Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMAlFMF National Enduro Champions Series Round 1 : Desert Mountain Enduro Though they didn't take the overall, Yamaha riders performed _II at Wickenburg. Russ Pearson petti was the runner-up on a 'IZ25O twostroke, Randy Hawldnslright) was third on a WR250F fourstroke, and Ty Davis (below) was fourth on a VZ250F fourstroke. "I think I'm around second or third," said Hawkins, who was actual- the big waterfall," Davis said. "I flamed out and it took me forever to get it going. I was a minute behind ly placed into third when results were finalized. "I don't know exactly what will happen with the results. these guys at that check. Then I got into the switchbacks and I went to Hawkins debuted an almost stock Yamaha WR250F at Wickenburg. "Other than a White Brothers pass a guy and he knocked me over and we both crashed. I lost three or four minutes there." silencer, Bridgestone tires and Factory Connection suspension, it's a stock motorcycle. Of course I changed the bars and clamps for comfort," said Hawkins, who won last year's Desert Mountain Enduro. "I had a lot of fun. The three-to-four minutes ended up not counting because it occurred in a section after check 10, but that wasn't the only time Davis and other riders rode hard to get through a difficult section on time only to discover that there was no checkpoint where one might normally have been The way I always feel, if you can ride a race and not get hurt, you had a good day." Yamaha's Ty Davis matched Hawkins' score of 14, but fell short on placed. A popular rocky section, which led up to the infamous shelf trail, was void of a checkpoint, even tie-breakers. Davis too rode a 250cc four-stroke, but his was the YZ though many riders felt like there should have been one there. model. "Everything went good all the way to the last pit and then I stalled it after "I'm just pinning it through that stuff and it's so slippery. I'm thinking, 'As long as I don't lose the front end Former National Enduro champion Terry Cunningham attended the Wickenburg National, but not as a rider. T.e. had his hands fuJI as the Gas-Gas team manager, and while Cunningham was very pleased with the effort his riders put out. he was less than pleased with the event. as were many riders. "The guys had a good day out there to ride," Cunningham said. "The only thing that saddens me a little bit is the fact that two years ago. in the rain, the same thing happened and every check was off one minute. There should be an AMA representative here to watch over stuff like this and to be here mainly when things start shaking down. They had a problem with check 11 and it appears that checks II, 12 and 13 are probably going to be tossed. The rest of the r!lce. the checks were all off and that's something that riders and manufacturers together need to voice their opinions. "I have put on races and I know what it's all !lbout," he said. "For a National Enduro, these guys spend a lot of money to come out here and ride - Randy and Ty, all of them. To have it so unorganized, it's sad. Th!lt really saddens me. Maybe if some of the guys start speaking up. maybe the AMA might jump in !lnd start doing something that they should be doing in the first place." Interestingly, with checks 11 through 13 being thrown out, the actual ground miles were short of the 85 miles that the AMA requires fOr !l National Enduro. 36 FEBRUARY 28. 2001 • cue • • n • _ s BRIEFLY••• The Wickenburg Waterfall is always a popular spectator spot at the Desert Mountain Enduro. A narrow and gnarly singletrack trail leads down to the waterfall. so by the time riders get to the falls they are often already fatigued. Spectators climb the falls to get a bird's·eye view of riders coming down the rocky chutes. Even the best riders have problems shooting the falls sometimes. "I endoed down the waterfall," said David Lykke. "I was trying to get around a slow· er guy, so I kind of took a different line, went down and scraped up all my plastic. I thought that was going to be bad, but there ended up not being a check afterward. That was good for me because that probably cost me 45 seconds right there. New Jersey's Mike Lafferty usually spends a lot of time on the West Coast in the winter when his home is snowed in, but due to the mild Jersey winter this year. Lafferty has spent a lot of time at home riding. In fact. lafferty didn't fly out to the west coast until the Monday before the enduro and didn't even ride in the area until Saturday. It didn't seem to bother him though. "This is the first time I've won an enduro out west.· said the three-time champ. "I've never won Coalinga [Northern California! or here. I've won a National Hare Scrambles out here before, but I've never won a west coast enduro. I really wanted to win because I always start behind the eight·ball every year. I wanted to get ahead of the game before we get back east. " Randy Hawkins arrived in Arizona in a brand new c1ass-A motorhome equipped with an enclosed trailer to haul his bikes (see table of contents). Both motorhome and trailer looked very professional. especially with their Yamaha·blue paint scheme. "We've had a box van for the last 10 years, and we decided to try something a little different." Hawkins said. "It's time to replace the box van and we got to looking and thinking and discussed it with Yamaha, and they pretty much okayed the plan. It's a litlie bit more visible for us and those guys £Yamaha! at all the races and stuff." Hawkins isn't the only one with an impressive rig. Ty Davis showed up fresh from his win at the Laughlin U.S. Hare Scrambles win the day before in the Monclair Yamaha/Lobo Racing motorhome/semi that frequents some of the Best in the Desert and National Hare & Hound races. And then, of course, there was the impressive Gas-Gas semi, which provides services for team riders Matt Stavish, Nathan and Nolan Knight. Clay Boreing, Richard Lafferty and Rodney Judson. The Gas-Gas effort is similar to that of a major Supercross squad.

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