Am-Pro Yamaha’s Barry Hawk is leaving no doubt why he won the 2003 Grand National Cross Country Series Championship. After losing the chance to defend his title due to injury, the Pennsylvanian has come back with back-to-back wins in America’s largest off-road series, including a win over the weekend at the Power Line Park GNCC.”Once I came back from the injury, it really lit a match up under me. I’m fired up,” said Hawk, who debuted the 2005 Yamaha YZ250 with a win. “The ’05 worked awesome, it just took me a little while to get used to how it reacted in some situations. I want to use what we learned and keep this momentum going into next year.”The Ohio GNCC marked a return to the tight, close racing GNCC’s are known for. After ten riders freight-trained through the woods for three hours, FMF Suzuki’s Doug Blackwell and Kawasaki Team Green’s Chuck Woodford emerged with second and third, respectively, their best finishes of the season.”I wanted to win this one today, but I’m happy to be up here,” said Blackwell. “It takes a great team behind you to get up here, and I finally have that. It’s been way too long since I’ve been up here, but I’m back.”"All year long I’ve been struggling,” said Woodford, who lives only ten minutes from Power Line Park. “I didn’t have to bang bars all day. I just stayed relaxed and calm and let it come to me. I was following Barry for a while and we got into first and second, but Doug got a little too excited in a mud hole and we crashed. But I just stayed in a comfort zone today.”Series points leader Rodney Smith was in position to clinch the 2004 Championship when he ran second early, but he got wire wrapped in his bike and dropped all the way back to 12th. A strong charge put him into fourth at the finish, but with his series-rival Jason Raines finishing fifth, Smith will have to wait until the final GNCC two weeks from now in Indiana to wrap it up.”Once I saw Jason right behind me, I knew I would have to wait until Indiana,” said Smith. “On the last lap it was kind of fun, we were hollering at each other and everything, just having fun. I think the pressure is off of both of us right now.”Before the race, Raines admitted he has been riding with a crack in his shoulder socket. “At this point, my only goal was to just try to keep the championship going to the last race,” said Raines. “I hurt my shoulder over the summer and I’m going to ride it out. It gets stuck in position sometimes and it like a deer in the headlights while you just wait for it to unlock.”Throttlehead.com Kawasaki’s Josh McLevy continues to make strides, leading early and finishing sixth. Seventh went to his teammate Steve Hatch, with last week’s hero, Australian enduro champion Glenn Kearney, in eighth. National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty was ninth, and John Barber was a career-high tenth overall on a Gas Gas. The final round of the 2004 GNCC Series comes up in two weeks at the Klotz Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana.Top Twenty Overall1. Barry Hawk Jr., Smithfield, PA (Yam)
2. Doug Blackwell, Parkersburg, WV (Suz)
3. Chuck Woodford, St. Clairsville, OH (Kaw)
4. Rodney Smith, Antioch, CA (Suz)
5. Jason Raines, Belfair, WA (Yam)
6. Josh McLevy, Fairfield, CT (Kaw)
7. Steve Hatch, Scottsdale, AZ (Kaw)
8. Glenn Kearney, Picton, Australia (Yam)
9. Mike Lafferty, Millville, NJ (KTM)
10. John Barber, Aliquippa, PA (Gas)
11. Cole Calkins, East Sparta, OH (Kaw)
12. Charles Mullins, Trenton, OH (KTM)
13. Lance Smail, Kent, WA (Kaw)
14. Jesse Robinson, Connellys Spring, NC (Kaw)
15. Andy Shea, Oxford, OH (Kaw)
16. Stephen Edmondson, Hardy, VA (Ktm)
17. Brett Zofchak, Washington, PA (Kaw)
18. Aaron Wegner, Traverse City, MI (Yam)
19. Kyle Chaney, Pataskala, OH (Yam)
20. Chris Gallt, Eagle, MI (Kaw)
GNCC Overall Bike Point Standings (After 13 of 14 rounds)1. Rodney Smith (319/6 wins)
2. Jason Raines (292/4 wins)
3. Barry Hawk Jr. (209/3 wins)
4. Steve Hatch (187)
5. Fred Andrews (168)
6. Scott Summers (165)
7. Doug Blackwell (161)
8. Mike Kiedrowski (142)
9. Cole Calkins (121)
10. Robbie Jenks (118)
2. Doug Blackwell, Parkersburg, WV (Suz)
3. Chuck Woodford, St. Clairsville, OH (Kaw)
4. Rodney Smith, Antioch, CA (Suz)
5. Jason Raines, Belfair, WA (Yam)
6. Josh McLevy, Fairfield, CT (Kaw)
7. Steve Hatch, Scottsdale, AZ (Kaw)
8. Glenn Kearney, Picton, Australia (Yam)
9. Mike Lafferty, Millville, NJ (KTM)
10. John Barber, Aliquippa, PA (Gas)
11. Cole Calkins, East Sparta, OH (Kaw)
12. Charles Mullins, Trenton, OH (KTM)
13. Lance Smail, Kent, WA (Kaw)
14. Jesse Robinson, Connellys Spring, NC (Kaw)
15. Andy Shea, Oxford, OH (Kaw)
16. Stephen Edmondson, Hardy, VA (Ktm)
17. Brett Zofchak, Washington, PA (Kaw)
18. Aaron Wegner, Traverse City, MI (Yam)
19. Kyle Chaney, Pataskala, OH (Yam)
20. Chris Gallt, Eagle, MI (Kaw)
GNCC Overall Bike Point Standings (After 13 of 14 rounds)1. Rodney Smith (319/6 wins)
2. Jason Raines (292/4 wins)
3. Barry Hawk Jr. (209/3 wins)
4. Steve Hatch (187)
5. Fred Andrews (168)
6. Scott Summers (165)
7. Doug Blackwell (161)
8. Mike Kiedrowski (142)
9. Cole Calkins (121)
10. Robbie Jenks (118)
