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/126289
enning tops Hannon at Rattlesnake National Enduro (left) A healthy rainfall in Northern California brought back stream crossings By Mike Kinsella KLAMATH GLENN, CA, NOV, 6 N ineteen-year-old Jeff Henning, a Husky 390 Exp er t rider, ' won the 'overall trophy a t the Rattlesnake National Enduro with a score of six. He accumulated four of those points when - he burned into a check two minutes early , Jeff beat out hard ~~re competitor Mike Hannon (IT400C) by one minute. Han1 non apparently burned the same check a little hotter. Jack Pedersen (Yam), John Troutt (Ya m) who are experts , iln d Glenn McNeely (Mail. a B rider , ~i~d with a score of nine each. The tie \)'rea ke r check breakdown wasn't ~~ailable immediately, so third place ~ asn't been established at this writing. bnT h e Redwood Scramblers of Crescent City, with the help of several days of rain . produced one of northern Ca lifornia's best enduros this year . The healthy rainfall in Del Norte Co unty finally made it possible for a rider to enjoy a run in the m ud ; the Scramblers also provided some fast paced co mpetition . Speed averages ranged from 20 to 25 mph , ni About 285 riders began to leave the sta rt on this foggy Sunday morning at t a.rn . The 100 mile course unreeled wit h a touch of fire roads at 20 and 24 mph over low pine and brush covered ridges. The first interesting fea ture was a relatively mild trail that switch. backed up Rattlesnake Mountain. About halfway up the route got steeper and the ground rockier. Soon the riders were working over and between some fairly big boulders , t\lmost everyone lost some time and were caught at the check at the mountain top. There were two other cleverly placed checks at 45 and 46 miles down the road . which caught the unsuspecting riders moving fast to make u p lost time. I .H • .1 ; T he gas stop. a five-minute layover, was located at 47 miles . T he second loop took the riders through the mud co untry a nd close to the ocean. From their trails high on the mountains - if they had the time, the inclination, and a.pair of goggles that were m ud free they could see the waves breaking on the shores of Humbo lt Bay and the Klamath Rive r entering the ocean. ~~ At check five the cl u b directed th e riders off the road and up a kind of c;.'a rth stairway composed of waterbars built one after the other. Between the wa terb a rs lay big. deep pools of brownish , soup ·thick water. The riders had to power up over the bar , slide down into th e water , cross the quagmire. and then find the traction to get over the next hump , Riders neared check seven by a sweeping turn over blacktop road, It was possible to see the check from quite a distance away. A lot of the A riders spotted the check and wisely slowed down and approached by the most direct route with their eyes glued to their watches and computers. The course proceeded along a muddy but very rideable trail to a point where they could look down into the meadow and see the campsite and start area , It seemed obvious that the finish check would be down there also. They descended by a loose, snaky path through a logged-over ridgeside and dropped onto a muddy road where they could (with some effort because the road surface was slippery) continue at a pretty good speed. Suddenly there was check eight around a turn in the . road . long before th ey had expected the finish, Another check that wou ld be burned, The riders got back to camp by a county highway. After many miles of slushy off roadirig it gave everyone a chance to show off their honored symbols of enduroing to the innocent . passers·by: coat of mud from helmet to knobs. a tired grin and at least one part on bike or rider that is in need of repair. When you take their pictures they don't say "cheese," they say . instead "m uddy." At the scoring table everyone who rode the event seemed pleased to ha ve participated , The R e d wo od Scramblers put on a run which satisfied the top contenders as well as those who are working their way up . The club had everything under control at all times with their C .B , network , They had two ambulances on the course and their checkers were efficient and friendly. The club must have put a lot of effort into the Rattlesnake. They must work hard to maintain good relations with the land . owners who are the Simpson Timber Company. Arcata Redwood Company and the Mi lle r -R el li rn R e d wo od Com pa ny. With the problems that enduroing faces in land use it's refreshing to find large landowners with a bit of sympathy to our needs. If yo u ever feel you need to sa y something ni ce about a timber company say it about the com p a nies listed above . • . and mud to the Northern California enduro scene. (A bove) The t rai ls ranged from muddy-rideable to (below) muddy-bulldogging t ime. (Bottom) At one point along the tra il. riders could look down and see the fog-covered valleys. 9