Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) Gene 00011 fin is hed fifth overall and won the 250cc A class. (Above) Craig Jones pushed hard and scored the 200cc class victory. He fin ished 12th overa ll. ers battling dust throughout the twohour-fifty-minute-long race. "I was concerned about what might happen to my arm if I fell," said Summers, who already has three scoreless races in a series where the eight best scores of 12 count towards the championship, he can ill afford another zero . "I had to at least try to ride this round, so I had a removable cast made and I d id quite a bit of riding to find out how the cast worked. I was actually pretty confident about my chances." At the end of the first lap, which took 20 minutes and 26 seconds for the leaders to complete, Team Green 's fast-starting Doug Blackwell led a parade headed by Honda of Troy's Tom Carso n, Plessinger, Norton, Andrews, .Conner and Summers. "I was pretty worried tha t one of the m would take off in the dust," said Summers of his rivals. "I had a bad start and I was surprised tha t no one took off with the lead . I killed the engine at one po int and lost a lot of time getting back on track, but I just tried to stay motivated, be careful and go fast whenever I could see." After four laps, Plessinger held a lead of five seconds after his gas stop, which meant that Summers would have to stop on th e next lap while st ill beh ind the KTM rider. "What happened there was. that they wa te red a section of th e track rig ht aro und the pits and Doug and I both hit the same turn at th e same spee d and bo th slid out," said Summers of h is inability to get the lead . "Plessinger got out of the pits before I stopped, so that worried. me ." "Summ ers had to pit on the fifth lap when he was still behind me, so I started the last three laps with a lead of abou t 20 seconds," said Plessinger. "He caught me three miles into the second-to-last lap, and th en passed me in the trees wh en I got stuck behind a lapped rider and hung m yself in some vi nes ." Plessinger lost about 20 seconds in trying to get free. "By the time we started the last lap, I was pus hin g him again," added Plessinger. " Once we got ou t on th e grass track we were almost side by side. I hit him from the inside in a left-han d tum and his peg went righ t into my broken toes. I tried him again in the next couple of turns, but I was havin g problems with my bike bogging because of my air filter. He kind of brake-checked me out of the next-to-last t u rn, ju st enough to keep me from being with him. Then I tried to go outside of him on the last tum, but he had the better line and I couldn't do anything but follow him into the barr els." "Once I finally reeled him in,"I was pretty confident," said Summers of his pitched battle wi th Plessinger. "I kept lo sing time in the lappers becau se I could n' t see very well. I' m sure Scott had the same problem. I think the bottom lin e was conditioning. We were both really strong all day long. We probably could ha ve gone a co uple more laps if we had to. "I got a break on lappers; a good line that Scott didn't get to use around two or three guys," add ed Summers. "After t~at, we we re in the last op en section and I just kept the inside line th rou gh every tu rn. Scott sa id he co u ld 've stuffed me and wo n but then he sa id , 'No, that's not right, we've both had it done to us this year: I gained even more respect for him for having that kind of attitude: ' "My dad told me Norton was coming with two laps to go," said Conner of his own battle for third . "I had just passed Blackwell and I knew the leaders were go ne , so I just trie d to watch out for Tom . He cau ght up to me a couple of