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/126267
Mauna Kea 200 enduro: Dick Vick clicks By Mary Witte HILO , HAWAII , MAY 29·50 The " Big" Isla nd of Hawaii was host to the second annual Mauna Kea 200 sponsored by the small, but enthusiastic Rock Island Riders Motorcycle Club. Forty-five rid ers from neighboring islands of Oahu and Maui and as far away as Tahiti and the Mainland desceded upon the quaint little resort town of Hilo where the Enduro began on a rainy Saturday with Dick Vick of San Clemente, Ca. taking the overall honors on a borrowed 560 Husky without a speedometerl Perhaps the best word to describe the overall weekend is "diversified," as it applied to the weather, terrain , rules and people. Most riders agreed that they were back again because last year had been so muck fun . In fast , there was an almost 100% return. Californians Jim Jenks, Grubby Clark, Malcolm Smith, and Dick Vick had been invited to ride by Dave Rochlen (of "Su rf-Line Hawaii" shin fame .) (Above) Dave Eropkin (8U and Doug Boyd battled in SSM's 250 Pro class. (Below) The 12 and over Intermediates raise a cloud of dust in a run-off at the National Minicycle Assn:s Indian Dunes qualifier June 4-5. Gillman f ops- 250 Pros af SSM By Danny Raymond ORANGE, CA . J UNE 11 Yamaha SUppOTt Team rider Scott Gillman flew to top do llars in SSM's 250 Pro division . Gil lman followed D&G's Mike Bell to the first moto finis h after Bell made a come fro m -behind dash to the lead befo re t he rn oto ended. Early into the second moto however. Bell had his probl ems keeping his Yamaha upright, fina lly pulling off th e track to score a DNF for .moto two. Gillman went on to br eeze to the second moto win, and the overall. Collins and Son 's Rick Asch follwed Gillman in second but a poor finish in th e first mow ga ve second overall to Competit ion Cycles' Tom Cross (Mai). Yamaha -mounted Dave Eropkin picked up third overall after two consistant races over VH's Arden Hadley (Mai). Du ring Open Pro action , Je ff Vid ic po wered his Crown Cycle Yama ha to th e ea rly moto lead bu t was quickly za p ped b y Wheelsm ith 's Mark Rodman (Mai) , Ma ico's own Cassin ' Gaylon Mosier , and Luke Messer on yet anothe r Maico. Mosier ma de his move on th e lea d , but only m inutes la ter hit a flag banner and dropped ba ck to last . Messer t hen went on to lea d until Rodman again put the pass a nd held it through th e finish. Messer picked up second, Vid ic third , and Wheelsmith's Scott Miller followed in fou rt h. Aga in Vidic led through th e dust and again Mosier and Rodman made th eir way past. The two Maico masters moved into a great lead over the pack while they battled between themselves. As Mosier finally started to ga in a little time, Rodman hit the ground, ending his day of racing. Vidic picked up on second spot at the fin ish , behind long gone Mosier, and ahead of Scott Miller, Will Harper, and Luke Messer, all Maico-mounted except for Vidic's Yamaha. • Results in Results Section Although advertised as an enduro, it was actually a curious combination of enduro and Six Day rules. One had to keep ti me like an endu ro and sta y on what turned out to be a good , tight schedule. but as in Six -Day rules, riders had to carry all tools with them that they may have needed to use . Riders could help one another work on their bikes, but could rece ive no · outside assistance. When Hugh "Fireball" Kelly (so named during the course of the event when his K'ls cap came off with pr edict able resu lts ), the rid er from Tahiti had a flat tire in th e ra in in the jungle brush , he didn't know Malcolm Smith could have changed it for him in three minutes . Instead Malcolm " ta lke d " Kelley through it for 20 minutes. The first part of the course was a section of paved road leading out of town which served to warm up the engines and bodies for the toughest section of th e entire ride. Organizers d idn't wast e any time getting th e riders into the thick of it. It was the section that had had everyon e wondering--the four m .p.h. " Log Trail" . Dominic Grupido, a trials rider and motorcycle shop owner from Honolulu , described it as a "killer" after ha ving four flat tires . It was extrem ely slick, grass y mud