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NETRA Enduro Series Round 5: Tri·State Trail Riders Enduro Redemption! By JOE McLAUGHLIN OXFORD, MA, JULY 22 T Walldng Bird 'ann: Robert Rogers gl'llbbed the holeshot at round five of the AMA MIdSouth Summer Camp Series In Lebanon, Tennessee, but a couple of cl'lIshes dropped him to sixth place In the Light Trail class. was no Vet A class to enter, so he entered the Vet B class instead. Jason Wofford and Neal Vanway followed, claiming third and fourth in the 250cc/Open B class. They It was good to see Private Class Jason Miller on the track. ing the first lap, he bashed his but he toughed it out like a marine and finished the race. thanked their supporters and pit crew, the Great Outdoor Store, Neisha, Greta and Carol. Next was Bratcher, who grabbed second place WalkiD. BinI Farlll Results: Jaly ZZ, ZOOI (Roand 51 O/A: 1. P.,... Allen (KTM): 2. Carsten Cagle (Su,); 3. Lance Smith (Yam); 4. David Tumer (KTM); 5. Jason Wofford (Yam); 6. Neal Vanwey (Yam): 7. Derek Bratcher (KTM): 8. Cloy Hedgepath (KTM): 9. Jock Bailey (Yom): 10. Jim Bates (KTM). 250/0PEN A: 1. P.A. Allen (KTM); 2. Lance Smith (Yam); 3. Jeson Wofford (Yam); 4, Neal Vonway (Yam); 5. Jack Bailey (Yam), 200 A: I. Carsten Cagle (Suz); 2. Derek Bratcher (KTM): 3. Clay Hedgepath (KTM): 4. Jim Bates (KTM); 5.Gary Copeland (Kaw). OPEN B: 1. Ricky Whitely (KTM); 2, Scott Young (Su,); 3. Mike Miller (G·G): 4. P.J. Short (Su,); 5, Shane Gamer (Yem). 250 B: 1. Brook Barker (Suz): 2. Michael Watkins (Suz); 3. Thomas Cempbell (Kltw); 4. John Stolz (Hon); 5, Kendall TUCk (TM). 200 B: 1. Gus Ehrett (KllW); 2. Andrew Stanfil (Su,): 3. Scott Crick (Kaw): 4. Steve Maxfield (Kaw); 5. Kyle Peacock (Kaw). 4·STRK B: 1. Chance Mullins (Yam). VET B: 1. David Tumer (KTM): 2. Steve Smith (Kaw); 3. Gordon Turner (Yem); 4. William Short (KTM); 5. Allen Marshall (Yam). SR B: 1. Kenneth Stallings (Suz); 2. Steve Middlebrook (Yom); 3. Royce Wyatt (KTM); 4. Michael Schrinsher (KTM); 5. Roger Schultz (KTM). 4·STRK C: 1. Brandon Wofford (Su,); 2. Shone Qualls (Hon); 3. James Smith (KTM); 4. Tripp Volz (Yam); 5. Travis Dotson (YlIm). VET C: 1. Chance Blackwell (Hon); 2. Jeff Holland (Hon); 3. Robert Whitmire (Suz); 4. Richerd Gantt (KTM); 5. Carl Williams (KTM). SR C: 1. Don Rye (Kaw); 2. Chip Stemneberg (Kaw); 3. Bud Street (Kaw); 4. Michael Higginbothern (KTM); 5. Chuck Rhoten (KTM). HVY TRL: I. Jemes Cochran (Yern); 2. Eric Ingrem (KTM); 3. Alan Boswell (Hon); 4. Dustin Stevens (KTM); 5. Michael Barnick (Kew). LT TRL: 1. John Carswell (Yam); 2. Adam Elliot (Kaw); 3. Steve Lassiter (Yam); 4. Kevin Hopper (Suz); 5. Brandon Summers (Vern). BEG; 1. Andy Kraus (Yom); 2. Mark Font (Su,): 3. Jesse Sorrels (Hon); 4. Hotly Jones (Yam); 5. Chase Ingram (KTM), petitive during the winter series." AUGUST 29, 2001 • cue • eN 1.eIIlInan, rann_ in the 200cc A class. The riders couldn't have asked for a better location or promoter. The track consisted of 6 1/2 miles of tight woods, grass tracks, and one deceptive cliff. The promoter created a challenging course for the riders, but he warned them to "Air up those tiresl" He also painted all of the sharp rocks orange. They battled with the heat, sharp rocks, and gO-degree turns. Most overcame these obstacles, but a few did not. Brook Barker, last year's Vet C winner, entered a B class for the first time. He made five laps in one hour and 52 minutes to harvest first place in the 250cc B class. "I'm going to go home and diel" he exclaimed, adding that his first Bclass experience was extremely difficult. "It's a whole different level of riders. I'm sure it will be more com- 68 First Durfoot, true • n.""s om "The Turtle" Norton could not pass up the chance to redeem himself this season. After a mistake cost him the overall win at round two, the Valley Motorsports rider left nothing to chance at the Tri-State Trail Riders Enduro. Posting a 22-point score gave Norton a five-minute cushion on the second overall rider, Cliffs Cycles' Neil Dennett. E-Line's Raffi Peterson guided his CRE to a rock-solid ride, finishing a career-best third overall with 31 points. The NETRA