Blackwell Wins Lynnville National Hare Scrambles

Shan Moore | October 4, 2004

Team Suzuki’s Doug Blackwell (pictured) was the overall winner at the ninth round of the AMA National Hare Scrambles Series in Lynnville, Indiana, yesterday, but it was Am-Pro Yamaha’s Jason Raines who sported the biggest smile at the end of the day. Raines, the defending series champ, wrapped up a second-straight series title with a runner up finish on the tough and dusty Lynnville course.

With no rain to speak of for the entire month of September, the 12.8-mile course, which was set up in the Lynnville Park coal pits, was covered with a dry silt, making visibility for anyone but the front riders very poor. Considering the fact that most of the course consisted of single track, everyone knew that a good start would be imperative, and at the start it was Blackwell who emerged through the first corner with the lead, followed by Raines, Throttlehead.com/Kawasaki’s Josh McLevy and Kawasaki Team Green’s Chuck Woodford. From there on, the top five could do nothing more than follow the leader.

At the finish, it was Blackwell taking his first National Hare Scrambles win of the year, followed by Raines, McLevy and Woodford.

“Today was pretty boring,” Raines said. “Doug got the holeshot and led from start to finish. I got second off the line and rode second from start to finish. After the first road section I thought, ‘Man, this is going to be dustier than I thought!’ Once we got into the lappers, your getting double the dust, but today was a good day for Doug; he rides great out here and I’m real glad to see him win out here.”

“I was real nervous coming in here,” added Raines. “My main focus was to win the championship and get that out of the way so I could focus on the last two GNCCs. So, my hat?s off to Doug, Chuck and everybody who finished this race, it was tough today.”

O/A: 1. Doug Blackwell (Suz); 2. Jason Raines (Yam); 3. Josh McLevy (Kaw); 4. Chuck Woodford (Kaw); 5. Cole Caulkins (Kaw); 6. Andy Shea (Kaw); 7. Jeff Cregg (Kaw); 8. PA Allen (Kaw); 9. John Robbins (KTM); 10. Justin Willimason (Yam).

Shan Moore | Contributing Editor

Moore covers all facets of off-road racing for Cycle News – from AMA Supercross and Motocross to GNCC and National Hare Scrambles events.