Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

SETRA Championship Enduro series, Round 15 Survival tilDE! for By Kenneth King COCHRAN, GA, APR. 19 r 22 years running, the Cochran Enduro has been called the "Fun Run," mainly because the promoters have always tried to make the course a little on the easier side - a family-type event. There were always trails that could challenge the fast riders, but mostly you just had to watch your clock. Well, this year Mother Nature decided to change the name to the Cochran. "Sur. vival Run," because it was absolutely a survival test to make it through the deep mudholes, pouring rain and slick trails just to finish. Out of the 160 riders who started, 83 finished. Some riders dropped 100 or more points, but Franklin Ramey III dazzled everyone by dropping 22 points to claim the overall win. It was his sixth win of the season, and he was simply in a league of );lis own at this event. "I had a good ride - not a lot of problems with the mudholes," Ramey said. "I think equipment made a big difference in this sort of run. My KTM never missed a beat in all that water, and my Bridgestone tires worked great in all that mud." Ramey's win shouldn't overshadow second and third overall, though, as tneir rides were very impressive. Jeff Harris, on his Husaberg SOl, claimed the runner-up spot, as well as the High Point A trophy and first Four-Stroke A honors. Harris, riding on row 18, managed to d.rop only 33 ~oints. In third overall was Joey Rowland, who won the Open B class by also dropping just 33 points. "I didn't think I was going to do this .good," Rowland said. "I was just trying to win my class. My CR500 did real good in the mud." The race was promoted by Frank Amos, Bud Hardeman and Charles Smith, aided by the efforts of many SETRA riders. Amos and Hardeman are longtime SETRA riders and Smith is a member of the Bleakley County Jaycees. The Jaycees supplied ml!lch of the manpower to run the 10 checks and were the recipients of proceeds from the race. The turnout was approximately 160 riders, which was low considering there were well over 300 riders last year, but all the rain kept all but the die-hard racers at home, and even though the course was tough, most everyone was smiling and had a good story to tell at the end. The enduro was run on private land and consisted of close to 60 miles of woods. The start was located at the Bleakley County Jaycees building. At 9 a.m., the first riders were off for 6 miles of pavement riding, which led to the first woods section. There had been rainstorms all week, but the rains were holding off - at least for a little while. The fir t section was close to 10 miles long, with one check located in the middle. The woods were fairly open but quite technical. After the rain started, what would have been a fun, fast section quickly turned into one where just making it tl}J:ough was an accomplishment. Ramey dropped seven points in the first 4.5 miles leading into check two. "Bikes were stuck everywhere," Ramey explained "Some were buried, and trying to get around them was as much an obstacle as the mud was." ~ (Top Left) FI'8nIdIn ~1tI rode his KTM through the mud and rain to card his sixth win of theSETRA Enduro Series at the Cochran Enduro. (Left) Only 80 riders finished out ofthe 160 who started (turnout was down due tathe conditions), but Senior C rider Mel Smith finished even after riding on the last row. Harris also matched Ramey's score of seven points. "I think the Husaberg was an advantage for me in all the mud," Harris said. "I just didn't have any trouble." Rowland went through the section with an eight-point loss. "I seem to ride good in the mud," ,Rowland said. "I was able to get around most of the stuck riders. 1 just got lucky." After the check, the riders continued on without a reset and the points just kept adding up. The trail seemed to be one long bog, and by this time the rain was really coming down. Ramey dropped 10 points at check three, followed by Harris with an 11 and Rowland with a 12. It was just 15 miles into the race and Ramey was 17 points down, dropping well over a point a mile, so you can imagine how the C riders were doing. There was a 6-mile reset and then a going-in check at 21 miles. The section was 5 miles long, with the rain making things all the more difficult. The trail was tight, and it would have been hard to maintain 24 mph even in dry weather. Ramey bumped things up a notcn and dropped only two points at check five. The next-best time was