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/128313
Round 2 OFF-ROAD ~ AMNFMF Racing National Enduro Series " It was good overall," Garrahan said . "In Arizona things were clicking well , and I just felt average here - not bad but not real good. But I'm not sure if I would've done any better anyway. Randy and Ty were obviously riding really well." Steve Hatch went int o the Coalinga round already dinged up after Elmer Symons 7th South Africa's Elmer Symo ns is catching on quickly to American-rules enduros afte r ano ther good finish. "It was tight , tighter than I expected," Symons said of the Coalinga race. "Those manzanita trees can catch you off guard , becau se you think they 're going to move when you brush against them, but you dive into a corner, and they don't move at all!You have to move! " Andy Shea 10th Afte r riding with te am mate Steve Hatch and doing we ll o n the first loo p, first-t ime Q uicksilver co mpe titor Andy Shea was hampered by a bro ken brake pedal. "O n the th ird loop I smashed my rea r brake pe dal and just had some troub le sto pping in a cou ple places ," he said. "It slowed me do w n a little bit." Russell Pearson having broken his foot a week earlier in Arizona, but the Tbrottlehead.corn/ Kawasaki Team Green rider still pulled off an impressive fifth overall. Even a broken brake pedal couldn't stop him. "I actually ended up breaking off two rear brake pedals today," the former National Enduro Champion said. "I was doing good into the third loop , and about five miles into a 17-mile test, I bent the footpeg and broke the rear brake pedal completely off. Probably trying to miss my foot has a little bit to do with it; I was kind of favoring it. obviously. Then I had to tough it out for I I miles with no rear brake ." He and mechanic Scott Bright replaced the pedal at the next reset, but he still ended 44 up a couple of minutes behind. But the man of the hour was Davis, who admitted that Coalinga has always been good to him . " I don't remember how many times I've won [Coalinga), but I know it's been a lot ," he said . 'Y\ t ually, I didn't fe e l e fast today. I felt smooth, and I was trying to get around those corners as fast as I could. I just tried to stay consistent and not smash my pipe. There were a lot of times where you could get yourself in big trouble by sliding off the side of a hill. I just ke pt flow ing, like a trail ride, and tried not to do any t hing stupid." eN MARCH 3, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS I I th Russell Pearso n, last yea r 's Coalinga w inner, had a busy day, and it all start ed when his engine we nt south . "Aw, I don't know what it was - just some mechanical problems; I don 't know what it was, really," he said. "We got her fixed and got back out there, lost a litt le time but had fun today." Pearson ended up swapping engines with his spare bike in the 30minute free time after the first loop and was IS minutes late to the next check, a check that most of the other top racers zeroed. ':After that, I wasn't quite on . I don't know, my hea d wasn't into it as much ." Richard Lafferty 12th KTM rider Rich lafferty wasn't exact ly pleased with his 12th-place finish. "I'm no t really that happ y," he said. "I had fun, I did everything I've been do ing great, and - I go t smoked! I felt good, and everybody said, 'Y u looked good! ' It'll all come together - at leas t that's o what they keep telling me!" 40th Anniversary