Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Own Race @@ After its traditional s um m e r break, the GNCC series returned to action in Pennsylvania. it wou ld have been about perfe ct , " closest t itle pursuers . With a 67 -point 16th Ra ines and KTM 's M ik e Lafferty , h is H at ch sa id . " It w a s such a fr ee fo r a ll. Scott Su m m ers Th e five-time GNCC Champion decided to try another GNCC as he exp lores the idea of m aking a full -time com eback. Still work ing on settings for his Honda XR650, he made a front -tire change early in the race to try a different tread pattern. The move pu t Sum mers way back , but he rod e solid for three hours, fi nishing 16th . W e were all there k ick in g and ki ck - l e ad ( a n d o ne thr owa wa y i n the in g, trying t o g et g o in g t o th e fin ish ." GNCC points structure), a sol id fi n is h Hawk ' s tea m ma te J a s on R a in es at th e next rou n d in Kentu c k y could fi ni s he d f o u r t h , and FM F Su zu k i 's loc k up a cham p ionshi p fo r H a wk . M ike Ki edrowsk i wa s fi fth . {] Mike Lafferty 10th After wra pping up his sixth AMA National Enduro Championsh ip last week , M ike Lafferty sw it che d fr om fo u r -strokes to two strokes in Pennsy lvania (see Briefl y .... ). It looked li k e a good move early when he took the lead on the second lap and started extending it , bu t rear -brake problem s and fatigue got the better of the New J ersey pilot, But h e 's not thinking about it. Hawk con t in ues to m ake p o in t s o n " M y m e chan i c [D ou g Whitm er] ~ Shane Watts 1I Rodne y Smith (§) Jason Raines DN F Shane Watls wo rk ed hard over the GNCC summer break , as he cont inues his comeback fro m a pile of inj uri es. He decided to ride a KTM 450 MXC four-stro ke, but bo ili ng brak es let him down . "I am piss ed off because I was reall y wound up for the event," Watts said. "During th e last few weeks I have been feelin g the best I ha ve for several years now . I was reall y excited to go out and at least m ak e the pod ium . I was ridin g well and feeling co m fortable, but the problem with the brak es bo ilin g j ust screwed it all up for me. I can 't fig ure it out. Ta lk abo ut being dej ect ed." 6th Th e defending champ was a bit under the weathe r in Pennsylvania, and it showed . After a good start, he led the race early before fad ing to sixth . "I'll be fine," said Smith of the illness. 4th Now fully healed after a summer of doctor's work ( see Briefly....). many expe cted Raines to wi n the race . He did ride well, but not well enough to win. "I felt good in the woods," the Washingto n nat ive said . "I could ca tc h them in the tight stuff. But out in th ose fie lds, I j ust didn't feel co mforta ble hanging it out as far as them . I cou ld see them , but I co uldn' t catc h them . I think I rid e bette r by myself. I was battling with Barry there, and he wou ld come in way hot on the outside. I did n't want to do th at. " 1I ~ Mike Kiedrowski 5th "I did okay," the fou r -tim e AMA Nationa l M ot ocr o ss Champion said. "It was har d to m ake up time. Th e co urse was reall y fast .· Kiedrowski wa s in the mi x for m ost of the day, but a fall on a high speed grass tum cost him a sho t at th e win. ® Robbie Jenks 11 th {] 1I11 8th Robbi e Jenks started th e seaso n well but had been battling arm pump lately . A summer of wo rk with Gary Sernics helped him ride pump-free in Pennsylvania. Unfort un ately , hi s pac e wasn't quite with the leaders, and he missed a top - 10 finish. J osh Mc Levy Th e R.E.R. Mot or City Privateer too k hi s Yama ha to a solid finish. "I've sta rted a wh ole new tra ining prog ram ," the Connecticut native said. "My family and I hav e been doing a lot of researc h. It will take a few m onths for it to ki ck in, so I'm really aiming for next year, I'm not goi ng to giv e up on th is. Ev er." c ue I e n e _ S • S EPTEM BER 1 7 , 2003 29

• Cover