Honda wins Parker 400.
Twice.
Honda put on an impressive display of
end urance at the brutal Parker 400 run in both Arizona and California on February lst. It was a duel
between the team of Steve Holladay and Wayne .
Cook on a race-prepared Honda Elsinore'" 250
two-stroke and Al Baker and Gene Cannady on a
modified Honda XL-350 Iour-stroker. The Elsinore
won, but not by much The Holladay/Cook team
from Saugus, California took first overall with a
time of 7 hours , 14 minutes.The Long Beach,
California team of Baker! Cannady was one
minute behind for a first in the O pen C lass and
second overall.
The Park er was run in three loops- two
110-mile segments from Blue Water Marina,
Arizona; one rugged stretch from Earp, C aliforma.
After the first loop, many of the vehicles were down
for repairs. The Elsinore just needed the chain
tightened. During the rouqhest part, the 148
C alifornia miles, Cook ana the Honda Elsinor e
really built up the lead . Enoug h so that Hollad ay
could ride the last 20 miles of the race on a flat
tire and still win.
Out of the 280 vehicles that started the
Parker 400, just 104 finished . Only 26 bikes were
entered and only 16 of those finished. Dependab ility was definitely the key. And Honda proved
aga in that when it comes to depe ndabilityfour-stroke or two-stroke - Honda is definitely
the way to win.
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