Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

HARE SCRAMBLES AMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HARE SCRAMBLES SERIES (Left) Yamaha's Randy Hawkins landed his first National Hare Scrambles win of the season as well as his first-ever win on a Yamaha. (Below) Team Suzuki's Steve Hatch (2) leads the way at the AA start with teammate Rodney Smith (1) close behind. Smith dropped out of the event due to injury. By Mark UthlTrall Rider Magazine Photos by Jay Chittenden .... l-< ~ 42 GOOD SPRINGS, PA, APR. 13 andy Hawkins earned a couple of firsts at the Bear Valley Hare Scrambles, hosted by the Reading Off-Road Riders in Good Springs, Pennsylvania. Not only was this his first overall victory of the 1997 AMA National Hare Scramble Series campaign, but his first overall victory at any. ationaJ event aboard his new Yamaha scoot as well On a tough, eastern, enduro-esque coUrse, Hawkins managed to rally from a midpack start to lead the last three laps, while setting a steady race pace. Afterward, Hawkins was all smiles as he signed autographs well after the pits were cleared of other National teams. "My Yahama really worked well today, and I'm finally gaining the confidence needed to finish on top," Hawkins said. "The event was excellent and even tight sections had multiple lines that made it easy to get around slower riders." Meanwhile, Team Suzuki's British import Paul Edmondson finished the day with a strong second-place. "I just want to go out and have some fun," Edmondson commented before th.e race. Early leader Steve Hatch, on the other hand, ran into trouble while setting two of the three fastest lap times of the day over the muddy, boulderstrewn course. Hatch was repeatedly slowed by rock-induced chain derailments, and finished well down in the standings, only completing six laps of the seven-lap main event. Team Suzuki however maintained a stranglehold on the series points lead after the even t, hired gun Edmond on solidifying his lead in the points standings with 103 points. Second place is a three-for-all among teammates Rodney Smith (who didn't finish the event) and Hatch, and KTM's Jason Dahners (third on the day), each holding 66 points. The Garrahan brothers Brian (eighth) and Patrick (fourth) fill the fifth and sixth slots with 54 and 51 points, respectively, while the win puts Hawkins in seventh, with four rounds remaining. Run from an idle coal mine located in the mountains northeast of Harrisburg, more than 200 riders entered the threeevent card that included peewee races, youth action and the motorcycle main event. Weather conditions were brisk with partly sunny skies that yielded to full cloud cover by the race's end, as a cold front blew through and temperatures plummeted. Balmy 60-degree temps at the midday start dropped through the 50s by the time trophies were passed out, fueled by the strong winds that howled through the valley. In thjs sixth annual running and first nationally sanctioned main event, A and B classes were expected to complete eight and five laps, respectively, around the nearly lo-mile loop. As the race wore on and time ebbed, this was reduced to seven and four. Regarded as perhaps the toughest hare scrambles event on the East Coast Enduro Association (the event doubled as round one for this regional series) schedule, the course snakes through mountainside, old growth, deciduous woodland and second-growth softwoods over abandoned tailings and slag piles. Conditions were a combination of mildly tight single-track trail of mud and rocks linked with occasional wood road sections. There were a few minor stream crossings and water holes, none too deep, no major hillclimbs, no stoppers and as a result no problem with lappers. Right out of the barrels there was a near-mile-long grass-track section, which was also used for the race's start. At the dead-engine start, number-one and number-two plate holders Hatch and Smith jockeyed for the holeshot. In the first turn it was neck and neck for Team Suzuki, with KTM riders Dahners and Michael Lafferty trailing. At the end of the grass track, entering the woods it was Hatch leading, followed by Lafferty and Dahners. Once in the trail, top riders formed a freight train that maintained a careful, first-lap pace. Lafferty managed to get around Hatch in the process and was the first rider through the barrels at the end of the 10-mile loop. Even after 10 miles of fighting the Pennsylvania mud and rocks, top riders were still bunched together - literally the entire National AA field passed through the checkpoint in a 50-second span. In all, eight riders cruised in at a 37-minute lap time, Lafferty's 37:03, followed by Hatch, Dahners, Edmondson, Chris Smith, Hawkins and Smith. The second trip around the course saw things begin to spread out somewhat. Hatch set the best lap time of the day on this lap, completing it in 26:35, an amazing 11 minutes faster than the initial lap, while taking over the lead. KTM's Dahners trailed Hatch through the barrels, posting a sub-27-minute lap time as well. Behind Dahners was a 1Mmounted Chris Smith in third. Edmondson held onto the number-four slot while Hawkins moved up into fifth. Number-one plate holder Rodney Smith, who started the race ,with a tweaked knee, aggravated the injury and dropped out during the third lap. Meanwhile, Hatch continued to pour it on, still leading at the end of three laps, despite teammate Edmondson setting the fastest pace on the third goaround, a 27:20, and moving up into the number-three slot in the process. Hatch ran into trouble during the fourth lap, in what was to become a uni-

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