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/125835
.• • •• ~ e o ~ C'J ... ClJ .0 E ClJ > o Z Bill SiI... ~ _ tumecI with Dick H8.- ... Fred GenMin on a Handa of lltm«I G_ 350. It _ fasUst til it broke. Mary McGea lad off the fint leg on the 125 Can-Am, handed off to Bobby Wilson who handed off to his mom, Lynn Wilson. Dodging Chewy pick-ups is pan of the chall.... of the Baja 1000. This was the best fmish ever by a Mexican motorcycle team and it seemed fitting since this was the fnt truly Mexican 1000, sponsored and sanctioned through the Committee for Tourist Promotion in Baja California. Their organization, particularly for a first time effort, was good. The purse and the contingencies were adequate and, for a change, it looked like the Mexicans may actually have benefitted significantly from a race in their country. At least they had not forfeited control of the evenL Gene Cannady and AI Balter had a Kawasaki 450 set up for L'tern but, as in the ISDT, the transmission started to go away leaving Gene with only third gear by the time he handed off to AI. They didn't make it much further before other things started to go wrong with the bike and they both sought plane rides back to uppe~fomia. The Watkins brothers on the SL-70 finally finished the Baja 1000 after detouring 120 miles out of the way during the night and having to rcttace their path to get down to La Paz. Honda gave them no support for their effort, so they stripped all the iden tifying logos off the machine and put "Moto 1s10" stickies on the fuel cell they used for a gas tank. Lynn Wilson finally finished on the Can-Am Bombardier. She may not be the fastest thing around, God bless her, but she will finish if it is physically or mechanically pouible. She, with Mary McGee and son, Bobby, gave a decent account of themselves. They have become established as Baja veterans. Bruce Bomb.....t handed off to Larry Isherwood looking very tired and ready to quit riding. Their Honda 350 private entry was fourth bike into La Paz but a long ways back. Ron Bishop teamed with Jim Jasper this time to keep a steady pace and again fmish weD on his 400 Suzuki. He did a creditable second last year. The first 125, a Honda Elsinore with Dick Miller riding it into La Paz, was futh bike and first in class. The third 125, a little Suzuki, was brought in by Dave Jacobsen who rode for 10 hoUl'S with a broken shoulder. At this levd it gets to be endurance and not racing but that is much of what Baja is all aboUL Finish. Keep going no matter how tired you are or how bad the dust. If it breaks, ride around the problem un til it can be fixed. Fix it and keep going. Only another 100 or 150 miles. How many hours? You have to think about fmishing and why you are in the middle of this barren, rocky desert in the fnt place. You can't stop if you're on a bike or drink water from your jug like the car guys. Each entry in the Baja 1000 represents a personal story of heroism and sacrifice. You must experience it to understand. The word itself has new .meaning: Baja. • Mitch MayllS has just won the Baja 1000. Mexican Canbala 125 entry _ -.1125, _ of three smaII-bores to finish. So much fur Canbala jobs. • The WlI1kinsblothan, Don Jr.... Ed, finished within the ti_limit on a Honda SL·70 J*'tiaIIy sponsored by n _ other than Cyde News itself•