Kevin LaVoie , from Rhode Island , who won three of the first four races , Jeff Fredette , who hails from Illinois , and New Englanders Kevin Hines and Tommy Norton , the overall win was most frequently taken by regional fast guys – mud specialists , such as Frank Gallo , Mark Hyde , Eddie Lojak , Terry Cunningham , Fred Andrews , and Scott Summers . Hyde in particular , won the event an unmatched four times . And yet , was being a “ mud specialist ” of any particular advantage when it came to success at The Blackwater ? Ask any of these guys , and they ’ ll likely tell you , “ No ”, as The Blackwater was too full of uncertainties , unpredictable elements , and hazards for which no rider could be fully prepared .
Ok , let ’ s get down to brass tacks . What were these terrible hazards , which caused many a rider , even the best , to experience exceptional grief and frustration ? Well , to begin with , the countryside around Davis , West Virginia is wet . Very , very wet . Lottsa water . Mix water and dirt , and whattya got ? Yep – mud . Wow , were the Blackwater courses ever muddy . And yet , anyone who ever rode the event will tell you that what is often overlooked in tales of the Blackwater is the fact that the region is extremely rocky . Oh , yeah . No matter how deep a mudhole you were in , somewhere down in there were rocks . And where it wasn ’ t muddy , it was really rocky . How much so ? Let ’ s say , no soil , just rocks – that kind of rocky . That is , except for in the bogs . No rocks in The Bogs . More on that later . Another factor – remember that old joke about West Virginia cows having legs shorter on one side than on the other ? There ’ s a basis for that running gag , as there is no level ground in West Virginia , except in The Bogs . Oh , yeah . Hills . Lots of hills . Small mountains , actually .
I personally rode The Blackwater several times in the latter 1980 ’ s . No class trophies for me , as I was always just a middle of the pack guy . Bob Wentzel , by comparison , was the fast guy , and quite possibly could have brought home a coveted Blackwater trophy . However , his particular racing ambitions kept him away from the event , and Bob in time suffered a career-ending injury , which took him out while he was still winning his class , and overalls , at virtually every race in which he competed . So , here ’ s some inside recollections from one of the hundreds of riders who hoped to simply survive the Blackwater .
First off , by the time I rode my first Blackwater 100 in 1986 , the event was huge . It had completely and entirely taken over the town of Davis and the surrounding area . Davis is just a dot on the map ,
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 118