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AMAINATC Observed Trials National Championship Series Rounds 7-8: Trials TrairJing Center would be one of only two riders to even see the exit cards on the first lap (Wilson Craig also scored a three) and nearly half of the Championship class simply punched out of this one. Aaron and Bell pressed Crosset early, with the trio finishing lap one under a two-point blanket - Aaron leading with 31 followed by Crosset with 32 and Bell with 33. Aaron extended his lead to five with a 20point second lap, compared to Crosset's 23. Crosset's 23-point lap included a beautiful one-point ride on the previously mentioned section 13. Bell lost some ground with a 29-point second lap, but maintained third. Further back, Wilson Craig, Montesa's Chris Florin and Sherco's Travis Fox were waging a three-way battle over fourth. By the final lap, it was obvious that several riders would not make the time. It's not unusual for the top riders to use almost three-fourths of their time learning the first lap, but they usually have the luxury of being able to motocross the final lap and sneak in under the limit. The loop at the Trials Training Center would prove to be different, and some of the riders underestimated it. "It was very hard to maintain a fast pace," Bell said. "It was incredibly rough and 'rubbly.' There was not much time and [there were] a lot of riders, so there were lots of bottlenecks at the sections and lots of traffic." Aaron, who had the misfortune of drawing an early start time, had been forced to spend extra time breaking in a lot of the sections and was now starting to rush his final lap. At section 13, the six-time National champ made an uncharacteristic move and punched out, deciding he needed the time more than the points. Four other third-lap 5s saddled Aaron with a 31point loop, while Crosset posted a 16-point lap to come from behind for the win. "It was a hell of a trial," Aaron said after Saturday's event. "Because I was one of the first riders to go through some of the sections, f don't think I picked the right lines, so a couple of times I think I might have misjudged the section. In the end, I thought I could keep it together, but I just got so tight on time that I started to rush it and just made too many mistakes." "The sections were very hard," Crosset added. "The loop was too long and difficult. In Belgium, the STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHAN MOORE/ TRIALS COMPETITION NEWSPAPER SEQUATCHIE, TN, JULY 6-8 fN reddie Crosset moved ever closer Lfto a second consecutive U.S. National Trials title with a pair of hard-fought wins at rounds seven and eight of the AMA/NATC Observed Trials National Championship Series in Sequatchie, Tennessee. Team ERE's Geoff Aaron and former Canadian champ Ryon Bell made things difficult for the Gas Gas-mounted Crosset, forcing the four-time Belgian champ to produce brilliant final laps each day to take come-from-behind wins. (Sunday's event was decided in the next-to-Iast section.) Aaron and the U.S. Montesa-sponsored Bell traded second- and-third place finishes over the weekend, allowing Crosset to extend his series lead even further over the duo. Temperatures approaching the century mark, combined with a brutal nine-mile "enduro-type" loop and very technical sections, made this event, held at the Trials Training Center, the toughest so far this year and contributed to 31 DNFs out of the 149 entries. With only two rounds remaining in Colorado, Crosset holds a 27 -point lead over Aaron, 226-199. Bell maintains third with 16, followed by Scorpa-mounted Ray Peters (131) and Gas Gas' Wilson Craig (127). . SATURDAY Four hours and 30 minutes into Saturday's event, Andy Johnson, the first of the Championship riders, had just arrived at section 13 of the 15section, three-loop trial. With only seven hours allotted for the day's event, it was clear there would be some serious time issues to deal with. "They're kickin' the shit out of the riders and the minders," said Billy Hines, Johnson's minder, upon his arrival at 13. He was referring to the extremely long and difficult loop and the hot and muggy weather. Most of the minders were weighted down with several quarts of fluid to keep their rider hydrated, and the added baggage made it more difficult to get around. Section 13 would be one of the tougher traps and the site of some of Crosset's better rides. It was a big jumble of large boulders strewn up the side of one of the many hills. There was no apparent line and the riders were forced to jump from rock to rock to get through. Johnson 50 JULY 24. 2002' cue I e (Top) Freddie Crossett scored an important double win at the National Trials round In Tennessee. The defending champ has a 27-point lead with two rounds to go. (Left) Geoff Aaron remains In the title hunt with 2-3 finishes over the weekend. n e _ s