Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eOFF-ROAD AMA National Championship Enduro Series: Final Round re a nl ~ High-five forHawin at Delawa Ntio a ks 0\ 0\ tion that's expected of a national-ealiber event. The course was in perfect condition prior to all this rain, but I'm very confident that we won 't have to re-route too much (of the trail)." For the first time in nearly 10 years, the enduro also featured a new start location, moving away from the Gloryland Park area and putting the many riders on "equal terms." "Although we parted on good terms and still were allowed access to some of the land over there, a development praject was the reason we had to find another starting area," explained Stapleford. "We searched for another prime area that could accommodate the number of riders that we draw to this event, and set jed on this site, which is headquarters for the Delaware National Guard. The people in charge here have been very responsive to our needs and by starting here, it allowed me to add some entirely new sections. I've reversed the direction of the course, gotten more land usage from the few landowners we deal with around here, .and cut some trail through a totally new phragmit es reed section near the end of the even t." ~ By Michael Snyder JJT 16 DELAWARE CITY, DE, OCT.31 hat was the toughest championship I've ever earned, " stated Randy Hawkins as he accepted the first-overall trophy at the awards presentation, just hours after clinching his fifth National title. "I kind of took Steve Hatch under my wing a couple years back, and I think maybe I taught him a little too good !" The Delaware Enduro Riders' 30th Annual Delaware National Enduro had all the trappings of a classic showdown. Take a four-time, defending champion, add an aggressive up-start teammate, throw in a slim difference in the point standings and several AA counterparts who have nothing to lose and prestigious contracts to gain; mix themall with adverse weather conditions into the fina1 event on the '93 calendar, and the result is a script-writer's dream. The two Suzuki riders - both of whom had already earned three wins on the season - battled over the top honors until a lucky mistake on the part of the defending champ helped earn him the overall win, along with the title. Hatch was just two points off Hawkins' winning 39point tally, and claiming the third spot was a surprisingly rejuvenated Jeff Russell; the former champion and factory KTM rider put his disappointing, injuryriddled season behind him and kept the two title contenders honest. Rounding out the top four was the East Coast Enduro Association's current points leader, Team Green's Michael Lafferty, (Above) Randy Hawkins had some anxious moments at the Delaware National, but when it was all over, he had chalked up his fifth title. (Right) Steve Hatch, Hawkins' teammate, finished second in Delaware and second in the series. - - - - - - - --,-- ' who successfully matched the hectic pace set by the seasoned series regulars. Before the enduro, Hatch knew that in order to w in the title he had to score the win and hope that someone else finished between he and Ha wkins, his teammate and mentor. But first and foremost in the minds of the more than 400 competitors was the rain - which had been falling in near-torrential amounts for the past 24 hours and wasn't about to let up - and the notorious reputation of the clay-based, tractionless soil that made up most of the 12o-mile course. The club had already overcome a much bigger problem a few weeks prior to their Halloween Sunday event date, when their mostly completed course was the unlucky victim of an unusual weather condition. "About three weeks ago, we had the unfortunate luck of having a tornado touch down around here, which more or less devastated the wooded sections of our enduro," said trail boss Charles Stapleford. "I've got to hand it to my guys in the club; they've worked almost non-stop to groom this course back into the condi- sell fell temporarily by the wayside with scores of 9 and 7, respectively. One rider who was writing another chapter in his "Delaware Curse" memoirs was Team Husqvarna's Kevin Hines, who was suffering with mechanical problems. "I had the rear brake caliper fall off about half a mile into the third section," said Hines. "I could feel the brake sticking earlier in the second section and I didn't know if the bolts were working loose or the.pins were shearing off. After it finally broke away, I had to stop' and remove it, which caused me to drop more time than necessary in that particular section." Looking over the contestants' score cards at the first gas revealed that Hatch enjoyed a one-poin t advantage over both Smith and Hawkins, while Russell was only two points off the leader's pace. Once back underway, the riders were aimed in the di rection of the technical "Sluice" section, and all of the top riders zeroed the subsequent check. Most of them also zeroed the next section, though Smith burned it. The next check's crafty placement claimed severa l riders, including Hatch, Hawkins, Hines, Smith and KTM riders Kelby Pepper and Alan Randt, who all came in early. Russell, Michael Lafferty and his -brother Jack, however, stayed honest and snuck through with zeroes , moving Russell even with;Hatch at 14 points. .. "'t ~ . ,,> f"•. The following test was in the only section of trail that the club had to re-route because of the ra in y w eather, and it a lso tu rn ed ou t to be th e tu rning po int of th e event. Hawkin sused what was actually a mistake on his part to his ad vantage, dropping just one point at the check-out while h is closest adversaries, Hatch and Russell, both dropped four . "At the last minute, the club added a three-minute reset right before the test, so it wasn't on the roll chart," said Hawkins. "I d idn't see the sign and I blew right by it, but luckily there wasn't a check-in to the special test. That's where I got three points on them." "Randy had some luck fall his way when he missed a reset into that re-routed section," said Hatch. "He could have burned the Section if there was a checkin, because he was wicked early going into it, but he managed to get away with dropping only a point in there, while I hesitated and paid fo r it by dropping four. That was basically the race, but we were pretty close anyway ." Hawkins started on minute 22, with Hatch just four minutes back on the 26th row. After all the AA competitors zeroed the first check, the real action started when Hatch took command of the situation and bested his senior team member, as well as everyone else, through the first special tes t. The section included some tight wooded trail and a phragmites reed section, and Hatch dropped just six points . Hawkins, Russell, Lafferty and Suzuki support rider Chris Smith all dropped seven, which meant the ball was in Hatch's court. Hatch carried his advantage through the next two back-to-back tests, dropping three points in each of them .and carrying his momentum into the first gas stop. Only Smith and Hawkins were able to match Hatch's six points in the second and third tests, as both Lafferty and Rus- In a prime example of the unpredictability that makes ' enduros what they are, the entire season rested on Hawkins and Hatch's actions at the reset. Had Hatch ignored, or missed, the reset and tied Hawkins' score at the check-out, he would have eventually scored the overall win in the enduro, by one point, but Hawkins would have finished second and still secured the championship. However, had there been a check-in after the reset, Hawkins would have burned it and finished back in the pack, literally handing the title to his teammate. "Earlier this year I got burned when I didn't see a reset, so I was really careful to notice that one today," laughed Hatch. "I guess from now on, when I get to a reset I should just decide whether or not to pay attention to it." Hatch and Russell's alert riding put them both two points behind Hawkins on total scores, after the test, and Hawkins carried his lead into and through the next

• Cover