Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.HARE .sCRAMBLES·': Series Round 9: Sunday Creek National Hare Scrambles AMA National Championship Hare SCrambles • (Above) KTM's SCott Plessinger scored the win at the final round of the AMA National Championship Hare SCrambles Series held in Millfield, Ohio. (Left) Suzuki's Steve Hatch (8) leads the start of the AA line followed tightly by Plessinger (2), Barry Hawk (11) and the rest olthe pack. By Cindy Lemere Photos by John Venishel \0 0\ 0\ ,...... a N I-< Cl) "S Cl) :> o Z 14 MILLFIELD, OH, NOV. 3 ven though the chase for the gold was decided weeks ago by Rodney Smith, KTM's Scott Plessinger arrived at the final round of the National Hare Scrambles series with every hope of adding at least another top showing to his two previous wins. The best that Plessinger would have been able to salvage would have been third in the series, but this would have meant that teammate Jason Dahners would have had to finish fifth or worse. Such was not the case as Plessinger took top honors for the day and rode out a fourth overall in the series. His final victory also tied that of Smith's with three each. "I was just out here to have some fun," Plessinger said. "This was the last race of the year. I actually spent about the first three laps just playing around with Steve Hatch and Jason at one time. I would wave Steve by and then he would wave me by and back and forth we went. Jason came up on us and we both pulled over and let him lead for about a whole lap." Second for the day and second overall in the series went to Suzuki's always happy-go-lucky Steve Hatch. "I just wanted to stay ahead of Dahners todllY as he wasn't that far back in the points," Hatch remarked. "But I knew that it would probably come down to a race between myself and Plessinger today coming here. Anyway, I ended up with the number-two plate and Rodney with the number one. I'm really excited about that and looking forward to next year already. I've only got one more to go now (meaning number one)." Rounding out the podium for the day was Dahners, who also took third overall in the series. Dahners was as jubilant over his third as Hatch was with his second. "I finished third and it feels really great, no, awesome," Dahners said. "I was fifth in '94, fourth in '95 and now third in '96. I'm really looking forward to next year as I will have a full factory ride from KTM and I'll be out here riding this series again and the GNCCs (Grand National Cross Country Series)." Club promoter Jeff Russell laid out a 9.2-mile,. dry, hard-packed course with 1.2 miles of it being given over to a motocross track, and the remaining eight miles consisting of the usual woods riding with a few creek crossings and small mud holes. The course was pretty much wide open with the only tricky spots being in the woods where the leaves had co'!ered up some of the stumps, roots and logs. . Weather conditions were perfect for a late-season race with clear blue skies and temperatures on the low side of 40. The only disappointment for the day was the fact that there was not a large turnout of riders - about 120 - and spectators were just about nil. The starting line of AA riders saw only nine willing to brave the elements and the cold. Barry Hawk, who had ear- lier claimed his championship again in the four-wheel GNCC division, put in another appearance this year, along with Duane Conner. In addition to them, Smith's mechanic and multi-time Blackwater winner, Mark Hyde, had Smith's bike out of the garage for one last showing this year in the Veteran Expert class and G CC hero Gene 0' ail took his shot a t the 250cc A class. When the starter's flag dropped at noon for the usual dead-engine start, it was Plessinger and Hatch out in front with the motocross track to clear before disappearing into the woods. The two swapped back and forth over the track, but it was Plessinger who looked more like a natural motocroSser than Hatch. "I have a motocross track at home that I practice on a lot," Plessinger said. "It helps out a lot with a lot of th.ese races having some motocross in them now, and I had fun on this one here." Coming up behind the lead pair was Dahners, followed by Eric Mashbir, Brian Garran.m and Conner. At the end of lap one, running neck and neck (or maybe fender to fender) were Plessinger, Dahners, Hatch, Masl1bir and Garrahan. Less then a minute behind these forerunners sat Conner and ·Hawk. Leigh Letellier of the AA class breezed by with 250cc A riders O'Nail and Blair Bersano burning rubber right behind him. The end of the second lap saw Dahners in the lead with Plessinger and Hatch cruising behind. "Yeah, out on the second lap, Scott got tired of leading and Steve got tired of leading," Dahners said. "They both pulled over and let me by. I knew they were only playing with me and it was tough leading. The three of us were just cruising, taking our time and making sure we didn't make any mistakes. At the end of the third (lap), the three of us all pitted and that's when they wicked it up." , Conner came through'in fourth on the second lap and only 30 seconds down on the lead gang. His dash for glory would be short-lived as, on the third lap out, Conner tangled with some barbed wire and called it quits at the end of the third lap. The trio of Mashbir, Garrahan and

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