Round 5, The Copperhead
Mullins Captures Copperhead
BY DEBBIE ALLEN
Salem, KY, Dec 5
The Mid-South opened to a new location for its fifth round, and good tires and Tire Balls were definitely a plus for the riders facing their first annual Mid-South Cross-Country Motorsports Championships’ mud fest. Promoter, Darrin Tabor, nestled the gnarly track in Salem, Kentucky, and it was for mud slayers only. Rain held earlier throughout the week made the 11 miles challenging for even the best of hare scramblers, and the Copperhead was not only long and slick but also rutted, rough with roots, and a little rocky too. Luckily, the rain held off for the first two races, making it a beautiful day for most who raced the Pirelli / Moose / Maxxis / American Patriot Getaways sponsored series.Riding strong for Oneil / Enduro Engineering / Plessinger Cycles / IMS backed Charles Mullins got the holeshot, flew on his KTM, and finished out front in Overall. He also mastered the fastest lap time on his first lap.
He said, "The first lap was real slick, but I was feeling kind of good and was basically riding by myself for the first lap and a half. I got stuck in the mud hole, and I guess I sort of lost my pace. Then Dustin [Gibson] passed me when I stopped and got gas."
From there on, the two battled back and forth, swapping the lead several times and ending with Mullins taking the lead on their fourth and final lap.
"I tried to force him into making a mistake," said Tire Balls / Power Sports Graphics / Pro Action of Kentucky / Sarges’ Cycles supported Gibson, "but he wouldn’t budge."
Gibson had a great ride today with an amazing come-back from a dead last start. His front end washed out on the start, and he very quickly had to pick off one rider after the other. While in the lead, Gibson went down and the two collided. Then he made a mistake and got caught behind a lapper while Mullins moved into the Overall position and Gibson finished in second place.
The next riders through the score tent were Jeff Cregg, P.A. Allen, and John Maschino. Each, pretty much rode by themselves and finished in the top five. Off the start, Maschino got bumped into a few times, so he worked his way up to mid-pack. He then found Chris Bach in his sights and passed him when he got gas. Maschino finished in fifth place, and Bach followed.
The American Patriots Getaway turned out to be one, very nice sponsor. They randomly picked two of the winners and gave them free vacations. The winners of two classes were Alan Westerfield in 4 Stroke A and Roger Strong in Senior B.
Westerfield said, "Jeffrey Welch was putting a lot of pressure on me, but somehow I stayed in the lead and won a three day vacation to Gatlinburg."
Also riding in Senior B class was Gaylon Rogers. It was an honor to have Rogers back from the United States Army. One week earlier, he was fighting terrorists in Iraq. Today, he fought in the slimiest track of the season and came in sixth place.