Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

SAN GABRIEL I.C. BARSTOW TO VEGAS & By Dick Wright Pbot.os by Jeff Wright & Harry Burt.on Dusty Coppage, TrillllPb-mounted, won the 192-mile National Hare and Hlund iu flIur-aud-a-haI1 hours, averaging 42 miles per hour over a large field 01619 rid.sin tbe rougb, sandy, and rocky des... Max Switzer, on a Greeves, took tbe top 250cc spol and seventh ov.all. Rick Stumph (57) s••ms Inspired In the put month, has lUI.,. be.. movlog up In the 100cc Clus. Anlsh.d 2nd, 85th ov.rall after a 15 minute late start. Dusty Coppag. was cool as Katy Wlnt...s aft.r the long hard 100 And h. beat out 618 rI ders en rout•• The starting area on saturday, Nov. 25th was in open territory, a half-mile out on the left side of Freeway-Highway 15. The course took a big bend to the left of the freeway for filty-three miles to the first gas check at Razor Road, then under the freeway in a bend to the right, for f1fty-slx miles to the second gas check at eima Road. From there the course went under the freeway again in another bend to the left for forty-five miles to the thIrd gas check, which was seven miles from the freeway, out in the boondocks. The final stretch was tbe thIrty-eight miles to the finish, which was a half-mile south of the Hacienda Hotel. The starting banner was dropped at 9:15 a.m. for the 400 combined Open and 250Cc classes, and fifteen minutes later the 219 trail bikes left the-line. Alter the fast two-mile starting area, the course went through a large rock bed which caused more than one rider to unload. After that eye-opener, there was a long stretch of very deep and moist sand dunes, tbe kind of stuff that seems to suck your rear tire down into it. This led into sOme fast trails and rocky fire roads, then uP a steep hIll, through a saddle-back between two rocky mountains (tough because it was so long), and on to tbe first gas check. At the first check, the overall leader was Ron Nelson on a 360 Montesa, and second man in was lS-year-old Gene Smith, on a Triumph. Dusty Coppage and Dick Dean were wheel-to-wheel coming into the pIts, both on fast Triumphs. Headlng out for the second gas check, the course had some long fire roads and we crossed the dry lake beds a COuPle of times, then headed uphill to the high timber area, winding around the rockand-pine-tree-covered m 0 u n tai n s on -narrow, ott-camber trails, where It was wise not to look down. ThIs trall went through a rocky wash, then made a lett A lot of people doubted Coppag. could k_p up the pace for 192 miles. Th. TT rI der surJl'lsed '.m, cov....d the varl.il t.rraln In ~ hours. Ron Nelson was really making It when h. dl d a spectacular endo... 3 complet. som.,. saults In midair and 3011 the ground at 80 mph. Damage? A scratch on the leg. After so long In the 10n.1y desert,lt's a thrill to be back among people as these National hounds found new strength racing through the pits. Bob Paxton and the Ridpcrest Honda crew announced IntentIons of beating Number One trail blk.r Jack Morgan •• did at the National. turn, and down a 200-yard-long hill; steep, sandy, and quite rocky, where most riders were obliged to get off and bulldog their bikes down for the first 100 yards. Then came the wet saltbeds, tricky because the trail was only a foot wide, and it you got oft the trail, you found yourself knee-deep in salty mud. It was just after this spot in the course that Ron Nelson did a very spectacular endo, flipping his bike three times and ending his chances for victory. Then, before the second gas check, Dick Dean ran into mechanical trouble and dropped out. Out of the second gas check and toward the third, the territory was much the same; deep sand dunes and a rocky fire road in sight of the freeway. Heading out of the third check was a fast fire road into some rough country and through a three-foot-hIgh tunnel about illty feet long. Here the riders had to put their chins on their gas tanks, and still their helmets scraped the top of the tunnel. Into daylight again, the trail went up a high bank which most of the leaders cleared six feet in the air; then onto the finish. Coppage wound up as the winner,looking very fresh, as though he had just won the Main at Ascot (which he did a couple (Continued on page 6)

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