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/128330
--- OFF-ROAD Round 8 ~ AMA Grand National Cross Country Series My 7 OWN RACE Steve Hatch 8th Steve Hatch crashed early and found himself back in the pack, but he was flying early on and steadily making up positions. But then the pin fell out of the rear brake on Hatch's Throttlehead.com Kawasaki, and he could only hold on to fi nish in the top 10. 18 Shane Watts DN F Shane Watts usually flies in the sand, and that was the case here, as the Aussie put on a big charge toward the front halfwaythrough the race. He set the fastest lap times at the midway point, but a series of huge crashes eventually knocked him o ut of co nte ntio n. "These were not little crashes," Watts said. "I'm talking big, huge crashes out there. I must have crashed hard six times." The final crash was an endo that bent Wattsy's KTM 200 up too much for him to finish. 8 Randy Hawkins 4th The six-time National Enduro Champion logged his best GNCC ride in years, as he battled for the lead for most of the day. "It was just tight enough to where I could stay with those guys at the beginning until Igot loose," Hawkins said. "In the tight stuff, Iwas just running up on them. It was funny, I caught up to Rodney, Jason, Freddy and Mike, and they all looked back like they had no idea! But it wasn't some magic formula; I just had track conditions that favored me today." 4 Robbie Jenks 6th Jenks is gett ing stronger after a shoulder problem earlier in the year, and he was doing his best to follow Shane Watts' charge through the pack in pursuit of the leaders . But when Shane droppe d out, Jenks' ride was over, and he was stuck with too big a gap to make up on the leaders on his own. "lt lounded llk« there Drier UI.I - WII I II helicopter Mike Kiedrowski when we got into th e woods, I co uldn't se e , and I hit a t ree. I go t up and too k t he goggles off. I looked ahead, and he st ill wasn't that far in front of me , but o nce w e go t into the dust, I kne w I would n't ge t him." Kied rowski had also suffe re d from vision problems and was struggling. "On th e last lap I hit a tree and fell, and my goggles instantly fogged up," said the fou r-time AMA National Motocross Champion . "So then I had to ta ke my gogg les o ff, and I knew I would just have to take thi rd . People w e re getting st uc k in mud holes, and we would st ack up 44 behind th em , so I th ink that' s w hy th e racing was so bac k and forth today. Once I hit that t re e , I didn 't have any thi ng le ft for them ." Hawkins held on for fourth, his best GNCC ride in years. "I th ink w e were all surprise d by Hawki ns," Kiedrowski said . "We were go ing through the woods, and all of a sudden this bike w as behind us just revving. It sounded like t he re was a he licopter over us !" " I'll tell you who rode the best to day, my teammate Randy Haw kins ," Ra ines said . "All of a sudden some guy was on me on a four-stro ke , and I just JUNE 30, 200 4 • CYCLE NEWS did n' t kn o w w ho it was. I d idn ' t kn ow if it was Co le [C al kins ] or Summe rs, but he was r iding aw es o m e . Then I looked back , a nd it w as Ra ndy ! I don't kno w w ha t go t into him tod ay." Hawkins was a contender fo r most of the day, bu t he d id adm it to getting t ired down th e st retch . And rews ro unde d out t he top five after running up front ea rlie r in the d~ V IRGIN IA MOTORSPORTS PARK PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA RESULTS: J UNE 13, 2004 (RO UND 8 Of 14) 40th Anniversary eN O/A : I. Jaso n Raines (Yam); 2. Rodney Smith (Suz); 3. Mike Kiedrowski (Suz); 4. Randy Hawkins (Yam); 5. Fred Andrews (Suz); 6. Robbie Jenks (Yam); 7. Doug Blackwe ll (Suz); 8. Steve Hatch (Kaw); 9. Co le Calkins (Kaw]: 10. Natha n Kanney (Yam ); I I. Charles Mullins (KTM); 12. Brian Garrahan (KTM); 13. Justin Williamson (Yam); 14. Ste phe n Edmo ndso n (Ktm); 15. Aaron Wegner (Ya m); 16. SCOttWatk ins (Kaw); 17. Jesse Robinson (Kaw); 18. Travis Green (Kaw); 19. D.R. Atwood (KTM); 20. Gar rett Edm iste n (Kaw). AHA GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY SER IES PO INTS STANDINGS (Aft . r B of 14 r o u nd s): I. Rodne y Smith ( 19 114 Wins); 2. Jason Raines ( 186/3 wins); 3. Barry Hawk Jr. ( 124/1 win); 4. Fred Andr ews ( 120); 5. Steve Hatc h ( 117); 6. Mike Kied row ski ( 114) ; 7. Scott Summ ers ( 103); 8. Brian Garrahan (92 ); 9. Doug Blackwell (91) ; 10 . Cole Calkins (78).