Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

BRIEFLY• •• .. .. ~_ ''in!! 'RI~ge Riders M.C. organized this race as a benefit for the Hancock Fire Department. which allowed use of the local city park as the staging area. The local economy in this area is not in the strongest condition. The entire race was run on private land, with the tests being laid out on the Smith family farm and other jointly owned club member properties. Trail boss Chris Smith commented on the community participation: .. Part of the lure to get the land is that it is a donation to the Fife Department The land owners have been fantastic." Ultimate Fan: Many riders were surprised to find themselves riding a grass track on what appeared to be someone's front lawn. Club member Otto Dejager did, in fact, have an un-timed grass track laid out in his yard. It ran all the way around both the front and back of hIS house. At the Idaho qualifier, a rider showed up with a KTM in the back seat of his Volkswagen Jetta. Not to be. outdone, a Volkswagen Golf was seen in the area with a KTM tied down, upright, on top olits'ro . Someone attempted to drive a pickup around the grasstrack late Saturday night. Needless to say, it was still there when the first riders came through Sunday moming. While it wasn't in a he had a fun day, the rigors of running two businesses as well as spinning the wrenches for Lafferty haven't given him much opportunity to stay in competitive condition. Day two came on the heels of more overnight rain. While day one featured eight tests, day two had only three. Many of the riders, in reviewing day-one scores, realized they had ridden too conservatively and had little chance of making up ground with only three tests to come. With the tests in poor condition after day one, the highlight of day two was many miles of fresh course. In the trees, the rain had done very little damage. While some of the route was muddy, much of it would simply have to be described as tacky. With relaxed route schedules it was a very enjoyable day of riding. Very few riders were under pressure to stay on the prescribed time table. Because this was also a dual sport ride, there were other riders on the course at the same time. The dual sporters were directed around the tests and more difficult sections. For the most part this system worked well, part of it due to the weather, which discouraged many from attempting the tougher trails. In fact many looked suspiciously clean, avoiding the trails completely and just riding around the roads to watch the tests. There were a few dual sporters that wanted to race with the competitors, showing rather poor trail etiquette, but this was certainly the exception. One thing it did offer was the chance for many to watch the tests, as driving to them was not recommended. AJI in all the system seemed to work okay. While Hatch rode conservatively to maintain his overall lead, his teammate, FMF/Suzuki/Moose ace Rod- (Above) Barry Hawk is proving to be quite the well-rounded off-roader. Hawk, a former ATV champ and the leader of this year's GNCC series, placed third overall in the ISDE qualifier. (Below) Mike Kiedrowski experienced his first official tire change against the clock. The former National MX champ had to change his own tires en route to a ninth-place finish. ney Smith, riding an RM 125, posted the best time in the now rerouted grass track and was first for the day. This was enough to edge out Hawk for second place in the overall standings. Hawk posted the fastest time in the two other terrain tests but dropped almost 30 seconds in the grasstrack. Many of the riders found ribbon flapping everywhere in the grasstrack; not only had it been rerouted, but it seems some of the early riders had taken wholesale shortcuts, as well as the ribbon, with them. Later riders had difficulty discerning exactly where the course went. The big mover for the day was Italian World Enduro rider Jarno Boano. The Shenandoah Honda-backed CR250 rider comes to the States to ride once or twice a year. While eighth overall on day one, he blazed back to take second on day two. He was within seconds of the fastest times all day. "Just some problem in the beginning," Boana said. "Normally in World Enduro we walk all the tests the day before, and the enduro [terrain) tests are not timed the first time around. By the end I did two or three tests in the top five, and that is quite good." dangerous spot. it did catch many by surprise. Mike Monroe made an up-close inspection of the headlight with his handlebar. With the AMA changing and simplifying the qualifying rules, the provision to qualify by class was eliminated. Not a single rider qualified from either race in the 450 or 500cc Four-Stroke classes. Only a handful came from the 125 and 250cc Four-Stoke ranks. This will create a real problem for service at the ISDE. As the competitors ride by class, nearly everyone will be in the 175-Plus Two-Stroke class and will arrive at each pit very close together. The evening service in Pare Freme will certainly be chaotic. At least it will eliminate the need for mixed and unmixed gas. A rumor in the pits involved Barry Hawk, who might still find his way on to the trophy team. Another rumor has Steve Hatch not returning to Team Suzuki next year but working on putting his own deal together. As for the Women's team, despite her best efforts, Amanda Mastin is still having difficulty getting many women to participate. Along with Amanda, Carol Williams qualified out of Idaho and Lisa Arsenault from New York. As of yet, neither has committed to riding in Brazil. Suzy Moody was a no-show due to injury. The New York Qualifier was very indicative of European conditions, yet this year's qualifying really did nothing to reflect what might be encountered in Brazil. ISDE promoter Franco Acerbis stated last year that the course would include two days of sand and dunes, two days of beach and two days of jungle. Of the more than 40 American riders there are only four desert racers: Ty Davis, David Pearson, Robbie Zimmerman and Morgan Crawford. Kurt Caselli is very good in the desert also but has turned his attention to GP·style races now. While many of the top riders can ride in any conditions

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