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
Randy Neal styled to sixth In Class 22. e nervous. llingsford repea t ! over to Roeseler, he lost another tire . This time, the problem was com po u n d ed by a broken chain adjuster and axle nut. Johnson crammed an extra master link in the rear axle slot to keep the tire aligned and the chain on the sprockets. Roeseler jetted into the Cal loop finish where Team Husky spent the 90 minutes layover time between loops squaring away their tro ub les. The Husqvarna-rnounred team of Kris Morgan and Sid Tarbett were second , time-wise, at the en d of the first loop. Running third .....as eventual second place finisher Lon Peterson/ Kem Clark. The Arizona loops really told the story as Harden/Wallingsford pulled out a demanding 12-minute lead over T orco-sponso red Peterson/Clark and their 1977 "orthoped ic" YZ400D . Wallingsford felt fortunate to have finished as . his handlebar clipped an unauthorized car traveling on the course during his Arizona loop. A hard-charging Roeseler pulled in three minutes later after a strong come. from behind push . The Morgan/ Tarbert pair managed a fifth , follow ing the Phil Bird/Marth Haak KTM , after a number of engine seizures that left him with a soundly-scuffed face . Most notable by his absence was last year's third place finisher , KTM solo rider Bob Ba len tine , Class 21 Action proved exciting in th e 250cc class , the largest with 30 + entries, as Husky riders Mark Zoller and Max EMy . ra ce~. b~ r - u): b a r .....ith the Der Wienerschnitzel-sponsored Rod Ahlstrom/Kevin Davis into check one. As they finished the Ca l loop, Wright/Hansen had taken over the lead followed by Zoller/Eddy and Haydis/Hutchins. The Arizona loop saw the demise of Zoller and Ahlstrom as both teams suffered mechanical woes . Wright whisked in for the win followed by Hutchins and Rush . Rush just spent a year -and -a-half in Antartica saving up to go racing thi s whole-year with teammate Hansen. Class 20 The 125cc race seemed in the bag for the Las Vegas duo of Ma rv ' Chapman and Paul Emerson aboard their fiesty Suzuki RM 125 as they were leading the class by four minutes after the first and second loop. A few mil es into the final loop , Chapman lost his rear tire, Their pit crew had no spare , forcing Chapman to finish with th e flat. Tom Kelly turned the power on in the final loop as he slipped the Duralube/Curnutt /Midas Yamaha YZ125 by Chapman on a po .....erl in e road and stretched out a two -and-one half minute lead at th e finish. The Scott Coutts/Scott Pfe ifter team pushed their Husky into the third slot ahead of early frontrunners George Erl /Mike Cartledge. Class 30 The initial inclusion of the 30-38 yea r old rider class provided possibly the best int erclass racing of the day. The Ron Bishop/John Watkins team jumped into an early lead but lost their gearbox at check six. This turned the lead over to Dave ' Holman/Russ Darnell (H usky), spon sored by Torco Oil and R uss Darnell MX Schools, but mechanical woes struck them too, a broken crankshaft. The lead was then turned over to the Las Vegas 400 sponsored team of Casey Folks and Bill Putman who were dogged continuously all day by Las Vegas friendly rival Rex Frehner/Bill Hill aboard their Vegas Cycle Centersponsored Maico 450 . Folks and H!ll own competing Suzuki shops in Las Vegas and their racing goes back many years . Hill/Frehner chased Folks/Putman whi le Hill's Maico was suffering a slipping clutch and too- low gearing. Folks' Husky never missed a beat all the way to the winners' circle. Folks really had to work for his laurels, as for over 50 miles on the last loop it was handlebar-to-handlebar TT style racin' between Folks and Frehner, who happens to be a professinal rodeo star - when not in the saddle of his race b ike . Folks finally said , " T h a t 's alii Frehner a in't genin ' mel" And he stretched his throttle ca b le to put a total of eight a nd one-half m inutes on Frehner at th e fin ish , wh ere Fr ehner touted to Folks , " Hey , I ca ught yaJ" Class 38 Conspiciously absent from the "old tim ers" class were perennial .....inners John Watkins/Dick Vick , although their absence didn't dampen the quality of the competition. Lat e entry Tom Grant took the lead at the close of the first loop , followed by C .V. Greene and eventual winners , Husqvarna -rnounted Wallv _ Nea.I L __ David Miller sponsored by Southwest Motorcycles. At t he finish, Neal beat Grant by three m inutes. Grant , however, was just .happy to finish : his bike's front forks and rim were noticeably bent and tweaked at the finish , plus he ran out of gas just a few miles from th e end : Today's winners went home with more than just tro ph ies: Class 20 took $1335 : Class 2 1, $1765 ; Class 22 , $2034; Class 30 , $1258 ; Class 38, $1449. • Results ClASS 20: 1. Tom KeilylScott Atchison !Yam) 5:58:01 .57; 2. Marv Chapman/Paul EmOfson (Suz) 6:00:26.42; 3. SCOlt Coutts/Scott Pfeiffer IHus) 6:02:27 .76: 4. RandyTool/Jim Jenkins IHusl 6:16:25 .08; 5. Msrk Macfarta"" JStirling J. Hopson (Suzl6:19:09 .16; 6. Goorge ErlfMike Cartledll" (HUI); 6:22:30.67; 7. John Kiohs/Michael Goodwin IYam) 6:38:44.18; 8. lee Fabry/Randy Devonshire (Yaml 6:39:25.72; 9. Jam. KimbetlinlKev;n Keefe (Yem) 7:ll3.02.24; 10. Miko HolobrooklDaveJones!Yam) 7:09:09.67. ClASS 21: 1. Brian Wright/Brad _ !Yaml 5:32;50.60: 2. A.L HaydisiDarr Hutchins !Yam) ei 5:37:31.78; 3. Chuck RushlFrod Hanson (Hus) 5:3B:58.02; 4. Bill Tsrl ing lCra ig Adams (KTM) 5:40:32.78; 5. Jim Jackson/Bill Robertson IHonl 5:42:5920; 6. Morgan MaIoccolTom Brooks !Yoml 5:45:02.68; 7. Paul EddylRandy Hollenbeck !Yoml 5:48:40.63; 8. Trudy Beck/Mi ke ECkardt (Yam) 5:52:17.17; 9. Dan AshcraftlRichard Varner (HUll 5:54:25.47 10. Bobby Jones 6:01:14.74. ; ClASS 22; 1. Scot Harden/8""" Wallingstord (Husl 5:29:18 .23; 2 . Lon Petetson/Kem Clark (Yam) 5:41:31.33; 3. Jack JohnsonilSt ry Roeselar (Hus! 5:43:5123 ; 4. Phil BirdlMarth Hook (KTMI 5:47:15.46; 5. Kris MorganiSid Torbett (Husl 5:49:00.81; 6. Randy Neal 5:57:59.63; 7. Bud Wh"'!'erIDennis R068nberg (Husl 5:59:48.82; 8. Steve Szekulul 6:24:55.92; 9. Danny Thomas/Pat Thomas (Yam) 7:09:52.30; 10. Richard Prouty/RichardProuty II (Hus) 7:10:12.40. ClASS 30: 1. Casey Fo!ks/Bill Putman (Hull 6:10:32.06; 2. Rex Frel1ne