turned in by Senior C winner John West, with a 6:16. He was also riding on row one. The 200cc A winner, 'Lee Stephens, was next with a 7:04; then Harris and Rowland came through with nines. There was a short reset, followed by a few miles of two-track before the gas stop. Check six, at the 30-mile mark, was put in by trail boss Allen Gravitt to catch those wanting to ride a little hot. It would have worked fine if that would have been possible. As it was, Ramey was the only person to zero it. Harris and Rowland each dropped a point, but most were happy to have made it this far. The gas stop was at 35 miles and the long reset there was of little use to the majority of the riders. Most found themlate at the going-in check at mile 38.8. The traiJs after the gas were fast, with a lot of two-track trail. Most of it was red Georgia clay, and we all know how slick that can be, so even the fas ter trails became a challenge. Ramey lost two points in the 6-mile section. Rowland matched Ramey's score, but Harris would drop a three. There were about 12 miles of trail, two-track and dirt roads, leading to check nine and the final 5.5 miles of woods. The trail was part of an old Hare Scrambles course from several years ago, and it was whooped-out and sandy. Because of the sand, it was the only section of the race that wasn't a mud bog. Ramey lost a point in the trail, as' did Rowland, and Harris dropped two. "I had a blast in that last section," Harris said. "A four-stroke was the way to go today; it just hooked up all day." . Though a four-stroke might have been the hot ticket for most, for Ramey it was his KTM 250. Ramey is the current points leader in the series, battling with teamqlate Allen Gravitt for the championship. "I just had a good ride and a great bike today," Ramey confirmed. After the race, everyone had a story to tell. Clutches were fried, and bikes overheated and seized. The clean-up crew worked hard to try to get all the riders out of the woods. Some riders rode only a few miles before getting stuck, only to watch the rest of the race from a muddy vantage point. Anyone who finished deserved congratulations. There weren't any complaints and a good time was had by most. Allen Gravitt was missing from the lineup, as he worked this race and shared trail-boss duties with Amos and Hardeman. "We had a good, fun course laid out, but Mother Nature just didn't give us a break," Amos said. "There isn't much you can do about the weather. I just hope it doesn't rain next year." l~ ~elves SETRA Cochran Enduro Cochran, Georgia Results: April 19, 1998 (Round 15) O/A: 1. Franklin Riliney UI 22; 2. Jeff Harris 33; 3. Joey Rowland 33; 4. Geoff Poole 36; 5. Mike Martin 36. AA: 1. Steven Smith 88. ; OPEN A: 1. Mike Martin 36; 2. Michael Grizzle Q 3. Steve Hardeman 74. "1 250 A: 1. Don Baxley 38; 2. Jeff Colm 39. 200 A: 1. Lee Stephens 54; 2. Scott Miller 119. 4-STRJ< A:. 1. Jeff Harris 33; 2. Martin Pruett 74; 3. Frank Anello 206. 1 VET Ie 1. Johnny McCoy n. SR A: 1. Robert Neeley 80; 2. Joe Royal 99; 3. Richard Edmonds 125. SlSR A: 1. John Kealey 55; 2. Johnny Thomas 205. MSTR A:. 1. John Parker 69; 2. Joe Van Seeter 148;~. Lloyd Widener (ck 6). OPE B: 1. Joey Rowland 33: 2. Charlie Hatler 38; 3. Shawn Hayes 42. . 250 B: 1. Tim Weber 44; 2. James Blackman 47; 3. Terrell Holloway 64; 4. Jeff Burchfield BO. 200 8: 1. Mark 1nompson 66: 2. Will Hamer 90; ~. Cult Cook (ck 6). 4-STRK B: 1. Geoffe Poole 36: 2. Ointon Norton 68; 3. Jeffrey Walker (ekS). VEt 8: 1. Jack McDonough 44; 2. David HoUbropk 50: 3. Stephen Edwards 95. SR B: 1. Phi] Ellis 70: 2. John Strange 90; 3. Eddie Royals 198. StSR B: 1. Dav;d Tharp (ck 2). MSTR B: 1. Fred Veator 254; 2. Wayne Meredith (~ 6); 3. Fred Hammond (ck 4). OPEN C: 1. Chris Doran 45; 2. Scott PresnelJ 49; 3. David Harbin 53; 4. Ted Lente 86. ~ 250 C: 1. Wayne Knight 49; 2. Trey Wetheril1gton 56; 3. DonaJd Johnson 71; 4. Patrick Jones 106. 200 C: 1. George Miller 55; 2. Dane Smith 142; 3. Greg Darnell 327. 125 C: 1. Richard Bead 74; 2. Larry Luepke 301; 3. Eli~,h Derryberry. 4-STRK C: 1. Nik Johnson 48; 2. Keith Bowman 73; 3. Chris Johnson 151. VET C: 1. Tim Husk~y 54; 2. Tom Farmer 78; 3. Andy Dean 89: 4. Brent English 92., SR C: 1. John West 42; 2. George Guy 42; 3. s... . Mento 265; 4. Gerald Grisham 327. 5/SR C: 1. Stuart Bradow (ck 2). MSTR C: 1. Norbert Nail 48: 2. Ed Wiest (ck 4): 3. Paul McDonald (ck4). GLDN MSTR: 1. Joe Haley 156; 2. Terry Dishroon 263;'3. Ed Knight (ck4).

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