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AMAlFMF National Enduro Series Round 3: Kisatchie National Forest The defending champ gets first win of the series Mike Lafferty pulled off his first National Enduro win of the series in Lousiana. BY ty said with a Sigh of relief. Despite a win at the SE&TRA Alligator Enduro last month, as well as a win in the GNCC series, Lafferty has been suffering through a lot of little problems in the National Enduro Series that have kept him out of the winners' circle. At the end of the night, Lafferty shared the spotlight with multitime National Enduro Champion Randy Hawkins. Hawkins, Yamaha-mounted, rode smoothly and cleanly all day, matching most of Junior's scores except for the all-important early sprint. The 26-point ride that Hawkins turned in was good enough for second overall. Not only did Hawkins keep pace with Lafferty on the day but also in the series. After three rounds, Hawkins trails Lafferty by just nine points. Yamaha filled two positions of the top three with Barry Hawk Jr. at the controls. Hawk rode well, too, dropping just 28 points, edging out another Yamaha rider, Robbie Jenks, by GEORGE VILLANYI FOREST HILLS, LA, APR. 6 inally, defending champ Mike Lafferty "Junior" got that "first win" out of the way after coming out on top of the rain-postponed Acadian Dirt Riders' Cajon Classic National Enduro in Louisiana. When you're as good as Lafferty, people start talking if you don't win by the first round. Lafferty started the day at an aggressive pace, jumping out to an early lead, which he accomplished by being the only rider to drop just five points at the end of the first test. From there on, Lafferty rode conservatively and intelligently and, as a result, still had the lead after the long and tough gO-pius mile enduro was over. No one could touch Lafferty's 24-point scorecard. The ThrottleHead.com/Enduro Engineering/Big Gun-backed KTM rider was thrilled to get that first win over with. "I finally got it all together," Laffer- F 40 APRIL 23, 2003' cue I e n e vv s just one point. Last round's winner Stephen Reed, on his home turf, dropped 31 to round out the top five overall. Reed has been on a tear lately in what was only his second-ever National Enduro ride. The grounds used in the Kisatchie National Forest were wet, and the trail conditions were deemed perfect for the rescheduled National Enduro. (The enduro was originally scheduled last month but was rescheduled after getting rained out.) The forecast for race day called for thundershowers, but the lucky participants didn't get the huge downpour until the enduro was over. The first seven miles of trail got everyone warmed up quickly. The 18 mph speed average was just fast_ enough to maintain, so the riders' timekeeping skills were tested right off the bat. After a short reset, the next 10 miles of trail would make up the body of the first test. Three checks were used in the 24-mph section to make for a good, straight up "check-in and double check-out" test section. It was here that Lafferty jumped out to his early lead by scoring a pair of fives at both checks. Only two riders matched Lafferty's score through there, one of whom was his brother Rich Lafferty, who also went five and six. The only other rider to go five-six at checks three and four was home favorite Reed on the Suzuki RM250. The Yamaha trio - Hawks, Hawk and Jenks - all went five and seven. After a speed change and a reset, it was looking like an easy 1O-mile jaunt to the first gas. Upon entering the "Boy Scout Loop," an easy and wide OHV trail, the required 18 mph speed average seemed like it was going to be quite easy to maintain. However, a few miles into the woods, a new supertight section surprised the field. Only a handful of riders were able to maintain the prescribed 18-mph ..-------------------------~I. mu Own Race David Lykke 8th David Lykke put together a decent ride through the Cajon forest despite the fact that he doesn't really like the terrain in this part of the country. When traveling through the only 30-mph section of the enduro, Lykke got a little squirrelly and bounced off of some trees, tagging his brake pedal and possibly busting off a toenail in the process. Still, Lykke finished eighth with a 32-point score. Stephen Reed 5th Riding on minute 29 with Matt Stavish, Reed said he had a good ride, hitting the ground only one time. "The Acadiana Dirt Riders put on a good straight-up enduro with check-ins and check-outs for every section," Reed said. Reed, who won the previous round in Georgia, is one of the hottest riders on the circuit right now. Matt Stavish DNF Matt Stavish, riding a Vor, did not finish the Cajon Classic. He developed clutch problems early on and couldn't maintain a lead pace. Stavish decided to call it a day before getting to the finish.