Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

while the rest of the field took full advantage of the multi-line hillclimb to try and better their positions. Summers and Smith were mired in midpack at this point and Hawkins suffered a dismal start, his Yamaha coming to life seconds after the pack had disappeared from view. The day would get no easier for the ational Enduro Champion but determination would eventually bring him to the top 10 by race's end. After one lap of racing, Edmondson had worked his way into the lead, followed by Plessinger, Blackwell, Hatch, Smith, California's Brian Garrahan, GNCC national number-nine Frank Keegan and Hare Scrambles National number three Jason Dahners. Brian Keegan was ninth and Summers completed the top 10 - with all 10 passing through the electronic scoring tent within 30 seconds of the leader. By lap two, Edmondson, Plessinger and Blackwell had broken' away from the pack and would race among themselves, each rider taking an opportunity to head the field. In his most inspired ride of the season, Blackwell spent much of lap three out in front before a miscue put him out of the race on the following circuit. "I hit a hole really hard and jammed my back," Blackwell said. "I didn't actually crash, I just compressed it and fell off of the pace. After that, anytime I'd hit a bump it felt like a jackhammer hitting me. I was falling so far back that I just decided I'd better pull off." Hawkins also encountered misfortune midrace and escaped without injury, but not without complication. After crashing on a downhill, he was pinned under his bike until able to kick free. In the interim, enough gas had escaped through his Yamaha's tank overflow to leave him later stuck trackside, out of fuel. Help from another rider got Hawkins back on the track, where he found himself once again challenged with making up a sizable time deficit. With Blackwell out of the picture, Plessinger and Edmondson were left alone to battle for the lead, entering the white-flag lap a scant six seconds apart. Summers had ascended to third by this point after overcoming a day filled with nagging glitches including a broken Camelbak and a bout with allergies. Before the event, Summers' eyes were red and swollen and he explained that in just the past couple of years he'd found himseU displaying symptoms of allergies. "This (the allergies) has just come about in the last couple years," he said. "They bothered me a bit at Ocala but here they're really bad. My eyes are super sensitive right now. I'll have to see a doctor when I get home." Ocala winner Hatch trailed Summers by over a minute into the final lap and his teammate Smith held fifth position, an equal distance to the rear of Hatch. They would finish that way. Running as low as ninth at one point, Smith overcame the pain of re-tweaking his delicate knee on the second lap and spent most of the event riding by himseU, as did most of the pack, save for the lead duo. Running together on the last lap, Plessinger would see his race come undone and the lead slip from his grasp with only a few miles to go. "I tried to pass Paul (Edmondson) on the last lap and I hit a tree and jammed my wrist," he said. "I couldn't hold on after that. I tried to stay as close as I could but I just couldn't hold on." With Edmondson all alone out front (Above right) The ones. With the Loretta Lynn's round combining two series into one event, both Scott Summers (lett) and Rodney Smhh (right) were able to wear their championship plates. (Above) Steve Hatch finished third on his Suzuki, though he wasn't close to the top two. (Right) Edmondson sprays the bubby while Summers and Plessinger watch. with only a few miles to go, the Team Suzuki crew began celebrating victory, a celebration which could have been their undoing had Plessinger not encountered problems. Awaiting the inevitable victory at the finish area, Edmondson's support crew watched, bewildered, as their rider pulled into the Suzuki pit just a few hundred yards from the finish, out of gas. Luckily for the yellow team, the likable Brit was able to get gassed and away with a comfortable lead still intact. "I had a bit of a panic on the last lap there.., I ran out of fue!," Edmondson said