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/127565
eOFF·ROAD e AlIi aloe Enduro Steve Hatch (shown) nipped former Gator winner Joe Hopkins by four points. MXer Guy Cooper finished seventh overall on an electric start DR250S dual sport bike. By Davey Coombs FLAGLER, FL, MAR 4 r 36 eam Suzuki's Steve Hatch scored the overall win at the 43rd running of the Alligator Enduro. Suzuki RMX2SO-mounted Hatch slithered to a low score of 40 points in the rainplagued event that hosted a record 571 riders. His score was four better than the runner-up, former Alligator winner Joey Hopkins. Rounding out the top five overall in the delayed-then-shortened enduro were 250cc A dass winner Michael Myers, Team Husqvarna's Kevin Hines, and defending National Enduro Champion Randy Hawkins. "1 just had one of those days," said Hatch, a first-time Alligator winner. "You know, where everything just seems to go your way. In an event like this you just have to think before you ride and worry about your scores later. Everything just sort of worked out for me in the end." The event, organized by the Daytona Dirt Riders, was a true survival test. The course was originally set to include nine checks and approximately 80 miles of trail in the Relay Wildlife Management Area in Flagler County. But torrential downpours the evening before Thursday's enduro put much of the trail under water. The club even considered canceling the event. "We had to scramble at the last minute to change the start after last night's rain," said trailboss Len Puckett. The event started at 10:01 a.m., an hour later than scheduled, and it was obvious from the start that the event was going to be a wet one. The riders left in rows of five from an old tram road and immediately started into the trees. But pools of water lay everywhere and the usually fast, sandy run became a slow parade through never-ending puddles of water. Late in the day the parade ended prematurely when problems developed with the last two of the nine checks. According to one team manager, the check personnel could not make it to their assigned stations through the water, causing the first few competi tors to arrive at un-manned check points. The organizers quickJy decided to throw the last sections ou t all together. "Man, it's rude out there," said Team Green's Larry Roeseler after the first 36mile loop. "You can't believe how bad it is out there; it's worse than I imagined. You could ride a Jet Ski around the whole course. There's about a foot of standing water everywhere and you can't see what's under it." Roeseler did not go back out for the second loop. "1 jammed my wrist against my Bark Buster when 1 fell once," said Roeseler, a former Alligator Enduro winner. "1 tried to keep it going but the pain is just too great. 1 really don't think that it's worth it to go back out there." Suzuki's Randy Hawkins was also having problems with the hand guards on his machine. "My clutch-side Bark Buster started to come off and 1 tried to keep it on as best I could," said Hawkins. '1 finally just had to let it go and then I really started making mistakes because 1 started thinking about it too much." Later in the day Hawkins began having trouble with a kick-starter that would not stay tucked against the engine. "The kick-starter was flopping around everywhere. That don't sound like much, but when you're trying to stay out of the water, keep time and watching where you're going, it can really mess up your concentration. When Hopkins came in for his first gas stop, Team Green technicians Greg Quador and Jeff Chambers immediately went to work on his modified Kawasaki 10<250. They changed both sets of brake pads, adjusted the chain and affixed a new air filter while trying to keep Hopkins close to Hatch. The first-loop scores showed that Hatch was fairing better than his teammate Hawkins. Hatch had racked up