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/128320
----- - - - - OFF-ROAD Round 5 __ AMA Grand National Cros s Cou nt r y Series My Own Race 18 Shane Watts 6th The Austra lian is gett ing stronger every week; his speed is definitely there, but not for a full th ree hours. Watts started off we ll with the holeshot, but he physically ran out of gas before all was said and done . "I just knew fro m where I lined up I wo uld get the holeshot ," Watts said. "I just wore down. I've been trainingso hard , harde r than I've ever trained in my life. It's just not working. It takes time, and these other guys are just so fit. I'll get it soon . 14 Andy S hea 15th Andy Shea managed to destroy both radiato r shrouds on his 10<250 afte r the Thrott lehead.com/Kawasaki Team Gree n rider crashed very hard, hard enough to rem ind him of the crash that broke his femur last year. "I just got pulled off the back of the bike, and I was going wide open into a tree," said the Kawasaki rider from O hio. "Th is time I wasn't hurt. I was lucky." On e more crash shoo k Shea up even more, but he forged o n to at least finish out the race. 11 Jim my Jarre t t DN F "I got really bad arm pump," Jarrett said. "My arms were just tota lly numb, they were cramping up so bad." Jarrett drop ped way back in the pack, and when he realized pushing might result in a crash and possible injury, he decided to call it a day. 15 Nathan Kanney DNF Nathan Kanney suffered yet anot her DNF. This time the Pro rookie snagged a tree branch with his hip when he tried to cut a corner too close , and the injury was enough for him to pull off of the track. But he prom ises to be back strong soon . "Forget this trying to be smoot h stuff I was doing," said the R.E.R. Motorcity privateer. ''I'm just holding it w ide open for now on. I'm taking off the flywhee l weight and the handguards. I'm go ing to ride these like a mo tocross." 10 Mike Kied rowski Raines, mean while, decided to so ldier on w ithout a seco nd gas stop. "I let my dad [Raines ' mech anic] ha ndle th at one," Raines said . " I t rust him mo re 34 APRIL 21 , 2004 • than I trust myself." Darryl Raines , Jason's father, however, admitted that he w as plenty nervous about run ning out of gas on the final lap . But Jason let his fat he r do all t he worrying, as he inst ead focused his att e ntio n o n th e final-lap showdown. "I passed him , and he passed me right back," Smith said. "He was riding awesome. " " Rod ne y and I passed ea ch oth e r bac k a nd forth," Raines sa id. " In the ope n sections in t he fields, it was kind of du sty, and I was just a little t imid. Rodney was just hanging it o ut th rough th e re ." Hawk, meanw hile , was on th e move from way, way back . " I have n't had t his in yea rs, bu t I had arm pu mp," t he defending GNCC champ said. " I couldn't shake it . I had a hard cras h, too, an d t hat kind of knocked me bac k a bit . Th en I got even tight e r because I was trying to push too hard to make up time. Th e n w e stopped for gas , and it was like a sec o nd w ind . T he CYCLE NEWS 5th '" just didn't feel comfortab le hanging it all the way out ," said the "MX Kied: ' who battled with his teammate Smithfor most of the day. "I don't know what it was. The track was actually a littletighter and slower than inthe last few years here, but I just felt a littlesketchy. I think it was because of all the tree roots. Idecided to just take some points instead of getting hurt." 187 Cole Ca lkins 7th Cole Calkins, who celeb rated his 22nd birthday on Saturday, put in his best ride of the seaso n with a seventh- place finish. "I just charged hard all day," Calkins said. "I'm riding the 250 four-stroke, and we 've com e a long way since [the first round] in Texas." 5 Fred Andrews DNF Fast Freddy w on last year's Big Buck race, but his cha nces for a pos sible re pe at were e rased w hen he smas hed his Suz uk i's e ngine cases and water-pump on th e first lap . a rm pump went away, a nd I start ed rid ing hard. I caught th es e guys in the final m ile, but I couldn't do anyt hing with t he m ." During the last two laps , Hawk went from abo ut 4 5 seco nds dow n o n t he leade rs to 25 seconds wh en th e wh ite flag ca me out. By the final mile, he had clos ed to with in just a few bikele ngth s. But his charge cam e up just short . "O f co urse, I'm never happy unless Iwin, but it was a good race tod ay, and everyon e rod e well," said Hawk , who se t the fastest lap time o f the day o n the last lap. O nce again, Smith was th e man o ut front w he n the checkered flag flew, with the two Ann-Pro Yamaha teammates finish- 40th Anniversary ing right behind him. Hatch hung tough for fourth, with Kiedrowski rounding out the top five. eN BIG BUCK GNCC UNION, SOUTH CAROUNA RES ULTS APRIL 4, 2004 (ROUND : 5 OF 14) O/A: I. RodoeySmith (Sm ); 2.]=0 Raines (Y am); 3. 1M)' Hawk (Y am); 4. Steve Hatch (Kaw); S. Mike K;edrow,;Id (Sm); 6. Shane Watts (KTM 7. Cole CaJldns (Kaw); 8. Doug ); Blackwell (s..,,); 9. Stephen Edmondson (KTM); 10. jesse R.obimon (Kaw); I I. P Allen (Kaw); 12. Chuck A (Kaw); 13. Brian Garrahan (KTM 14. Russell Bobbitt(GG); IS. ); J ustin Williamson (Yam); 16. Steve Henson (KTM); 17. D.R. AlWOOd (KTM 18 Aaroo ~ ('t.m); 1 Ryan Rod_ ); . 9. (KTM); 20. jan H...no. (y,,",). AHA GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY SERlES POINTS STANDINGS (Aft ee- S 01 14 munds): I. Rodney Smith (115/3 wms); 2]=0 Rames ( 10 1/1); 3. Bony HawkJ ' (8S/ I); 4. TIE: Mike IGedrowsk\lS_ Hatch (78); 6. Scott Summe« (70); 7. Fred And~ (67); 8. Doug Blackwell (61); 9. Brian Garrahan (SS); 10. Chuck wccdford (SO). _on!