Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.EVENTS (Far lett) Mark Spence was seen wearing an unu_1 good-luck charm at round 12 of the ECEA Enduro series, held near Speedsvllle, New York, where he took the overall victory. (Lett) Defending ECEA Enduro Chemplon Jack Lefferty Jr. finished second In points ECEA Enduro Series, Round 12 • III By Mark Uth SPEEDSVTLLE,~,AUG. ~ 36 18 ilk Bone"Mark Spence rode like a rabid dog at th~ ECEA Speedsville Enduro, piloting his Manassass Honda CR250 to the overall victory by a heady four-point margin. Already locked in a three-way scrimmage for the '96 ECEA Enduro Series Championship, Spence now has the inside tine on the title after 12 rounds of the 19-race season with his third overall trophy of the season. Coming into the event, posted standings had Spence and defending champion)ack Lafferty Jr. tied for the series points lead (without throwaway~), with surging challenger Richard Lafferty nipping at their heels, a couple of points behind. Competition for the title remains hot, however, as Jack Jr. and Richard staye!i in the hunt, finishing second and third overall on the day, both promising a fight to the season finish.. Hosted by the Ithaca Dirt Riders, the event was run from the same fine fire company grounds as this past June's National Hare Scrambles event. More than 200 riders turned out for the enduro with perfect weather all weekend long. Both Saturday and Sunday were graced with sunny skies, light breezes and daytime highs ·in the low 80s. A heavy dew and morning fog were the only precipitation. Not to say that the course needed any watering, as spring-fed water sources make for nearcontinuous slick conditions. What the course lacked in rock obstacles, however, it more than made up for in greasy roots and steep elevation changes on the near-continuous off-camber mountainsides. About the only rocks seen all day long were the shale variety, found in the frequent stream beds the course sent riders up, down and across. All was not punishment, however, as on several occasions riders were treated to happy roosting through white-pine timberland, in which the forest floor was a thick, loamy carpet of musky pine needles and compost. Trail Boss Bill Osborn had laid out a course that would cover nearly 90 ground miles on the day. The course was split into two loops, near evenly divided with a gas stop located back at the pits. The course made use of much existing. trail, some used during the National Hare Scrambles, as we)I as a considerable amount of fresh trail that literally meandered across the faces of the loamy slopes. There were intended to be three special test sections in each loop. As it turned out, most fast riders zeroed the afternoon's middle test, while Spence zeroed four of the six sections. Where points were taken, the club' used lengthy sections of trail run at 21 and 24 mph, some with check-ins, seme wi.thout. Riders were practically never given a break, as near-continuous on-the-throttle attitude was required to negotiate most connector sections. There were few, if any easy connectors, and the minimal resets never allotted riders more than a handful of minutes' respite at a time. The first test began, sans check-in, a few miles out from the start. After about five 0 six miles of fighting the early morning slickness, a checkout yielded universal points loss. Spence and Jack Lafferty got the early jump, posting section-best three scores, while a handful of fours were carded by riders Richard Lafferty, Craig Shenigo, Rick Shirk, Mike Slechta, Bill Atkinson and John Oechsle. A short reset followed, and then, as would become the norm for the day, it was back into the woods at connector speeds of 15 and 18 mph. One trail led to another as eventually riders were late and on the gas. Another late check followed, the day's second check, which was zeroed by the streaking Spence. Most other contenders for the overall - including the Lafferty brothers, Shenigo, Shirk, Atkinson, Slechta, Mike Moore, Larry Poptin, Brian Russell and Shawn McCarthy - scooted in one point down. More trail and a midloop gas available were followed- by the third morning points taker, which was sandwiched by checks. At the checkout, Spence, Atkinson, Oechsle, Jack and Richard Lafferty carded fours, while Shenigo, Shirk, Slechta, Moore, Poplin, Russell and Mike Arendasky dropped five. Mostly trail connectors were used fro~ this point to get back to the start for the midday gas stop. During the jaunt, the club missed a couple of opportunities to take additional points as some of the se.ctions had riders well off the pace. Standings at the gas stop had Spence leading with a seven,.followed by Jack Lafferty's eight, and the nines held by Richard Lafferty and Bill Atkinson. After the 20-minute break it was back up the mountain. As in the. morning, there were three potential points takers for the afternoon. However, Spence didn't pay much attention to this and went ahead and zeroed them all, a feat unmatched by any other riders. In the first test, riders were checked into a section that was predominantly composed of fresh trail that wound across the off-camber face of several. mountainsides. Early rows fought indistinct trail marking, while later rows dealt with the numerous roots exposed by the passing of bikes. At the checkout, Spence's zero was trailed by Jack Lafferty Jr.'s one and the twos posted by Richard Lafferty, Oechsle and Moore. Tough connector trail led to the next section, causing many slower riders to check in late. Near the end of the lengthy section, riders were -treated to some unbelievable berm-slamming fun through second-growth white-pine woodlands that allowed most faster riders to reach the checkout, ch.eck number eight, on time. A reset and some connectors led to another timekeeping check and ensuing pace-breaking trail. The final special test of the day had Spence's zero chased by the one cards of Richard Lafferty and John Oechsle, and two points each posted by Jack Lafferty, Bill Atkinson.and Mike Moore. After the checkout, a couple of miles of trail brought riders into the known control without any unneeded trickery. A morning's best seven score, added to his goose egg for the afternoon, easily earned Spence the overall trophy. Notably, the 25-year-old Virginian had section-best scores in all six of the day's special tests. "I had one of those days where everything went right," Sp~nce said. ''1' d recently changed suspension turners and my Manassass Honda CR250 was smoking all day long." Regarding the new "Milk Bone" moniker, it seems that th.e name emerged as a result of a dog-biting encounter two weeks prior at the ECEA Canyon EJ;lduro. Surviving the incident, Spence showed up at SpeedsviJle nursing a tender derriere while sporting a new good-luck charm a Milk Bone necklace. Jack Lafferty Jr. turned in a workmanlike ride, driving his KTM to second overall honors.-on the merit of an 11point card, and staying in the thick of the ECEA points race. Similarly, Richard Lafferty finished with 12, earning third overall seeding. The top five overall was rounded out with 14 scores posted by XR400 pilot Bill Atkinson and John Oechsle. Atkinson was awarded the High Point A prize, while HPA runner-up Oechsle earned top honors in the 250cc A class. Mike Sigety'won High Point B honors aboard ' a Gas-Gas, and Paul Bitting took High Point C honors. . (N Speedsvllle Enduro Speedsvllle, New York Results: August 18, 1996 (Round 12 of 19) GRAND CHAMPION' 1. Mark spence (Hon). HIP A: Bill Atkinson (Hon). HIP B, Mike Sigety (G-G). HIP C, Paul Bitting (KTM). O/A: 1. Mark Spence (Hon); 2. Jack Lafferty Jr. (KTM); 3. Richard Lafferty (KTM); 4. Bill Atkinson (Hon); 5. John Oeschsle (Hon). AA: 1. Mark Spence (Hon); 2. Jack Lafferty Jr. • (KTM); 3. Richard Lafferty (KTM); 4. Craig Shenigo (Yam); 5. Mike McHale (KTM) 125 A, 1. Shawn McCarthy (G-G); 2. Ellis Tomlin (Yam); 3. Pat Andersen (Suz); 4. Eric Pirie (Hon); 5. Joe Tavani (Yam). 200 A, 1. Scott aber (Kow); 2. Craig Seely (Kaw); 3. Jeff Moyer (!

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