Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127546
_ emDUROOAN.~~~~_~ _ro_s_~_~:_R_OO_~_2 _~ eHawkins edges out Russell at Little Muddy National c-r 0') ~ =B!...y::::.M::.e:..:r::.le:..:.:A::.c::::.or:..:d -= MORRISON, II., APR. 5 eam Suzuki's Randy Hawk in s score d hi s seco n d Na ti on a l Championship Enduro Series overall victory in a row by winni ng th e Little Muddy Nat ion al En duro. Tradi tio nally he ld in rain or snow with near-zero tempera tures, this year's Brushpoppers Motorcycle Club-hosted event was held under sunn y skies in p leasant temperatures. "I thou ght they mi ght can cel because the wea ther was so nice," joked three-time Nat ional Enduro Champion H awk in s before the start of the event . H awkins is off to a good stan on th e season, as he hopes to regain the cha m p ionsh ip titl e after losin g it to Jeff Russell last year. T he Bru shpopper win is his second of the year, as he also won the season-opening Quicksilver Nat ional in California in February. " I had a good day, " said Hawk ins. " And wh en th ey (the scorers) first said that Russell had won by seven seconds I said I didn't have any comp laints . I rode good and I did the best I could. You can always look back at the would haves, could hav es, shou ld hav es and see a dozen different ways to improve your score. So yes, I was happy wh en the y found an error at th e emergency che ck and I was declared the winner." The club's president, David Staurt, directed the I06-mile course layout that included nine regular checks and two tiebreaker, checks. The entire course was laid out on private property tha t included . open fields, tight woods, creek cross ings and - desp ite the dry, near-perfect ridin g condi tio ns - mud. Many-time Czechoslovak ian ISDE World T rophy T eam member J an Hrehor, who rode a four-stroke Suzu ki DR 350, didn't have any tro ub le wit h th e mud, bu t he did ha ve a disaster in a creek crossi ng. Wh ile trying to maneuv er around a stuck rider in a deep , one-li ne creek , Hrehor put his foot down, had trouble to uching bottom, tipped over an d drowned out. The crossing was on ly five miles from th e fin al check and at the tim e Hreror was one of th e po int leaders. "I lost at least 20 minutes getting out of the creek, " said Hrehor, who scored last year 's win. " And then I had to dry out the ignition before it wou ld run again. I think I was only down four o r five points up to that point." If he was correct, Hrehor would've been leading at th at point of th e end uro. KTM's Russell ignored an aching foot that he injured a t the Tecate Enduro and dropped six poin ts for second overall. " I' ve got cellulitis, whatever that is," said Russell. " T here are no broken bones, and I'm taking a bunch of antibiotics and j us t waiting for the infection in my foo t to heal up. I feel like I rode pretty well , considering. I hung in there , and lu ckil y there wasn't an ything that tough out there." "Sure was a heck of a lot better than th e la st time I wa s here," added Russell. " Last ti me, it was abou t 10 degrees above zero and snowing. The club does an amazing job when you consider they run thi s event on private land. That takes a lot of coo peration with your neighbors." KTM 's Kelby Pepper and Kawasa- T 18 There was no shortage of excitement at the water crossin gs. Defending champ Jeff Russell (1) impatiently waits his tum to cross. _