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thick vegetation made it difficult for the
riders to predict upcoming turns on the
switchback trails, so it was easy to stray
off the course, as Ramey would eventually find out.
The first section, as it turned out, was
easy for most of the riders to zero. However, some of the B and C riders struggled in the few mud sections.
A reset at 16 miles marked the beginning of the first points-taking section. It
was a 6-mile special-test section with
deep, ioose sand and palmetto roots.
Mike Lafferty, Ramey and Hawkins all
dropped three points here, while
Chancey, Grizzle, Veator and Rich Lafferty all dropped four points.
Mike Lafferty somehow managed to
have one of the best scores in this section despite crashing.
"1 feJl, then got 10 t in t.he first section," Lafferty said. "Everybody was
getting mixed around, but I just put my
head down and kept going forward."
'1 got a little arm pump in the first
section," Grizzle said of his four-point
score. '1 came in at 0.8; 1 should've had
a three instead of a four."
Grizzle wasn't the only rider suffer-ing from arm pump.
"My arms pumped, but the main
obstacle was just trying to find the trail,"
Chancey said. "Plus there were a lot of
face-slappers."
From here, it was just trail-riding to
the first gas stop and the start of the second points-taking section. This would
be the l<)ngest section of the day.
A check-in at the 36-mile marker
opened the door to a tough 16-mile trail
that would rob the most points from the
riders. It was also the trail that ended
Hawkins' and Ramey's rides.
"Everything was going good,"
Hawkin said. "Then the clutch plate
broke. My bike just stopped. It happened right before the check at 4.8.5
miles, and all 1 could do was sit there
and wait for the bike to cool so 1 could
get to the reset. I had a high five going
into the check, so 1 was right on pace
'With Michael."
Lafferty, however, had no trouble in
the section and posted the fast time with
a six.
"I had a good ride through the section," Lafferty said. "Chancey was in
front of me and 1 knew he was riding
well, and 1 just tried to catch him. 1 came
out in front of Ramey. (who had gotten
lost), so 1 knew he had problems."
Chancey checked in with an eight.
"1 knew Lafferty was coming, and 1
tried to hold him off as long as 1 could,"
Chancey said. "He caught me towards
'the end of the section, and 1 rode with
hifn and tried to key off him. 1 got hung
up in some trees and I came out with an
0.7.1 should've dropped six."
, Veator dropped 10 points.
"I spent most of my time riding
around with Ramey, looking for the
trail," Veator said. "It pretty much
ended our day right there."
The riders then came to a reset at 61
miles, followed by eight miles of tough
trail. Again, Mike Lafferty carded one of
the lowest scores, with a five-point
drop.
"1 knew Hawkins and Ramey were
out, so it took a little pressure off me,"
Lafferty said.
Veator was on the gas and he
matched Lafferty's five. Chancey and
Grizzle dropped six points each, while
Rich Lafferty carded a seven.
Chancey was lucky to do as well as
he did here.
"My bike would only go into third or
fourth," he said. "I couldn't shift into
any other gear: 1 tried to fix it at the next
gas. 1 got it where it would shift so 1
could finish the race."
Grizzle explained why he lost a few
minutes.
"A stick came through my goggles,"
he said, "and speared me right below
my left eye."
The last section of the day succeeded
the final gas stop. It was a relatively
easy section with faster, open trail and a
power-line road. The 12-mile section
was of no concern to either Mike Lafferty or Chancey, who both zeroed the
check. Grizzle, Veator and Rich Lafferty,
however, all dropped one point each.
At the finish, Mike Lafferty dropped
a total of 14 points - four points better
than his closest rival, Chancey, who
dropped 18. Grizzle and Veator would
match 20-point cards, but Grizzle's tiebreaker points were better· than
Veator's.
CI/I
(Above left) Former National Enduro Champion Dick Burleson finished sixth overan.
(Above) Rich Lafferty rounded out the top five.
(Below) Robert Neeley searches out the trail en route to a seventh-place finish.
49th Alligator Enduro
Daytona Beach, Florida
Results: March 4, 1999
01 A: 1. Mike Lafferty {KTM); 2. Jason Ch