Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127730
,H R SCRAMBLE ยท AE " AM ANational C pionship H S ham are cramble,Series ' R n ou d3:Spring Hill, Louisiana (Left) Grand National Cros s Country Champion Scott Plessinger scored his first National Hare Scrambles win of the year. (Above) Team Honda 's Scott Summers battled throughout the race with winner Plessinger, but bobbled in the end and dropped to a distant second, By Elaina and Mike Reynolds SPRING HILL, LA,MAY14 hen the rep lica Civil War cannon ' boomed through the hills of southern Lou isiana to start round three of the National Ch ampionsh ip H are Scrambles Seri es . Tea m KTM's reigning GNCC Champion Scott Plessinger ripped off the line and on to his first win of the series. "1 r eally d idn't ge t a goo d s ta r t, fourth or fifth, 1 think," said Plessin ger. "Then I caugh t (Rodney) Smith and (Scott) Summers and just rod e their pace. I really did n't want to lead , I wanted to take it easy and follow for a few laps." The race began at 11:30 a.m. and most riders completed six laps on the ll-mile course that wound through the grassy, d ry highlands and th e soupy, muddy lowlands of the area. There wou ld be no breaks for the top contend ers, as the lead changed numerous times each lap. Defending Hare Scrambles Champion Rodney Smith was first off the line, and would set the pac e on the opening lap. By lap s tw o and three, Team Honda' s Scott Su m m er s and Plessing er had joined Smit h, and the thr ee rid ers rod e wheel-to-wheel around the course. The lead switched several times. Th e pace really picked up on the fourt h lap , as Smith had problems in the mud and allow ed Plessinger and Sum mers to pull away and wag e a two-man battle over the lead. "Everything was going good , and I was leading going into the fourth lap ," said Smith . "But then there was this big mud hole an d I went swimmingin it. I W (Above) Defending Nationa l Hare Scrambles Champion Rodney Smith ran with the leaders early on , but fell victim to one of the many mud ho les and dropped to third. (Left) Duane Conner was a distant fourth after tak ing a trip over t he bars on the fourth lap. got crossed up and went d own. Everything got muddy. I got back up and got going again and caught back up to those guys, but then just as Su mmers passed a lapped rider, the guy got side ways in the mud and I T-boned him real hard. I was under my bike and he was on top of me. After his lap of misha ps, Smith pitted to s t r ai g h te n th e fro nt en d o n his tweaked Suzuki. He wan ted to change his mudd y pants, which were causi ng him to stick to the sea t, but he only had time for clean gloves. Smith would even- (Right)Steve Lelvan crossed the lin e In fifth and enjoyed the best National, finish of his career.