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Action Sports Team Hare Scrambles Championship of the World Action Sports Grand Prix Motocross Park STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID L. PATTON JR. ALBANY,OH,OCT.28 amaha Motor Corporation/Sport Cycles Racing teammates Jason Raines and Robbie Jenks made it two in a row as they claimed the win at the 18th annual Action Sports Team Hare Scrambles Championship of the World, sponsored by Budweiser, Don Wood Automotive and Honda Northwest BMW Suzuki. Jenks and Raines were the leading team for nearly all of the three-hour event. Nearly 250 teams challenged the 5A-mile course over two days of racing, with perfect weather and the Pro class highlighting Sunday's afternoon program. The Pro class features a dead-engine, Grand Prix-style start, in which one rider from each team sprints downhill to !:tis bike and fires it up and gets under way. Andy Shea outran the field to jump hi's MSR/ Silkolene/Tsubaki-backed KTM to the front, ahead of Duane Conner and Ricki McAtee. Raines started in fourth, but he was quickly pressuring McAtee for third. Shea led the first lap, as Raines reeled in Conner by the scorers' barrels. Raines' factory bike outran Conner's stock 1997 YZ, and Raines sailed into second over the big jump and then set out after Shea, catching him about halfway through lap two. "When I caught Andy, we came together pretty good, but I came out on top and handed it off to Robbie," Raines recounted. Raines' 13:13 time on the second lap would ·be the event's fastest lap. By the end of the lap, Shea had dropped back to fourth. "After Jason got by, I ran in second," said Shea. "Then I crashed at the end and Conner and McAtee got by, but we are in good shape for the rest of the day. The course is good." Jenks and Plessinger took over on lap two, but Duane Conner stayed on the course for one more lap and assumed the lead, though they dropped to third when they pitted. Jenks ran two nearly identical laps to open up a 36-second lead. Jenks did encounter one problem, when he hit a tree with his right elbow. Plessinger held his own, but his brand-new Plessinger Cycle/MSR SX400 was too stiff. "My arms pumped up so bad, I couldn't hold on during my last lap," Plessinger protested. "I couldn't see Robbie at all. Then Daryl [Conner] caught me, and they're in second now." Raines kept the hammer down, and the GNCC star began to widen the gap as Daryl Conner and Shea battled for second. Shea took over when Daryl made a mistake. "Daryl slid out and ran into the side of me and he fell off," Shea said, "and that put us back into second." 40 NOVEMBER 21, 2001 • eye (Above) Jason Raines (right) put in the day's fastest lap as he and his teammate Robbie Jenks pelt) took the win • their second In a row • at the 18th annual Action Sports Team Hare Scrambles Championship of the Worfd. Everyone runs all out at the dead-englne, Grand Prix·styIe start of the three· hour race in Albany, Ohio. Andy Shea won the foot race. The top teams were switching every two laps, but when Raines turned it over on lap six, he kept his gear on. "My pit crew said Robbie hurt his elbow and may only be able to ride one lap," Raines recounted. "That may force us to ride conservative the rest of the way." Jenks toughed it out and ran his best lap of the day. The leaders continued to crank out fast, error-free laps as the race wound down. "They have been riding well all year, and their bikes are dialed in," said Duane Conner. "We're racing Shea and Plessinger for second, unless Jenks and Raines have some bad luck." With two laps to go, Daryl took to the course on his Lojak Yamaha YZ 125 to put in his fastest lap before handing off to Duane to finish it up. Plessinger had softened his suspension after each riding stint, and he really picked up the pace after an earlier problem had dropped them to third. When the white flag waved, • e n e _ 55 Andy Shea scores the holeshot, ahead of Duane Conner, at Action Sports Grand Prix Motocross Parft. Jenks rode on instead of pitting, but Daryl lost second when they pitted and Plessinger stayed out. Duane Conner didn't see Plessinger go by and was unaware that he was in third, not second, and he didn't banzai the last lap. Jenks easily roUed across the line with a minute-and-a-half lead for the win: "We did itl" Jenks declared. "That last lap, I just cruised around and tried"to keep it on two wheels." "The Race Tech suspension really worked well today," said Jason Raines after the win. "There were a lot of choppy sections, but we stayed consistent and didn't make any big mistakes." Plessinger ran the second-fastest lap of the day and sewed up second, ahead of his brother-in-law, Duane Conner. "The last lap, I clipped a tree," Plessinger said. "J was looking to see how close Duane was, and there comes a tree - but it turned out all right. Jenks and Raines just smoked us today." Duane Conner also enjoyed the racing. "It's good to see everyone I haven't seen in a while," said Duane. "I rode my fastest lap at the end, but I couldn't catch Scott - but it's good to be out here again." CN ktiaa Spar1s &nnd Prix M _ PIIrl1 A1Iauy, illiG llesalb: lIctaIIer 28, 201 PRO: 1. J~son Raines/Robbie Jenks; 2. Scott Plessinger/Andy Shea; 3. Duane Conner/Daryl Conner; 4. Ricki McAtee/Darius Lattea; 5. Joshua Knapp/Aaron Branham. L/W NOV: 1. Jared Holman/Travis SuJlivan; 2. Jack Flores/Anthony Devito; 3. Rick Packer/Ron Triplett. H/W NOV: 1. Ari Relfords/Kurt Selkinghaus; 2. Fred Bailey/Jeff Smith; 3. Jason Estep!Wayne May. FATHER & SON: 1. Charles Mullins/Charles MulHns; 2. Joshull Gaitten/Thomas Gaitten; 3. Lawrence Elkins/Richie Elkins. CLOB: 1. Jim Robson/Erik Robson; 2. Patrick O'Naii/Tom Harden; 3. Darrell Hardin/William Walters. LJW: 1. Jeffrey Eggleston Jr./Charles Mullins; 2. Adam Giddings/D.R. Atwood; 3. Cody Kovach/ Nicholas Dickens. H!W: 1. Joshua Gaitten/Larry Musick Jr.; 2. Keith Gwinn/Chad Jarvis; 3. Jason Frecker/Paul Cline. OPEN: 1. Mark Hyde/Wally Wilson; 2. Lloyd Shafer/Travis Sullivan; 3. Robert Rosenberger/ Thomas Gates. 4·STRK: 1. Seth Patton/Mike Jenkins; 2. Thomas Asher/Justin Miller; 3. Robert Bates II/Kevin Larson. VET: 1. Tim Shephard/Jim Robson; 2. Marly Kehlmeie,r/Wayne Perdue; 3. Gene O'Nail/Gary Rooch. SR: 1. Mark Steen/Tim Shephard; 2. Mark Hyde{Wally Wilson; 3. Gallie Ward/Adam Cadle.