Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

NETRA Hare Scrambles Series Round 1: Clarkie's Wild Ride By CHERI Aux PHOTOS BY CHERI Aux AND TIM DINGE ASSONET, MA, FEB. 6 he NETRA Hare Scrambles season got under way in the usual manner, with the first event being put on by the Pilgrim Sands Trail Riders on a freezing cold and extremely windy winter day. The ground was frozen solid and covered with ice. Friction spikes were a necessity for the 5.6-mile course. Eleven AA riders lined up for the start. Current champion Patrick Timothy was on hand, along with Tom Norton, Brian Lawson and Bob Simeon. Todd Levesque was also back on the front line after taking a year off to pursue snowmobile racing. When the gun went off, Simeon shot off the line like a rocket. He crested the hill going into the sand pit at least 100 feet ahead of the next rider, Chris Crispin, who was followed by David Simcock, Norton, Timothy and Dennis Decker. Norton had his best start yet, but he didn't make it another 10 feet. "Someone clipped my bars, sending me into some big bulldozer tracks," said Norton. "I went flying and landed right next to my bike. I grabbed the bars and got cleaned out by another bike.' Norton was now dead last, down almost 30 seconds as he skirted the sand pit and headed into the woods. The course weaved in and out of the woods and the sand pit. A few creek crossings (which became mudholes by the end of the day) kept it interesting. The last mile of the course was a typical New England rock garden. with large, jagged rocks jutting up through the ice and snow. By the end of the first lap, Simeon had put more than a minute on the rest of the pack. Lawson, who was dead last off the line, was now in second. Not five seconds back in third and fourth were Levesque and Norton, with Crispin fifth. Lawson, Levesque and Norton were inseparable for the first three laps, with not 10 seconds between them at any time. With the icy conditions, nobody wanted to make any full-on passes; they all just waited to see who would make the first mistake. That came at the end of the second lap. A huge rut had formed in the first mudhole from everyone taking the same line. Lawson hit it first and came to an immediate halt, allowing Levesque to take over second. Lawson was able to pull it out in time to hold on to third. Norton was still fourth. As the riders headed out for their third lap, Simeon's lead had been whittled down to just under a minute by Levesque, in second. Lawson and Norton were next, and Decker had moved up into fifth, just seconds ahead of Crispin. On the fourth lap, Simeon started to have problems with his clutch. His lead had been narrowed down to mere seconds at the end of the fourth lap when he came into the pits. Levesque and Norton also pitted. Both riders made it out of the pit ahead of Simeon, moving Levesque into the lead, with Norton second and Simeon coming out in third. On lap five, Simeon's clutch blew and he did not finish. Lawson was now third, but he was down more than 40 seconds. Decker caught Lawson on the fourth lap and the two battled for two laps, while Levesque and Norton were just cruising out in front. "I hadn't been riding for quite a while," said Levesque, "and I didn't really have the feel for what the pace should be. Every time I'd hear Tom [Norton] rev it up behind me, I'd know to pick up the pace." "I tried to pass Levesque several times but I had a hard time hooking up with the 125 on ice," stated Norton. "Whenever I'd wind it up, he'd just close the door. I did get a few opportunities to pass him, but I would have ended up taking him out so I just hung behind. It was frustrating." On the eighth and final lap, Levesque had 10 seconds on secondplaced Norton. Lawson had closed in behind Norton. Not three miles into the lap, Levesque fell on a rocky uphill. With nowhere else to go but into Levesque, Norton laid it over. Levesque remounted and got away first, with Norton right behind. "I immediately crashed again on a snowy left-hander," said