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/128158
(Yam); 7. Doug Blackwell (Hon); 8. Rodney Smith (Suz); 9. Rtlndy Hewkins (Yam); 10. Jimmy Jerrett (Vam). A/IIA GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRV C'SHIP SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 7 of 13 rounds): 1. Jason RaInes (172/3 Wins): 2. Mike Lafferty (145/1 win): 3. Mike KIedrowski (123); 4. Rodney Smith (121/1 win): 5. Fred Andrews (111); 6. Robbie Jenks (103) 7. Barry Hawk Jr. (90): 8. (TIE) Brian GlIrrahanjRandy Hawkins (87); 10. Chuck Woodford (65). Upcoming Rounds: Round B - Taylortown, Pennsylvania, June 16 Round 9 - Deep Creek, Maryland, June 30 (Right) Enduro champ Mike Lafferty was the top fourstroke rider, In fourth. He sits second In the points chase. here. "You know, it just kills me to go out there and get beat by those guys week after week," Andrews said. "I want to win so bad. So I guess there's no better day to do that than today." Raines' third-place finish extends his series lead over Lafferty to nearly 3D, 172 to 14S. With 123 points, Kiedrowski has leaped past his teammate Rodney Smith, the defending series champion, for third. Smith had an off day at Uhrichsville, as he struggled with his bike setup and finished eighth. The Scarecrow course was the typical fast, Ohio GNCC layout, which is quite popular since many riders in the series call the Buckeye State home. The 10-mile track featured a motocross park and a treacherous section of mud bogs, both of which were very popular hangouts for the fans. "It was a pretty tough track," Andrews said. "You could still fall over at any time in some of those bumps." Running lap times just under 30 minutes, the top pros completed six circuits at Uhrichsville. Over 1000 riders competed, and several thousand Ohio GNCC fans were on-hand. The Ohio faithful got what they wanted at the start, when home boys Jimmy Jarrett, on a Yamaha, and Cole Calkins, on a Kawasaki, battled for the holes hot honors. It wasn't long, though, before Raines had battled past and into the lead. While Raines tried checking out, a pack of riders dueled behind him, including Jarrett, Lafferty and Kiedrowski. Andrews ended lap one in sixth, moved up to fourth early, but then lost the spots again when he crashed into a tree. Unlike at the previous rounds, though, Andrews would not settle for a mid-pack finish. After the first gas stop, he hooked up with Lafferty and charged back up. Meanwhile, Raines' bid to lead dried up along with his drink system. "I've been using the same pack since Florida," Raines said. "I noticed during the race that my butt got all wet. Then I went to (Right) Rounding out the top five was Yamaha rider Barry Hawk. (Below) Fred Andrews (cente", Mike KIedrowski (left) and Jason Raines cut loose with the champagne on the podium after the race. GNCC television coverage begins on the Outdoor Life Network this week. take a drink, and the water was gone." While the problem seemed small, it was just enough to throw him off rhythm, and Andrews pounced. "I was surprised I caught Jason so quickly,· said Andrews, who gobbled up the 1S-second gap on Raines and then passed him. "I figured something must be wrong because he's very strong." For the next few laps, Raines' Yamaha crew tried to hydrate him by setting up drink stops on the course, but things didn't go according to plan. "We had some bad handoffs," Raines explained. "I would speed through and miss the water bottle." Things got even worse when his crew attached a new drink system, leaving the old one attached as well. Its danging hose caught on a tree and literally ripped Raines off of his bike, and the ensuing crash ended any chance of Raines taking his third-consecutive GNCC win. Lafferty held down third late in the race, but he got stuck in a mud hole on the last lap, which let Raines get by him for third. "I felt good: Lafferty said. "I just need to get back up there. These fourth places aren't what 1 want." Andrews made the battle for the lead a little interesting when he collided with a lapper late in the race, but then Kiedrowski fell too, allowing Andrews to cross the line with a solid 23-second lead. Despite all of his problems this season, Andrews never lost sight of things. "I didn't do nothing different: he said. "My bike is the same. I put my bike back to last year's setup, so this way I knew 1 had a bike that could win. My bike has been running great - 1 just needed to get myself together and start earning my paycheck." eN Scarecrow ONCC Uhrichsville, Ohio June 2, 2002 (Round 7 of 131 PRO: 1. Fred Andrews (Kew); 2. Mike Kiedrowski (Suz); 3. Jeson Raines (Yem); 4. Mike Llifferty BRIEFLy•••• Shane Watts was back on injured reserve for the Scarecrow GNCC. as the Aussie star will have to take more time off to heal his sore wrist. Watts originally broke the wnst racing a supercross during the off-season. but he returned to action at the previous GNCC round in Kentucky. Unfortunately. lingering ligament and tendon problems have halted hiS comeback. -I'm the best doctor I know'- Walls said. - Honestly. I was supposed to wait SIX months for it to be fully healed. which would be August. but I thought I could come back sooner. I guess not. So I'm going to rest it until August and see how it feels." Currently. Watts' wrist sports a noticeable bulge under the palm of his hand. a result of the still-swollen tendons near the Joint. With a large contingent of top GNCC riders coming from Ohio. the Uhrichsville crowd was exceptionally vocal during the races. One rider who definitely enjoyed the home-track advantage was Team Green Kawasaki's Cole Calkins. last year's 250cc A champion and a rookie in the Pro class. "It was really nice'- Calkins said. -I got to sleep in my own bed. which is always good. And I could hear all the fans out there. " Team Green's Chris Gallt was the top amateur at the Scarecrow, as he finished 14th overall and first in the 250cc A class. Cody Calkins (Cole's brother) took the overall win in the GNCC Youth division. Jason Raines had a tough time even gelling to Uhrichsville. as he developed several box-van problems. First. a spark-plug wire detatched from the engine