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--~- OFF-ROAD Round 8 ___ AMA National Enduro Championship Series Wraps II UP Mike Lafferty chalks up his seventh Notional Enduro title in Ohio STORY AND PHOTOS BY STEVE BERKNER Steve Hatch was always in the hunt and has a lock on second place in the championship. Ou'd think that after winning your seventh title, you'd be a little ho-hum about it, but not Mike Lafferty. His seventh was one of his best. "I'm so happy to have this championship this year," Lafferty said. "It was tough sitting out last year [with an injUry]. This year, I just wanted to get back to the basics." And that he did. But his "basics" are a little different than most, having won his sixth enduro of the year at the Purgatory Y 62 National in Ohio. His sixth straight win of the season put him over the top in his quest for a seventh title, tying him with Randy Hawkins and Bill Baird for second place on the all-time list for title wins. If Lafferty wins the championship one more time, he'll match the record held by Dick Burleson. In Ohio, Lafferty dominated on his Michelin/KTM Hard Equipment/Enduro Engineering-backed KTM 400 EXC. In the nine special tests throughout the enduro, Lafferty recorded the lowest scores in all SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS of the tests, except for the few where he tied scores with other riders. When it was all over, Lafferty dropped 16 points. "Things started out a little rough, and I needed to rebound bad," Lafferty said of the '05 series. "It was not such a big thing physically - I was healthy enough to ride. It was more a mental thing. Winning the last six rounds has made a big difference. I'm back. I'm so stoked!" Finishing second with a score of 19 was Gas Gas-mounted John Barber. Third overall but clinching second in the series was Throttlehead.com/ Kawasaki's Steve Hatch, who emerged on top out of a three-way tie with Kawasaki rider Jeff Anderson and KTM-mounted Billy Russell. All three riders dropped 20 points, but Hatch faired best on the tiebreakers. Anderson ended up fourth, Russell fifth. After clinching the title, Lafferty commended his fellow racers. "The level of competition this year has been great," Lafferty said. "There are a lot of new guys right in there each week. Last year, it was Randy [Hawkins], David [Lykke], Steve [Hatch] and Matt [Stavish] fighting it out for the championship. This year, it was them, along with [Billy] Russell, [Stephen] Edmondson, [Russell] Bobbitt, Uohn] Barber and myself. These new guys are always there pushing. That's why this year's championship was so important. Those guys were always right there at my heels. I just couldn't afford to make any mistakes. That just makes this year's comeback championship so