Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

nero"I fell into a gap in third place and that was about it. There was no one around me and it was hard to motivate myself. I go t a little tired towards the end and Tom (Norton) started to catch me. 1 guess that comes from riding by yourself all day and really not having anyone to push you . It was rough and bumpy and dusty, so maybe I was getting a little tired , too:' "Fred had a lead of about 50 seconds, but I just kept working awa y at it, trying to get him back in sight," said Plessinger, who made the time back up with three fast laps in a row . "I though t he was getting tired but as soon as I caught up to him he picked it back up again:' " I got u p behind a whole gro up of lapped guys and 1 got by th,~m,. b ut 1 don't think Scott was as lucky, said The . Yama ha /Pro Circ uit/ Answer-backed Andrews of their midrace battle. "I got a litt le brea thing room going into the last lap and 1 decided to just star t taking more chances. I was passing guys wherever and whenever 1 got to them. That's the way you have to ride sometimes." "I don't think the referee held the two-lap board out when I went by," said Plessinger after the race. "When 1 came around, 1 though t there was another lap but it was the white flag instead. I got up to Fred but it was just too dusty and risky to try anything in the woods: ' When asked how the race might have differed had the absent Scott Summers or Rod ney Smith been on hand to get between himself and Plessinger, Andrews answered, "I'm sure it would have been a little d ifferent, but it might have messed me up, too. You can't really say that their being here would have helped me or it would have help ed Scott. We were bo th going really hard all da y long and I'm not sure that any one would have been up there with us. With the title, we had too much on the line between us:' "I gave it 100% in this series for the iirst time and it rea lly worked ou t for me," sai d Plessinger of hi s ch a m pionshi p season . "I ha ve tw o Nationa l Ha re Scr am bles titles but I feel like 1 worked a lot harder for this one. And 1 ca n tell yo u I've never ha d th is many fans rooting me on before:' "Since Scott Summers has been ge tting hu rt a lot, it's been pretty much up :0 me to keep the woods riders ahea d of all these old pro motocrossers," sa id Plessinger, who has emerged as a crowd :avorite among the woods-racing audience. "I don't know how close anyone else was to us tod ay, but lately it's just been me and Fred or me and Rodney (Smi th). I've been teaching myself how to motocross on my practice track and tha t' s helped me a lot this yea r. All of these courses have some motocross to them and 1 used to suffer because of it. Now 1 can stay with Fred, just like 1 kind of d id toda y a nd at Mt. Morris (tw o weeks ago). With all this talk a~t?ut Ty Davis and Guy Cooper maybe Joming the series next year, it's going to be even more important to know how to ride the motocross sections. " "1 had a lot of luck last year when 1 won the title in my first year, which is somethi ng no one else has ever done," reflected Andrews. "I had a great year last year and it's hard to back up something like that with anything less than a win. I had a great year this year, too, bu t 1 just came up a little short. I wish I would have won, but losing to Scott isn't too bad. He's a great rider and he earned it: ' "Fred is my teamm ate and Scott is my friend , so the whole situation of the title put me in a tough position," said Conner. " I rode the best race that I could, but those guys rode better. I'm kind of glad (Left) Duane Conner -Andrews' teammate- rode to a thlrd-place finish, but was never in a position to pass Plessinger. Had he done so , Andrews would be champion. (Below) Tom Norton - fourth on the day • finished third in the final standings. (Bottom) Tom Carson (169) pulled the holeshot ahead of Conner (14). that they could get out there and do their thing without putting me in a bad spot:' Conner ended up about five minutes behind Plessinger and 25 seconds clear of fo ur th overall Norton. Onail was another two minutes back, in fifth. The efforts of Andrews and Plessinger aside, the ride of the day mig ht have belonged to Four-Stroke A class winner Rodney Judson of Malta, Ohio. Judson came into the race needing to finish ahead of class rival Barry Hawk in order to win their series-long championship battle. The Bro m le y Suzukimounted Hawk had won four of the last five events and appeared to ha ve momentum on his side. But the 25-yearold Judson put in the ride of his life at Brownsville, fin ishing a career-high si x th overall and notching the class championship with a lead of five minutes on Hawk. (Haw k won nine of 12 overall races in the ATV version of the series and wrapped up . his secondstraigh t title on Saturday.) . In clinching his first-ever GNCC title, Plessinger entered the off-road record books as the first KTM rider ever to win the series, as well as the first rider from ~ the off-rood -rich state of Ohio. Luzerne Park Brownsville, Pennsylvania Resuhs: October 30, 1994 O/A: 1. Fred Andrews (Yam ); 2. Scott Plessing er (KTM); 3. Dua ne Conner (Yam); 4. Tom Norton (Kaw); 5. Ge ne Onail (Kaw); 6. Rodney judson (Hon); 7. To m Carson (Hon); 8. Scott Phelps (Yam ); 9. Bnan Keegan (Yam); 10. Duane Sprouse (Kaw); 11. Siev e McSwain (Ho n); 12. Da ryl Co n ner (Ya m); 14. Ba rry Hawk Jr . (Suz ); 15. Shawn Brell (KTM); 16. Rick Lukaesko (Yam); 17. Robert Bennett (Kaw); 18. Dav e Santi (Yam); 19. Ron Palermo (Yam); 20. Todd Morain (Yam). PRO O / A : Pl eS5in ~er; i . Andrews; 2. Du an e Conner; 3. Norton; 4. Onalk 5. Carson. O P EN A: 1. Mich ael Matoszkia (KTM) ; 2. Carl Ennis (Yam); 3. Richard Bryan (KTM); 4. Greg Holden (KTM); 5. lames Derek (Hun). 250 A: 1. Keegan; 2. Sprouse; 3. Luka esk c : 4. Palermo; 5. Morain. 200 k I . Daryl Conner; 2. Bennett; 3. leff Lauth (Kaw); 4. Chris McDonald (Kaw); 5.losh Lojak (Yam). 41STRK A: I. ludson; 2. Hawk; 3. Ralph Thom (Hun); 4. Don Bohn (KTM); 5. Kevin Townsend (Hun). . VET A: I . T im She p ha rd (Yam); 2. Da vid Santi (Yam); 3. leff Murgel (Yam) ; 4. Ca llie Ward (Ya m); 5. Mike M<.Ca=n (Yam). SlSEN '" I. Ha rry Greenlee (Yam) ; 2. Dave Coombs Sr. (Yam) ; 3. Donald Harl ess (Yam); 4. Duane Baum gras (KTM) ; 5. Charles Bolyard (Yam). . OPEN B: I . lames Ott Jr . (KTM); 2. lohn G n m ~ (Ya m); 3. Benjamin Smi th (Ho n); 4. Trent Bartolottl (Yam ); 5. Elmer Ktuza (KTM). 250 B: 1. Mic key Fran tz (Yam) ; 2. Cra ig Ciesli k (Ho n); 3. James Rodgers (Yam); ... Greg Ference (Ya m); 5. Scott Phill ips (Yam). 200 B: I. lim Iarrett (Yam); 2. Ronald lohnson (Hun ); 3. Joh n Benn e tt (Ya m); 4. Da ve As h (Ya m); 5. Bria n Rhines (Kaw) . 4· STR K B: 1. James T re ti ni k (Suz) ; 2. Timothy Ha rm on (Ho n); 3. Th omas Evans Jr. (Hon); 5. Brad ley Re er (Kaw ). g VET B: 1. Adam Cad le (Yam); 2. Randy Fink (Yam); 3. Cla r k Mun ~er (Hus); 4. Dav id Mo lnar (Yam ); 5. Andrew Wells (Hon) . • SEN B: I. Richard Ma y Ir. (Yam); 2. Mark Mad dox (KTM); 3. Franl: Erbe (Yam); 4. [chn Du nn [r. (Hus); 5. David Dehner (Kaw). 1251200 C: 1. Jeremy Berw anger (Ya m); 2. Richard Wagner (Kaw); 3. Matthew Bennett (Kaw); 4. Richard Wilson (Kaw) ; 5. Michael Leasure (Yam). . 25OI PEN C: I. Dan Kendra (Yam); 2. leremy jervis O (Ya m); 3. Craig Lusk (yam); 4. Doug Whi tmer (Suz); 5. Douglas Kendra (Ya m). A M A G R A N D NA TI ONAL CH AMPIONSHI P SERIES FINAL P O INT ST ANDINGS : I. Sc oll Plessinge r (155 /3); 2. Fred Andrews (154/ 4); 3. Tom N orton (141); 4. Ge ne Onail (127); 5. Sco tt Summers (115/3); 6. Duane Conner (107); 7. Doug Blaclcwell (107); 8. Tom Ca rson (106); 9. Scoll Phelps (96) ; 10. T Im Shephard (93). .

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