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/125889
• Some of the riders were so im pressed with it that they were seen inspecting the rocks at very close ra nge_ On the other hand, you don't usually find neat MX sections on most desert courses, either. Seve ral beautifully be rmed hairpin turns (with water, even) allowed the Experts to show off for the many spectators. A small but wild fallaway jump had even the Beginners doing crossed-up sky shots. Wes Finkle, who took first Beginner and Jeff Maughan, who got second, finished back in the pack because they start later, but they are learning their skills in the best possible way and are rapidly earning thei r way to a promotion . That means something and it shows in their riding. Results in Results Section. C'IJ Ili:lI ;ii1!: Ili:lI ..::II g ;... - ' - .~ g '<:t< r-Ol ...... c<") l- Il.I .c E u Amateur hour atDRA U Il.I c By Dale Brown CALIFORNIA CITY, CAL., NOV. 24 r Sometimes there were no soft spots to land o n . Ouch! Hasten and other heroes By Terry Rezek CALIFORNIA CITY, NOV. 17 To me, th e great thing about desert racing is th at all the winners are not necessarily marked b y a high finish. Sometimes just finishing a race at all can show great heroism. Kevin Hasten won this particular event and to ok home S100 for a very good ride . Kevin is a strong aggressive rider and worthy of respect. Tony Eocujuri also - has my respect altho ugh he may be listed almost last in the results. Why? Well, he fell so many times on the rocky uphill that those watching lost count. He also fell going down the hill. Yeah , I know we 've all crashed a lot and still finished, even with a broken clutch lever, as did Tony . So where's the heroism, you say? Righ t in Tony's little 6-year·old he art is where. That's righ t a six year old, on a stock mini-enduro, riding and finishing his firs t desert race . What were yo u doing when you were six? Today was Hasten's da y. He alread y had a sligh t edge just past th e bomb with Bill Conroy and Steve Staats righ t Things are really jumping when you've got a motocross section in the loops. 14 on his tail. Staats passed Hasten in the first sandwash but Kevin pulled it out and regained the lead just before the uphill that boggled most riders. Even Staats got off in the rocks on that hill but got going again without losing position. However, on the second loop, Staats had fuel problems and lost second position to Conroy. Once .moving again, Staats repassed Conroy and the duel was on. More fuel starvation late in the third loop put Staats back to third again and since Hasten was long gone, that determined th e top three. Incidentally, that little gas shortage may have cost Steve ab ou t 525 . Conroy pocketed $50 for second overall and Staats got $25 for third . Conroy took an extra $50 for being first Amateur. Even DRA Novices win cash . First Novi ce today at tenth overall was Randall Smith and that netted him $25. Ron Burpo of DRA is an old desert rat who lays out a fun course with lots of variety in a short loop. You11 never find such hills on a motocross course! Bill Conroy (400 Hus) kept his winning streak in high gear by following his three consecutive Amateur wins with an overall Amateur/Expert win at the DRA European Scrambles. Another Amateur, Gary Davies (360 Yam) led it to the bomb, only to run into trouble on the back part of th e course and drop out of contention. Expert Paul Nyland (250 Bul) picked up the lead and held it through the pits, followed by Conroy, Howard McCasland (4 0 0 Hus) , Don Rotundo (400 Hus) and Dennis McEvoy (4 00 Hus) . Amateur David Taylor (125 Honlled Experts Dennis Greene (125 Hon and Phil Stumbo (1 75 Yam) in the small-bore class. About one and a half miles out of the pits, Conroy zapped Nyland and was pretty much home free fr om that point. On the third loop of the nine-mile circ u it, McCasland powered past Nyland to take second, only to crash brutally on a ro ck y uphill. The fact that he got going again speaks wonders for the man 's attitude. The cr ash had shattered his glass goggles and opened a co uple of nasty cuts. Nyland crashed in the same area and dropped ou r, Conroy was into the finish a couple of minutes ah ead of McEvoy. His winning streak had been accomplished without any form of sponsorship. If anybody is looking for a quick rider 10 sponso r , Bill is your man. Rotundo was in for third, pi cking up Th is hill had many rid ers flo undering. No t terribly lo ng, it wa s steep and offered no traction.