.,
The Kirk-Smith leam encounters some of Ihe early dusl and rough sluff. Spectalors go! a blrd's eye ylew from any number of yantage polnls near Ihe
slartlng line.
LAS VEGAS, NEV. March 22, 1970Mike Patrick and Phil Bowers, riding
the new 360MX Yamaha, did a repeat of
their 1969 performance Sunda.y, wa1k1ng
away with top honors in the two wheeled
division of the Mint "400". The two
recorded an elapsed Urne of eight hours
53,22 minutes, more than an hour less
than their last year's mark.
And if the win wasn't sweet enough,
Patrick and Bowers will spllt over seven
grand in prize and contingency money.
Another Yamaha, ridden by motocross
pro Lars Larsson and 19 year old Al
Baker, grabbed the 250Cc and under
class, as well as a sixth place overall
finish.
Both
Patrick-Bowers and
Larsson- Baker were sponsored by Yamaha International.
Malcolm Smith, the bike shop owner
from San Bernardino, teamed with James
"Whitey" Martino for second place overall honors. The team rode a Husky 360
that Smith had purchased second-hand
three days before the race.
And J.N. Roberts and his partner,
Swedish rider Hans Hansson - the prerace favorites - managed to overcome a
time loss caused by two flat tires, for a
thlrd place fln1sh.
Roberts probably summed up the race
best, saying, " It just wasn't much fun.
Well, Its fun because there's a lot of
money in It."
And that's about the size of It. The
course v,'8.S absolutely brutal, consisting
of 50 miles of the most vicious desert
terra1n known to man. Teams were required to complete eight loops, and its a
sure bet that more than 50 percent of
the entries were unable to go the Itmlt,
Seventy four riders appeared on the
starting llne, and from that moment on
Whlley Marllno and Malcolm Smllh, second place finishers In lhe MinI '400', are shown - at different limes, of co"se - wailing to take his lurn on a leg of Ihe co..... The two alternaled laps on
a Husqvama 360. These pictures show just some of lhe tension In Sunday's race for more Ihan $7000. Smith and Martino had a few anxious momenls thaI evening as Ihey wailed to see If Ihel r
elapsed lime was good enough for lhe second place honors.
..
Tim Hart, a Southern California molocross Expert and flrslllme desert rider , starts to pass an
unidentified rider. Hart and Walkins, Montesa was holding down third In the 250cc and under
class, unlll mechan.ical problems forced lhem out.
