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(Above) Kelby Pepper ran strong the whole way, finishing third overall. (Above right) A tender ankle slowed Steve Hatch's progress but still garnered fourth overall. Hatch will hand over his number-one plate to Davis at the end of the season. Two more rounds are left In the series. (Right) Davide Trolll powered his four-stroke Honda XR600 to fifth overall. Hawkins who, along with teammate Steve Hatch, had the only realistic snot at beating out Davis for the title. "Basically, we (Team Suzuki) were hoping for one of us (Hawkins or Hatch) to take this one and maybe get somebody else in between us and him (Davis), and get Davis in our neck of the woods at the next events." Things did not go the way Team Suzuki had hoped, as Davis Jed throughout the entire event, with Hawkins finishing a close second and Kawasaki .rider Kelby Pepper third. Hatch, riding with a painful ankle injury sustained at the Six Days, endured to fourth ylace. Italian Davide Trolli rounded'out the top five overall. ''I'm just a little disappointed I couldn't bring him (Davis) back East to finish out the Championship," said Hawkins. "But, I'll tell you what, he did great all year long. He pretty much had a Cinderella year, and I've had years like that, too. The kind of years you just don't fall or make any mistakes. I just hope he defends his title next year." Under a clear, blue sky, the Post Enduro Association-hosted enduro got underway with Davis jumping out to an early one-point lead over Hawkins and Pepper, and a two-point cushion over the rest of the t{)P National contenders. "The first section we all zeroed - pretty much just warmed us up," said Hawkins. "Then Davis went one, and Steve (Hatch) and I went two, and everybody else three. I was going pretty good until I made a wrong call on direction. The club had a major problem with cows eating the ribbons. Maybe some ribbons were missing, maybe the cows, I don't know." This pretty much set the stage for the remainder of the event, with the entire field now in purSuit of Davis. "We all zeroed the next few checks, then at the next special test section, I went 0-1-2:15, and Ty went 0-1-1:57," said Hawkins. "He was right there on the bubble and put another two minutes on us. I just got beat. Now he had us by two points." The riders gassed up for the second loop, where, through the next special test, Hawkins bumped up his speed a notch but could only gain a few seconds on Davis. Hawkins carded a 1:15 and Davis a 1:25, but the five-time National Enduro Champion, Hawkins, was still a full two points down with time running out. Pepper, on his KDX200, was keeping pace with Hawkins up to this point. The second gas marked the finish for most of the 384 riders who started the event, but the AA and A riders had one last loop to go, and it was here where Hawkins went for broke. In the final points-robbing special test, Hawkins put his years of off-road riding experience to good use and recorded the quickest time through the test. Hawkins would card a 5:52, while Davis checked in 20 seconds later with a 6:12. The Suzuki rider thus gained a full one point on the Kawasaki rider (and on Pepper), and all that now stood between Davis and the title were two checks, induding the final known control check. Only one point separated Davis from Hawkins, and both riders zeroed the second-to-Iast check. The final three miles of the event concluded at a known control, and Hawkins checked in with a near-perfect score of 0:32, while Davis . carded a title-clinching 0:48. When all was said and done, Davis had recorded a winning score of 11.578, while Hawkins edged out Pepper on the tiebreakers for second, 12.655 - 12.677. A full one point back in third finished Hatch with a 13.718. "After the first part I pretty much had a good idea what kind of pace Randy, Kelby and Steve were going," said Davis, "but Randy really bumped it up in the afternoon. It was close. Even Kelby was right there; he was impreSSive." "I just couldn't get myself together at the beginning of the day," said Hawkins. "He (Davis) got off to a good start. Kelby had me beat until the last sections." Hatch, who will hand over the number-one plate to Davis, had nothing but good words for the new champ. "He deserves it (the Championship)," said Hatch. "He had a great season, and he certainly has raised this sport to a new level. I know I'm faster this year than I was last year because of him; he's making us aI I faster." In Texas, Hatch was slowed by a sore ankle which he had injured at the ISDE. "I tried practicing on Friday but dabbed twice and went back to square one," Hatch said. "The pain was so bad I felt light-~eaded. I iced it up and just rode the best I could (Sunday); I just couldn't dab. I crashed a few times because I refused to put my foot down. Overall, I felt super-good considering the prob- lems." CN Caprock Canyon National Turkey, Texas Results: Oct. 1, 1995 (After 7 of g'rounds) O/k 1. Ty Davis (Kaw) 11.578; 2. Randy Hawkins (Suz) 12.65S; 3. Kelby Pepper (Kaw) 12.677; 4. Steve Hatch (Suz) 1:1,718; 5. Davide Ttolli (Hon) 18.1048; 6. Michael Lafferty (Kaw) 19.1005; 7. Mike Jillett (Yam) 20.1057; 8. Josh Whitaker (KTM) 20.J135; 9. Matt Stavish (K'I:M) 21.1144; 10. Alan Randt (KTM) 21.J157; 11. Curt Wilcox (Hon) 21.J190; 12. lUck Higgins (Hon) 22.1076; 13. Kevin Davis (Han) 22.1164; 14. Phil Stevens (Knw) 22.1184; 15. CM;'; Willbanks (Suz) 24.1284; 16. Larry Crane (KTM) 24.1292; 17. Hayden Franklin (KTM) 25.1179; 18. Ken Jiles (K'fM) 25.13SS; 19. Ira Pufpaff (Kaw) 25.1364; 20. Wayne Intennill (Yam) 28.1479. AMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ENDURO SERIES POINT STANDINGS (Alter 7 of 9 rounds): 1. Ty Davis (163); 2. Randy Hawkins (132); 3. Steve Hatch (126); 4. Kelby Peppet (107); 4. Michael Lafferty (86); 5. Danny Hamel (60); 6. James Gray (SO); 7. Mat Stavish (46); 8. Kevin Bennett (37); 9. George Waller Jr. (34); 10. Larry Roeseler (29); 11. Doug Blackwell (25); 12. Donnie Book (24); 13. Terry Cunningham (21); 14. (TIE) Jeff Fredette/David---.!:-ykke/Tom Webb (17); 17. Rodney Smith (16); 18. (TIE) Allen Gravitt/Davide Trolli (15); 20. (TIE) Jerry Gibson/Russell Epley (14). l!) 0\ 0\ ~ 00 ~ I-< Q) .g ..... o 15 U