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/128349
After not having much luck thi s season, Mike LaHerty wanted to finish th e yea r on a good note - and h e did that with his strong r u n n e r- up performance. , The Klotz Ironm a n GNCC track is always one of the best of the year, as the track offers probably the widest variety 01 terrain. This year's II.S-mile course started in a muddy field, as the course was hit hard by rain on Saturday. But lrom there the condit ions were good, and the riders attacked steep hills, water crossings and the track 's trademark high-speed field sections with jumps built in. What 's next for Rodney Smith? The new champion said he isn't planning on going away soon . "Last year I had a bad year, and I didn't know what would happen th is year," Smith said. "I figured this might be my last year, and maybe I would ride it out and maybe ret ire. But this year everything went so well, I think everyone is here lor the long haul. I was wondering when I did contracts th is year il people would hesitate because I was 40. But I got two -year deals with everyone, so it looks like I'll be here for the next two years. I'm also lookingat some supermoto. I guess I just keep trying to re invent the wheel. I may do some supermoto with Suzuki next year on the RMZ4S0. It wou ld be great to represent off-road racing at the X Garnes in supermoto." The ease in which Smith clinched the title at the Iro nman doesn't show how close this year's title fight was. For most 01 the year, it was a knock down, drag-ou t affair betw een Smith and Jason Raines. "Me and Jason were going back and fo rth," Smith said. "I reeled off six wins . Normally in the past , il I cou ld get lo ur or five wins, I would pretty much have the championship. This year, I won six and I had a five-point lead. It was a battle. It's too bad Jason [Raines] got hurt at the end ." Sweet enough fo r Smith to turn the Iron man into one big celebrat ion. as he came into the ra ce needing only an 18thplace finish to clinch the title - ev en if his rival, Am Pro Yamaha's Jason Raines, won the ra ce . But Raines , who has Ch u ck Woodford been fighting a shoulder injury since the h a s been turning sum m e r, elected not to race when his in s trong fin ishe s shoulder deteriorated to the point where latel y, and h is he knew a win was not possible. Thus, th ird -place rid e was one of his best. Sm ith clinched his fifth number-one plate before the race even began. The veteran rode one lap and then pulled off to let the celebration begin . Meanwhile, last year's GNCC Champion, Barry Hawk, was making a statement about how grueling the series can be . Hawk battled KTM 's National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty all day long before ultimately prevailing w ith his third straight win to close the series. Hawk ended the year looking even stronger th en he d id when he won the title last year, but injur ies at m idseaso n cost Last year, Smith showed grace when he handed the him a chance to defend . The series, again, goes to the series number-one plate over to H awk . (Smith won the rider who is smartest, not fastest. 2002 Championship.) This year, Hawk d id the same by "Yo u don't have to be the fastest guy all year," sa id giving the plate to Smith, and he heaped plenty of praise Hawk, who had won seven-straight GNCC t itles on on the new champ. ATVs before switch ing to bikes. "Yo u have to be fast , " It' s okay to have to hand it over to Rodney," Hawk but you don't have to be the fastest. You need to be a sa id. "He's a great guy. I re member looking up to him good , smart rider and keep yourself up front in e ve ry when I was just an A rider, and I felt like I could hardly race. That's what I did last year, and that's what Rodney even talk to him! And I still look up to him . He's a great did this year." www.cyclenEWS.com Raines had been riding with a broken shoulder socket since July . He was able to salvage some po ints, but his injury kept gett ing worse. Then he came down with an illnessthe Thursday before the race . "Y should have seen it, his who le neck and every ou thing was swelled up," Randy Hawkins, his teammate, exp lained. "He was going to stay horne, but we had a van there ready just in case he wo ke up in the morning and Ielt better. But he's going to be going for surgery now. His shoulder is really bad." Hawkin s elected not to race , since he's leading a tight points race in the National Enduro Series , wh ich finishes up October ] I. The veteran didn't want to risk an injury just a week before he goes lor his seventh enduro crown. FMFSuzuki's Mike Kie d rows ki also missed the race , still leeling the effects 01 a hard crash a lew weeks ago in Kentucky. Bar ry Hawk and the Am Pro Yamaha boys have a big head start on 2ooS, since Hawk won the last two rounds th is year on the 200S Yamah a YZ 250. "We're way ahead of last year," Hawk said. "I like this bike better, We still have some homework to do, though ." Sco tt Summers ended up sixth in points in his first season back after retiring due to injuries a few years ago. '" would like to have had a better finish, but for my first year back, I'm not disappo inted . Next year we'll do better." Summers may ride Honda's new off-road oriented CRF4S0X next season. "I think a lot 01 the things we leamed this year will apply to that bike," Summers said. "We 'll see ." Silly seaso n r umors were at full speed now that the season is over. Mike Kiedrowski is moving back to the WORCS Series next year to campaign the RMZ4S0, which opens up a spot on the FMFSuzuki off-road squad . Team Manager Mike Webb hasn't filled the spot yet , but he and several others have shown interest in Australian Enduro Champ Glenn Kearney, who rode well in two races in the States this season. KTM also wants to back a three-man effort. World Enduro Champion Juha Salminen is coming here for sure, and Mike Lafferty will be back for the enduro series and probably for the GNCCs again. With Shane Watts out injured , a possible third spot remains open. Meanwhile , Hawklns says the Am Pro Yamaha effort will probably stay the same , with him, Barry Hawk and Jason Raines. CYCLE NEWS • NOVEMBER 10,2004 27