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/126265
(Left) Frank Gallo flew on the motocross Special Test, Frank used his skill on the MX track to build an insurmountable lead. IBelow) As minute 27 flipped over. Roy Cook (227) and Mark Deyo (327) leave the start. Deyo placed second in the 175 class for a gold. IAbove) High-Speed formation flying by Team Penton. Jeff Hill (229)and Denny Vandecar (329) exit gas check three with impeccable style. IOpp. page) 125 class gold winner. Ted Leimbach gives some careful attention to his bike's chain at one ofthe gas checks. Frank Gallo tames Rattlesnake Two-Day By Dave Hawkins OLYMPIA. WA.JUNE 11·12 Team Penton's Frank Gallo put together two excellent days of riding to capture the 'Open class and the overall victory. Frank finished the trials with a total of 1023 points. Barry Higgins p laced second only 22 points off Gallo's hot pace. T he Rattlesnake Two-Day Na tional Re laibility Trials ended up a battle of special tests . Quite a nu mber of riders were ea rly 'to the checks throughout the two days, leaving the gold to be decided in the special tests . Bell's Angels M.C ., (That's spelled with a " B, " club members are quick to remind ) have hosted the Two-Days for the past two years . .The track course wound through the Capitol Forest just outside Olympia . .S t r a dd le lin e Motorcycle Park served as base camp and impound area. _T he course started with a pass in front of the grandstands , using a few of the motocross turns and jumps, then headed out for the forest. In a surprise move , Mother Na ture didn't rai n on the area for an entire week before the eyent . The cha nce of the heavens opening up with most of the course in the slick hills prompted th e Bell'sAngels to use a lit tle more road than usual. As it tu rned out the roads bled off thick d ust clouds the entire weekend , A few riders complained that there were too many roads, but the trails used were excellent and prompted enthusiastic rider comments, "T he trails were amazing, it was like riding in never-never land . To think they let you ride on such land is fantastic!" bubbled Don Iva n from Pascedero, California. At 8:01 Saturday, the still of the morning was broken by the sounds of the 125s being kicked to life. By checkpoint two the riders had al ready passed through the first special test of the day. O n the third gas checkpoint the Pent on crew got word that Carl Cranke's Penton had seized. The bike "just started to ping a nd qu it. Carl thinks it was the gas we used ," exp lai ned the pit crew . Ca rl la ter p ut the fai lu re in its proper pe rspective: "After 30·some straight gol d medals I fina lly broke, now 1 ca n start on another 30 ." 15 minute early arriva ls wer e not uncommon a t .the checks. Several riders in each class zeroed the checks all day. This made the motocross special test at the end of the day the most important event of the weekend . After nea rly 180 mi les the riders had to contend with three-la p , eig ht-rider races around the extremely d usty track. Some riders had to wait longer than an hour before their turn on the track. During the time they waited a lig ht breeze blew the dust from the track all over them. Frank Gallo put to good use his Florida Winter-AM A Series motocross experience. He ran away and hid from the pack . in his moto. Bikes with primary kick had a definite advantage as any rider after second place ha d a ha rd time seeing the track th rough the d ust. John Fe ro placed second to Gallo in the Open class after Saturday's tot als were posted, 10 seconds back . Ba rry Higgins gassed his Maico to : third at the end of d ay one only 13 seconds off the lead. In the 350 class Gary Yonkins po wered his Penton to lead Mike Han non by 13 seco nds . Larry T hompso n was on to p of the hotl y-contested 250s. Ma rk Deyo was on ly fou r seco nds behind with Tom Pent on ba ck on ly nin e . Bill Uhl rounded out th e top four j ust 17 seconds off the pace. Max Ma rkowitz was ru nning a strong race when he com pletely m issed a turn off a high speed dirt road into the trail. Max was passing another rider and bo th of