Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128234
Jason Raines proved again that he's fully recovered from his Injuries by winning round 11 of the GNCC serie s in Kentucky. ra c e this seaso n . Hi s p erforman c e w as remin iscent of his A TV ch ampi onships. "T he firs t ti me I won an o verall on the A TV was in 1991 : Hawk said . "I t took me anothe r year to wi n another o ne, bu t aft er I d id , I never quit. The sam e t hing happ ened o n th e b ike . When I first sta rted , I used to sit o n the li ne th in k ing, 'Maybe I co ul d win , but I p robab ly wo n't.' Bu t I won an overall in 200 I , an d th en I won again a year later. I used to th ink too much ab out what posi ti on I was in, wha t suspension setting we had, w hat t ire we were usi ng . I needed to j ust forget that, ride li k e I know how to ride and maybe we c an win a cha mp ions hip . It' s wo rke d out awesome." T he sta rt in K entu ck y wo rked o ut awesome for Raines , as he nailed th e holeshot on his YZ250 j ust ahead of Lafferty. The two rac ed hard earl y , but Hawk man ag ed to sl ip past t he New Jersey enduro ac e by the end of the la p. But Raines was push ing very hard , leading b y 23 se co nd s at t he my Own Race ®® Sco tt Summ ers 5th The five -time GNCC Champion made a b ig step toward the front of the pack in Ke nt ucky, scoring a top -five finish . "We h ad a sus pe nsion setting tha t was good riding at home," Summers said . " But I fig ured the GNCC s are usually a little faster and m ore open tha n where I ride , so we stiffened the susp ensio n. As it turn ed out, this was almost ide ntical t o where I ride . I felt like I had to m anh andle the bik e a litt le bit, which was ki nd of insp iring , becau se' think if I get th e bike where I want it, I co uld have some more speed. But th en aga in, th is terrain is sim ila r to where' ride , so maybe if 1 was going to win one , this wo uld have been it ." Rega rdless, th e fans were pu m pe d to see Sum mers back out there, and th ey cheered for him th e who le way . "Th at felt reall y good. You wo uld have th ought I wa s winni ng th e race." ~ and shoulder in juri es last season is complete. "I sta rte d feeling reall y good lately practici ng: Raines said. "Then I wo n a Nationa l En dur o an d a N at ion a l Hare Sc ramble . Ba ck a t Ra n dy's [Hawkins] house , we w ere trying to figure out why it wasn't happening in the GN CC. I've reali zed m y problem is that I get too worked up and stressed at the GNCCs. So I j ust tried to get out front and think like I was just on another pra ctice rid e." With five wins already th is season , Hawk needed just a fourth-place fin ish to cli nc h the title, bu t he says he rode hard in Kentucky just in case. " I didn 't co me in here think ing I had it, " Hawk said. " I charged hard and pu shed all day . I k ep t go ing aft er J ason , and at o ne poi nt I ca ug ht him, but he got away again . He defin it ely o utrod e me tod ay . I never ga ve up until abo ut th e last quarter m il e when I st art ed cruis ing." D efending GNCC Ch ampion Rod ney Smith came in th ird, g iv ing him an oppo rt unity to hand his number - one p late over to Haw k on the pod ium. "I didn 't get a good start: Smith said . " I c rashed tw ic e ea rly and had to pass Laffe rty and Watts . I d idn't feel lik e I was on my game today , and I wasn 't catching those guys, so I just took a third today ." Lafferty ended u p fourth , wh ich pl eased hi m after a d isappointing 10th tw o we eks ag o . Ev en mor e impressive was Scott Su m mers' ride . He finished a strong fifth in his third ra ce back from retirement. " I needed a top -five today , or I would have tho ught about ending this comeback attempt," said Summers, who ret ired due to injury in 200 1. "I want to wi n. O nce you 've won , it j ust nev e r feels the sam e. I gu ess I just want to be th e p erson pe opl e a re ta lking about, instead of the person peop le used to talk about. " Hawk's d om in a n t sea son b eg an with a win at th e sup er m uddy season o pene r in Pal atka, Fl orida, and from the re th e 30-year- old never let up. He has finished in th e t op fiv e at every Steve Hatch ~ Shane Watts DN F After Hat ch co llected hi s fi rst pod ium of th e season at t he pr ev ious ra ce in Pennsylvania , thing s fi na lly see me d to be goi ng h is way . But in Kentucky , he ende d up j amming th e thumb he inj ure d last yea r and had to pull off. " It hurts, but if I was in th e po ints or going for a cham pionship , I could hav e fin ished ," Hatch said. 14th Watts put together one of his best races in ye ars, charging into third in the early going. But a lack of fluids cost him. F irst , his drinksystem broke a n d l o st all its water, an d " W att sy " b eca me de hydrated. Th en he ran out of gas on the las t lap and lost ti me waiti ng for a refill. " I was getti ng so dehydrated, it was like tunnel vision. Everything around m e was gett ing blurry," Watts sai d. 1] ~ Mike Kied rowski DN F Kied rowski was running stro ng early, but a freak fall ended up injuring his hand. "l don't know what I did, really," said the fou rtim e National Mot oc ro ss Cham pion. " ' got sideways and hit a tree . I go t the tree ca ught between the fork and the fender, and it just stopped m e. I don 't kno w if I jammed my hand on the bars or on th e gro und, but when I went to pick the bik e up , it really hurt. I hope it' s no t bro ke n." 1] ® Jimmy Jarrett DNF 1] § 6t h Jarrett's race ende d way t oo soon , as a rock cu t his rear brake lin e. He ret ired to the pi ts with no brakes. Doug B lack well Perseve rance paid off for th e for mer AMA Na tional Hare Scr am bles Champion. Th e West Virginia nati ve ro de a stea dy pace and was reward ed with a solid finish once Hatch and Kiedrowski pulled out with thei r inj uries . eye I e n e _ S • O CTO BER 1 , 2003 33