th overall, Cunningham methodically climbed through the ranks to challenge for the victory. "I won four enduro titles go ing fast in this tight and muddy stuff ," said Cunningham. "These GNCCs are a lot like that and I'm hoping to tum that experience into a title here. " Cunningham was up to fourth after one hour and then gathered second two-thirds into the run. When the white flag cam e out the Kawasak i rider was within three minutes of Summers and would have claimed the overall on ela psed tim e if he could have cut the difference down to 60 seconds. But Summers' pit crew saw the danger of Cunnigham's cha rge and warned their rider to pick up the pace. Even after sticking his big Honda in a ru t on th e last lap, Summers managed to gai n time on Cunningham before taking the checkered flag. " My pi t crew (Fred Bramblett and Mark Schmidt) did a great jo b of letting me kn ow what was go ing on behind me," sai d Summers in th e winner's circle. "T hey let me know that I had to pick up the pace. " Cunningham ended up winning the 250cc A class by six full minutes over Russell. Another five minutes back was factory Suzuki rider Kevin Hines, who had wha t he described as an uneventful day. " I was about lOth off the star t and then I felt that I rode real bad in the first pan of the race," said Hines. "This was the first cross country or hare scrambles race of this magnitude that I've ridden in quite a while. I was still able to keep up with those guys ; we were all running together. But then I caught a piece of barbed wire in my wheel and lost a lot of time getting going again. " . Shephard wa s fifth overall and ' fourth 250cc A after climbing through the pa ck from a dead -last start. His efforts were also hindered by a massive endo. Conner was fifth in th e class but a disappointing 13th overall. Behind Su mmers and Tennessee's Hendon in th e Open A class was a three-bike ATK parad e. T ennessee's Frank Keegan, Canada's Guy. Perrett and Missouri's Chris Caplinger filled out th e big bike trophy spots. Ric Kresic capi talized on late mistakes by Yamaha riders T om Harris an d Jeff Murgel to score th e first stri ke in what promises be an extremely competiti ve Vet A class series bout. Kresic was making hi s first seri es appearance on a Yamaha after several years riding Hondas. . In the Four-Stroke A class Michael Cornett led a line of Hondas across the finish line, holding an eight minute lead on runner-up Gary Roach. Joseph Lawson and T racy Warrington finished third and fourth , respectiv ely. KTM-mounted Alan McEntire was the top Open B rider on the da y, piling on one more lap than an yone in the class. Kawasaki riders Douglas Mill er and Jay Dean followed. In th e 250cc B class Yam ah a mounted Vance Earl scored a popularhometown win over Jeff Lowery and a Mark Pahanish. Tom Norton (above) was leading the 200cc class before getting stuck in the mud. Some of the creek crossings were a spectator's dream but a rider's nightm,are. Results 0 / A: Scott Sum mers (H a n). OPEN A: (0 / A) Scott Sum mers (H a n) ; I. Tony Hendon (ATK) ; 2. Frank Keegan (AT K); 3. Guy Perrett (ATK); 4. O u is Caplinger (ATK); S. 5,,,,,. McSwain (KTM). 250 A: I. T orry Cunnin gham (Kaw); 2. JdI Russel! (KTM); 3. Kevin Hi nee (Suz); 4. T im Shephard (Yam ); S. Duane Conner {Ka w). . 200 A: I. Cra ig Jones (Kaw); 2. Sta nley l.ojak (Yam ); 5. Robert Tominello ( Kaw): 4. Thomas No rto n (KTM); S. Brian Walk et (KTM ). 41STU A: I. Michad Ccreeu (Han) ; 2. l;ary Roach (Han); 3. Mark Huntsinger (Yam ); 4. T racy Warrington (H on): 5. Robert Benn ett (Han ). J1l: I. John vincent (Y-am); 2. Rick Claxton (Kaw); 3. Mark Huntsin ger (Ya m ); 4. Donald Bigky (ATK); S. Davcy Coo m bs (Suz). VET A: I. Richard K=ic (Yam ); 2. T ommy Harris (Yam); 3. .loll Murgel (Yam ); 4. Bryan Adams (KT M); S. Gallic Ward (Ha n). SR A: I. joseph l.ojak (Yam ); 2. Torry Mealer (Ya m); 3. Robc:rt Caplinger (AT K) 4. Gary Doerr (Kaw ). S/SR A: I. Harry Gr eenl ee (Ya m); 2. Donald H ougb (Kaw); 3. Dave Coo mbs (Yam ); 4. Donal d Har1ess (Yam ). . OPEN II: I. Ala n McEntire (KT M); 2. Dou gla s MilI ~r (Kaw); 5. Ja y Dean (Kaw); 4. Mark Tinnin (KTM); 5. Sam ue l Dyk. ( KTM ~ 250 II: I. Van a: Earl (Yam): 2. J dI!.away (Yam ); 3. Mark Pahanish (Ha n): 4. Brian Keegan (Ya m) S. jrllroy Hupp (Hon). 4/STRX II: I. N.il Brown (H a n ); 2. J ohn Thompson (Ha n); 3. Rabat Murray (H a n ); 4. Dou g H yatt (Hen ) 5. Robert Christo pher (Hon). VET JL: 1. Sam Fo rrest er (Ya m); 2. Manley Brad sha w (KTM); 3. Micha el Schw artz (Suz); 4. Max Burnside (KT M); 5. Randy Rim. (Kaw). SIl II: I. David Dohner (Kaw); 2. Dean Butler (KT M); 5. Roben Cox (KT M); 4. Steve Zdybicki (Suz); S. Larry Bollin ger (Yam ). S/SR II: I. William Mill er (Han ); 2. Earn est H ullman (KTM); 3. J oh n Baker (KTM ); 4. j ack Hol ber t (Yam); S. Bill H artsen (Yam ). NOV: I. j im Stevenson (Ha n ). 15

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