Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

~" . ,~ .....~~. Round 8 OFF-ROAD ~ . • {\ ~c1t!1 f(c11V~ tnc1~eJ' a tltn on Jl\ka fa'tntnen ~l\t can't stop tkG sttGa~ SToRY IV JASON WEIGANDT PHoTos IV RAv GUNDV M's Juha Salminen started the 200S Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series strong, winning two of the first three races. The wins only served to Ire up Am Pro Yamaha's Barry Hawk, the 2003 GNCC Champion, who responded with a brilliant ride in South Carolina to take a win away from Salminen. At that point it looked like Hawk could mount a serious bid for the 200S title, but no one could imagine the onslaught Salminen was about to unleash on the field. Over the next three rounds, Salminen showed the form that made him a dominant factor in the World Enduro Championships, sprinting incredibly hard and fast early in the race, a time when most GNCC racers are pacing themselves, working through arm pump and learning the track. By the time they have it figured out, Salminen is long gone. So no one was expected to challenge Salminen when the series arrived in West Virginia after a few weekends off. But Hawk believed he was still in the hunt. Sporting a revised suspension setup on his Yamaha YZ2S0, Hawk believed he only needed a good start and he could run with Salminen all day. And when the green flag waved, Hawk put his bike into the number-one spot out of turn one. Salminen was right behind him, and the race was on. For nearly the entire three-hour event, the duo pounded on each other, the West Virginia fans cheering Hawk on and hoping he could get a win. Then the two-lap board came out and Barry made the pass. "I know I can run with Salminen; I just needed to do what I needed to do," Hawk said. "It was a good battle with Barry - he was riding really strong," Salminen said. "Today was actually the first time I was challenged like this. I couldn't get the gap." Unfortunately, Hawk's run for the win would get derailed on a steep hillclimb. "It just comes down to mistakes, and I made one big one on this hillclimb on the last lap," Hawk said. "The hill was nasty. We were pushing our bikes up the hill every lap. I got the lead and got stuck there, and I pushed so hard that I almost puked when I got to the top of the hill. I'm so mad. It just came down to a hillclimb, and there was nothing I could do about it." Salminen got through the tough section and used Hawk's error to build a lead. From there, he KI 34 JUNE 29, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS rode a steady pace through the last lap to run home with his fourth straight win. "It was definitely different today," Salminen said. '" got stuck in a mudhole and he got around me, and then he got stuck on a hill and I got around him. The track was tough; there were a lot of stones. Physically, I did get tired." Hawk was tired after pushing his bike up the hill, but he had enough energy left to express his emotions on the podium. "I hate losing - I just hate it and it's burning me up," Hawk said. "I want to win so bad. I know I can run with him, and I know what I needed to do." Still, Hawk can find solace in the fact that he was able to keep pace with Salminen all day, and provide the kind of challenge the fans want to see although Salminen is not too worried. "It's nice to have a big points lead, because you can race without haVing to worry too much," he said. Indeed, Salminen does have a big lead in the Suzuki GNCC Series standings. Hawk is just looking to get wins, since the championship appears out of reach. Also rejuvenating himself was Hawk's teammate Jason Raines. Last year at this time, Raines was winning races and battling for the GNCC points lead. This year, he is still podiumless and struggling for confidence. He finally found some with a solid third-place finish. Juha Salminen was challenged at the Mountaineer GNCC, but he still came away with his sixth win of the year. "It's been a strugIe all year," RalMS said. "I got a bad start, and I felt really uncomfortable out there. I knew Iwould have to put my heart in it today, and I think that's maybe the one thing that was missing. I just didn't have that determination, and that motivation. I've been overtraining and getting frustrated. Once I passed a few guys, I got a wind of confidence and I started rolling. I'm 100 percent physically, and the bike is great. I needed to dig down and get some results. Raines got third by winning a battle with another rider who hasn't been performing to his standards this year, FMF Suzuki's Fred Andrews. The perennial title contender had yet to grab even a topfIVe finish this year, but he got a good start and rode strong at the Mountaineer. "I finally got a good start and didn't II crash," said

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