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/128344
Hawk Takes Mountaineer GNCC ar ry Hawk's injuries may have caused him some pain a few months ago, but now they are helping put the hurt o n his competi tion . The de fending AMA Grand Nati o nal Cross Country Series Cham pion is motivated to prove last seas on was no fluke, and w ith a big w in at the first-ever Mountaineer GNCC in West Virginia, he may have taken care of that issue . "It's neve r easy, but I had a good day out there today," said Hawk, a member o f the Am Pro Yamaha facto ry race tearn who broke bones in his face in a crash a few months ago. "Afte r my injury, I think I just got even more fired up. Now all I think about is my motorcycle. As bad as 1 wanted it before. I want it even more now. I want to prove to everyone that last year was for rea l." Hawk he lped prove it by pulling away fro m FMF Suzuki's Rodney Smit h and upstart Australian talent Glenn Kearny at the halfway mark and Winning by over a minute. After battling with Hawk early, Smith held on for second after a wild last lap, and thanks to the sub-par seventhplace finish by his series rivalJason Raines, he has opened up a lead in the series standings. Just two races now stand between Smith and a record-tying fifth GNCC title . "I was waiting for Jason to catch up, but eventually I just started racing my own race," Smit h said. "Barry rode great today, and I just wanted to be smart and take second. Anything ca n happen in two B Summers. McLevy managed to pass Kearny on the last lap, but one mistake stopped him from taking his first career podium. "I just rod e calm today. I rode at 75 percent," said McLevy, who is not orious for hanging it out earl y and burni ng o ut be fore the finish. "I wou ld have loved a podium, but I'm hap py w ith this finish." Raines' performa nce had ma ny guessing as to what was bothering the Yamaha rider, but he merely cha lked it up to a bad day. "I haven't been getting good starts," Raines said. "I don't know, I didn't have good luck today. I was behind Chucky [Woodford] and he kicked up a rock and I hit it w ith my front wheel. 1 crashed and ended up way back ." Smith now holds a 2S·point lead over Raines w ith two rounds to go . Sco tt Sum me rs finished fifth with FMF Suzuki veteran Fred Andrews re turni ng from a bout w ith shingles to take sixth. Raines was seventh, ahead Steve Hatch and Chuck Woodford on Kawasakis, and the top amateur on the day, Ohio-based KTM pilot Charlie Mullins. The next round of the GNCC Series comes up in two weeks at Power Une Park in St. Oairsville, Ohio. Ja so n Weigan d t Continued from page 7 held in conjunction with the AHA Supermoto Championship finale - the AHA Red Bull Supe rm oto A-Go·Go - which will be held on the same weekend. "Anyone who attended last year's Supermoto finale was not disappointed," Hollingsworth said. "It may have been the best racing we sawall year long and it ended up being a great party. This yea r's Supermoto finale and awards banqu et promise to be just as memorable," Once again, the public is invited to the banquet. Tickets are $125 , which includes banquet admiss ion, hers d'oeuvres and dinner. For ticket information, call 614/856-1900, ext. 1232, or download a ticket order form from www.amaproracing.com. Post entries are still available for the $15 ,000 Dodge Ama t e u r National on September 28-October 3 at the AMP National Track in Rancho Cordova, California. Supercross Champion Chad Reed will be signing autogra phs on Satu rday at the event, according to series pr omoters. For more information, call 209/656-96B2. On Sunday, October 10, the 16th annual St reets of San Francisco Poke r Ru n and Custom Bike Show will ta ke place in conjunction with the 90·year anniversary of Dudley Perk ins Harley-Davidson in San Francisco , California. Other activities are scheduled for Saturday, October 9, including an open house at the Perkins dealersh ip. Gary Bailey will hold a motocross school at Cahuilla Creek Motocross Park in Anza, California, October 12·13 for 13 riders at a cost of $525 each. For more information , call 276/650-1759. The 2004 AMA S upermoto Ch arnpion shi p on the Outdoor Ufe Network kicks off Wednesday, September 29, at B p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Pacific) time with the first round of the championship from Copper Mountain , Colorado. In addition to racing action, fans will be treated to feature s such as a profile on Doug Henry, a segment about Ben Carlson's