Can Smith make it Four-in-a-row at Sparta?

Not even Rodney Smith himself thought he would build a three-race win streak during the 2004 AMA Grand National Cross Country Series. But the four-time GNCC Champion is riding better than ever since turning 40, and he heads to the Spartan GNCC this weekend to face a field desperate to end his historic run. Smith, a member of the FMF Suzuki factory off-road team, has out dueled Am Pro Yamaha's Jason Raines for three straight races. All of them have been spectacular battles that went right to the wire. Raines should put up an even better fight this weekend. The Washington native won the Spartan GNCC by a large margin last year, and took a hard-fought win over Smith in 2002. One of their win streaks will end this weekend.Parts Unlimited/Moose Honda rider Scott Summers will be playing the spoiler's role. The five-time GNCC Champ rode the last GNCC just a few days after having a plate surgically inserted over his broken collarbone, and he rode heroically to claim sixth. With two weeks to heal and train, Summers promises to be at 100 percent for his home race in Kentucky.GNCC Champion Barry Hawk needs to bounce back after a string of bad races. Hawk has no shortage of confidence over his chances of reeling off a win at the track where he wrapped up last year's GNCC Championship. Also on the move is Smith's FMF Suzuki teammate Fred Andrews. Andrews led much of the race two weeks ago at Loretta Lynn's before finishing third, and he always gets faster during the second half of the season. All makes for a tough road for Smith to take his four-straight win, but the veteran has been bucking the odds all season.The GNCC weekend begins with ATV action on Saturday, with novices racing at 10 a.m. and the top ATV pros racing at 1 p.m. Then it is Motorcycles on Sunday, with a two-hour race for Novice riders at 10 a.m. and a three hour race for the pro, A and B riders at 1 p.m. Over 1300 riders are expected to compete in a variety of classes. Spectator admission is $10 for the entire weekend, and children under seven are free. From Cincinnati, Ohio, follow I-71 to Exit 57 and follow signs for two miles to the track.The AMA Grand National Cross Country series is America's premier off-road racing series. The 14-round series is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The nearly three-hour long races lead as many as 1400 riders through tracks ranging from eight to twelve miles in length. With varied terrain including hills, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC races are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC featured sponsors include Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis, Yamaha, Wiseco, Klotz, FMF, Dunlop and ITP, and riders compete for over $1.3 million in series prizes and contingency money. The 2003 series aired weekly on Speed Channel. Associate sponsors include Moose Utility Division, Scott, Alpinestars, Cometic, Outerwears, Pro Armor, Race Tools, Twin Air, SFB Racing, Thor, Racer X Illustrated, EFM, Motion Pro, Tire Balls, GPR Stabilizer. Moto-Tee's, Warrior, Ohlins and Laeger's.