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/126303
; ,... &1 ·""'..• • ••• ·.·"', Desert Hotline • • v""" """ . Senior Expert Ron Bebo leads a pack near Red Mountain. Bob Balentine was the early leader; retired w ith a flat tire. Bill Tarl ing was second 250cc Expert. Henson wins Invaders 0.37 H&H By Gary Laudig R ED MOUNTAIN , CA , MA R. 12 Wi th fast riding , determination and a little luck (Roeseler got off, Zarp got lost), Bad Brad Henson powered his Yama ha YZ250E to 24 an impressive overall win of the Invaders M.C . Eighth Annual Hare and Hound. Rocketing past the pinnacles with a long lead was Bob Balentine (KT M). Jumping the tracks , Bob headed toward the Spangler Mountains with a 200-yard lead on Mike Eckardt (Hus) and Ed Zarp (Yam) . Yamaha's Charlie Hamill was right behind Morris Norman as the two shot across the tracks . Ba len tine followed th e foothills until the course entered a wide wash. Exploding up the wash , the KTM suddenly became wormy. Bob had a rear nat and too far to go to race. Mike Eckardt took the lead with Henson , Zarp , Larry Roeseler (Hus) and Bruce Ogilvie (H ·D) in pursuit. Roeseler mov ed up behind Henson and started to pass . There to gr eet him was a pile of ro cks. Ogilvie and Alexander stopped and helped . Convinced Larry was OK , th e two fast gu ys took off. Zarp had su rged into th e lead with Hen son on him like a Sidewinder missile . Bill Tarl ing was next , th en Gr egg Thomas , first 250cc Am ateur. Bill Saltzman passed , th en ca me Paul Christensen and Tom " Ro ad ru n ner" Schell. " Movin" Max Eddy worked up from around 30th at the bomb and was in sixth as the ribbon led the racers ba ck into the Spanglers via a large wash. At 20th spot. Bru ce Jones ha d a b lood- red Honda on his tai l. ridden by Holl iday Honda -sponsored Chris Gray, holding second 250cc Amateur. . Exiting the ca nyon , the riders headed for the a lternate gas on the pipeline road across the tracks. Za rp was first in but his gas cap got stu ck , costing him a good four m inu tes . Henson pitted, then Eckardt and Eddy. Heading out once again, the course led the racers toward Cha rlie's Place through the monolith rock section. Keith Sm ith and Bob Miller, both Heavyweight Amateurs. churned their bikes down the softface downhill just ahead 'of Morris Norman and th e T&O flier Dick Camp. ~ The racers zig· zagged through the puckers all the way to the firs t underpass. Zigging just ahead of Bill Becker was T erry Davis. Becker thought Davis looked taller than usual wh ich is true. T erry had on Malcolm Smith boot cloggs . The soles wer e as thick as Elton John's stage shoes. Terry can get his leg over his Mono without any trouble now . Henson , Eddy and Mike Eckardt headed up th e narrow wash heading back towardTrona Road . This race was billed . as an · hon est 100 mil es and th e guys were beginning to bel ieve it. Head in g down th e west side bomb run , th e ' cou rse crossed Trona Road once mor e for the pits. Max Eddy was first int o the pi ts bu t Bad Brad's pit was quicker giving him a Hl-second lead on Max heading into the rollers to th e west of the Searles Mountain range. Mike Eckardt J'J'JI