Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

CROSS COUNTRY Round 4: The Wilderness GNCC . . GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CROSS COUNTRY SERIES By Jim Talkington CLARKSBURG, WV, APR. 26 t was just a matter of time until Team Suzuki's Rodney Smith stood atop the podium during the 1998 AMA Grand National Cross COllntry Series. After scoring in the top I!lree every race so far this season (a fea t equaled only by Team Kawasaki's Fred Andrews), Smith finally topped the field with his controlled, methodical approach to racing. Neither flashy nor boisterous on the track or off, Smith, with his workmanlike manner and with his eye on the title, has moved into a tie with Andrews for the series points lead at 76 apiece with this win. One of the most decorated riders in the GNCC field, the Californian would like nothing more than to add the Cross Country crown to his list of championships, which include multiple ational Hare Scrambles and National Reliability Trials series titles. Cause for celebration in the Suzuki pits didn't stop with Smith. Finishing a strong second for his first top-three ride Rodney Smith pulled off his first GNCC win of the year and moved into a tie with Fred Andrews for the series points lead. of the year was Smith's teammate, Steve Hatch. After battling injuries and a disappointing star! to the year, Hatch found the strategy that propelled him into the lead for much of the race and, ultimately, into a welcomed second overall. Starting out fast and breaking away from the pack early on was the former National Enduro Champion's strategy, and it paid off for Hatch with the runnerup ride. As much as a minute ahead of his nearest challenger at the race's midpoint, Hatch finally fell to the charge of his teammate Smith with one lap to go. Fred Andrews completed the top three after overcoming a horrible start and multiple pileups on lap one. Turning in one of his hardest-fought finishes of the season, Andrews put his Team Kawasaki/Andrews Racing KX250 into the top three for the fourth straight event, and he maintains the points lead (which he now shares with Smith). Team Yamaha/Sport Cycles Racing's Doug Blackwell turned in not only his first GNCC finish of the year but a fine ride that netted. fourth overall. With his attention divided equally among the National Hare Scrambles and National Enduro Series (where he sits tied for first and third overall, respectively), in addition to the GNCC, Blackwell finally hi this str·ide close to his home in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Also collecting his first checkered £lag of the season was the final third of Suzuki's G CC trio, Britain's Paul Edmondson, in fifth. It had been almost a year since "Eddy" finished a GNCC event after enduring knee and shoulder injuries and the necessary recovery time. Once again, near-perfect racing weather greeted the competitors and spectators who made the trek to central West Virginia for round four at the Wilderness campground. estled in a valley in the Appalachian mountains, the venue provides a picturesque setting for an off-road race, as the pits are arranged around a pond and a hillside water-slide. The ll-mile course was muddy in spots from rains two days previous and just a hint of dust was present by day's end - nearly ideal conditions for the National event. Twenty-two riders comprised the Pro field, with all of the top competitors healthy and in attendance with the notable exception of Team KTM's National Enduro Champion Michael Lafferty. After posting promising finish,es at the first three GNCC rounds, Lafferty will be concentrating his efforts on the National Enduro and Hare Scrambles series. It was no surprise when a duo of Suzukis snared the holeshot, as Edmondson and Hatch immediately jumped to the forefront. Team Kawas;r ki's Brian Keegan, Blackwell, the Gas Gas of Duane Conner, and Team KTM's Scott Plessinger were on their heels as the pack snaked around the looping offcamber track that led into the woods. Smith was mid pack, and further back were Andrews and Team Honda's defending GNCC Champion Scott Summers. Andrews, Summers and Team Yamaha/HWK Racing's Randy Hawkins would tangle with a downed rider before leaving the spectators' view, and they would be forced' to play catch-up from the very tart. After one lap, Edmondson still held the point, with teammate Hatch in his wake. Running in third and enjoying hiS best early ride of the season was Conner on his Spanish-made machine. The GNCC veteran's time at the front would be short-lived, however; he crashed and was forced to retire on lap two. 'Behind Conner were Keegan, Smith, Plessinger and Mid-South Hare Scrambles Series Champion Mike Sampson, who was aboard a TM. Rounding out the top 10 were Blackwell, Yamaha-mounted Scott McLaughlin and Summers, with Andrews and Hawkins not far behind. By lap two, Hatch had not only claimed the lead but put 54 seconds on

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