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Wisp Ski and Golf Resort McHenry, MD Round 9 June 25, 2006 JULY 12, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 54 Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series MY OWN RACE 4 Charlie Mullins 12th Place Charlie Mullins, who has flirted with getting his first GNCC all season, grabbed the Racer X Holeshot Award and ended the first lap in second place, right behind Salminen. Problems, however, unfolded from there for the GNCC Pro rookie. Brake troubles kept him in the pits. He received new brake pads but that didn't fix the problem, so Mullins rode a full lap without rear brakes, and then he had to stop to change to a completely new rear-brake system. He was way back after that but man- aged to climb back into 12th. "I lost a lot of my fire after that," Mullins said. "It was a frustrating day." 14 Nathan Kanney 8th Place Nathan Kanney, the R.E.R. Motorcity privateer, was run- ning a strong third early on. "It was really good; I didn't make any mistakes, I saw people making mistakes, and whenever I wanted to make a pass I felt like I could," he said. "So it was going really good, but then it got worse. I started having problems with my brakes. Then I started having problems with my eyes, so here I am. At about midrace, I was like, 'Oh, I can't see, let me pull a tear-off.' Then I would pull it and I realized the dirt wasn't on my goggles – it was in my eyes." 116 John Dowd 4th Place All in all, it was a very impressive GNCC debut for John Dowd who ran near a podium spot before running out of steam late in the day. "I thought I used up all of my drink sys- tem, but I guess I had some air trapped in the line or something," Dowd said. "I had three quarters of it left at the end. It was pretty fun, but three hours on a motorcycle is still pret- ty mind-boggling to me. I did the first few laps pretty good, but I was kind of done after that. I have to thank the Suzuki guys. I knew nothing about what I was supposed to do. They helped a lot." Dowd plans on racing the Unadilla AMA/Toyota MX National in July and then returning for the Unadilla GNCC in September. twice for repairs and also completed a whole lap with- out rear binders. He ended up 12th. Halfway through the race, Hawk had found his groove and went from outside the top five to the lead. "After my first lap, I thought I was never going to catch those guys," Hawk said. "I was way back and I thought it was going to be a long day - my goggles were covered, my grips were muddy. I think I was being too conservative. So I really started flooring it, and it seemed like I was a gear higher than everyone." Hawk took the lead from Salminen, but Salminen got it back by going straight through the pits while Hawk stopped for goggles. "I lost my game on the fourth lap," Salminen said. "I fell down a couple times. My glove was full of mud. That was my mistake. I should have stopped and changed my gloves. I lost everything in that lap." CN WISP SKI AND GOLF RESORT MCHENRY, MARYLAND RESULTS: JUNE 25, 2006 (ROUND 9 OF 13) OVERALL: 1. Barry Hawk (Yam); 2. Juha Salminen (KTM); 3. Justin Williamson (Yam); 4. John Dowd (Suz); 5. Thaddeus Duvall (Yam); 6. Jimmy Jarrett (Suz); 7. Glenn Kearney (Suz); 8. Nathan Kanney (Yam); 9. Robbie Jenks (KTM); 10. Paul Whibley (Hon); 11. Garrett Edmisten (Kaw); 12. Charles Mullins (Yam); 13. Travis Green (Kaw); 14. Dustin Gibson (KTM); 15. Gary Fridley (KTM); 16. Jake Korn (GG); 17. Brian Lawson (Yam); 18. John Bennett (Yam); 19. Brett Zofchak (Kaw); 20. Todd Morain (KTM). SUZUKI GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 9 of 13 rounds): 1. Juha Salminen (235/7 wins); 2. Barry Hawk (178/2 wins); 3. Charles Mullins (151); 4. Glenn Kearney (135); 5. Paul Whibley (118); 6. Jimmy Jarrett (107); 7. Fred Andrews (91); 8. Mike Lafferty (90); 9. Robbie Jenks (83); 10. Shane Watts (79). Justin Williamson made the best of the worst and got on the podium with a third. John Dowd competed in his first GNCC and finished fourth. Former Amateur GNCC champ Thad Duvall rounded out the top five overall.