Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125590
.... "" .., '" os Q., By Chuck Clayton Photos by Chuck & Shar on Clayton BARSTOW , CALIF. , LAS VEGAS , NEV . , Nov . 30 , 1968 - When you think you've ridden all the to ugh ones and survived, truck your desert bike out pa st Bars t ow , in the Ca lifornia de sert and s ign up for the biggest rabbit chase around - the California to L a s Ve ga s Hare ' n' Houn d! It's Faster Off The Road san This year the promoting Gabriel Valley Motorcycle Club laid a cunning trail that wove around and under the Barstow- Vegas fr eeway, r unning s o close In places that motorists on the highway could compare their speed with that of the rough -riding motorcyclists. Held down to the legal maximum of 70 . mph,' the cars were soon outdls tanced by the leading bikes! Good, Good! Lf~;d up for tile .!arllne sllJla l, 813 entries stretch Ii mile across the de.ert. The re's sUIl roam for you next yea r. Rescue 3 ..d theIr new dune bum Dave Lewis leads AI Baker under the yeelS frllwa, an the home stretch. At precisely 9 a.m , the blue and gold s tarting banner waved the bikes away In a mad 1 s cramble to the sm oke marker . There they picked up the course, and after 22 miles of bucks and jolts , spread out over a great dry lake for a flat-out horsep ower race. But all good things must end, and soon they were flogging through volcanic rubble with only an occasional- breathing space . The r acers crossed under the free way through a water dratn and made a brief pause to gas up at the second check. Eight hundr ed and thir teen started the race and 720 made It to the secon d check. So far, so good. Bad, Bad! Not far out of check two the COurSE turn ed Into five mUes of axle-deep powder dus t. Laying the course out In anticipation of rain, the San Gabriel club figured on h a v I n g the heavenly water truck wet down the stuff, but the des er t was suffering a drought this year and so the powder took a terrlble 'toll of stalled machines and exhausted r iders. Only260 made It to the next gas stop at Clma road, shortly past the haliway point. Bill Friant, on an Ossa, enjoyed a twominute lead at chick one, 22 miles out, and he was followed by bearded J.N. " Jackalope" Roberts on a 250 Husky. At the Cima Road check J. N. was way In the lead, foll owed by a fellow Checker cl ubman on a Husky and Dusty Coppage, another Checker and last year's winner, on a Triumph. Worse, Worse! Above: J.N. wan by 7\2 mInute.. Below, Larry Hliey conducts the rIders meetln&- It's Dave Lewis alOin, matarlne under freeway crass. I less canslrlctlne Cr os sing under the freeway again, the racers turned Into the mountalns with the longest stretch of 45 mUes ahead of them • .Anybody who made It this far was pretty sure to f!nish. But Coppage dropped by the wayside, and so did 39 others. After the third major gas stop at Goodsprings In the Nevada mountains, It was downhlll nearly aU the way on the final 32-mUe sprint to Vegas. As the casinos on the strip loomed larger on the hortzon, flat tires , and other mechanical woes befell some of the racers, but they didn't let llttle things like that stop them from finishing. George Walker and Doyle FIelds both rode the final stretch with rear tires flat, and Jack Morgan, the second trailblke In, wobbled to the flnlsh line In Vegas with a rear wheel that resembled a pretzel. Congrats to the Club! Bruce Dunfor d did a great job to finish 5th overall In his second expert rtde, Wes Ander son, the first trailblke f!nisher, on a Steen SS Hodaka, scored a remarkable 43r d overall, after a 15mInute handicap start. J. N. Roberts won the 192 mile race In just under four hours I The 2nd annual S.G.V.M.C. Barstowto- Vegas Har e 'n ' Hound wl1l go Into the record books as another classIc crosscountry event, In the tradition of the famo us Big Bear Run. To the 35-member San Gabr iel Club goes the thanks and congratulations of this newspaper and motorcycle enthus iasts everywhere, for putting It on. Next year, with a little help from the rain gods, the entry should top 1,000. (Results on page 16) • ..