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AMA Grand National Cross Country Series Round 9: The Wisp GNCC Jason Raines (5) leads Steve Hatch (4). Robbie Jenks (8), Chuck Woodford (11) and the rest of the Pro class through turn one at the Inaugural Wisp GNCC. Later In the race, Raines would crash and break his leg. the Wisp course was very tough. "It sure was a rough day out there," Andrews said. "I crashed a whole bunch. Those guys are tough. I rode my heart out today.' Andrews barely edged SCR Yamaha's Robbie Jenks for third place, and FMF/Suzuki's Mike Kiedrowski finished fifth. Raines' injury shakes up the points standings quite a bit, and there's even more drama to come, as his injury coincides with the series' twomonth summer break. With so much off time, the potential exists for Raines to return to the series without missing a round, depending on the severity of the injury. News on how possible that is will have to wait. For By JASON WEIGANDT PHOTOS BY RAY GUNDY MCHENRY,MD,JONE30 n what was billed as the future of off- road racing, the Wisp AMA Grand National Cross Country event at Deep Creek Mountain Resort offered a unique experience for everyone in attendance. Racers ran up and down ski slopes, charged across manicured golf-course grass, and battled over huge rocks and boulder fields. And, all the while, spectators got a view of the action from the ski resort's chair lifts. But while the Wisp GNCC offered something new, it was one of its oldest competitors who figured out the new place best: defending GNCC Champion Rodney Smith, who pulled off the overall victory. "The track was to my liking because I like rocks," said the FMF/ Suzuki rider. "It was just one of those magic days where things seem to come easy. And 1 want to thank the Wisp people for letting us come here. What a great place for the spectators to see.' But while Smith's feelings on the race were up, those of the series points leader were down in the dumps. Jason Raines, the young Yamaha rider who appeared headed to the series championship, suffered a broken leg after crashing while battling for the lead. The news of his injury, in fact, was just as big a story as that of the race winner. "I hope Jason can come back soon," Smith said. "You don't like to see a guy go out when he's been doing so well all year.» Defending champ Rodney Smith turned In a victory and benefited substantially In the points chase. 18 JULY 10, 2002' cue • III ftlll_5O KTM's Mike Lafferty, who finished second, witnessed Raines' crash. "The way I could tell, his feet were off the pegs, and maybe his throttle was stuck and he was just trying to save it,' Lafferty said. "When he hit an incline, it just shot out of it. But he tried to hang on. I think he still had both hands on the bars when he landed. When I saw him land, I just thought, 'Whoa, what was that?" Lafferty, who had been battling for the lead, admitted the crash shook him up a bit, so he settled for second. Kawasaki Team Green's Fred Andrews finished third, and he said now, Raines still holds the points lead, but Lafferty has closed to within 12 points, 203 to 191. Raines actually salvaged a few points at the Wisp, as he crashed late in the event after several other pros has dropped out, and he collected 15th-place points. Smith's win, his second of the season, has boosted him to third in the series, with Kiedrowski sitting in fourth and Andrews in fifth. The Wisp event generated a lot of attention due to its unique location. The nine-mile course wound its way through the resort, including a run up and down devil's drop, an extremely steep hillclimb; a starting line on the golf-course driving range, and several high-speed sections that followed ski runs. But rocks played the biggest factor, as almost the entire course was filled with huge boulders. Many riders said the track was like riding through a bone yard. Most agreed that this was by far the roughest and most difficult course on the tour in years. Regardless, an impressive 1102 riders entered the Wisp event. Raines took the holeshot on his Yamaha, but Lafferty and Smith quickly hunted him down. Meanwhile, the Michael Lafferty (right) squeezes by a lapper on his way to second place. Lafferty was on hand to wlmess Raines' crash and stopped briefly to make sure he was attended to.