Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA FMF National Enduro Series (Far left) Need we e xplain? (Left) Talk about natural talent: After a long lay-off , Chris Smith sho ws ur. and finishes fifth. (Be ow left) Stephen Reed didn 't have as much luck this yea r. (Be low ) Steve Hatch says he needs to get used to woods riding again. the middle of the eve nt, here he matched or bettered all scores, but in the long section it y to see he tired and settled back off th throttle, completing the section with a 6-12 . He flew th rough the grasstra k special test near the end of the event, ovoking a lot of cheering from the sp tors, and he scored a five at the final c ck fo r a 46-point card and the third sp t on the podium . Steve atch , ridinga Kawasaki this year for Thr ttlehead .com , turned in the fourth- t score for the day with another 46 but g hered up a few more emergency points ng the way. He was slightly off the pac in the first section, scoring 12 points, ut then picked it up in the next two s 'ens with a pair of threes. "I' definitely not used to this tight 4~ woods riding," he said, "eve n though I grew up on it in New York. I'm going to ride more enduros though , along with the GNCC and other races, so hope fully I'll start getting used to it again." In the afte rnoon , like Hawkins, Hatch suffered a hand injury when he caught a thumb on a branch and bent it back, spraining it badly He . soldiered on and came through the long sect ion with a s- I2 and the n a five at the final check-out. Fifth for the day was anothe r local rider, also a small legend in his day, Chris Smith. Smith hasn't bee n racing in recent years "for a variety of reaso ns," but now that he has a wife and his first child on the way, he's com ing back to try his hand at local racing to burn off som e steam. like Palmer, he came out of the start quickly, beating Hawkins' score at the first check by a point and then matching him at the next . He was strong and co nsiste nt in the middle of the run, basically matching the M scores, but the long sect ion took its to ll, and he dropped 6-13 as he was tiring. "These guys have nothing to comp lain about," he said at the last gas stop . "This is a real end uro they're putting on here!" Part of the story of the Gree nbrier is who wasn't there at the start - and finish as much as who was. The starting list showed Barry Hawk, jason Raines and Robbie jenks all with the pre-entries, but they were all no-snows. jenks decided to take the time to heal a handful of mangled fingers and a dislocated shoulder from the last GNCC, while Hawk decided he just had to take a weekend off, since he'd been racing and away from nome since january. Raines is doing well in the Mid-South Hare Scrambles Series, so he was pulled away to one of the Mid-South events. APRIL 1.4, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS Expected to do much better but missing at the finish was Richard Lafferty, Michael's brother and a con tender in the National Enduro Se ries. Rich had a great score go ing in the mo rning, besting Lykke by a po int, but in a nasty turn of luck, he ran o ut of gas in the last part of the lo ng tra il sec tion, carding a 25 at t he che c k- ou t and guaranteeing himse lf a finishing posit ion far out of the to p 14. Filling out the top 10 overall we re Dary l Co nner with a 48 , Tony jo iner, also w ith a 48 , jo hn Barber, scoring a 49 , and SETRA ride rs jason Chancey (50) and Michael Gr izzle (5 1) finishing ninth and l Oth, Palmer took home the High Point A award, while David Baldwin took the High Point B, and Chris May finished a sho rt e ned cou rse wit h a time go o d eno ugh fo r the High Point C trophy. Hawkins was philosophical abo ut his win: "I had a good weekend ; everything ran good, so don't dwe llon it and get prepared for the next one," he said. That's a pretty humble viewpoint fo r a guy whose last National win was better than a year and a half ago, but Hawkins is quick to show that he is keeping track and does remember everything. His first National win was in 1986, he pointed out to us, and this win today was the 72nd National win of his care er, including hare scram bles and enduros. "What's that?" he asked . "From 1986 'til now, that's what, 18 years? I will say I think it's pretty good to be still winning Nationals after 18 years. What do you eN th ink?" 40th Anniversary GRElN8R IER NATION AL ENDURO B EWPLAIN, NEW JERSEY RESULTS: MARCH 2 8, 2004 (ROUND 4 OF 9) O /k I. Randy Hawk ins (Yam, l 5/1 325); 2. DavKllykke (KTM, ~21 1 140); l . Wally Palmer (5u7. ~ 6/ 1 ~02 ) ; ~ . Ste ve , Hatch (46/1 46 3); 5. Chris Smith (Hen , 4811470 ); 6. Daryl L. Conner (48/ 1510); 7. Tony Joiner (4811546); 8 . John Barber (49/ 158 1); 9. Jason C hancey (5011526); 10. Michael G rizzle (5 1/1632); I I. Stephen Reed (GG , 52118JJ); 12. Cody Mas tin (55/1607) ; Il .John Bu.-ganlJ'. (55/165 8); Ii. Steve Kre is (55/ 18I l). HPT A; Wally Palmer (5u7.) A 100: I. Steve Kreis A 150: I. Daryl Conner A OPEN : I. Cody Joi ne r A 4/STRK: I . Olris Smith A VET: I . Mike Griz:zte A SI\, I. Alan Randt A SlSR: I. Thomas Manh HPT B: David Baldwi n B 200: I. Ben Sm ith B 25 0 ; I. Allen Hanlon B OPEN : I . linus Howard B 41STRK: 1. Eric Reeves B VET: I. Steve Green B SR: I. Stephen Haines HPT C: Chris May C 200: I . Gatin H ST R: I. Olarlie Staplerord

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