Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eOBSERVED TRIALS e ana XXI EI Trial De Ese__ _II Tom Hamann earned his first-ever EI Trial de Espana win with a breathtaking finish. • Iva amann! By Don Williams Photos by Kelly Callan LUCERNE VALLEY, CA, APR 18 n one of the most dramatic finishes in El Trial De Espana history, six-time American Trials Association Champion Tom Hamann held on to beat three-time National Champion Scott Head on cleans, 18-17, at the Johnson Valley OHV Area's majestic Cougar Buttes. San Diego's Hamann took the lead at the start of the most prestigious nonchampionship observed trial in the United States on the fifth section of the first loop and never relinquished it. The 23rd running of the event saw Gerard Roofing Technologies step forward and serve as title sponsor. The seven Experts started the morning loop on section eight. Head, El Trial's 1980 and 1985 winner, was the first of the top three finishers to have blood drawn, when he dabbed twice at section 10. Kip Webb, like Head, riding a Fantic Key-Roo sponsored by Section One Products, moved down to third place when he fived section one, leaving the Beta Zero-rnounted Hamann alone without amarlc. In section three, Head dropped another point, putting him three dabs back of Hamann and a pair up on Webb. "The first three points were concentration points," said a less-than-pleased Head. Section five was the only morning trap to grab points from the top three competitors. It cinched up the score to two, four and seven for Hamann, Head and Webb, respectively, and that was how they went in to the noontime break before the three Exhibition loops. "The first loop was pretty easy," Webb explained as he expressed confidence that he could make up the fivepoint gap between himself and Hamann. Hamann, going into the Exhibition Loops in the lead for the first time in six tries, was happy with his morning performance. "1 felt good," he said. Meanwhile, Head was contemplating I 38 the effects of the gusty 20 mph westerly breeze shooting through the cool, sunny canyon on {he riders as they would attempt the five difficult spectatorfriendly snares. "It's going to be interesting," Head predicted. "Especially with t):le wind." In the second division of Experts, Kenny Leduc, Jared Malmquist and Matt Pritchard were tied with 14 points each. Malmquist, 22, riding a Beta Zero, would have been within striking distance of the leaders save for a major mistake. "I missed a split marker," he said dejectedly, recalling the loss of five. points. While the Experts prepared for the afternoon battle, the rest of the 107 entrants looked over the results from their dual trips around the circuit. Fantic rider Kenny Lane made it a twin victory weekend by combining a 910 Advanced Class victory over Bruce Davis with the previous day's survival test win. '1t was a lot more fun today," Lane said. "The sections were all in the cleanable range." Although it was windy and he became dehydrated, Lane cleaned all but one section on the final loop and said, "I had a real good time." It was Lane's third ETDE Advanced cIass win. While EI Trial is a tough event for the Experts, it is primarily a fun trial for the lower classes and the sections are strongly tilted in the easy direction. Of the eight classes riding the "blue plate" line, the highest winning score was turned in by Cycle News Associate Editor Donn Maeda who ran unopposed in the Press class. Riding a Yamaha TY250Z, Maeda dropped five points in one section, but went clean through the 19 others. There were nine blue plate line riders that finished with a clean event; no points scored. Four of those perfect rides carne in the Novice 30+ cIass. Jim Miller, the lone Intermediate to _ Scott Head finished a close second, only one "clean" behind winner Hamann. put together a clean event, won the 40+ division. Jeff Taylor and 1978 National Senior 35+ Champion Bob Nickelsen were the only Sportsman riders to go dabless for both loops. Taylor won the Open age division and Nickelsen was the 50+ winner. As the break came to an end, hundreds of spectators took to the cliffs to watch the Experts tackle the Section One Products section, the first of the Exhibition sections. The section was a spectacular 100yard climb up a seemingly impossibly steep 'slab, followed by a frightening serpentine route back down to the starting gate. Adding to the danger were winds that increased in intensity as the rock wassca1ed. Montesa 311-mounted Kevin Norton was the first up. Norton cleaned the opening step and after a tough off-eamber left he began his assault on the slab. Three odd-sized boulders 50 feet into the climb provided his