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/126415
(Above) An anxious Dick Vick. (Be'Iow) A crash tore Johnson's jersey. Jack Johnson (left) is congratulated at the finish by runner-up and fellow Team Husky rider Brent Wallingsford and SCORE President Sal Fish. Johnson was the first motorcyclist to win the event overall riding solo. Iron Man Jack JO.hnsQn sc By Dale Brown Photos by Suzie Mann and Brown ENSENADA. MEX., JUNE 9 Riding the 403-mile race solo, Team Husky's Jack Johnson took the overall win in SCORE's Baja International. Johnson finished the race in seven hour-s, 39 minutes and 35.77 seconds beat the runners-up, team: mates Scot Harden and Brent WaliingsfOFd, who finished with a time of 7:47:59.92. to 20 Johnson was originally to have been teamed with Larry Roeseler, but Roeseler suffered a knee injury the preceeding week and was reportedly ready to undergo surgery. Asked how he felt after riding the event solo, Johnson replied. 'Just bruised ... I hit a tree so hard'" Between the first and second checks, Johnson hit a rock with his front wheel and that knocked him into the tree. His protective equipment, plus the branches wadding up as he hit, saved him from any serious injury, though he was quite scratched up. By winning overall in a solo effort, Johnson became the first motorcyclist to win the Valvoline "Iron Man" trophy. Ironically, the award was first established· for motorcyclists in 1974, and then enlarged to cover the car classes in 1975. Three car drivers have won the award. Finishing third overall, and winning their class for the third time in as many SCORE events, were Brian Wright and Brad Henson. Their IT250 Yamaha carried them to the 250cc Class 21 win. Other class winners included SCOtt Coutts and Scott Pfeiffer, who rode a Husky to win the 125cc Class 20; Sam Bass and Casey Folks. who took their 390 Husky to the Classs 30 win; and perennial favorites Dick Vick and John Watkins picked up where they left off and took their 390 Husky to the Class 38 victory. Temperatures in this year's Baja Internacional were very mild in comparison to last year's 135 0 weather. It was still warm, but a strong wind kept things bearable, although it caused problems onits own for some of the smaller bikes. The course was run basically in reverse of the previous year; with riders heading towards Ojos Negros as before, but then swinging southwest to Tres Hermanos. The route stayed to the south of Baja's Highway 3 until EI Rodeo. where it ran down the highway to Valle de Trinidad. After Trinidad was a loop to Mike's Sky Ranch, a run through San Matais Pass and then southward again to San Felipe on the western edge of the peninsula. The run back went through EI Chinero. then headed back to the highway. ~IU H, , lUUa»l Lti')Hlb avoidYtg I th,e exceptionally, & difficult "Summit" section of last y~ar. Going away from the highway, ·.,the route passed Nuevo Junction and then ran through the pine forest to EI Rayo, and then back to Ojos Negros. where it went backwards on the morning course. Motorcycles left the starting line in Ensenjld,! beginning at 5:45 a.m. One of the first to leave was Bruce Ogilvie, and he soon had the lead on his Dale's Modern Cycle Yamaha 400cc. Johnson .started a minute after Ogilvie and was soon right on him on elapsed time. At check two. EI Rodeo, Ogilvie still had the lead physically, but Johnson was close to a dead heat with him on elapsed time, despite his get-off. The run·in with the tree left him with a torn jersey and a visorless helmet, but was fairly easy on the bike. which only need~ a front wheel change due to a coupfe of broken spokes. Third through EI Rodeo was the factory Honda XR500 of Morgan Malocco and John Hateley. with Hateley aboard. John had crashed a couple of times in the dust. and would lose some time in the pits replacing the front brake lever. Fourth bike into EI Rodeo was Brent Wallingsford's Husqvarna, right with Hateley and ahead of him on time, but in his dust. Brad Henson, taking the first shift on the Southwest Paving Co. Yamaha. was within a minute of the first· starting Class 21 team of Kern Park and Andy Kirker at check two as they ran tQrough the little rancho at fifth and sixth overall. Despite starting several minutes behind the first Class 20 bike, Coutts and pfeiffer bad the pbysicallead at El Rodeo. riding a Mission Hill Husqvarna-sponsored CRI25. However, solo rider Tom Kelly was only a minute behind, and ahead on time. Kelly was aboard a water·cooled Yamaha sponsored by Duralube•. Malcolm Smith, Al Baker's FMF and Leckich Tuning. In Class 30. for riders over 30. the Sportsman Cycle/Las Vegas 400· sponsored Husky of Sam Bass and Casey Folks had a five· minute lead at check two over the Sportcycle Yamaha team of Dave Wood and Lonnie Peterson. In Class 38, Vick and Watkins started first and held onto their lead. despite Watkins riding with a sore wrist. On the loop in and out of Mike's Sky Ranch. positions up front began to change. Johnson. who had a minor crash in the section, took the lead for good when Ogilvie's panner, Chuck Miller. ran out of gas just two miles from the pits. Gas was soon brought to him. but Johnson was in the lead to stay. Wallingsford and Harden passed the Malocco/Hateley team between Mike's and San Felipe, despite Harden getting off hard in one attempt to pass. However. they were 12 minutes behind Johnson arriving at San Felipe. At San Felipe. Wright and Henson had a seven minute lead over Park and Kirker, who had lost some time when Andy crashed and the bike went into a ditch; it took several minutes before Andy could get the bike out. Rick Finger and Jeff Kaplan, riding a Team Husqvarna·sponsored OR250. were third in Class 21 to arrive at San Felipe. but they were running second on elapsed time.