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AMA FMF National Championship Enduro Series Round B: Stump .Jumpe N1ational Enduro MIke Ul'ferty had ....., cIInc11ed the National n... .IIiIIIuro at .... prewfous round, but tIIlIt didn't atop 111m from coming out and apanldng at the "Stump Jumper. _,Ollle Stump Jumper boss Alan Randt (also Lafferty's mechanic) and his crew is known for putting together a race that is mixed with tight woods and grass tracks that keep even the best of the field late and trying to catch up all day. This year was no exception. The weather for the weekend was ideal - clear and sunny with the high being in the mid-60s, leaVing only the difficult course and limited time as concerns for the participants. The enduro was set up using the Qua lifier format, with known controls as checks, so timekeeping was unnecessary. Riders started four to a minute and raced to the first check, which was the end of the timed section. They then rode through a transfer section to the next known controlled check, and so on. The event started off with a grass-track section that ended going into the tight trees of Wolverine. From the start, the riders found themselves late, racing against the clock to try and post the lowest points of the day. Lafferty, who decided to ride a 400cc four- STORY AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL DEMAREE WOLVERINE, MI, SEPT. 30 ichael Lafferty already had the series title wrapped up, as his fifth-place finish at the previous round in Colorado had been good enough to clinch his fourth National Championship. That being the case, one would expect that the KTM rider would back off a bit at the season's remaining rounds, but that certainly wasn't the case at the Stump Jumper National, one of the best-organized Nationals of the year. You see, that previous, title-clinching round had also marked Lafferty's first loss of the season (he'd gone a perfect six for six before that), and the New Jersey rider was anxious to prove he could still finish on top. "All I wanted to do this weekend was get back to winning," Lafferty admitted. '" didn't feel comfortable in Colorado and paid the price; I wanted to make sure that didn't happen again." 28 OCTOBER 17. 2001 • cue I e n e _ s stroke, was on the gas early, letting it be known that he was clearly the rider to beat. David Lykke (the rider who defeated Lafferty at the last round) was looking to keep his momentum alive, and was doing his best to keep the champ honest, matching times throughout the day. Another Yamaha rider keeJ:1ing it close (despite being relatively unfamiliar with enduro racing, at least for now) was Barry Hawk. Legend Randy Hawkins had persuaded that Pennslvnia native to come out and ride the Stump Jumper, so Hawk, who has multiple GNCC quad titles and is a serious contender in that series' bike division, decided to tum up and show that as long as the activity involves a motor and suspension, he has the speed to race with the best of them. When the contestants reached the first gas, Lafferty had gained a slight advantage over Lykke and Hawk, with Hawkins and Husquvarna rider Fred Hoess right there in the mix. Team Gas Gas riders Matt Stavish, Clay Boering and Rich Lafferty (Mike's older brother) were also close to the leaders, only separated by a few points. Since Lafferty will retain his number-one plate, the major battle of the series is now for second. Going into Wolverine, Hoess had a very slim one-point margin over Hawkins, but with his Colorado win, Lykke had his sights set on overtaking both of them in the points race. Hawkins may have helped Lykke to that end when his race took a turn for the worse after the gas stop, as a piece of barbed wire became wrapped up in his rear wheel. Once the South Carolina native was free of the wire, it was too late - he had lost valuable time and was out of con- tention for the rest of the race (though he's still in the top three in the points standings, behind Lafferty and Hoess). "I had a decent ride going today, but in the second section I got hooked up with some wire and it took me out of the race," Hawkins said. "It seems like this is my year for things like that to happen. I guess it could have been worse; I didn't get hurt, and everyone's okay, so I'm looking forward to being able to ride next week." The race came down to the last check, with Lafferty beating out Lykke for the day's top spot, posting a 17 compared to his close friend's 21. "I had a great ride today." Lykke said. "My Lynnwood Motoplex YZ250 worked awesome out here. The conditions were perfect - I loved it today." Taking the final podium position with a 22 was Hawk, but although the Team Yamaha rider is an enduro neophyte, he wasn't exactly content with third. "My ride today was okay," he said. "I made a few mistakes. I'm pretty happy with third, considering this is my second enduro. Of course, I would be a lot happier with a win. Alan did a fantastic job with the course. I got to ride with Randy all day; he would tell me to go fast in certain sections, so I would. I had a lot of fun. This is definitely not my last enduro. I'll be back next year." Following behind Hawk with a 23 was Hoess, whose day had its share of problems. He had both fork seals blow on his Husky, and the oil covered his front rotor, leaving him with only partial braking power. He was followed by Gas Gas duo Stavish and Boering and Michael Keen aboard a KTM. All of these riders were also on 23, separated only by tie-breakers. Riding a Yamaha, Aaron Wagner was the fastest of the 24-point finishers, (Below) David Lykke, the man who ended Lafferty's win streak In Colorado, rode well enough for second overall In Michigan.