Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128123
AMA Grand National Cross Country Series. Round 1 0 of 1 3 waiting, so I was lucky. We don't run a filter tear-off because we usually don't have a problem with dust, and being out front Ii,ke I was, I was surprised it happened. But my hat's off to Freddy. He rode a great race today." SCR Yamaha/Yamaha Motor Corporation/Dunlop/FMF-backed Raines charged hard all day to net third. "I worked really hard during the break," said the friendly Washington native. "I only took one weekend off and 1 did some other races to stay fresh. I'm just staying in the same routine of training really hard. My hat's off to Fred. It was dusty out there and he rode smart." Smith's Suzuki teammate Steve ollowing a two-month break in the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series, Team Green Kawasaki's Fred Andrews found the perfect way to warm up his off-road riding skills: by winning the hot and dry John Penton GNCC in Millfield, Ohio. Andrews outdueled Team Suzuki's Rodney Smith and Yamaha's Jason Raines to take his third win of the season. "I just wanted to get out front because it was so dusty," said the Kawasaki Team Green/Pro Circuit/Comwell Toolsbacked Andrews. "I didn't get a very good start, but I worked my up. With the dust, alii could watch was Rodney's helmet, so when I saw it bump up, I knew to get ready." Andrews is also supported by Andrews Racing, Moose Racing and !MS. After nearly three hours of racing, Andrews beat series points leader Smith to the finish by just eight seconds. A minute later, Raines crossed for third, followed closely by the Yamahas of former AMA National Enduro Champion Randy Hawkins and rising star Barry Hawk Jr., the winner of the previous round of the series at Taylortown Pa. "My filter clogged up," said Smith, who is supported by Suzuki, FMF, Dunlop Tires and Moose Racing. "It almost died on me, actually, but when it did quit, I was right by the mechanics' area and they had a filter F ing GNCC champion Shane Watts' hopes of repeating as champion. After getting an uncharacteristically Motocross Champion Mike Kiedrowski. The Yamahas of Robbie Jenks and Doug Blackwell placed eighth and MWUUAElD,OH,SEPT.9 10th, surrounding the newly crowned AMA National Enduro Champion, Mike Lafferty, in ninth. The win keeps Andrews' championship hopes alive, however slim they might be, as he moves within 48 points of the lead with three rounds to go. "It's all in how bad do you want it?" explained Andrews. "I mean, I Hatch overcame a bad start to snare sixth place, followed by another Suzuki rider, four-time AMA National By JASON WEIGANDT PHOTOS BY RAY GUNDY AND STEVE BRUHN good start, Watts crashed just a few corners later. Soon after, he retired to the pits when his bike's ignition Following a two-month break, the series pros roar off the start line at the John Penton GNCC, with series leader Aodney Smith 131} snaring the holeshot. 34 SEPTEMBER 26, 2001 • cue n I • __ s tried like heck to win today because maybe I can win this series. That's a long, long, long shot, but I had to win today. If I didn't win today, it was over. I want to try to win it [the series], so I won today and I'll just keep on pushing." While the John Penton GNCC helped extend Andrews' title hopes, the race pretty much ended defend- began malfunctioning. After realizing the problem couldn't be solved quickly, Watts hopped on a backup bike to take a few laps. "There was a problem with the ignition and the bike just kept shutting off," Watts' mechanic, Tim Carter explained. "We put him out on his practice ·bike. I'm not sure if they [GNCe officials] are going to like that or not, but it's good practice for him." Either way, Watts got the black flag after two laps on the backup bike. The John Penton GNCC greeted the riders with beautiful, clear-blue skies, temperatures in the high 80s, and the strong support of more than 3000 spectators. The course, designed by Racer Productions' trail boss Jeff Russell, a former AMA National Enduro Champion, featured a fast layout that included a run through the jump-filled Sunday Creek Motocross Park, tight woods trails, a creek crossing, and numerous wideopen field sections. Laid out on the adjoining property of two southern Ohio farms, the course got rougher as the day went on due to the record number of entries hitting the track. After nearly 400 ATV riders raced on Saturday, followed by 83 Youth racers, more than 500 bikes showed up for Sunday's run in the rolling Ohio hills. "The dust created most of the technical parts of the course today, but they threw in a nice little tight section that didn't get that dusty," explained Smith. "It got a little rough and choppy out there, too." The top Pro racers raced seven laps in their three-hour limit, averaging 25-minute lap times along the 11mile course. Smith got his Suzuki to light fastest on the dead-engine start, as he took the holeshot. Watts was right behind until his ignition began acting up, which let Kiedrowski and Lafferty hook on to the leader. Andrews started just outside the top five. Smith set a strong early pace and held a 12-second lead by the time he hit the electronic scoring system at