where it was d ifficult walking, much less rid ing. There were huge logs along dense jungle tra il to go over with lit tle traction. You could n' t get up much speed to clear them , so there as a lot of lifting in th e heat a nd humidity. You could follow the trail by jackets and jerseys left behind as riders shed their gear in th e sti fling heat. Since there was no room to pass, ridet!; had to help each othc:r Ket through, At 7,000 feet came the loose lava rock trails which turned into t he hard lava flows laid down by Mauna Loa 's eruptions as late as 1974 , and infamous " Blue Ribbon Trail". T he serpentine six-mile course was marked by blue ribbons which were difficult to see on the black, asphalt· like terrain. They had to stay within the markers as nature had created lava " tu bes ." great gaping holes leading to infinity and difficult to see in the .huge lumps of lava until one was practically on top of them. There was also the danger of breaking through a soft crust and disappearing for quite sometime. Even . locals like Ed Ung, Dave Webster. and Paul Novak were amazed with the lunar-like, cratered terrain . It was like riding on the surface of the moon and just as eerie. Traction was terrific here, but what began as brand new tires were incredibly eaten away by the cinder lava , giving everyone the handicap of almost totally bald tires. The end of the first day 's ride totalled 80 miles and ended at the Mauna Kea State Park at 7,000 feet where everyone was bunked ' down in neat wood cabins with log fires . The ness hall was the scene of much benchracing and everyone was refueled by cold beer and great meals cooked by the wives and girlfriends of club members. Thirty-six riders finished the d ay as Colin Iwasa took the lead with 15 pIS. followed by Roger Singler (16), Nathan Jensen (17) and Dick Vick (20). Malcolm Smith's chances for victory were gone when he wound up 27 and 30 minutes early at checks four and five after zeroing the first three . He couldn't figure it out until he rode along with Jack Chink and discovered his watch was gaining timel Last year'a winner on a Honda TL250. Jonathan Bratten now on a MR250,Iooked doubtful to retain his crown when he lost a shock and some time. Those who had better luck were tired and redeyed , but eager to stan the second day's 120-mile run up Mauna Kea volcano. Eager that is. unless you were Grubby Clark and had just made the fatal tourist's mistake of consuming two Ibs. of macadamia nuts and a six pack. . Da y two proved to be a little easier. The course first ran along a beautiful palm tree and exotic flower -lined road through Parker Ranch , the second largest ranch in the USA . Next came a breathtaking 60 ·mile trail 560 0 around the 7,000 foot high lever of Mauna Kea , a very rocky trail through the clouds hugging the volcano which occasionally gave way to spectacular views of the ocean and shorelines below. Afterwards, the trail wound through the quiet inland town of Wainea where riders were treated to another lunch stop on the roadside- va Hawai ian treat of " Sa shimi," a jellyroll -Iike go urmet dish of marinated fish and vegetables rolled in rice and seaweed --fantasticl O verall winner Vick was more surprised than anyone by his win . He just had a good time riding along and enjoying the scenery, wishing he could stay longer and go exploring t he island. In fact , he and his wife Carol rodce up to the very top of Mauna Kea (15. 000 feet ) after t he event on the Husky. Paul J en sen , the man responsible for the event, deserves a gold medal for his task of orga nizing and laying out the diversified cours e. He even loaned us "haolis" from the mainland a home to stay in . Paul was a bly assisted by Dick Wilson : Ed Araki , Steve Bauer, Wayne Blyth, Nick Reynolds , and Gary Pierson. Resu lts OVERALL: 1. Oick Vick IHusl. 2. Nalhon Jensen IC · Al ._ 3. Colin jweee (Yam). 4. Roger Singler (Yam). 5. Ed Dawrs IVaml . 125: 1. Denn is Glascow (Honl . 2. Siaman i Salavia IHon). 3. Robert Mead lPen). 175: 1. Nalhon Jonsen (C·A). 2. Ed Dawrs (Vaml. 3. Doninc Grupido (Yam). 250: 1. Dick Vick lHusI. 2. Colin Iwosa (Vaml. 3 . Bill Pettigrew IHanl. OPEN: 1. Roger Singler l360 Vaml. 2. Vamoll Akana 1400Vam 3. AIu Probst l360 Husl. m.