bike setup, and a fun piece with new sideline reporter Erin Bates riding the track. The revamped broadcast team this year includes Robbie Floyd providing play-byplay coverage o f the races; Jerry Berna rd o , bringing his one-of-a-kind style o f color corn mentary; and newcomer Erin Bates, who w ill be handling feature and pit reporting. The AHA Supermoto Championship will be Ieatured in primetime on Wednesday nights throughout the fall and winter. races :' Kearny held on for third, a solid performance for a rider on audition for a ride in the U.S. next year. "That's the goal : I want to race this series next season," Kearny said . "I tried to ride away fro m Bar ry and Rodney, but they stayed on my tire . So I waved them by. I didn't want to mess anything up for them. I'm really happy to be up here, but it was tough." Kearny opened eyes with his strong ride, especially after holding up under late pressure fro m Thronlehead.com Kawasaki's Josh McLevy an d Parts U n l i mi t ed /M oo s e Honda's Sco tt Briefly... Barry Hawk returned to his winning ways in the Maun tai neer GNCC. U,S. Min iGP a nd O zbike USA will once again be bringing the top young (aged 7-14) American road racers to Spain to represent the U.S. at this once-a-year event. The United States will contribute five riders to a 50plus rider field, including the top five riders fro m 10 countries. This year's event will be held in Almeria, Spain, at the Almeria Circuit, December 18 - 19. Fo r more info rmation , call 305/889. 1800. Clear Chan ne l Entertainment's Motor Sports division has anno unced that Mike laRocco will race in the seventh-annual Maxxis U.S. Open at the MGM Grand Gard en Arena in LasVegas, O ct o ber 8 ·9 . laRocco, 33, won the U.S. Open in 2002 , besting two-time defending champion Ricky Carmichael. This year, laRocco captured his first 250cc supercross hometown win at Indianapo lis' RCA Do me. laRocco has competed in every U.S. O pe n and has finished in the top five in all but one race. "Every year I look fo rw ard to rac ing inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena," said laRocco. "Th e purse is huge and the track suits my riding style well. If I can get my starts down, I may wa lk away w ith $100,000 like 1did in 2002. " Riders confirmed to compete in the 2004 Maxxis U.S. Open include current defending THQ AMA Supercross Series Champion Chad Reed, two-time U.S. O pe n champion and action sports superstar Travis Pastrana, THQ AMA Supercross Series runner-up Kevin Windham and all-time AMA Na tiona l Cha mpions hip holder Ricky Ca rmichael. On October 23-24, the CCMA is hosting a fund-raise r motorcycle and ATV race at t he O ce ano D unes SVRA, (a.k.a. Pismo Dunes) loc ated on the Central Coast of Californ ia. The race will start near the beach and it will be run on a six-plus mile course w inding through the dunes. It is the first race of its kind in the Oceano Dunes, according to event promoters. It is a knobbies-only race (no paddles) designed for all types of dirt racers. The race is a fund-raise r for two charities: the Clayton Memoria l Founda· tion, which assists injure d motorcycle racers, and the SCI Res earch Adva ncement, which is dedicated to finding a cure for spinal-cord-injury caused paralysis. On Saturday evening, from 5:30 to 9, there will be a special BBQ/reception designed to generate funds and to create awareness of efforts to find a cure for spinal cord injuries . Speaking at the fund -raiser will be Dr. Jean Peduzzi, a researcher with the University o f Alabama. Peduzzi will provide solid no-non sense up-to-date infonnation on the status o f the research being done worldwide. The reception will also be attended by key indio viduals involved in the sport of motorcycling. For information, visit www. Pismo BeachRace .com or call Jero me Law at 80S/801-2252. Erv Braun, supercross!motocross announcer and president of Braun Entertainment, predicts its upcoming December Amateur Open of Mo tocro ss will consist of a free opening day Gu ardia n Semina r for all riders and their families . The seminar will feature a presentation by Braun, and several high-profile guest speakers will be incorporated within the curriculum . " W e've been hosting entertainer seminars over 20 years, and this past year we've been working to fil l the co mmunication void within bot h amateur and pr ofessio nal motocross racing careers," Braun said. "Th e seminars we've Continued on page' , www.cyclenEWS.com CYCLE NEWS • OCTOBER 6,2004 9