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/126398
At the finish. Brent Wallingsford lIeftl appears cool. SCORE Parker 400 (Above) Scot Harden roars into the finish. (Below) Tom Kelly teamed with Scott Atchison for the 12Scc Class 20 win. Harden/ By Skip Johnson Photos by Jim Ryan and Johnson PARKER , AZ . FEB . 10 Scot Harden and Brent Wallingsford put together a smooth, consistent and extremely fast ride to bring their Team Husqvama-sponsored 390cc Husky into the overall winners' circle for the second year in a row at the 1979 SCORE Parker 400. Harden and Wallingsford possibly .. bi SCORE' s wmm~ges t com. n~a . 12 non , completed their Cla7' 22 wmnmg (251 cc & larger) trek in only five hours, 29 minutes and 18 seconds. Interestingly, that's three minutes and 45 seconds slower than last year's . winning time. but still quick enough to dominate the rest of the 92.motorcycle field Second overall a mere three minutes and 52 seconds behind were Class 21 (126-250cc) victors ' Brian Wright and Brad Hansen aboard their Southwest Paving Co . Inc. -sponsored Yamaha IT250. Parker residents let out a cheer as the hometown duo and local desert champions A.L. Haydis and Darrel Hutchins snared the third overall, second 250cc spot , on their Haydis Oil -backed Yamaha YZ250 . Fourth overall , third 250, was the Las Vegas- based team of Chuck Rush and Fred Hansen , riding a 250cc Husky. Their consistent effort placed them within one minute. 27 seconds of third overall with their five hours , 58 minute and 58 second elapsed time. This year's race was SCORE's first 1979 event , and it was run on over the same basic course used in races past. The racers ran on two loops , on e, ll5 ยท m ile loop in Cal ifornia and two 95 mile trips around the same loop in Arizona . Teams usually split the Cal loop at check points on either side of " T hu n d er All ey, " a l4 .6 -mile din freeway , and if everything is workin g properly each rider will run one AZ loop. ' . . .This year, the BLM enforced their wishes to the letter as they ~~pt ~l,:,se tabs on the carefully marked sensitive areas ." The Husky mounted Rick Finger/Jeff Kaplan duo discovered. just how serious the BLM was ; they were disqualified ~~en BI;M spo~ters ~aug~t. them ,:ldmg on a. road m a sensitive area near the finish , Class 22 The Open class started the Cal loop first, one bike at a time every 50seconds, and almost immediately Harden shot into the lead followed closely , elapsed time -wise . by the Bruce Ogilvie /Chuck Miller team aboard their Dale's Modern Cycle Yamaha YZ400 , as they raced into check one. Other class favorites Jack Johnson and Larry Roeseler, riding a Team Husky 590, had the first of three fla t tires only two miles from the start. Johnson's tire was replaced at check one, but before he could tum the bike