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AMA Grand National Cross Country Series Round 8: The Wisp GNCC Y it III it'll it S Barry Hawk extends his GNCC points lead with another win the course offered miles of sharp rocks that tested the technical skills of the best riders. The course had been tamed down a bit compared to last season's rocky layout, however, and most of the field found it much faster than the rock-strewn graveyard of 2002. "It was really, really fast," said KTM's National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty. Hawk himself has been really, really fast in 2003, and his fourth win of the season is double that of any other rider. With a big points lead to rest on, Hawk will go into the series' twomonth summer break confident he can return and clinch his first-ever GNCC bike championship in the fall. When the green-flag waved, Raines showed his determination to win the event that derailed him last By JASON WEIGANDT PHOTOS BY RAY GUNDY MCHENRY, MD, JUNE 29 ne year ago, the AMA Grand ( ) National Cross Country Series organized the MSR Wisp GNCC at Deep Creek Lake Resort, an event that pitted the racers against a big ski and golf resort in Western Maryland. The ever.lt was a success with everyone except the Am Pro Yamaha factory team, which had its all-time worst weekend when all three team riders dropped out of the race with injuries. But 2003 presented a chance for revenge, and the boys in blue took advantage by going first and second after a spectacular three-hour duel. Barry Hawk took the win with Jason Raines right behind him. Rodney Smith, the winner of last year's race for FMF Suzuki, battled with the Yamahas too but ended up third. "Last year, I hurt my leg before I came in here," said the Am Pro/MorgantownYamaha/MSR/Bridgestone/ FMF-backed Hawk. "I wanted to win this race as bad as any other I've raced in this year. It paid off for me. I live close to here, and I had a lot of people cheering for me. It helps." Last year's race was even worse for Raines. The Washington native came into the event with a big series points lead, but he crashed and broke his leg chasing down Smith. He hasn't won a race since, and his results and confidence seemed to have slipped a bit lately. But with 30 JULY 9, 2003' eye I e . J _ RaI_ (5) grabbed the hoI. .hGt lit the . .rt of the WIatt GNCC, with ..... (6), .Jlmmy.JlItTett (16), AocIney Smith (f) IIIId "",,us McLevy (71 f). revenge on his mind at Wisp, he rode like a new man. "Out of all the races this year, this is the one I wanted to win' after what happened here last year," Raines said. "I was happy today. We battled aII day. I went from first to fourth at one point, then I would go back to second and then into the lead. We had fun." Smith wasn't far away either, coming home a close third after leading much of the day. "I had it; I thought I was riding well," said the veteran, "but I had a stick jam my rear brake, and I highsided. I hyperextended my elbow. I caught up to them again, but I could n e _ s barely hang on." One of Smith's old rivals returned to action at the Wisp, five-time GNCC Champion Scott Summers. The Honda rider retired two years ago, but he decided to dust off his boots and give the Wisp a run. Mounted on an XR650R, he raced the Vet A class and finished a solid seventh overall. It was another classic weekend at an event that is quickly shaping up as the premier event in the series. The MSR Wisp GNCC at Deep Creek Mountain Resort offers a strange juxtaposition. The track is laid out on the lush green ski slopes of the facility, but the beauty was only grass deep, because the wooded sections of season by grabbing the holeshot. By the time the pack reached the second turn and the huge, 100-foot-long drainage ditch at the bottom of the ski-lift chairs, Hawk and Smith had latched onto Raines' rear wheel. From there, the pack elevated up a big ski climb, and the race was on. Summers started two minutes later. Even though he would get the time back on adjusted scoring, he would have to dea I with traffic for most of the first lap. Meanwhile, Raines looked unyielding in his bid to hold onto the lead, holding back the advances of Smith, Hawk, Jimmy Jarrett and Lafferty. He held strong until he cut inside a lap-