Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128606
Macon. GA . Mer-ch 12. a::x:::JO AMA Grand National Championship Cross Country Series Round 2: Paradise Park Steve Hatch (3) grabs the holeshot ahead of Rodney Smith (1) Fred Andrews (2), Brian Garrahan (451), Paul Edmondson (7) and company. Hatch went on to finish fifth. By PAUL CLIPPER T he second round of the new millennium's GNCC Series almost turned into a mudbath, but not quite. 26 MARCH 29. 2000' cue • e The A TV racers on Saturday had the full joy of racing in the pouring rain in all that red Georgia clay, but by the start time of the afternoon race on Sunday, the track was actually tacking up niceIy. Sunday's weather of clear skies and a fair spring breeze. mercifully did its best to dry out the ground, enough so that lap times were surprisingly short during the race, and nearly everyone got out of the pits without being towed by a bulldozer. Team Suzuki's Rodney Smith was the winner of the day, ultimately triumphing over a shortened course that was still fast and tricky. He finished a scant two seconds ahead of Paul Edmondson, who has turned into a serious threat on his new Kawasaki ride. Third place went to KTM's Shane Watts, who finished another 20 seconds back, with Team Green's Fred Andrews and Suzu- • n eVIl's ki's Steve Hatch just a handful of seconds behind him. The finishing order doesn't tell the whole tale of the Georgia race, which took place at the Paradise Park motocross facility outside of Macon. The course at Paradise, with or without the mud, is well known as one of the tighter GNCC venues. This year it was cut to approximately 9.5 After "Inning oU1 of gas at round one, Kawasaki miles, allowing a Pro teammates Paul Emondson (above) and Fred Andrews lap time of 26 to 28 (right) rebounded in Georgia. Edmondson was runner-up, minutes. Smith, and Andrews finished fourth. Edmondson, Hatch, Andrews and Watts circulated around emerged in the lead after the first lap, the course as a group the entire time, scrambling to the front after a Hatch spreading out somewhat on the MX holeshot. Watts was riding this week track and more open parts of the on a KTM 250MXC, and whether it course, but tightening back up into a was the bike or the course, he didn't bar-banging clump when they went seem able to pull away from everyinto the trees. Because of this, the one as he did in Florida the week running order of the pack changed on before on a 200. The pack seemed every lap, making for some really content to let him lead, and all the exciting racing. other positions changed radically, At first it looked like a Shane with Smith coming around once in Watts runaway again, as Watts sixth place (on the third lap) and