Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

h is strategy. " I was h op in g tha t hol di n g off wou ld allow me to at tack late in the race with more energy. 1 just let 'them get too far away too early." ' , Russell was also well off the pace , having lost two minutes when he stuck his KTM in what looked like a clear pa th through one of the short bogs . " I dropped in and th ou ght 1 wou ld go right thro ugh to the ban k," said Russell. "Bu t instead 1lost momentum and got stuck almost up to the p ipe. Then 1 did the sam e th ing on the next lap but in a totally different line ." Russell tried to ma ke u p for his mistakes for the rest of th e afternoon but could not get any closer th an five minutes at the end. Aft er checking into the scoring barrels side by side a lap before the half way mark, Su mmers started moving away from Hough. "Sco tt was tough on the big uphills and stuff, but I'd catch him thro ugh the woods every tim e,' ''said Hou gh . That advantage for Hough diminished as the tight sections began to open up as the race wore on. Su mmers' cushion after five of 10 laps measured close to 30 seconds. Cunningham cru ised on at a twominute deficit, while Conner provided some pursuit for the next coup le of laps before making a break for th e lead. " I kept stalling my bike," sai d Cunningham. " I wasn 't in tune with the bike or someth ing. 1 never really got stuck or anything, but every time that 1 would get a good rhythm go ing' 1 would stall it on a hill or in a ru t. I 1 don't know what the problem was." , Lap seven spelled disas ter for Summers. Dro pping his bike into the same deep hole that first claimed Russell, Summers assured Kawasaki of at least the overall win, as the lead three settled into Hough, Conner and Cunningham. The focus of the crowd turned to Conner's bid for a late-race takeover. With two laps to go Hough's lead was exactly 90 seconds; one lap la ter, it was down to 60 seconds. But th e white flag was flying to signal just one more hip and Conner was too far back to cat ch Hough. "Aaron' s going really fast rig ht now and he was just too tough to catch today , let alone pass ," said Conner, who finished second overall for the third time in a row . " I' m trying not to ride so tight early , becau se Aaron can just tum it on from the start and get an early lead. Second p lace is grea t, but I'mgetting kind of tired of it ." H ough's fin al advantage was 16 seco nds on Conners. " T he first ti me 1 saw Duan e (Con ner) was at the fin ish li ne," said Hough. "He was comin g but 1 guess he didn't have enough time to try an ything. " After Conner came th rou gh the barrels it was more th an a minute and one-half befor e Cunn in gham com pleted the sweep for Team Green. Russell was along three minutes lat er with teammate McSwain finishing a remarkable fifth overall. McSwain's KTM had ignition problems on th e starting line and was forced to race Russell's practice bike. Blackwell was next with Shephard following in seventh overall. Craig Jones was the early leader in the 200cc A class, but the 20-year-old suffered an early flat and could not contend for the win. Norton and Hawkins took over and engaged in a continuous two hour-plus battle. The duel ended prematurely when Norton threw away his KTM whi le leading Hawkins in a rock section and busted his front brake cable. Hawkins motored away with th e class win, his first GNCC trophy in some time . "I haven 't rid den one of these in a few years and I' ve go t to give these guys a lot of respect," said the Suzuki factory pil ot. "They go real fast here th e whole tim e. You ha ve to get on the pace or you will get left behind. " Nort on mana ged to ho ld on to second in the class and 10th overall . Kawasaki rid ers Robert Tominello and Jeff Lau th were th ird and fourth, respectively, wh ile KTMrider Johnny Robbins rounded ou t the top five. After Su mmers and Lojak dro pped ou t, ATK rid er Chris Capl inger ha d a clear shot at th e Open A victory. He to pped Ron Pa ler mo an d Martin Kehlmeter for his first victory of the '91 series. Rick Fresic had no problems in racking up hi s th ird Vet A class win of the series. The defending Junior ' class champion ,raced hi s Yamaha YZ250all the way up into 14th overa ll. Series riva ls T om my Harris and Jeff Murgel were second and th ird in th e divisi on. Joe Lojak's Sen ior A win was his fifth in a row and puts him in the driver' s seat for the '91 class championsh ip. And Robert Caplinger, father of Open 'A class winne r, Chris, led th e Super Senior A class at the