Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

CROSS COUNTRY AAlA GRAND NAnONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CROSS COUNTRY SERIES BRASELTON, GA, MAR. 9 eam Suzuki off-road landed its second GNCC victory in as many events after Rodney Smith, current AMA National Reliability Enduro and Hare Scrambles champion, bested teammate (and first-round winner) Steve Hatch in a down-to-the-wire scramble to the finish. Hatch looked set to dominate in the early going, but determination on Smith's part and a demanding course that challenged the nation's best off-road racers to the best of their abilities saw Smith pull out the victory with just two miles to go. "The first thing that I said to my mechanic, Mark Hyde, was 'I ate a lot of dirt today!'" Smith said of his rise to victory. "I made a couple of mistakes and base of red Georgia clay. Skies were clear and temperatures stayed in the low 70s, a welcome relief from the Ocala event's unseasonably hot temperatures the week prior. The inclusion of the two motocrossstyle sections permitted spectators to view the racing action more than woods-racing events generally allow. The open nature of the course in view also could have led observers to believe that the day might favor riders with a motocross background, riders like former 125cc Western Region SX champ Team Green Kawasaki's Ty Davis and eventual winner (and former Brazilian national motocross champion) Smith. Motocross skills would, however, defini tely not be the deciding factor in the day's outcome, for the trail provided (Right) Team Suzuki's Rodney Smith ran as low as seventh but came back to steal the win from teammate Steve Hatch in the flnal miles of the race. (Below) Hatch nails the holeshot at the start of round two-ol the Grand National Cross Country Series at Road Atlanta. his Andrews' Racing Yamaha, after climbing into third spot. "I hit a tree and damaged my steering stabilizer," Andrews said. "1 just couldn't handle (the bike) after that and had to call it quits." A disappointed Edmondson also called it quits by lap three, a crash aggravating his bruised shoulder and leaving him unable to continue his ride, a ride which had seen "Eddy" rise to as high as second position. Before the event, he was optimistic .about the day's racing and much preferred this Georgia trail to Ocala, his previous (and only prior) experience with the Grand National Cross Country series. "It's a bit more open - not all of those the next thing I'd know another guy went by and another guy went by and I'd take the wrong trail or get stuck with a lapper. I think I was back in sixth or seventh at one time and 1just said, 'Hey, I've gotta get going.' So I put my head down, worked real hard and worked my way up." When the mud and dust had settled after two hours and 45 minutes of racing, the lead duo of Smith and Hatch were followed by former tealI)mate Randy Hawkins in third, Honda's current GNCC Nationa) Champion Scott Summers in fourth and Doug Blackwell of Team Yamaha I SportCycles Racing in fifth: . . The Road Atlanta GNCC round was the tour's first visit to the northeast Georgia road race and motocross facility. Just over 400 riders took to the approximately 9-miIe course that incorporated the facility's well-groomed motocross course, an old-school vintagemotocross I rough scrambles course and challenging woods trails cut through. a a good selection of lines and favored smart choices as ruts deepened to bikeswallowing depths and slippery roots became more exposed as racing progressed. The normal GNCC format of starting racing at noon was delayed slightly due to a local ordinance preventing the operation of machinery until half past 12 p.m. on Sundays. The 20-rider pro field was impressive as it rolled to the line at just past 1 p.m., with Smith, Hatch, Hawkins, Summers, KTM's Plessinge and T~am Yamaha's Fred Andrews all having AMA National Off-road Championships to their credit. And in addition to tli.e deep field orU.s. national talent, Team Suzuki's newest recruit, four-time Wdrtd En'duro Cli.ampion Paul Edmondson, was also on hand, making his second attempt at the G CC series and looking to improve upon the round-oIle, crash-related DNF tnat left him with a stiff neck and bruised shoulder. When the green .fJag was y.raved, Hatch bolted cleanly into the numberone spot, followed by Smith, Davis, Andrews, Edmondson, Summers and Plessinger. As evidenced by his holeshot, Hatch had pinned the throttle from the word go and looked impressive as he circulated the mile of motocross track before entering the wood'S ahead of the field. Davis passed Smith for second before the track became trail, while the rest of the lead pack entered the woods in the same order they started the race in. After one lap and "(ith no lapped riders yet to contend with, Dcala winner Hatch passed the electronic scoring table still in the lead with Davis' Kawasaki stuck to his rear fende~. Smith followed just two seconds back in third, with teammate Edmondson trailing him by the same margin. Then came the pack of Plessinger, Andrews, KTM's Jason Dahners, Summers and Hawkins, all within striking distance. ..... Lap two would be the final circuit for • 1993 serjes cha,mp .E.red-·~We~~il{ldc.. . tight trees," Edmondson said before the event. "1 think it should be much better, really." Unfortunately it wasn't, and the unlucky British rider left Road Atlanta with another DNF for his eHorts. The action remained tight throughout the six laps of racing, and even slight mistakes could be potentially very costly toward the overall finish. Californian Davis went down on the third lap and dropped quickly from second to seventh place, where he would ultimately finish. Plessinger stayed within a half a minute of the leader (Hatch) and well within challenging distance until lap five, when he would emerge from the woods covered with red Georgia mud and almost four minutes down on first place. Afterward, Plessinger chose to sum up the day's racing by simply saying, "It was a terrible day... a terrible day." - 'Typically a slow -starter at the beginning of the season, Plessinger's fiftharid sixth-place finishes in the first two t

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