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/126344
• AMA 0-37' desert racers T he desert r acer: A h ardy soul ~hose heart-pounding adventures and escapades play weekly to an audience consisting of thousands of creosote bushes and the occasional Joshua tree, m ixed in with a judging panel of desert mice, rattlesnakes and lizards, plus a smattering of humans: fellow racers, checkpoint crews, and the crowds at the pits and the finish. In the past, the desert .racers' limelight has usually been obscured by dust. Now, eN dez correspondent Gary Laudig has cleared away the dustscreen and offers a look at the current stars of the D-37 southern California desert racing scene. "'- . •~ .- number on e p late at the end ' of the yea r . O ve ra ll wi n s: 18 Class wins: 19 Age: 22 Height: 6'2" Weig ht: 180 Hobbies othe r th a n r acing: Water skiing, radio-controlled mod el aircraft Hometown : Mojave Sponsor: KT M Most r espected r ival: Max Eddy Reason for racing desert: Money Height : 5'3" Weight: 135 Hobbies other tha n racing: Bowling , soft ba ll Hometown: H untingto n Beach Sponsor: C&C En terprises Mos t respected r ival: Dawn Grant Reason for racing desert: A great sport Trudy' Beck Trudy Beck Bob Balentine / Bob Balentine About the tim e you think all th e superstars of the desert are gone, a new batch arrives. Balentine is on the top of th e current list. 10 Bob ca ptu red his first over all win as a n Amateur at th e Sled Riders' firs t Pfutzenreurer memorial in '74 ; he currently ha s 18 stra ig ht overall wins in AMA District 37 desert. Riding for th e KTM facto ry, his target is the Ignored for a long time , the guys did n't take Trudy too seri ous ly u ntil all of a sudden t he ir na mes sta rted showing u p behind hers on the results sheet. This you ng lady has come a long way and has a grea t fut ure ahead . She ha s ridden in th e Superbowl of Motocross , and has been Women 's n umber one three times ; next lie th e Baja ra ces . T ru dy is qui et , courteous, and maintains a winning attitude all the tim e . She sets he r goa ls and pursues th em like a tru e professional. I'm sure th is you ng la dy will go down in th e a nna ls of desert racing among th e gr eats. Best overa ll finish : 14th Class wi ns: 25 Robin Busse Robin Busse This tall , q uiet you ng man showed" up th is year on a 250 Yamaha as an Amateur. Past the ha lfwa y po int , he was one of th e , , most feared 250c c racers around . His last Novic e race was the Gr ea t Bea r GP whe re he led the 250ccs and O pen bikes throughout th e race u nt il an inj ured ha nd slowed hi m to second overa ll . A t the Bu zza rds ha r e scramb les, he fini shed a fantast ic th ird overall on a very dem andi ng cou rse. "