undoing. He crashed hard and the crowd let out a loud groan. Norton was able to continue, as his spark arrester took the brunt of the faIl for the bike. Head wasted no time in throwing down the gauntlet to Hamann and Webb. He took the next shot at the imposing piece of granite. Head calmly cleaned the opening step and took aim at the triple rock obstacle. He used a left-hand floater to cleanly drop him off the last rock and back to the slab. Head revved up his Key-Roo and shot smoothly to the top. He patiently turned the bike around and began the descent. The slope's first left-hand turn silenced the crowd as Head crawled through the severe off-camber, inches away from a sheer IS-foot drop. A roar erupted when Head successfully completed the turn and headed back toward the slab's heart. A drop-off and a couple of full-lock turns sent Head to a hot dog-shaped rock, on which he rode to the finish. The spectators went into a frenzy as Head's front axle passed through the exit gate. Pritchard was next up. Mounted on the TYZ ridden by Maeda in the morning, he dabbed on the rocks that bit Norton, reminding the crowd that the section was not easy. Pritchard answered Head's challenge and aggressively cleaned the rest of the section to the delight of the crowd Malmquist, looking for a chance to gain some points on Pritchard, was unable to do so. He was bitten by the same rocks that got Norton. Malmquist took a five when his front end dropped into a slot at the rocks' exit. It was now local hero Hamann's tum to challenge the rock monster. Hamann rode the section flawlessly and wowed the spectators with a crowd-pleasing nose-wheelie to the exit. His clean kept him tw(}-up on Head. Hamann extended his lead over Head to four by the end of the first loop. Webb slipped to nine points back on the Cosmopolitan Motors section, section four, but moved back into contention with an outstanding clean on the fifth section, the AXO Sport America section. Webb closed to within one point of Head on the Section One Products section on the second loop when he cleaned it and Head dropped two in the triple rocks. Hamann's clean gave him a six point cushion with nine traps remaining. Hamann dropped three points in the remaining sections of the loop and Head lost only one more to put him back to within four points of the lead. Webb -dropped six points on the second Exhibition loop, half of them in the third section, the Tryals Shop section. With one loop to go it was 7-11-17, with Hamann leading Head and Webb. As Hamann began the last loop, Head had already ridden most of the sections. Hamann asked at each section how Head had done, and kept track of the score as he progressed. A gallery had formed to cheer Hamann on. Head and Hamann cleaned the first two sections and Webb fell further off the pace. Hamann had begun the Section One Products section with a self-admonition, "Don't screw up." He finished by saying, "My hands are getting weak." When Hamann hit the Tryals Shop section he got the news that Head had taken a five. The call on Head had been close. The section opened with a five-step challenge, but the main point grabber was a uphilllefi-hand tum over some harshly jumbled rocks. "I was making a real tight left and I was in second and I guess the rear tire got bound up," Head explained later. "1 wen.t to dump the clutch to get out and I guess I was off powerband and it just died on me." Head a ttempted to restart the bike without getting the maximum penalty. He was successful in lighting the engine back up, but he was assessed five points. "With ATA checking I thought 1 had a three, but I got a five and that's the way it is," Head said matter-of-factly. "You always feel different when you're on the bike, but I got a five." With a nine-point lead with three - rides remaining, Hamann had an opportunity to put it away. He didn't. Although Hamann had cleaned the third section twice, he rode it with uncharacteristic caution and appeared a bit shaky. He nearly fived in the same spot Head did, but he kept the bike running and moving and was scored a very close three. "Very close," Hamann said. "Right on the edge. I kept it going and pushed my way through." With a six point lead, Hamann could clinch a win with a clean ride on the second-t(}-last section. He didn't. The main obstacle of the fourth section was a right-hand turn on a rock platform. Riders had to hop either the front or back wheels to set up for the climb to the exit. Hamann got out of shape as he hopped the front wheel and took a dab on the climb. When Hamann got to the final section, he found out that Head had cleaned

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