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,.OFF·ROAD:<"'· '. - ,'1995AMA Grand.NaIioJIal eros.CoIinlry5eries Andrew. on top of Hardrock By Davey Coombs BUNNER'S RIDGE, WV, SEPT. 17 amaha-mounted Fred Andrews erupted from a competitive pack to score a confidencebuilding overall win at the ninth round of the 1995 AMA Grand National Cross Country Series, The win was just the second of the season for the 30-year-old Andrews, who nevertheless has' remained in the hunt for his second GNCC title in three years by virtue of his consistency. "It boosts me a lot because those guys thought they could beat me hands down," said Andrews, who hails from Salem, Ohio. "This shows that I'm still someone to deal with. Getting seconds and thirds all year isn't bad either. There's five or six guys that can win now. The competition is much stiffer than it used to be." Finishing second overaU at Hardrock was defending number-one Scott Plessinger from Hamilton, Ohio. Massachusetts' Tommy Norton, again piloting a Yamaha YZ250 rather than his usual 125, was a solid third overall. Team Suzuki's Guy Cooper and SCR Yamaha's Doug Blackwell rounded out the top five overall. The Hardrock track is one of the most popular on the 12-race GNCC tour, Strewn across the hills and valleys of Colonel Jack "Hardrock" Bunner's aptly named Bunner's Ridge, the trail measures about nine and a half miles per lap. A featured part of this course are the three hillclimb choices in one section known as Papa Hill, Mama Hill and Baby Hill. The more difficult climbs - Papa and Mama Hill - offer riders a risky chance to make up lots of time all Y ll) 0\ 0\ '1""""4 ..; J.< Q) ~ o 24 at once, or lose big, The hills cost Andrews a shot at the win last year and played a large pMt in Americaf' Honda's Scott Summers' bad day this time around. The weather for the nearly threehour-long event was perfect during the race, though a fierce rain system passed through the area the night before the race. "The rain pounding on the RV roof kept me up half the night," said Norton, a noted mud specialist. "All 1 could think about was tire selection." The track turned out to be extremely slick at first but tacky throughout the rest of the day. . Plessinger pushed his KTM into the early lead as the Pro class left the grassy starting chute to enter the rocky West Virginia woods. "I was second behind Plessinger with Cooper right there," said Andrews. "Doug Blackwell passed Cooper and me but I passed him back. I followed Plessinger until we got about three miles into it. Then I heard Summers behind me making a lot of noise. He passed me and then Plessinger almost at the same time," "1 was about fifth off the start," said Summers. "I passed Tommy Norton and then 1 clocked a tree. Tom was right behind me and we both went down and got tangled up. At that point we were fourth and fifth but the whole group went around us. Luckily the leaders were going pretty slow, maybe because it was still so slippery at that point." When the leaders reached the pivotal hiIIs, Summers led the way to the top of Papa Hill. Andrews, not wanting to lose too much time too early, knew that it was a must-go situation. "I knew Scott was going up so [ had to," said Andrews. "It cost me the race last year and I had to risk it again, but. 1 got up it no problems." "Andrews and I were the only ones to go up the big hill and that gaye us a lead of about 20 seconds," said Summers of his early ascent of Papa HilL "Cooper might have made it, too, but he was pretty far behind us. Duane (Conner) tried it but I heard he didn't make it. " On the next circuit, things didn't go quite as well for Andrews. "The second time around I hit a root and went down," said Andrews of his own aborted attempt at the steepest, quickest hilL "So did Summers. He was below me and I wanted to wait until he tried to come up again because I didn't want to do a head-on. I went down to the first level and tried again with no Luck, so 1 just said, 'Screw it.' But Scott stayed there and kept· trying Like I. did last year and that cost him his chance to win." Summers was struck similarly on his second attempt at Papa Hill but he elected to continue trying, which ended up costing him. "On the next lap neither Andrews or 1 made it," Summers said. "We stopped at about the same spot and turned back down to the little plateau at the halfway mark. 1 didn't make it again, so 1 adjusted my clutch while Andrews went o,ver to Mama Hill. 1 figured going up Papa Hill would still work but that was a mistake. 1 missed again and it put me even further back. That's how I lost about 10 spots or so. I started working my back up but 1 didn't have enough time to get back all the places 1 lost. When 1 lost my chain I lost my last chance to salvage anything. "All the years I've had good luck at Hardrock but it had to be over some- (Above) After SUffering from bad luck lit last year's Hsrdrock event, Fred Andrsws (2) bounced b8ck to Isnd the overall. Guy Cooper (156) led for s time but ultlmlltely finished fourth. time," added Summers, "and this year was it. After that first mistake on the hiII a lot of guys got around me like Norton, Tim . Shephard, Duane Conner, Plessinger. 1 was pretty far back and every time I tried to go faster I would do something wrong. The whole day went like that." "By the second lap the terrain looked totally different," mentioned Norton of the trade "It was amazing how much the terrain could change in just one lap. The hills were totally hard-packed and slimy but 'we still had traction. There were a lot of spectators out in the woods cheering us on, too. It kept our momentum up." The spectators got their money's worth as Andrews tried to come up through the pack after his hillclimbing mishap. "Cooper was coming up as I went to the bottom and he made it," said Andrews. "I guess he led a long time after that.. When 1 came into the pits I was 45 seconds behind Coop. I went as fast as I could and I thought I was catching someone, but it was Blackwell, not Cooper. And then I caught Norton. Cooper was way ahead of us! I finally caught him and we rode together and had some fun yelling at each other for a couple of laps. 1 started to pull away and did Mama Hill with three laps to go but Coop did Papa Hill again and made 30 or 40 seconds on me." The pivotal moment of the race came on the fifth of seven laps. when C<><;>per gambled again on Papa Hill and missed. That gave Andrews all the lead he needed and, with SU\lUIlers and Plessinger off their games, he had a clear shot toward the checkered flag.