Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Round 5 OFF-ROAD E ven though the Sugar Loafers M/C's Cherry Creek National was just the penultimate round of the AMA FMF Racing National Hare & Hound Series this year, it will be known as the race that, for all intents and purposes, decided this year's Hare & Hound National Championship. Going into Jericho, Utah, the fifth race of the short six-round series, defending champ Destry Abbott and 2003 champ Russ Pearson were tied for the series points lead, and both were obviously hoping to gain a few points on each other so they could have an edge going into the series finale in Lucerne Valley, California, five months from now. Neither rider, however, was expecting what actually transpired Pearson coming away with a 30-point lead! It all started with Abbott, on his tried and true Kawasaki 10<500, taking the early lead. But Pearson, on the Montclair Yamaha YZ450F, got the green bike not far after the start. "We had to go to the left of the banner, and I was fourth," Pearson said of the start. "I kept it pinned for another mile or two before we had to take another right. Second [Steve Hengeveld] and third [Kendal 52 __ AMA FMF Racing National Hare & Hound SEries Norman] both kind of blew the corner, and I set it up perfectly, so that put me in second, with Destry [Abbott] right there. There was a ditch, and I found a smoother line and pinned it wide open and pulled up next to [Abbott] and passed into first place." But Pearson could not hold the point for very long. "A couple of miles later, we hopped on a two-track road that was just straight," Pearson said. "I tucked, but Destry just crept up beside me for the pass. Itucked in right behind him and followed him up over the mountain and into the next valley. Iwas right on his tail and took a different line on the inside to avoid his roost and maybe set up the next straightaway for a pass, if possible, and the front end just went away; the road was a bit muddier and slipperier than it looked. Now I was doing 50 or so miles an hour sliding on the ground. I didn't want the bike to stall, so I hung on to the bars with the clutch in and went for the ride. I hung on and picked up the bike as quick as possible and was back going again." Just up the trail, Abbott suffered a similar fate. "[Once in the lead] I tried to push it a little more and get a nice gap, but that's about JUNE 1,2005 • CYCLE NEWS when I hit a big mudhole and went flying off the bike," Abbott said. "I was able to get back to the bike pretty quick, but both Kendal [Norman] and [Steve] Hengeveld got by me. As I looked back, I could see Russ off his bike straightening his front end." Abbott set his sights for the lead once again, towing Pearson with him. They soon caught and passed Hengeveld and were working on Norman up ahead when Pearson got around Abbott for second. "I missed a corner and had to flip a Uturn," Abbott said, "and Russ was able to get by, but I was fine with that and figured I'd follow him. However, I was really having a tough time, and it seemed like nothing was going my way." That notion was confirmed when Abbott experienced a desert racer's worst nightmare. '" suddenly hit a rock I never saw," Abbott said. "This time, I was going a lot faster, and I knew it was going to be ugly. I went over the bars and planted myself into the ground really hard. This was the hardest crash I've had in years. When I was trying to get up, my first thought was that I had broken my femur. At first I couldn't get up with my right leg, but then I realized that more than likely I had just bruised the bone and muscle pretty bad. It took me a couple of minutes to get to the bike and try to start it. My Thor pants were ripped open by my thigh, and you could see it tore my leg up pretty good. I got my bike started, and I think , was around 10th when I got going." Believe it or not, the crash was not Abbott's ultimate undoing. "I still wanted to try and get by as many riders as I could, since the championship was tied going into this round," Abbott said. "I caught a couple of riders in front of me and then my bike just quit. , lost all power and was totally confused. I tried starting it but no luck. So I changed the spark plug and went over the bike. I tried kicking it again, but it wasn't going to start. My day was done! My bikes are always super reliable, and I know it must've been one of those weird problems." Heading out for the second loop, Norman still led but only by a few seconds over Pearson, who made his move for the lead shortly after leaving the pits. "There was some gnarly whoops leaving the pits, and I made the pass," Pearson said. Shortly thereafter, Norman bailed and

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