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/126327
; ·.·.v",."".·""",..·",..·",.",..·",.",.",..·.·",.",.",.",. ·",.",. • • • v =Desert Hotline ·.·",..·.·"".·h·.·",..·.·.·.-, ••• V",.· Ih, ·,,.· ,.·,.·.·.·Ih,·.· ·Ih,·.· • ·.V".·.·"",...·•••• . ~ t 00 l::'0') ...... KTM t e a m m at e s To m Kell y (abovel and Bob Balentine (low er leftl charged t o victo ry in th e Badgers M ,C./Pepsi Challengel Rescue 3 be nefit team ra c e . Balentine/Kelly win Badgers'D-37 team race By Gary Laudig Photos by Carolyn Laudig LUCERNE VALLEY , CA , AUG . 13 The KTM-mounted team of Bob Balen tine and Tom Kelly won the Ba dge rs M.C . Pepsi Challenge /Rescue 3 bene- 24 fit hare and hound team race , edging Bru ce Ogilvie , who rode his HarleyDavidson sol o for 140 m iles and picked up second overall , first 250cc Exp ert . The long co nvoy of ra cers, ride rs, p it c re w and spec t a to rs filed up Bessemer Mine Roa d head in g for th e basin and the start line . T'he Novices sta rted on the left look ing north , the Amateurs and Experts on th e right. The start was delayed because of bandoleer handouts to the almost 600 entrants. The banner finally dropped and Bob Balentine (KT M) led the way up the canyon , Bruce Ogilvie (H -D) close behind . First Amateur Rich Zajic was next then Rich Schumaker (KT M) . Tom Mattox , Brad Henson , and John Tobin , Heading off to the left , the racers p icked up the lower portion of the rockpile run, Rich Goetz was being pressed by Benny Padilla and Mike Powers as they charged through the rollers , the basin beyond the rockpile and the mogul sand knobs above Melville Dry Lake. Alan Thomas, making his first ride this year, had his partner Rogo very happy as the veteran was doing a superb job. Dick Camp had fire in his eyes as he charged up the rocky, windy ca nyon with Bo b Torgerson , Quickdraw McGraw and Morris Norman behind. The trail made a q uick left, ai med between the two boulders and shot down a steep , sandy downhill . Clint Swafford , Steve Barklow and Phil Cloward took separate trails . Eric Dattola couldn't figure out wh y his bike got gutless. The head on his C •. bike came loose . Running way back to the pits after tightening it , he jumped on Brett Howell 's Husky and im med ia tely lunched the tranny. n Cris Christensen traded places with Mike Johnson up the long, sandy upgrade; Scott Dinger and Gordon Oblander headed down the backside onto the dry lakebed. In this section. Bad Brad Henson stuffed a piston , Ed Zarp was making up time for a crash Ron Bebo was right behind Ed . Doug Beisner was just ahead of Mark Heacox , then came the first C bike. Gary Charters whizzed by' into the big rollers. Greg Thomas led Fred Strong down the black sand sandwash , down the dropoff, and on past Victor Pass to " Sp a ce Mountain " roll ers in the d istance. Charlie Hamill had the scent of the C bike leaders and was closing in , After a series of switchbacks and sandy' uphill sections, the bikes were headed' for the pits in the distance . Balentin e handed the bike over to Tom Kell y, Ogilvie handed th e bike back to himself, then Marc Cartwright wre sted th e bandoleer from Schumaker and away they went. Zarp got off at pit row , The Watkins/Bebo bike left along with the Padilla /Eckardt entry. Doing one more loop on the Expert cou rse , t he bikes changed partners aga in and t he teams took on the Novice sid e . The Godfrey/Varner team left the pits ahead of the McCracken /Le ighton bike . Joh n Prater had already headed for his va n to com mi t sui cide when he heard of Henson 's pl igh t. · The Hermansen / Ashcraft team passed the bomb and headed into the rollers making dust for the Cole /Chestnut effort . The Johnson/Lee effort blasted down th e wide wash just ahead of th e Jenkins/ Barklow bike. Soon the bikes were head ing -Io r Camp Rock , the Cronkite/ Monterone bike was on the criss -cross trails before Johnson Dry Lake, the Beck /Hopkins bike was right behind. , The trail jogged up a hill , the ridge th en ran down on the lake bed for a check . The Martin /Karell bike , th e Holms /Butl er e ffo rt , the Belknap /Dorman duo cha rged up the Camp Rock bomb run on separa te tra ils. T he Neiderhu th / Elam efforthad th e Brooke/Schell bike in its dust. Sm ith /Powers led the Laudig/Thorpe bike through the choppy stuff just