Norton. "I got up with the bike still running, grabbed a handful and swung my left (Above) Russell Sain forged to first place in the Expert Vet class in Clarkie's Wild Ride, round one of the NETRA Hare Scrambles Series. (Right) Thomas Norton was the first overall champion of the year in the series, in Assonet, Massachusetts. leg over, only to step on sheer ice. The bike took off with me half on, sliding across the ice." Lawson slid by, taking over second. The two hung together for half a mile before Norton returned the favor, passing Lawson on a downhill. The two had the hammer down for the final 1 1/2 miles in an attempt to catch back up to Levesque. The worst part of the track lay ahead, including the two mudholes and the rock garden; any mistakes here would decide the outcome. At the first mudhole, Norton hit the usual stump and made a clean jump of the entire crossing, just as he had on the previous seven laps. The leader. Levesque, was stuck on Norton's right, but he pulled himself out just as Lawson was coming around, and left a nice rut for Lawson, who buried his bike in the mud. It took Lawson almost a minute to get unstuck, and he had to settle for third place for the day. Norton went on to take a surprising first-place finish, with Levesque finishing in second, down just 11 seconds. "I had no idea I was in the lead - I never saw Levesque," said Norton after the race. "I was ready to settle for second place. I must have crashed 10 times today, and second place was looking just fine to me. But I'll take the win." eN cue I • Clarkie's Wild Ride Assonet, Massachusetts Results: February 6, ZDDD (Round 1J 0/A: Thomas Norton (Yam). H-PT A: Kris Mooney. H-PT B: Peter Kelley (Yam). AA: 1. Thomas Norton (Y~m); 2. Todd Levesque (Han); 3. Brian Lawson (Yam); 4. Dennis Decker (KTM): 5. Patr;ck T;mothy (KTM). JR: 1. Gregg Hamel (KTM): 2. Michael Cimochowski (Yam); 3. Paul Dellaghelfa (Yam); 4. Patrick Corcoran (Yam); 5. Jason Johnson. MINI: I. Aaron Koehler (Kaw); 2. Nick Swistro (Kaw). WMN: I. Heidi Landon (Hus): 2. Dawn Shayer (Kaw); 3. Tina Siella (Yam). NOV 200: I. Paul Sm;th (KTM): 2. Chr;s Walsh (KTM); 3. Mark Marshall (Kaw); 4. Steve Morris (Kaw); 5. Brian Ciccariello (Sw). NOV 250: 1. Kurt Kavanagh (Hon); 2. Chris Moullen (Hon); 3. Jim LaPierre (Hon); 4. Michael Moynihan (Kaw); 5. James Place (Hon). NOV OPEN: I. Raymond White: 2. Edward lives (KTM): 3. Jonathan Morton (KTM). NOV 125: I. Peter Kelley (Yam); 2. T.J. Faulise (Yam); 3. Chlllrlic DeLaura (Yam); 4. Craig Richardson (Suz); 5. Tony Ferriera (Hon). NOV 4·STRK: 1. Joseph Nazzard; 2. Tom Pelletier; 3. Joe Archambault (Hon). NOV SR: I. Robert Doyle; 2. Thomas Curtin: 3. Peter Koehler Jr. NOV VET: 1. Michllel Utwin Jr. (Ka..,); 2. Bryan Cook (KTM): 3. Joseph Cebik (Yom): 4. James Allen (Han): 5. David Tubman (Kaw). S/SR: 1. Paul Luzier. 2. Thomas Simeon (Han). I. Tom Farley (CRE). AM. VET: 1. Stephen Morris (Suz); 2. David Bonsall (Kaw): 3. Eric Reinherd (KTM). AM. 250: 1. Robert Maxon (Suz); 2. Keith Bonney (Yam); 3. Carl Andrews (KTM); 4. Reginald Stevenson (KTM); 5. Chris Chesse (KTM). AM 200: I. Dan Young (KTM); 2. Scott Fetterman (Han); 3. James Wllheslack; 4. Micheel Cimochenski (Yam): 5. Rich Gllieska. AM. OPEN: 1. Daniel Marrs (KTM); 2. Howard Kane (Han); 3. Peter Smith (KTM). AM 4·STRK: I. Jim Green (Han): 2. Jason Chllrbonneau (Han). AM SR: 1. David Kllnney (KTM); 2. Richard Merrill (Yam). EX 200: 1. Gilles Trepllnier; 2. Mark Griffin (Han); 3. Denny Anderson; 4. David Bradley (Suz); 5. Everet Maynard Jr. (KTM). EX 250: 1. Kris Mooney (KTM); 2. Jim Edwards (Yam); 3. Steven Poplasky (Han): 4. Michael Nash (Han); 5. Warren Plante (Kaw). EX OPEN: I. Anthony Cen~ci (KTM); 2. Pete MSTR: Byrne (Yam): 3. Austin Jalbert (CRE). EX VET: 1. Russell Sain (Han): 2. David Fraser (Kaw): 3. Todd Dabkowski (KllW); 4. Kenneth Held (KTM). EX 4-STRK: I. Greg Corb;n (Han). EX Hebert. n e SR: VV I. sa Robert Wh;te (KTM): 2. Norman MARCH 1. 2000 57

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