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when Raines got stuck in a mudhole that Lafferty was able to cross. "We got to that mudhole in the back, and Mike barely made it up," Raines said. "He's on a four-stroke, so I figured with a two-stroke, I could still get through. I almost made it, but then it stopped. I was just pushing and pushing, and then Robbie went by." Lafferty thanked Smith for showing him the best line through the challenging section. "Rodney actually took a great line through there the first time through," Lafferty said. "So I used it the rest of the day, and it just held on there on that last lap. I don't think we could have used it again if we had another lap." Jenks put on a strong charge to hold off Raines for second. "When I passed him [Raines], I really pushed hard because I knew he would be coming on strong after that," Jenks said. His charge carried him close to Lafferty, but he fell a few bike-lengths short at the finish. Lafferty's win finally puts him in the record book as a GNCC winner, but he's hoping to add to that list soon. "Now that I've got one, I want to be here a lot more in the future," Lafferty said. "I've been waiting a long time for this one." eN Jenks latched on to Lafferty's rear fender and finIshed out the race in second place. the event. When the green flag waved, Smith raced down the start straight faster than anyone else, but Team Green rookie Cole Calkins got underneath him in the first turn and grabbed the holeshot. Lafferty and Jenks quickly pulled up behind them, and then Smith passed Calkins to take the lead. "I got out front and I had no clue," said Calkins of just his sixth pro race. "I didn't know what to do, so I just let some of those guys go." Smith soon had company from Lafferty, who often relies on his enduro experience to sprint through the early sections of the race. "Rodney got into the lead real fast, and I figured he wasn't wasting any time, so I wouldn't either," Lafferty said. "Then he made a mistake on an uphill, and I was able to take the lead. I was actually using a different line on the hill, and he looked up at me to check it out and hit a tree." Jenks followed Lafferty past the defending GNCC Champion, while Raines and Yamaha teammate Barry Hawk worked their way into fourth and fifth, respectively, by the end of the first lap. Andrews was stuck in 10th after a terrible start, and Kiedrowski was sixth. Smith, who had won the previous round in dominant fashion, was expected to contend for the lead, but he committed several uncharacteristic mistakes, and then had problems when the drink system mounted on his back started coming loose. "I came up on Rodney, and he kept grabbing at his drink system," Raines BRIEFLY••• said. "He was riding well, but he was a little on the wild side and made some mistakes, and Rodney usually doesn't do that." Smith then lost the lead pack when he smashed his pipe on a tree and had to pull into the pits for repairs. The veteran ran lap times close to the leaders after that, but he was unable to make up the time he lost. Meanwhile, Jenks hooked on to Lafferty and was able to relax while riding near the front. "Lucky for me, Lafferty and I got out front, and after that it was just like a regular Sunday going trail riding," Jenks said. "Mike's one of my best friends. We pulled a good lead on everybody, and I just stayed there. It was pretty easy." Raines was the only rider able to make up time on the lead duo. "I pushed really hard and caught them really fast," Raines said. "I caught Robbie, and once he saw me he kicked it up, and then we both caught Lafferty. It was really hard to get around them. Finally, Robbie got tangled in some lappers, and I was able to get by, but I couldn't get Mike." Lafferty wasn't afraid of the challenge from behind. "I used the same lines all day, but I had some new ones I was saving, so even if those guys got by me I could use them to repass them," Lafferty said. "But I figured if I put myself up front, I could just back it down a bit and still win." The race for the win was decided Big Buck GNCC CI1ISS Anchor, South Call1lina April 7, 2002 [Round 4 of 131 PRO: 1. Mike L~fferty (KTM); 2. Robbie Jenks (Yam); 3. Jason Raines (Yam); 4. Mike KIedrowski (Suz); 5. Fred Andrews (Kaw); 6. Barry Hawk Jr. (Yam): 7. Rodney Smith (Suz); 8. Randy Hawkins (Yam); 9. Cole Calkins (Kaw); 10. Doug Blackwell (Han). AMA GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY SERtES C'SHIP POINTS STANDINGS (After 4 of 13 rounds): 1. Jason Raines (91/1 win); 2. Michael LofteTty (88/1 win); 3. Fred Andrews (72); 4. Rodney Smith (65/1 win); 5. Robbie Jenks (62); 6, Mike Kiedrowski (61); 7. Brhm GarrZlhllO (55); 8. Randy Hawkins (49); 9. BlIrry HZlwk Jr. (43); 10. ITIE\Joshu. McLevy (30)/Steve Hotch (30/1 win). Upcoming Rounds: Round 5 - April 21, Hurricane Mills, Tlnnlssee Round 6 - May 5, Sparta, Kentucky Jason RaInes maintains his series lead after taking third. Team Green's Cole Calkins got his first true taste of running up front at a GNCC when he grabbed the holeshot in the race. The 2001 250cc A Champion found life different at the front of the Pro pack. "It's a lot different from 250 A." Calkins said. "I just need to find some guys whose pace I can run with and learn from. Today, I hooked up with Randy [Hawkins! for about two laps and tried to key off of him. I learned a lot." Calkins ended up a career-best ninth overall. For the second consecutive race. KTM's Brian Garrahan was running with the lead pack until he nailed a tree head-on. ''I've never even come close to hitting trees as hard as I have during these last two races," Garrahan said. "Last time, I hurt my wrist; this time, I hurt my shoulder." Garrahan also reported that his KTM teammate Shane Watts' wrist has healed. and he's now just waiting to get strength back into his torn ligaments. Team FMF Suzuki's Steve Hatch was absent from the Big Buck while recovering from knee and thumb injuries suffered at a WORCS race in Lake Havasu last month. Hatch, who won the second GNCC round in Macon, Georgia, hopes to be back for the next round at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Tennesee. As usual. several GNCC stars stayed at Randy Hawkins' house in nearby Travelers Rest. South Carolina, before the race. Hawkins' Yamaha teammates Jason Raines and Barry Hawk hooked up with Team Green's Fred Andrews, Chuck Woodford and Cole Calkins. Besides riding, training and testing, the two teams squared off in an intense game of paint ball. "1'11 admit it." Hawkins said. "The Kawasaki guys kicked our butts in paint ball." Hawkins' Am-Pro Yamaha teammate Barry Hawk has had a tough 2002 GNCC season. "I don't know what it is," Hawk said about his ride at the Big Buck. "I was running with them [the leadersl. but whenever I wanted to pick up the pace. I felt a little scared, like I was going to crash. And then when I did pick it up, I actually did crash." Hawk clipped a tree hard and bent up the left side of his bike. He finished sixth. cue' e n e _ S • APRIL 17. 2002 41