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/128371
.. Round 3 OFF-ROAD ~ Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series en he won the Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series opener in Texas last month, you could chalk it up to beginner's luck. When he nearly won the second round in the sand of Florida five days ago, beaten only by motocross legend Doug Henry, you could chalk it up to his sand-riding expertise. (After all, he is from Finland). But when he won the Maxxis General GNCC in Georgia, on more traditional GNCC terrain and against the stiffest competition the series has to offer, you could chalk it up to - uh oh, this guy's for real! So real, in fact, that he's already threatening to run away with this year's title. But, luckily for the rest of the GNCC title contenders, there's still a long way to go. In Georgia, one of the GNCC's fastest starters, AMA National Enduro ace Mike Lafferty, tried to run with Salminen early. Then, one of GNCC's fastest closers, Am Pro Yamaha's 2003 Series champ Barry Hawk, tried to run with him late in the race. Neither of them, however, succeeded, with Lafferty finishing second and Hawk third. So, with his second victory of the season, Salminen proved that he can indeed win in the tight woods against some of the best woods riders in the world. His first challenge of the race was multi-time National Enduro Champion Lafferty. "Mike was riding good early, and then I got the pit board telling me Barry Hawk was coming," Salminen said. "I just try to go the same speed every lap. Iwent the same speed every lap. You know all the tracks are going to be different, but if you're going to ride them, you might as well try to win." Salminen may say he's trying, but it just doesn't look like it. He's so smooth that he appears to be putting forth hardly any effort at all and, as a result, uses up very little energy. So, the three-hour format, which many thought would be his Achilles' heel, has proved to be little challenge for the multi-time World Enduro Champion. So, in just three races, you might say that Salminen has taken America's largest off-road series by the throat. If anyone could have stopped Salminen in Georgia, a good bet would've been Hawk. After winning the last three GNCCs last year, Hawk was the odds-on favorite for the 2005 GNCC title, but bad luck and poor bike setup cost him a chance to run with Salminen in Texas and Florida. In Georgia, Hawk floored it early to try to keep Lafferty and Salminen in sight so he could race them to the finish. "Those guys were definitely flooring it early," Hawk said. "I tried my best to catch up to them and not push too hard and get tight. It didn't help that I drew the next-to-Iast starting spot, so I probably got into the woods in like 15th." Meanwhile, Salminen grabbed the holeshot and battled with Lafferty. They would take turns in the lead. Salminen crashed and temporarily gave his spot to "Junior," but Salminen would fight back and retake the lead, while Lafferty made a few mistakes of his own and started losing time. By the halfway point, Hawk was coming on strong, trying to get past Lafferty and set up another one of his classic last-lap charges. He finally got around Lafferty and then tried to inch up on Salminen. "I can't even count how many times Mike and I passed each other," Hawk said. "I finally got to second and started inching up on Juha. I washed out in a corner; it was stupid. That kind of took all the energy out of me, and that's when I stopped trying to catch him." The crash also knocked Hawk's bike out of whack, which let Lafferty get back in the game. Traditionally, Lafferty struggles on the final lap, but this time he was solid. W 46 MARCH 30, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS