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/126260
; ************************************************** Desert Hotline ~ . = ~ t r-r-0') ,...-.4 Bruce Ogilvie switched t o Ca n-Am. took second overall in sp ite of a loo se exhaust pipe. Steve Nic holso n bea t t he novic es at 69th overall . 12 10-foot embankment, the racers were on an a rea of table -top pl at eaus. ex cept for a few d own and up crossovers . At this point . 'T om Kell y moved his KTM into third pl ace . trailing Ogilvie . Bri an Wright m oved up behind Chuck Pettegr ew at fifth while th e four st roke king Dwa ne Carter moved up 19 positions to sixt h ahead of Mark Stormes and Max Eddy, wh o managed to lose a footpeg . As Maicos don't h ave wide sid e cases for foot placement, Max had his problems . By the time the novices reached this area, Rodney Busse m anaged to get off three times. letting Stev e Nich olson by for the lead. Ga ry Tone of th e Antelope Ramblers follow ed suit . as d id Art Grajeda , Chris Gray (who moved up from around 30th to fourth), . and George Er l, first C . Nickolson had a good enough lead he could enjoy the playground the Sleds found at Iron Ridge. In and out of short neat sand washes , ridge running on a fire break type road that led to a couple of down hills . the type that tend to make one's kidneys work a ll by themselves , Nickolson didn't have this problem , though , and managed to navigate his Saltzman Husky out of the abrupt exits at the foot of the downhill roads. They had so much fun at th e north sid e of Iron Ridge they didn't even go near the old ho llowed out van. Terry Davis, making up for a bad start moved up 15 positions. As he flew up this neat rock walled sand wash he came face to face with the Sled Riders' version of the Berlin Wall . It was a 10foot solid rock blockade completely enclosing the wash . except for a small goat trail at the right. T erry found it . feathered his clutch , mounted th e obstacle and was on his m er ry wa y. Pat McEvoy, C bike rider Dean Hart , and Tony G rieves took off after each other after climbing ~round the wa ll and worked th eir wa y through th e moro type wash . Down sh iftin g very quickl y, Mc Evoy led th e o the r two ri ders up th e very steep em ba nkme nt fo r a sho rt ' ridge run . Clearin g thi s. th e ra cer s pick ed up th e first used sec tion of trail o n th e co urse since the fir st downhill . T he trail was fast a nd neat with g ra d ua l ro llers that kept th e fro nt end light , and just en ou gh ess turns to make it safe a nd interest ing . By this tim e . T om . Bro oks h ad cleared the super neat flat land sandwash that would stok e anyone riding it. Brooks cres ted a sa dd le back ridge , and dialed his Compet iti on Services Cycl e ac ross the two born b ru n areas, (the trail paralleled Bessedmer m in e road) . Enter ing the sm all mountains from th e re ar Brooks h it a section wher e he cou ld have used a trials bike. From thi s po int it was a straight sho t for home chec k a nd the pits in fu ll view t hree m iles a way . Following Bro oks into the pits was Bru ce Ogilvie on a brand new Can Am , a b rand new flat rear tire and a n expansion ch am be r wagging like a happy dog's tail. T om Kell y was next keeping a he ad of Pettegrew , th en it was Wright , Carter. Stormes, Eddy. Saltzman, Quibodeaux, Prater and Davis . Dean Hart still led the C bik es 'th ree spo ts ahead of Gary Willens . Charlie Hamill had a real good race going with Prospector Kevin Hopkins. Kevin pitted two positions behind Hamill and took ' off out to wa rds th e ro ck pile to the right going right past the Checkers front do or o n int o th e roll ers. The novices pitt ed without a ny problems. then th e white plates and tra il novi ces raced for th e finish. Fir st overall was a pie plat er named Dav e Wright who was fif t h at th e bomb overall . and rode the wh ole race o n a fr ont fla t. Second o vera ll, fi rst 250 , was M r. Co nsiste nt , Steve Isenhower. followed ' by Da ve Ahuero (first heavy); W a yne D rapero (second 250 : Harold Ma ckel ro y (seco nd hea vy). Firs t trail was Zuba th e Rover . followed by Dan T heel , Paul Krause , then Art G uman. Just a bo ut the time th e novices started to get a ngry a bo ut the go bs of whoops a nd roll ers, the tra il led off to th e right through some deep sa nd . Bro aching t he hard pan uphill th e 'tr a i l wound throu gh a t ight , so meti mes feet- off-the -p egs wa sh . T he n a round th e back of th e roc k pi le Gen e Pet ers. J ack Durb in a nd Mik e Coc krill hea ded o ut towards upper J ohnson Valley. By now th e ama te u rs a nd expe rts had crossed the fa st smoot h fire roa d . The course led off into some roll ers a nd a bru pt cho p . Bru ce Le wellyn thrives on th is stuff a nd got by first amateur J ohn Prater . Now he was looking at T err y Da vis' du st. Craig Cha ne y held on a nd gassed it as Mark Co tt er want ed thi rd C bik e spo t real b ad . Brook s h ad a lrea dy clea re d J effs flower bed (rolling whit e sa n d laced with acr es of flowers) a nd flew down the gia nt sa nd hill fo r a chec k. A quarter of a mile down th e road he pa ssed my bik e , left there the night before wh ile riding th e cou rse . After th e downhill it was homeward bound . Cutting a ro u nd the sid e of a sm all ro ck pile . the co u rse he aded up a jeep trail full of rock s. Gelling off of that t here was a sec tion of cho p then the sandy swoo p -d own hil l. Pushing his bik e harder , Brooks cleared the soft beige sa nd a rea , climbed the mild uphill getting his last chec k th en headed for hom e and the win . Second overa ll d esp ite the flat and loose exp a nsio n cha m be r . Bruce Ogilvi e rea lly lo ves his Terry kit in his Marzocchi fork s. T hird o ve ra ll, seco nd heavy., was C h uc k Pettegrew; third heavy, fourth overall spot Dwane Carter. T om Kell y bagged second 250 ; Brian Wright th ird (Did you kn ow Wright plays a trombone in a band? ). Dean Hart took first C bik e expe rt . with Gary Willens seco nd , J im Brown third. The mark of a true leader is Charlie Ham ill. When he fini shed he told me had to ride his buns off to get a rou nd Hopkins, t he am ate ur Kevin Prospector. Ch arlie didn 't have to say a nyt h ing a t a ll. First am a te u r 250 a nd first amateur was J ohn Pr at er . Jr. as usual. Nate Si aqu a a n d T im Fa gg fo llo we d . Bev erl y H ughes g o t firs t h e av y a ma te u r , Pat McEvo y second . Low Monreron e . Jr . t hird . First seni or expert he avy was Bru ce Lewellyn . with Bob De lliplaine second , a nd Ala n J ohnson thi rd . H arold King was first a ma te u r heavy se n ior , follow ed b y Keith Brown , a nd Jim Dodd thi rd . St eve Ni ck ol son pen etrat ed t he ranks a t 69t h overa ll, first heavyweight novice . Second novice overa ll. first 250 was Art Grajeda. Gary Co vingto n and Rodney Busse wer e seco nd and third . Mik e Lewe llyn took first C bike, si ~ th overa ll. wh ich was a ver y ni ce birtHday pr~'Sent to himsel f. Second went 0 George Erl, and J ames Owings . took t hird . T he race will pass into history as a success . Th e rid ers pr a ised tJl e m arkings a nd th e terra in . T he Sled Rid ers must have paid att ention to rid er co m me nts a bo ut m ore ro ug h tigh t st uff as th at's what th ey got. The race is in commenoration of Larry Pfut zenreuter who died . not of a bik e accide nt as som e may beli eve . but a ruptured ao rta . th e sa me th ing th at claimed his fat her. Second . the raffl e wa s for Mit ch Ma yes in hop es th e co nt ri butio ns help him on his way to his intended goal of full recov er y. ad The determination trophies of the week goes 10 Ch arlie Barney a nd Bob Rutten . Barney got off at th e bomb . a nd was second to last on ly 10 Rutt en . Ru tt en lost h is gas line , went back to the pits , started over, stopped a t two chec ks 10 tell of his plight then continued on. Brney finished 19th overall. Rutt en 27th. Inst ead of flat tires being the mod of th e day it wa s gas lin es (six) an fatigue . Cliff Ograin , a Lo ckhee Engineer . to ok first heavyweight se n io beginner. his first desert ra ce since B to-V '73 . Following is a result sheet full of rca su pe rsta rs. They haven 't finish ed race in m an y m oons but they chippe in their time a nd talent 10 make Mitch's ho use m()re compatible fo h is present lifestyl e : Jerry Neuberger Antelope Rambl ers; Steve Sta at s Roger T erry a nd Employees, Aru elop R ambl e rs a n d Ch argers; G ar Co nrad: Cam Bartlett , Victo rs; Ala Peppel. Ant elope Rambl ers a n Chargers; Albert Goodsen and Terr Kirsch , Shamr ocks ; Gok Manufacturers; C lifford Goodsen Earl Penn y; Chu ck Penny , Lo s Coyotes; Dean Goldsmith. Victors Kevin Rowden , Desert Squirrels; Erni N ogesek Charg ers and Ant e lo p Rambl ers; Denni s Carli sl e : Ri c Shire y ; E verett M ay es . Tas Coordinator a nd Super Dad ; Marily Ma ye s. food . re f res h me n ts a n understanding .