later. "I'd go over the jumps and it was starvihg (for gas). I ran out of fuel right by the Suzuki pits." Edmondson attributed much of the win to a recent trip home to England. "I went back home for 10 days to see the wife (who is expecting the couple's first child this month) and basically rode every day," he said. "This has been the first time that I've been able to ride every day since Ocala. It made a big difference." Though listing his home as Brea, California (Suzuki's U.S. headquarters), Edmondson is living out of a new motorhome while traveling from race to race and returned from his native England obviously rejuvenated and ready to make a go at the championship. Plessinger's runner-up finish was his second in as many events, both times seeing potential victory slip from his grasp on the final lap. Plessinger had tried to avoid a last-lap showdown by breaking awaY'early but his efforts were thwarted. "I tried to break away early and it didn't work," Plessinger said. "We got into lappers and everybody caught up to me. I tried to pull away from him (Edmondson) with two laps to go and it didn't work, then he caught up to me and passed me and I made a mistake on the last lap and it really cost me. After I hit the tree and fell down, I picked my bike up and started getting hot and my legs started going away... I just decided to ride in (in second). He rode a hell of a race." Current GNCC champ Summers filled out th!! podium, finishing two minutes behind. Plessinger. While many looked for one of Summers' seemingly impossible come-from-behind charges, it simply didn't materialize on this day. "It took me a little longer than normal to get around a few guys," Summers said. "I was probably seventh or eighth for two laps. I slowly started making my way up (through the field) and by the time I got up to third, Paul and Scott had a pretty good lead. I couldn't gain any on them and I'd spent a little too much energy in the first couple of laps trying to get around lapped riders." Summers also commented on the emergence of Edmondson's potential while on the podium, saying, "I've got to take my hat off to Paul Edmondson. .. to all of those people who said that he couldn't win a GNCC, well, they were wrong." In fourth place and four minu tes behind Summers was Hatch, who retains his GNCC series points lead though finishing out of the top three for the first time in the four series events to date. Smith followed his teammate home three minutes later. Team KTM's Jason Dahners, who is contesting both series, claimed the sixth spot, while Indiana's Mike Sampson was the top-placing Kawasaki, in seventh. Garrahan made the trek from California to take eighth, while GNCC regular Brian Keegan an~ Hawkins filled out the top 10. The top-finishing non-Pro rider was Jimmy Jarrett in 11th overall and first 250cc A. (N Loretta Lynn's Dude Ranch Hurricane Mills, Tennessee Resuhs: April 6,1998 PRO: 1. Paul Edmondson (Suz); 2. Scott Plessinger (K1M); 3. Scott Summers (Hon); 4. St2ve Hatch (Suz); S. Rodney Smith (Suz). OPEN.,A.: 1. Rodney Judson (ATK); 2. Scot Ho&nann (KTM); 3. Dave Gunn (KTM); 4. Brian Sova!< (Kaw); S. Michael Grizzle (KTM). 2SO A: 1. Jim Jarrett (Yam); 2. Daryl Conner (Yam): 3. Ross Benson (Suz); 4. Todd Morain (Yam); 5. John Bennett (Yam). 200 A: 1. Heath Bennett (Yam); 2. Scott Phelps (Kaw); 3. Corey Parlin (Yam); 4. Kevin Creekmur (Yam); S. Tmy Goetz (KTM). 4--STRK A: 1. Harvey Whitaker (Kaw); 2. Ronnie Bumfield (Suz); 3. Darius Lattea (Suz); 4. Curt Wilcox (So2); S. Don 80hn (KTM). VET A: 1. Thomas Carson (Suz); 2. Tim Shephard (Yam); 3. Ronald Palermn (502); 4. Jeff Murgel (Yam); S. Robert Kirdmer (Suz) , SR A: 1. Steven Hashman (Suz); 2. Gallie Ward (Yam) 3. Mike McCarren (Yam); 4. Robin Miller (Yam); s. Joseph Hull (Yam). OPEN B: 1. Jason Jarvis (KTM); 2. Troy Wertz (Kaw); 3. Norman Richards (KTM); 4. Tripp Yharpe (KTM); S. Michael Evers (KTM). 250 B: 1. Jonathan' WendeJl.(Suz) 2. Jeff Anderson (Kaw); 3. Josh Scott (Kaw): 4. Paul Allen (Yam); 5. Daniel Beck (K'IM). 200 B: 1. T. J. Pin> (Suz) 2. Da",,11 Adams (Yam); 3. Kyle Peacock (Kaw); 4. John Craig (Kaw); 5. Daniel janus(Hus) 4-STRX B: 1. Shane Munger (5oz); 2. Scott Martin (!

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