Series defending champ, Hans Neff, also finished with 31, finishing fourth overall, literally only a couple of seconds.behind Peterson. Rocks, rocks- and more rocks make up the majority of the trails in Tri-State land. Luckily, it didn't get quite as hot as had been forecast, and the humidity held off until evening. At the riders' meeting, event trail bosses Tim Dinge and Jerry Madore warned everyone they had better have eaten their Wheaties. They crafted a course without any real stoppers on it - more like riding a jilckhammer all day. Good suspension and physical fitness were definitely in order, as the trails provide a home to more rocks than anywhere else on the NETRA tour. The club utilized "Brand X" rules in a unique FIM-Iike layout whereby each section began with a known control. This helped to make sure the majority of riders could finish the event by notching back up a few lost minutes after each section. With all of the check-ins known, it turned into more of a true contest of speed. The AA class kept things tight in the first section, ted by the fours of Norton, Dennett and Neff. Peterson, Peter Tanner, Eric McEachern and Anthony Geraci each lost five points in the long section. Just as long, the second section provided equally tight 'racing. This time, Norton and Dennett again blazed through first with threes, along with Peterson, McEachern and Geraci. Tanner and Neff rounded out the AA field with four as the course rolled and twisted over an extremely wide variety of terrain - everything from rocks, mud and flat dirt roads to hills and even a sandy, motocrossstyle section. More than 10 miles of rocky single-track made up most of the third section, which seemed to wind on and on. Norton finally gave himself a cushion over the hard-charging Den- nett, completing the section with 6:53 lost vs. Dennett's 7:33. Neff and Peterson gave the best chase with 8:35 and 8:37, respectively, before getting a reprieve at the gas stop. Heading back out after gassing up, the riders were treated to some rocky and twisty single-track that left little room for passing. The lack of room made for some interesting off-trail excursions by those who sought to pass aggressively. "The Turtle" was again the fastest rider through with a four-point score. This time, McEachern gave the best chase, losing five, followed by Dennett, Peterson and Tanner with six apiece. Bl:Iilding on his lead, Norton charged through the following section in his typical wide-open fashion, netting a 3:26. Dennett followed with a 4:06, while Peterson and Neff kept things close at 5:32 and 5:36. In what would turn out to be the last section of the day, Norton put the nail in the casket, losing only two minutes in another long, rugged section. McEachern also lost only two, making up some ground on Neff and Dennett, who dropped three each. A known control was listed on the route sheet entering the final section; however, no check crew was present. It seems the check crew could not find the spot to set up in time, so they had to blow it off. Unfortunately, no one told the ridersl This last section proved to be pretty physically demanding, but 'ultimately it did not show up in the official results after the club decided to throw out the rock-strewn section. After tallying up the scores through check 12, no one was close to Norton's 22-point card. Dennett added another consistent ride to his best NETRA season to date, finishing second overall with 27. Peterson and Neff both dropped 31, but Peterson edged out the defending champ by a mere two seconds for third overall. Ryan Brown rode his Suzuki to a career-best finish and the A-High Point, while Kevin Corbeil roosted away on his Honda with the B-High Point. Kelly O'Meara took home the biggest trophy in the Novice class with a fine C-High Point ride. AI Zita has come out of racing retirement, and he put in another solid ride at the Tri-State for the Super Senior win, while the oldest racer of them all, Tom Farley, found himself with another win in the Masters class aboard his special-edition E-Line CRE. Deb Quinn rode hard to a win in the Women's class, aboard her Kawasaki. eN