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eOFF·ROAD AMA Wiseco/Yamaha/Yokohania Grand National Cross Country Series: Final round E Jeff Russell was running up front, but a crash'dropped him back to ninth overall. Scott Summers scored the overall win for a perfect score in the season point standings. Summers perfect at Forest Festival National ELKINS, WV, OCT. 18 onda's Scott Summers wrapped up his already clinched thirdstraight AMA Grand National Cross Country Championship crown by winning the final race of the series. The 24-year-old Summers won the Forest Festival overall with a lead of 85 ~econds on Suzuki's Jan Hrehor. Kawasaki Team Green's Duane Conner placed third overall. The win was Summers' eighth of the 12-race series. Because only a rider's eight best scores count towards the series championship standings, Summers had already clinched, the title, but his win at the final round . allowed him to earn the championship with what amounted to a perfect score. "I was definitely. shooting for the perfect score," said American Honda/ Hondaline/AXO/Sprocket Specialists/PowerMist/TsubakilArai! Alpinestars/Throttle Jockey/Oakley/ Bridgestone/White. Bros./Bloomington Honda-backed Summers. "I haven't had a chance to give the National Hare Scrambles title a real effort because of my wrist, and now it looks like I might not win the championship again. Winning this many cross country races makes the season a success even if I don't keep the number-one hare scrambles plate." ' Summers has been beset by problems since breaking his right wrist at the H 12 Blackwater 100 in June. He now trails KTM's Scott Plessinger in his bid for a third-consecutive hare scrambles title after missing a round to let his wrist heal. As for Suzuki's imported Czechoslovakian woods star Hrehor, the event marked his final appearance in America for the year. After a four-week long string of cross country and hare scrambles victories, Hrehor fell ,1' minute and a half short of Summers' pace and failed to leave the U.S. on a winning note. "I would've liked to win this last race, but Scott was the faster rider 'today," said the 28-year-old MSR/ Smith/ Acerbis/Metzeler/Bieffesponsored Hrehor. "I've had a' nice year racing in America, and have made new friends. I hope to see everyone again, even Summersl" With Brehor's plansfol' next season still up in the air, the Czech's next appearance in the States may not occur until the 1994 ISDE in Oklahoma. Besides Summers andPro class firstplace Hrehor, class winners included Tim Shephard in the Vet A category, Ben tley's/FMF/Scott-backed Jeff Lauth in the 200cc A group, Yamahamounted Eric Weiland in the 250cc A ,class, and Lojak's/DBY 10'Neall Scott/Maier-sponsored Ron Palermo in the Open A class. Joseph Hull won the Senior (Plus 40) class, local rider David Black won the Four-Stroke A division and Joe Lojak gathered the Senior (Plus 45) victory. The course featured a beautiful 10mile trail that was lined by the legendary autumn colors of West Virginia. Mild weather and blue skies greeted the nearly 150 riders that were on hand for the Forest Festival run. The course was rocky throughout, 'and fallen leaves made the early stages quite slippery. The slick terrain aided Summers greatly on his way to the overall win. After banging around in the top five after the first turn, Summers and Conner collided as they entered the woods, with Summers getting the worst of it. ' "I usually come out on top when I bang someone like that, 'but I guess Duane just had the better drive at that moment," said Summers. "I got up off the ground and was back in the race after a few seconds, but I was still dead last. Fortunately, the leaves kept things slow up front." The wet leaves that covered the trail forced a slow early pace by the KTM tandem of Plessinger and ScottlFox/ Dunlop/Arai!Acerbis/KTM Americabacked Jeff Russell, and allowed Summers and a poor-starting Hrehor to join the lead fray before long. Before the completion of the first 28-minute long lap, Summers was holding the lead with a 30-second cushion on second-place Russell. Plessinger was already out 'of the race after crashing hard halfway through the first loop. Summers continued to ease away from the rest of the pack while Russell fought Hrehor, Conner, Doug Blackwell and Honda-mounted Gary Roach for the second-place position. On the third lap, however, .Russell threw his KTM 250E/XC away in a fast section and jammed his wrist. "After I crashed, I just sat there for a while and tried to figure out how hurt I was," said the defending enduro champ Russell. "I started feeling better,. and the wrist didn't seem like it had any serious damage, so I got back into the race. I knew'I couldn't win or anything, from so far back, but I wanted to spend some time on the trail with the other riders, just trying, to get ready for the end of the enduro series." Hrehor and Conner' emerged from the chase group as the fastest, and they soon began a two-man battle behind the leading Summers. Hrehor had chosen a tire compound that was too soft for the rocky run, and at one of his pit stops, he considered changing tires. However, Hrehor's Suzuki team- mate Mark Hyde, who had dropped out with a failed ignition, suggested that a tire-change would cost him more time than he would be able to make up. Summers rode ahead to the win, and Hyde's advice to Hrehor 'proved to be Wise, as the Czech held on to earn the runner-up position. Conner followed him in to claim third place, about a minute and a half behind' Hrehor. Team Green/ Answer/BelIlFMF/ Sunstar-backed Blackwell was a little off the pace of the 'top three finishers, but was still worthy of a fourth-place overall placing. Vet A class winner Shephard rounded out the top five overall to match his season-high finish. Summers'earned the series title with a perfect combined score of 160 points. The 21-year-old Blackwell claimed the series runner-up honors with 137 points to Hrehor's overall total of 126 ' points. Shephard's Vet A-class win was his 'seventh of the season, and earned him the class championship. The Answerl Tsubaki/Smith/MSR/KK Supplysponsored rider managed a lead of just over two minutes on Jeff Murgel, who claimed the runner-up position in the class and eighth overall. Rick Kresic finished in third place in the competitive class. In the 200cc A class, Kawasakimounted Jeff Lauth romped to his second win of the series, catapulting himself past Chad Froman for second place in the final point standings behind no-show Robert Tominello. Lauth finished. a career-best sixth overall, bettering class runner-up Robert Bennett by approximately six minutes. Michael Burke placed third in the class, desite the fact that he was beset by mechanical woes. The six riders at the head of the the 200cc A class all finished in the top 20 in the overall results. The final event proved to be the best one of the season for 250cc A class regular Eric Weiland. The MaierI Noleen/Sidewinder/Gibsonia-backed 27-year-old rode to his first win of the season, building up a five-minute lead on the rest of the class while working his way up to seventh overall. Dwain Miller finished second in the class ahead of Brian Keegan. Class champion Gene Onail had an off-day and could only muster a fouth-place showing after assorted problems slowed his progress. Ron Palermo took the Open A dass title with his se.cond-straight.race win. Tommy Harris followed him across