Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.ENDURO AliA ftatioilal Enduro Ch~mpionship Series Final round: Delaware National -nine and 12 at the next two, while Smith went 10-14 in the section. Each rider lost a point or two at the next few checks leading into the finish, but there wasn't enough room to take back Hawkins' three-point advantage, and Lafferty had to settle for second overall, while Smith trailed in third. A few other riders hung with this group at the fateful 10th check, with KTM's Randt hanging toughest with a 3-10-14 score, matching Smith's effort. "But I did all my squid riding in the moming," said Randt, who lost a lot of time adapting to the slippery early morning conditions. Husky rider Fred Hoess sco.red 3-10-14 over the section as well, but also lost too many points in the morning to be in contention. The thirdbest score series in the section went to Kevin Bennett, riding a brand-new Honda XR400 and fresh from his second overall finish in Dlinols two 'Weeks earljer. Bennett rode a 3-10-15 through the fateful section. One section 'the rain really affected was the traditional Delaware "sluice," a rocky gully, channeling water behind a marina and into the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Early riders found a raging torrent where in the past a linlpid stream occasionally flowed, and the first few riders had a struggle on By Paul ClipperfTrail Rider Magazine DRAWARE OTY, DE, SEPT. 31 andy Hawkins put on his National Enduro costume one final time to finish out the s~a son in Delaware. The series had .already been wrapped up rJ:Uithematically by Ty Davis two rounds before in Texas, but Hawkins used the sole East Coast ev!!nt to remind everyone that he's worn that National crown a few times in the past. He accomplished this by scoring a seemingly effortless win at the popular Delaware National Enduro. Davis, the recently crowned champ, could not make the trip to Delaware, forfeiting the event in order to prerun the upcoming Baja 1000. "I've heard a lot of sniveling about Ty Davis, and about how he's so fast in the desert, how he beat us in the eastern events because of blah, blah, blah and whatever, but Ty is just on a tear; he's young and excited and he's faster no matter where we are," said Alan Randt, a veteran AA rider from Michigan. "He's extremely talented and fresh, and he's bound to beat us everywhere as long as he's on the attack. A few years ago Randy was the same way. We'd ride our darndest at an event and Randy would just kill us. Well, Randy had a chance today to remind us about R that." Hawkins broke from the crowd and dominated in the second half of an event that humbled ·many of the National and East Coast regulars. Newspaper headlines the week before the Delaware National declared the waning month of October the wettest in 100 years of history, logging over eight inches of rain for the month, when two and a half was more normal. Standing water covered much of the starting area on Saturday, and it was obvious that in spite of bright sun, warm temperatures and clear skies, Sunday's 7 a.m. start would be more than a little slick. "A good old-fash;oned Delaware enduro," more than one of the regulars were heard to remark, and there was also some talk that Davis should be here, in the mud. Would Hawkins humble him? "I don't think so," said Randt. "People forget the beginning of the season where Ty beat us in Louisiana, and Delaware isn't anything like that enduro. This is muddy, but it's not really tight. Actually Delaware is really fast, ii you're not afraid to gas it. Randy might think he'd show Ty a thing or two, but 1 think Ty would just romp on everyone here as well." Speculation aside, the run started out with three riders vying for the overall. Team KTM rider Michael Lafferty was the local favorite and stood to gain a position on the season with an overall win (from fifth overall for the series to fourth), and wanted to make a show among all his friends. Also, ISDE Junior Trophy star Chris Smith was riding tough, and is always a threat at East Coast events. Smith, Lafferty and Hawkins matched scores throu gh the firs t nine checks like they were roped together, but aiter the checkin (ninth) they separated quickly. The section was long and brutal, with three points-taking checks back to back. Smith, riding on 17, hit check 10 with a (Top) Randy Hawkins finished out the National Enduro Series with the overall win in Delaware. (Above) Finishing second was local favorite Mike Lafferty. (Left) Chris Smith was third. three-point loss, tlle best of the day so far. Four minutes later, Hawkins bested him by a point, scoring two at the check and continuing into the section with nearly a minute advantage. Two minutes behind Hawkins came Lafferty, scoring a three and matching Smith's score. Hawkins took his two and never let up, dropping eight, then 11 at the next two checks. Lafferty couldn't gain back the time he lost at check 10, and went their hands. "I managed to ride up almost to the top, but then there was a waterfall you had to drag the bike up," said Manassas, Virginia, ECEA rider Mark Spence. "When I got @nto tlle concrete section it was all I could do to keep from being washed back down again!" Five riders were allowed up the sluice, among them Spence and ISDE, NETRA rider Kerry Clark, most having to push and drag up the raging stream. Seeing that the section would end the day fo·r most riders to follow, the club wisely dropped the section, and mercifully steered ~veryone elst. straight to the gas stop following the sluice. Everyone agr.eed that the morning was the toughest, with plenty of standing water and deep mud ruts, especially for the later numbers. In the afternoon the

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