AMA FMF Racing
National €nduro
Series
Greenbrior
Enduro
Pori
Elizdberh, NJ.
OFF.ROAD
Round 3
April 2.
2006
I
Sronv av
,vlARc
HE|M PHoros BY
MIKE BraDwAY
AFTEB
THBEE BOUNDS,
GETS
FIRST
WIN OF
Rirh Laffertv ioined
his brother
on
rhe
podium wirli o
rhird-plote finish.
I
^/
LT;:l-i,f["#:ffi::
W win of the vear at
the
l\ c...nu.ier Enduro
in Port
I \rtizauetr,,
New
lersey.
The
defending champ
topPed
the
Previous-
round winner,
KTM rider
Russell Bob-
bitt, by
five
points, 36-41, and the
third-place
finisher,
Laffert/'s brother,
Rich,
by 10,
making it a KTM
podium
sweep.
Fourth
place
went
to Kawasaki
rider Blair
Bersano, and
fifth
place
to
another
KTM/Mason
Racing-backed
rider,
Tony Geraci.
Lafferty came out
with
guns
blazing,
opening
up a three-point
edSe
after
just
rhe first loop oI
the three-loop
enduro,
ln the more
open second
loop, Lafferry
gained
another
point
on his rivals,
including
Fred
Hoess and Stephen
Edmondson,
who both
burned a check
in that loop.
The third loop,
like the
first, was
again
a tiSht
one, which
played
into
Lafferty's
hands. The
seven-time
Enduro champ
gained
another
point
to
ensure
the victory
Sixth
place
went to Yamaha
rider Ryan
Rodgers, followed
by Gas
Gas
pilot
Leonard
Keen,
Edmondson, and Gas
Gas
riders
John
Barber and
Dale SweiSart.
ln
pursuit
of
his eiShth
National
Championship,
one might
think that
adding an eighth
title
might be a forgone
conclusion,
but this
season may
Prove
to be
one of the
more difficult ones
for
Lafferty
in recent
memory as a number
of
strong riders
are taking a shot
at the
tgp
prize. At the
previous
two
rounds,
Pat Garrahan
and Bobbitt
rode
the
wheels
off their KTMS,
each
taking a
win
and the 30
points
that come
with it.
But Lafferty
has been he.e
before and
knows that leading
at the
end of the
series
is what counts.
However,
Lafferty
knows that race
wins are important,
especially
in
your
own backyard.
Having
lost the
previous
a
MIKE
THE SEASON
IN
NEW JEBSEY
I
I
to
two
rounds,
'lunior" put
the hammer
down
and outpaced
the field for a com-
manding
win in comfortable surround-
ings,
letting the others know
they
still
have
some work to do
if they want
to
prevent
Lafferty
from claiming
his
eighth number-one
plate.
A sunny,
68-degree
day treated
the
riders
to nearly ideal trail
conditions,
and the Tri-County
Sportsmen
did a fan-
tastic
iob
oI
laying out a course
that was
long
on miles and short
on resets
to
challenge the
riders.
Multiple speed
changes
kept the riders on
their toes,
too, as they mana8ed
the
98-mile
