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/128346
ust like last year, Jaso n Raines wrapped up the AMA National Hare Scrambles Series title in Lyn nville , Indiana, with one round still remaining on the schedule. And just like last year, the Am-Pro Yamaha-sponsored rider did so after coming back from an early season injury. "It ended up being a great year after all," Raines said. "I got hurt in Texas and missed the first two rounds , but I kept pluggin' away and stayed consistent. After I got hurt, I was thinking I would just ride them for fun, but then things started clicking and I won . Last year, Chucky [Woodford) got hurt and then Freddy [Andrews) got hurt right the re at the end , and [the title) kind of just fell in my lap. But you know, racing goes kind of back and forth like that , and in '02 I had the GNCC wra pped up and the same thing happened to me . But this year's been good. I was able to stay consistent, and every body stayed healthy in the series. My Yamaha did great and my dad did an exce llent job of kee ping the bike up, week in and wee k out. " To clinch the title in Indiana, Raines needed to finish four points better than Kawasaki Team Green's Chuck Woodford, who occupied second overall in the standings, 27 points back. He wou ld also have to contend with Team Suzuki's Doug Blackwell, Throttlehead.com/Kawasak i's Josh McLevy, Kawasaki's Cole Calkins and others, such as Scott Summers, who was at the event to test a new clutch setup. A factor that allof the riders would have to contend with was dust. It was certainly something that the organizers had no control over, but since there had been virtually no rain in the area during the entire month of September, the Lynnville Park coal pits, home to the Black Coal National, were as dry as a bone - almost 13 miles of single-track , lined with loose, silty dirt. Before the race, Raines had stated the importance of a good start under the circumstances , and when the pack roared through the first tum and into the woods, it was Bl ckwell with the holeshot, followed a by Raines, McLevy, Woodford and Calkins. When the pack reappeare d , single file, on a brief op en sect ion near the start area , Blackw ell had pulled several bikele ngths ove r Raines, wit h Me Levy, Woodford and Clakins equ ally spaced in third thro ugh fifth . From there on, the to p five could do nothing mor e than follow the leade r, with the exception of a brief exchange be tw ee n Woodford and McLevy on the second lap. "I made a mistake on the trail," McLevy said. "I took a right when I should have gone left, and Wood ford passed me while I was turning around. Fortunately, he pitted on the second lap and I pitted o n the third lap, and I was able to pass him and put enough time on him so that when I pitted , I was able to stay ahead of him." "My crew didn't really know how close behind me McLevy was and they pitted me on the same lap that I passed him on , and he went another lap," Woodford said of • CYCLE NEWS 40th ")\nniversary