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/126399
EDesert Hotline ~ E en t' en ~ Chuck MlIIer lIeft) and Bruce Ogilvie fi nished 1-2 (reverse order) at the Dlrtfliers hare scrambles. Ogilvie; Miller top .Dirtfliers D-37 hare scrambles By Joyce May LUCERNE VALLEY, CA , FEB . 18 "Dale's Boys" looked very good as they, Bruce Ogilvie and Chuck Miller, bounced back from a DNF on Saturday at the Parker 400 to fin ish one and two at the Dirtfliers AMA D-37 hare t , scrambles on Sunday. helicopter tohrough REAC T twobut wasn 't a ble get through , so of The weather was almost . spring-like , q uite a change fro m the snow and freezing cold of two weeks before . The ra cers were 20 on th e line and ready to start at 10 o'clock. Word began filtering down the line that the ambulance hadn't a rrived yet , but it was soon announced that the problem was a very ser ious injury near th e bomb , The rider was too seriously hu rt t~ be moved . Rescue 5 tried to call for a .. .. .. .. .. .. . ... . the Rescu e 5 team members drove into Lucerne. stopped at the fire station. and called the copter from there. It took the sheriff s chopper just under SO minutes to rea ch the Rescue 5 camp from where they were dispatched to the injury . Meanwhile , the Fire Department also resp onded with th eir availa ble aid . When th e injured rid er was finally airl ifted ou t of th e area to Lo rna Linda Hospita l, it was noon . Fina lly, the ra ce was un d erway and Ogilvie moved to a nice lead of 100 .. .. . ~ yards or more in the long seven -mile bomb run. Mike Sixbe rry was the next to fly past the crowd at the bomb followed hotly by Amateur Eric MacCracken. Halfway a r ou n d the first loop MacCracken had Ogilvie in sight and began his move. Meanwhile Bru ce was enjoying his ride when suddenly he heard another bike behind him. Eric had closed in for the kill , b ut the wily fox had caught the scen t j ust in time. T he course was very challenging and really tested the racers' riding ability. (In fact , in two areas the cou rse divided wit h the Amateurs and Experts going one way and the Novices and Beginners another.) Sixberry had dropped into the third spot . but still was within threatening d istance. Ogil vie entered the pits first , but MacCracken got a qui cker pit a nd was out fi rst. Then Sixbe r ry ca m e in followed by Heavyweight Amateur J eff :. .. ~ ~ ~ . Matthews , rid ing an excellent race, with 250cc Expert Chuck Miller close behind. In next was veteran Ron . Wright , older brother to Bria n Wright and a former " N u m e r o Uno" Heavyweight in the district. Ed Ogden and Terry Davis were next. All had been Open bikes except Miller's 250. until the next two spots which held two warring "C" bikes . Gary Cha rters, Sr . (first Senior and riding a C bike) was being chased by Rick Shum ak er . First 250cc Amateu r was Ru ssJenkins following the battling Cs into the pits. Back out on the trai l the battle for the lead cont inued to ra ge as Ogilvie regained th e lead. Mac Cracken made a valiant stab at recapturing it , but it was not to be this week , however, as he lost one of his shoc ks and had to drop ou t. Mike Alexa nder . after doing very little r acing in 1978 . had bee n spe nding a bit of his spare time at a