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/125809
by Larry Ulrich BEND, ORE., Oct. 22, 1972 - The Cascade Motorcycle Club of Bend, Oregon held the third annual "High Desert 100". A great increase in tumOtLt caused club members to walk around Sunday morning in a daze, wondering how they were going to handle 480 riders when they have never exceeded 200 before. This year, the' race to the smoke bomb was only about one mile of blasting through sage brush to a twisting road, which led to a straigh t, graded, fast road. They then turned off onto a trail that followed a fence line for two miles to the first check point. This check point was too close to the starting line due to a last minute course change at a request of the Bmeau of Land Managemen t. Th riders were backed up about one-half mile waiting in line to get their check. r After check point two, th,e riders ente-red Forest Service land with twisting roads and trails among the taU pine trees. After check four the riders entered a real fun, fairly dust free, white pumice road with tigh t comers and jumps. After going through some super rocky lava fields, they were back on fast desert trails heading back to the start-finish line. Randy Limbeck, riding a Poweroll Performance Honda, had the lead at this point. Ken Habeck, the Seattle school teacher, was right on his tail riding a 400 I-Iusky. After they gassed up; Habeck took the lead as Limbeck got confused as to where the trail went. In an effort to overtake Habeck, Limbeck !Jent his brake lever on some sage brush. In the next 50 miles, Limbeck stopped at least eight times to straighten the brake lever. Limbeck again managed to take the lead and again on a road. The Bend, Oregon based Poweroll Performance, that manufactures bore and stroke kits for Hondas, really did the job on this super fast 312cc Honda single. Limbeck still had the lead at check ten. At this point the riders entered a rocky canyon that wa, filled with juniper trees. Young Limbeck was lifted right off his bike by a juniper limb and thrown into a barb wire fence, shredding his leathers and bending his brake lever again. .From this point on, the course went through creek beds, rock piles, and fast, The High Desert .100 rocky trails. Every time Limbeck would get close to the old desert fox, Habeck, he would bend something or throw a chain. By now he had no left handgrip, just a bare handlebar. Remembering how he passed Habeck on the roads before, Limbeck settled down and waited for a road that he knew led to the finish. But the old desert fox had out-foxed the young motocrosser: as he dialed the power to his 400 Husky down the road to the finish a good 100 yards ahead of Limbeck. Do you suppose Habeck was thinking of this road all along, or was he just avoiding a seizure or holed piston by backing off 'on the roads at the early stage of the race? This was the' third "High Desert IOO", and this was the third time Habeck won. Three times for the $ 100 overall prize and three times for the perpe tual trophy that now will be a permanent resident at the Habeck home. Who ever Heard of a desert Race in' the Vast Northern Wasteland ? Richard Smart of DO (North McElyea Photo, SRA M o t o c r o s s - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - by Bruce C. Young DIXON, CAL., Oct. 29, 1972 - AUan Yarrow Bros. racing team won the Open Expert combined class with ease'today, simply funning away from every.one on each mota. Allan's closest contender, but a long way back, was Bruce Kelley. Right behind Kelley was the Amateur field which was led by Eugene Price on his Husky. The two divisions of Novice riders had dpuble winners. They were Logan Brookins on his Mai.co of Santa Rosa in ti,e Division I and Paul Lindliff of Vacaville also on a Maico finishing first in the Division II class race. The 250 Novice Division l class was an easy win for a Super fast doctor racer, "Doc" AI Bauman on his CZ. Thomas Hauth on his Bultaco won both motos in the 250 Novice Division J"I.lfl~"ยท )if~SN'lg"second in both motos . was Michael Haynes on his Suzuki. In the 125 class there were only five riders, with Don Murphy on a Bultaco finishing first overall in the Amateur. The overall winner in the 125 Expert class was Kenneth Gerrard on his new Rickman taking all motos. The 250 Amateur/Expert round had more riders and the racing was super close. Don SLOver of ISDT fame took the Expert class but not without a real battle to the wire from Dave Buckmaster. Daniel Lane came out on top in the 250 Amateur but not without much competition from Duane Yarrow of Fairfield and Richard Smart of Placerville. The 100cc winner was Danny Reed on his Yamaha. Danny had an easy run in the first moto but had to really ride in the second round to garner second at t 1;,he fj aI.er.a bad st.art. ..