checkered flag with Donald Harless and Dave Coo mbs, Sr. trailing. Davey Coombs scored his fourth straight Junior class win, finis hi ng II th overall. The Suzuki RMX250 rider was followed in class by a parade of Yamahas. John Vincent and Dave Santi finished second and third. Top 250cc B rid er was Kawasakimou nted Brian Hess, who bett ered series regular Jeff Lowery by more tha n four minutes in recording the win . The lead Open B bike was Robin Mill er, who out-paced KTM -mounted Louis Dearman by just 16 seconds. . The closest race of the day was perhaps the 200cc B dogf ight between Todd Mora in and Robert St ock. Morain passed Stock for the last time ' just before the checkered flag. The fastest Fou r-Stroke B rid er in the run was Bob Sloan, who a lso won the ov erall i n Sa turda y' s AT V Nation al. Adam Cad le beat Jeff Evans . for th e Vet B victory, whi le David , Dehner proved fastest in the Seni or B group, bettering Dick Scott by severa l minutes. Will iam Mill er emerged victorious in the Super Senior B race with J ack Holbert pacing him in second. Suzuki rider An thony Lambert led the Novice C gro up, while th e Thomas Batailel Mark Adkin s duo topped the T eam race. I:N Terry Cunningham kept stalling his bike but managed to fini sh th ird overall. Jeff Russell got stuck twice in the mud bogs and finished fourth overall. Scott Summmers was knocked out of the race by a deep mud hole. OPEN D: I. Robin Mili a (Hon ); 2. Lou i" Dearma n (KT M); ~ . T im Mosberger (KT M); 4. Dave Bartl ett (KT M); 5. Mark Snyder (KX). 250 D: 1. Brian Hess (Kaw); 2. Jeff Lo wery (Yam); 3. Duane Sprouse (Suz); 4. Mar k Pah an ish (Hon); 5. Keith Gwi nn (Yam). 200 B: I. Todd Morain (Ho n ); 2. Robert Stock (Kaw); ~ . Kelvin H ull (Yam); 4. T imothy Areu (Yam ); 5. Gregory Hall (KT M). 4-STRK D: I. Bob Sloan (Ho n); 2. Mike Treadway (Hon); ~. J ames Stanley (Hon ); 4. Mar k Niggemyer (Hon); 5. Robert Murtay (Hon). VET D: I. Adam Cadle (Yam); 2. Je ll Evan, (Ho n); 3. Sam Fo rrester (Yam) ; 4. Man ley Brads ha w (KT M); 5. Randy Rime (Kaw). sa B: 1. Dav id Deh ner (Kaw); 2. Ri ch ar d Scott (Yam); ~. Robert Cox (KTM); 4. Garry Call ihan (Kaw); 5. Delan e Madd y (Hon). S/SR B: I. William Mill er (Hon); 2. J ack Ho lbert (Yam); ~. Bill Hartsell (Yam). 250 C: 1. Antho n y Lambert (Suz); 2. Wayne H ou ser (Ho n ); ~ . Daryl All man (KX); 4. Kenn eth Minn ix (SUl); 5. Ch uck Wood lord (Ho n). TEAM: 1. T homa' Batai fle (KT M); 2. Mark Adkins (KT M). AMA GRAND NATIONAL CROSS CO UNTRY SERI ES POINT STANDINGS: 1. Duan e Con ner (81); 2. Terry Cunni ng ham (75); ~. Jel l Ru ssell (72); 4. Doug Blackwell (71); 5. Scott Summers (60); 6. (TIE) Tim Shephard/Thomas No rton (59); 8. Aaron Hough (54); 9. Craig Jones (51); 10. T ony Hendo n (42); ll. Fran k Keegan (~5) ; 12. Robert Tominello (~21; 1 ~ . (TI E) Rick KzesiclG uy Perrett (28); 15. Sian Loja k (25); 16. (TIE) Davey Coo mbe/Tommy Ha rris (2~); 18. Ron Naylor (19); 19. Kevin Hi nes (17); 20. Steve McSwain (16). . Results 0 / A: I. Aaron Hough (Kaw ); 2. Duane Conner (Kaw); ~. T erry Cu nningham (Kaw); 4. Jeff R ussell (KTM) ; 5. Steve MeSwain (KTM); 6. Doug Blackwell (Kaw); 7. Tim Shephard (Yam); 8. Randy Hawkins (SUl ); 9. Scott Plessinger (KT M); 10. Tommy Norton (KT M); 11. Davey Coo mbs (SUl); 12. (TIE) Robert Tominello (Kaw); 13. Gary Roach (Hon ); 14. Rick Kresic (Yam); 15. Ch ris Cap li nger (AT K); 16. Jeff Lauth (Kaw); 17. Kevin Brow n (KT M); 18. Johnny Robbi ns (KTM); 19. Ro n Palermo (AT K); 20. Tom Harris (Yam). OPEN A: 1. Ch ris Capli nger (AT K); 2. Ron ald Palermo (ATK); ~ . Mart in Kehlm eier (KTM); 4. Edward Loja k (ATK ); 5. J im Miller (Ho n ). 250 A: 0 / A. Aaron Hough (Kaw); 1. Dua ne Conner (KawO; 2. Terry Cun nmgham (Kaw); ~ . Jel l Ru , sell (KTM); 4. Steve McSwam (KTM ); 5. Doug Blackwell (Kaw). 200 A: 1. Ra ndy Hawkins (SUI): 2. Thomas Norton ( KTM~ ~. Robert T ominello (Kaw); 4. Jeff Lauth (Kaw); 5. Johnny Robb in, (KTM). 4-STRK A: 1. GOlf}' Roach (Ho n); 2. Harvey Whitaker (Hon); ~. Rick Parson , (Ho n); 4. T racy Warrington (Ho n ); 5. Gary Severns (Hon). ]R: 1. Davey Coom bs (SUl ); 2. J ohn v incen t (Yam) ; ~. David Santi (Yam); 4. Mark McH uro n (Yam); 5. Mike McCart en (Yam). VET A: 1. Rick Kresic (Yam); 2. T omm y Harris ( Ya m); ~. Jeff Murgel (Hon); 4. Barry Howard (Ho n); 5. Keith Rodgers (Kaw). SR A: 1. J oseph Lojak (Yam); 2. Ronald Rose (Yam). S/SR A: 1. Rober t Caplinger (AT K); 2. Don ald Harless (Yam ); ~ . Davey Coo mbs (Yam); 4. Donal d Hou gh (Kaw); 5. Harry Greenlee (Yam). 19

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