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/127739
,HA'RESCRAMBLE": ,', ,. •NallOIIIII ChampIonship H.-e ScnInbIe SerIes Round 6: Speedsville National As the 12 AA class competitors blasted off the downhill-facing start line to begin their six-lap race, it was Hatch who roosted his RMX250 into the lead with Rodney Smith and Jason Dahners nipping at his wheels. After a twa-hundred-foot straightaway, the racers turned left and started back up the hill along the tree line. It was here where a chain of events quite possibly decided the race before it barely got underway. When the competitors entered the corner, Smith's Suzuki went down in a heap, inadvertently balking the progress of everyone behind him. "I was on the outside of Steve and was going to try to take it on the outside of the comer, but he must've heard me and not realized it was me over there or something and closed the line on me," said Smith. '1 hit the front brake and the bike immediately hit the deck." (Left) Suzuki'. Steve HIItch scorecI • wireto-wlnt win at the SpMdsvIIle NlItIOI1lII .... Sc:rsmblee In New York. (Below) Previous I'IK81CI wn.r SCott PIeAInger got orr to • mldpllck lIt8J1, but worklld hi. way up through the dust to ftnlsh lIlICOnd. By Mike Snyder Photos by Jay Chittenden SPEEDSVILLE, N.Y., JULY 16 fter a season of "almosts" and "only ifs," Team Suzuki's reigning National Enduro Champion Steve Hatch finally put it all together to score his first victory of the season as well as his first-i!Ver overall win in a National Hare Scrambles. It was no nail-biter, as the very popular native New Yorker rocketed off the line and held a commanding lead from the first turn to the checkered flag, much to the delight of a huge throng of friends and well-wishers who turned out in droves to urge on their clear-cut favorite, Claiming the runner-up spot was reigning Grand National Cross Country Champion Scott Plessinger, who was definitely on the move throughout the day as he maneuvered his factory-backed KTM past former Hare Scrambles Champion Scott Summers on the second-ta-Iast lap and managed to put a 20-second deficit on the Honda XR-mounted star, which he carried to the checkered flag. "I never won one of these Nationals before, so I figured it would be an opportunity that I couldn't pass up, especially in front of all my friends," said Hatch who hails from nearby Ithaca, New York. "I managed to get the holeshot and I was able to cruise the first lap with no traffic in front of me and pull away. Even though I grew up riding in this area, I didn't have that much of a 'hometown advantage' as a large part of this course was virgin trail, so it was stuff that I was seeing for the first time just like everyone else." Although the Ithaca Dirt Riders have organized ISDE Qualifiers before, this was the club's first attempt at a National Hare Scrambles, and they laid out a very demanding II-mile circuit. The only thing the organizers couldn't control was the weather, as a drought and very high levels of humidity blanketed the Northeastern region of the country. Fortunately for the 140 competitors who ventured out on race morning, the humidity broke and pleasant weather conditions greeted all. Unfortunately, the drought meant everyone had to deal with a very dusty course. With bikes ricocheting around in an effort to avoid the downed rider, Hatch enjoyed a slight advantage as he bolted up the hill. As he rounded the comer at the bottom, Hatch gained a three bikelength lead over Yamaha-supported Duane Conner, who had at least twice that on third-place Randy Hawkins before all three of them disappeared down a straightaway and into the woods. Right behind the RMU5-mounted Hawkins were Dahners, Plessinger, Summers, Fred Andrews, Matt Stavich and Brian Keegan. After 15 minutes, Hatch rocketed to a huge lead over new second-place holder Summers, who had managed to get past Plessinger, Dahners, Hawkins, and a rapidly fading Conner. "I elected not to walk the course yesterday, and I definitely think that wasn't the r.ight choice," said Conner of his rapid decline. "I got second into the woods, and it got so dusty by the end of the first lap that about six guys went by me just by knowing where the lines were~" The dust also hampered Smith's progress, as he tried valiantly to better his position despite the blinding dust at the back of the pack.