m iles in to th e last la p. I heard h im revvin g and I was gettin g tired, so my only chance was to get lappers between us. Passing people would've been a real job for Tomm y on the 125." Conner was right. With the help of the dusty lappers he was able to kee p a short but safe distance on the new po ints lead er all the way past the checkered flag. Finishing behind Norton in fifth overall was 250cc A class winner Gene Ona il; Carson finL'" ished sixth. Leurel Ridge National laurelville , Ohio Results: June 4, 1994 O/A : 1. Sco tt s umme rs (Ha n); 2. Sco tt Ples sin ger (KTM); 3. Duane Co nner (Yam); 4. Tom Norton (Kaw); 5 . Ge ne Onail (Ka w ); 6. Tom Carson (H o n) ; 7. Doug BlackweU (Kaw ); 8. SeO" Phelps (Yam ); 9. Dwain Miller (Suz); 10. Tim Shephard (yam ); I I . Brian Keegan (Suz); 12. Cralg Jones (ka w); 13. Shawn Broil (KTM ); 14. Ron Palermo (Yam ); 15. M.utin Kohlmeier (KTM); 16. Cu rtis Ba rd onn e r (Su z ); 17. Je ff Mu rgel (Ya m ); 18. Rick Luka eskc (Yam); 19. Daryl Con ner (Kaw); 20. Duane Sp ro use (Kaw ). PRO : 0 / A. Sco tt Su mme rs (Ho n ); 1. Sco tt Plessinger (KTM): 2. Du an e Co n ne r (Ya m ); 3. To m N orton (J(.aw); 4. Tom Carson (Hon); S. Doug Blackwell (Ka w ). OPEN A: I. S h a wn Br e ll (KT M) ; 2. C a rl Ennis (Vam); 3. Michael Ma lo sz kia (KTM) ; 4. Andy Kendle (KTM) ; 5. Da vid Poling (ATK). 250 '" I. Gene Onail (Kaw); 2. Scott Phelps (Yam); 3. Dwain Mille r (Suz); 4. Brian Keegan (Suz) ; 5. Ron Pa lermo (Yam). 200 A.: 1. Craig Jones (Kaw); 2. Curtis Bardonner (Suz); 3. Daryl Conner (Kaw); 4. Shawn Sommer> (Hon); 5. Anthony G1asso (Suz ). 4-STK A: 1. Barry Hawk (Suz); 2. Daryl Gaitan (Hon); 3. David Black (Hon); 4. Shawn Busch (Hon); 5. Ralph Thorn (Ho n). VET '" I. T im Sh ephard (Va m); 2. Jeff Murgel (Yam); 3. David Santi (Va m ); 4. Russ Cherry (Suz); 5. Mike McCarren (Yam ). SR A: 1. Terry Mealer (Ya m) : 2. Pa ul Mi ch el s (ATK) ; 3. Jo hn Gallagher (KTM); 4. Ha rry Greenl.. (Yam ). SlSR: 1. Ha rry Greenlee (Yam); 2. William Mi1ter (H on); 3. Willia m Farmer (Ho n); 4. Donal d Ha r less (Yam); 5. Ronald Ha wk (Suz). OPEN Ik I. John Ott (Yam ); 2. Robin Miller (Yam); 3. Bria n Sovak (Hon); 4. E1mar Kruza (KTM): 5. Wayne Perd ue (KTM) . 250 Ik 1. Robbie Jenks (Suz); 2. John Shaff.,. (Ya m ); 3. David G illian (Yam); 4 . James Rodg e rs (Ya m); 5. Kra ig George (Suz). 200 B: 1. Jim Ja rrett (Yam); 2. Ron Johnson (Hon); 3. Robert T ho m ps on ('-:aw) ; 4. Paul Cha ne y (Ka w ); 5. Sha wn Bellville (Yam ). 4-STK B: 1. To mothy Harmon (Ho n); 2. Thomas Eva ns (Ho n); 3. Mich ael Holdcroft (Hon ); 4. Mar k Martin (Ho n); 5. Brad Wad e (Hon). VET B: 1. Donald Bigley (Yam); 2. Adam Ca d le (Yam ); 3. Jaisson DeRoche (Yam ); 4. James G illillan (H on) ; 5. Tom Harden (Suz) . ~ e . SR B: 1. Louis Dea rm an (Yam); 2. Dav id Dehn er (Ya m); 3. Richard May (Yam ); 4. Frank Erbe (Yam); S. Shel by Murray (Yam) . 2.00 C: 1. Jerem y Berw an ger (Ya m): 2. Matthew Bennett (Ka w): 3. Richa rd Wil son (Kaw ); 4. Shawn Snider (Kaw); S. John Pensis (yam). 2S0/0PEN C : 1. Ra n d y Le ster (KT M ); 2. Mark Blankenshi p (KTM) ; 3. St~hen Ritchie (H on ); 4. Jeremy Jan-is (Yam ); 5. N orman Richa rd s (KTM). MINI: 1. Donald Lee At kinson (Su z); 2. Isaac Ackds (Kaw); 3. Steven Gra ves (Ka w); 4. T.J. Su lliv an (Suz ); 5. Ian Schwartz (Suz ). AM A GRA ND N ATIONA L CROSS COUNT RV SERIES PO INT STANDINGS IAfter 7 of U ro un ds): I . Tom Norton (122); 2. Fred Andrews (113) ; 3. Scott Plessinger (II I) ; 4. Sco ll Su m mers (78); 5. Gene Onail (76); 6. (TIE) Tun Shephard / Scott !'helps (70); 8. To m Ca rso n (65); 9. Doug Blackwe ll (62); 10. Daryl Conner (43 ). ~ 0\ 0\ l"""i N'" N a> ::: ::s -. 25

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