Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... Hawk Back Up Front m Pro Yamaha's Barry Hawk finally answered the "Who can beat Juha Salminen'" question with a gritty come-from-behind win in the fourth round of the Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series at the Pireili Big Buck GNCC in South Carolina on April I7. Hawk topped a list of overseas talent. FMF Suzuki's Australian Glenn Kearney rallied to finish second and Salminen, from Finland, was third on his KTM. Another Australian, Shane Watts, was fourth. Ohio's Robbie Jenks rounded out the top five. At the Big Buck, Hawk battled with a trio of KTM riders: Mike Lafferty, Salminen and Watts. Lafferty crashed hard and had to drop out of the race with a suspected broken collarbone. With the battle down to three, Hawk made a move in a deep mudhole. He passed Watts and A then zeroed in on Salminen, who then buried his front wheel in a mudhole and crashed, taking a handlebar to the stomach. Meanwhile, Hawk made a break while in the lead, but Watts stayed within 10 seconds as they neared the last lap. "I was getting kind of tired, but I knew I had to keep charging," Hawk said. "I knew if I made one mistake, Watts would be right on me. But I didn't make any mistakes." Instead, Watts made the error, crashing in a mud hole. This opened the door for a come-from-behind ride by Kearney, who slithered through the mud to pass Salminen and Watts. It was Kearney's second runner-up ride of the year. Salminen out-dueled Watts in the final mile to take third, preserving his points lead. Barry Hawk rase ta the top at the Big Buck GNCC in South Caralina. Aaron Dominates National Trials Geoff Aaron claimed a pair of wins at rounds three and four of the AMNNATC U.S. National Trials Series held at the 660-acre Trials Training Center facility near Sequatchie, Tennessee, April IS-16. The ERE/Gas Gas-pilot's ability to read the terrain was the difference in the contest, as the defending champion used strong opening laps on the very demanding 12-section course, then held off advances by South African Bruce Ie Riche and Florida's Chris Florin en route to the back-to-back wins. Le Riche grabbed the runner-up spot on Saturday, ahead of Florin, with the two swapping positions on Sunday. The Tennessee course was a considerable change from rounds one and two, held a week before in Texas, which was dry and somewhat easy. In Tennessee, the riders were confronted with very tricky and slippery creek beds with fast moving water and demanding rock walls and gaps. Aaron normally shines in tough events and did so during the early going each day, but he was matched almost ride for ride by Ie Riche and Florin during the later laps. With four rounds in the books, Aaron carries a 14point lead over Ie Riche, I IS-I 0 I. Florin sits in third with 82. Shan Moore Geoff Aaran swept raunds three and four of the AMA/NATC u.s. National Trials in Tennessee. Kawasaki's Alex Hofmann will be forced to sit out the next two MotoGP rounds in China and France as a result of the injuries sustained when he was highsided from his Ninja ZX-RR during a promotional event prior to the Portuguese Grand Prix, according to Kawasaki. The German rider was diagnosed with a fractured scaphoid in his left wrist immediately after the crash, but a further medical examination at the KJinikum Rechts Der lsar near Munich in Germany on April 18 uncovered additional damage to the joint, forcing Hofmann to re-evaluate his recovery schedule. In addition to the fractured scaphoid, Hofmann also suffered a hairline fracture to the bottom of the ulna, one of the two bones that run between the elbow and the wrist, and soft tissue damage to his ankle. Doctors are aJso concerned about the possibility of ligament damage around the injured joints. Hofmann was scheduled to undergo exploratory surgery on April 19. The extent ofthe scaphoid fracture and associated ligament damage will be assessed during the operation, and a decision will be made as to whether additional surgery will speed up Hofmann's return to full fitness. Discussions about a possible replacement for the injured Hofmann are currendy ongoing between the Kawasaki team and Kawasaki in Japan, with an announcement expected before the team departs for the next round of the MotoGP World Championship in China. "I really didn't think it could get any worse, but every day since the crash it has," Hoffmann said in a team release. "Initially I thought I'd only fractured the scaphoid and that an operation would allow me to be back on the bike after a relatively short recovery period. But today's medical examination also discovered a small fracture in my ulna and, because it's not possible for it to be pinned, it means that I'm going to be out of action for at least four weeks while it heals naturally. Although it's hard, I have to accept the fact that I'm not going to be able to race in Shanghai or Le Mans, but I'm determined to be back in action for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. I think this is a realistic aim, although I am a little concerned about the doctors finding additional damage to my wrist and ankle when they assess the injuries during surgery tomorrow morning." The Superbike Commission, comprised of Paolo Flammini (FGSport), Claude Danis (FIM) and Giulio Bardi (team representative), in a meeting held in Phillip Island, Australia, on April 3, unanimously decided to introduce the following modifications to the Road Racing World Superbike, World Supersport Championship and Superstock Cup rules, effective immediately, according to the FIM. Ride through procedure: The rider must respect the speed limit (Art. 1.22.14) in the pit lane. Behavior during practice and race: A speed limit of 60 kph (37.28 mph) will be enforced in the pit lane at all times during the event. Riders must respect the speed limit from where the sign 60 kph is placed up to where the sign 60 km/h crossed out is placed. Overtaking is not permitted in Continued on page CYCLE NEWS • APRIL 27,2005 '3 11

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