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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126339
00 $-< ~ .D a ~ > o Z Runner-up Mike Hannon at the finish. Sanford storms' Cowbell National Enduro ., ·m oJ By Action OZ' BELLINGHAM . WA, OCT. 22 Team Honda's Don Sanford pushed his XR500 thumper through the Washington forest to win the 125-mile Mt. Baker M.C. Cowbell AMA National Enduro with a six point score. Itwas: It was the Texan's second straight National Enduro win . Y V' . . h . B II' es lrgtma, t. ere 15 a e mgham. and there IS a Cowbell En- ITop) Winner Don Sanford blasts up a steep hill. (Above) King Richard Burleson negotiates a Mt. Baker stream. (Belowl Hillclimbing troubles. duro . Just don't ask the locals · or anyone other than a Mt. Baker M.C. member in this town of 41.000. They wouldn't know what you were talking about. For the 48th consecutive year the Mt. Baker Moto rcycle Club has run the Cowbell and not one poster or flyer could De seen sticking to a window of a gas station. grocery store or motorcycle shop, which is sad because the area of the event deserves better. With well over 180 active members, posters could have been posted south to Seattle and north to Vancouver, B.C . I make mention of th is only to point out the fact that we are not getting the word ou t. The spon deserves better. For the first time in five years it didn't rain on the Cowbell . The weather was clear as the morning dawned and bikes began rolling into the sound test area. The key time was 8:01 a.m . and the last rider was out at past minute 50. First riders our .were Fred Dunham, Fred Stanley and Hal Mason . By the time they reached the corduroy log trail, Rob James , on minute two had gone in front : As he began his assault on corduroy he went face down in the' snot and all who he had passed repassed and the run was on . Don Stanford (Hon) was on minute 10. As he came through corduroy, the Open class thumper was handling well a.nd he was on time. ~e was still. on tl':Ile as he left the difficult sectlO~. Rick Munyon (Hon) also ran this section well as did Dick Burleson (Hus) . . Burleson's new Husky , with 11.8" of travel was looking very good as it soaked up all the roughness corduroy could give it. What was really rough was smoothed like s(lreading hot peanut butter. King Richard. riding out on the 14th minute. had picked up seven points into check one. This is where the controversy centered. Mike Hannon (Yam) lodged an official complaint because of thise check. The complaint stated that the speed change to the first check was %.ths of a mile too short from what was on the route card. He maintained that whoever laid out that section had a speedometer error. His point could be well taken and the AMA will have to decide as the club official. Lyle Duronso, dis-allowed it. maintaining that other speedo's were used to check it out and it checked out OK . There is room for conjecture. however ; as Hannon's YZ was taken out to re-check for first several sections and the same reading was registered by the club rider who rode the section on Mike 's bike . The other sections read true. Burleson, who had a seven into th e first check also felt it was off and re-rode the section ' along with AMA District 27 Congressman, Fred Boettner. Boettner rode an IT. The whole incident began to take on enormous proportions as Sanford said he would protest the protest. stating a clause in the AMA rulebook . The final