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e~~o~~~~~p_se_ri_~_R_~_d_3_~ _ e Defending champ Randy Hawkins put on a late chatge to earn his first win of the series. • Series points leader Jeff Russell rode well and finished a close second overall. Slippery conditions and obstacles such as this steep descent kept the riders on their toes. Hawkins back on top in Ohio Photos by Jim Talkington. WELISfON, OR, APR 18 efending National Enduro Champion Randy Hawkins snapped out of an early season funk to win the Little Raccoon Classic/Randy Simmons Memorial Enduro by tallying a low count of 16. Current series points leader Jeff Russell was second best with a score of 17, while Kevin Hines, Steve Hatch and Kelby Pep.PeI rounded out the top five overall. "It really feels good to win after having so much bad luck this season," said Team Suzuki's Hawkins, who placed fifth and eighth in the two rounds prior . to the Wellston event. "J.R (Russell) and Terry Cunningham ('92 event winner) are always tough to beat in Ohio because they live here and they ride really well in these woods. I feel like I've got my confidence back after all the problems I've been having this year. This gives me the momentum I'm going to need to catch up in the standings." The event was again hosted by the Appalachian Dirt Riders and featured a long trail of 154.1 miles, counting eight resets. Many of the same trails used in the '92 event were incorporated into this year's design, often in reverse direction. Russell described the event as "fairly easy for the first hundred· or so miles, but once the B riders 'dropped off and we got into the last AA sections it got real tough. The last sections were tight, brushy and technical. It was a real chal- D 30 lenge towards the finish." A total of 208 riders competed in the event. Russell came into the third round tied in total series points with Hines, but both were looking for their first victories of the season. 'Tm trying to be smart and consistent and that's worked so far for me this year," said Russell before the run. "But I'm going to need to show some wins if I want to take back the title. Randy hasn't come around yet but there's no doubt .. that he's going to be the one to beat. Kevin is riding well right now but Randy should be everyone's main concern. He's always there in the end." The event started at 9:01 a.m. and by most accounts Terry Cunningham was the early leader. However, the veteran Kawasaki Team Green rider's good fortune deserted him in the afternoon after a near-perfect morning. "It was a day gone sour for me," said the 34-year-old Cunningham. "Up to the first gas I was leading; about 40 miles out, if· I remember right. I wasn't off any time at all because I had zeroed the whole course to that point. Everyone else seemed to be having trouble, especially in the emergency check where I went 0:30. JR almost burned it by going 0:02, and Randy and Steve Hatch did bum it by 20 or 30 seconds. When you hit an emergency check at zero-thirty you're having a