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/126419
Desert led in and out of canyons and up and down Government Peak, leaving little or no time for rest. By the second check Balentine was begtnning to show why he's the IUperstar he is, as he worked his way up through the fast traffic into the third spot behind Zoller and Miller. By the third check Miller had broken and Balentine was threatening in the second spot. Coming acroa the rolling foothills back towards the pits. the chase was on with Zoller throwing up a cloud of dust as Balentine grabbed more throttle on his big KTM. Zaj~c had the third overall spot tied down followed by Henson and G. Thomas. Zarp had the ne.xt slot followed by Norman, Lee Scheffers, and C. Thomas. In 11 th was the first Amateur, Fred Strong (250cc) with first Amateur "C" Gary ChertenI tries soaring. rider, Scott Atchison, right behind him. The Novice race for the lead 'Vas a real duel between 1537x and Dan Smith (400cc) as they moved over the course at break-neck speeds. The Novices, Amateurs, and Experts had two more loops to transverse, but the Beginners and By Joyce May Novice Trails had only a single loop to complete. It was 1373c that took the FREMONT VALLEY, CA,JUNE 24 overall Beginner win followed by Rex Although Bob Balentine got off Pius (Open), (Open), and to a very bad start at the Buz· _ David LovellMike HagenFirst Novice (250cc). zards D-S7 hare scrambles. by Trail honors once again went to Bill the time he reached the finish Mattox. As the second and third loops were line he had built up a most impressive lead. . ridden, the hardest. hit by the very exhausting, but also very challenging, The riders were anxious to get course were the very large number of staned on their three loops and were Seniors. This group of extremely ready on the staning line at 9 a.m. But ·dedicated an~ determined guys were they had to back off and regroup for a fighting a battle between their desire 10 o'clock stan-because of another to finish and their thoughts of giving delay when the ambulance showed up in to their exhaustion. late. (This is getting to be a habit with A familiar riding style was observed them!) as the third loopers were making weir The BLM was well represented at this race with three personnel, way around the course. It was Bruce including an armed ranger in Ogilvie . trying out .his mended attendance with several very busy sboulder. After three loops of hard riding, cameras. Balentine crossed the finish line for the During the wait Balentine was sponing a hat with a very interesting win. Then the real wait began. Finally the blue worn by Zoller was band made of the skin of a four-foot spotted. In ZoUer's effort to catch Mojave gieen rattlesnake, which he Balentine, he had, in tum, stretched a had recently killed. very respectable lead over third place In the mad scramble to the bomb Zajic. -Balentine proved that he isn't superScheffers had moved into the founh human after all, as he got off quite overall spot while Dan Ashcraft, whose hard, but wp back up and on his way natural way of riding looks like he's again in a few minutes. always on the "brink of disaster," had Anaheim Husky's Mark Zoller had moved him up into fifth overall spot. the lead as the dust trails converged Zarp held onto sixth overall, third onto the course past the bomb. Zoller had primed himself for this one and Expen Open. "Doc" Norman rolle4 past the checkered in seventh overall tnade the most of the dust-free trail. One of "Dale's Boys," Chuck Miller, (first Senior), while Hamill had was once again in the challenger's displayed wby he carries the number one "C" plate by moving through the spot. giving Zoller a good push. Brad Henson, back on the scene ranks from 27th to eighth overall, first Expen"C." _ after a long "~petation," was in the Amateur Strong was next, followed third spot with Greg Thomas, a very by Trailbike ace Thomas. John unheralded but deserving young 250cc McCormick was the first Amateur rider, f01Jcno(ing closely behind. Heavyweight with Dave Hornbeck Next were Suzuki ace Rich Zajic and earning the Amateur "C" honors. Amateur Ken Upp. Kelly Kline was first gal while After six 2505. three heavyweights consistent Diane Holeman earned the made their appearance: Kevin Hasten, second spot. _ Balentine, and Ed Zarp. No. 537x had dropped out on the First Trailbike was no surprise; Cliff Thomas has a way of usually being in last loop after leading it fo~ so long. that spot. "Doc" Morris Norman was Smith took the Novice win followed by the Senior leader. Richard Kyees(25Occ). In the 26th space was "Pixie" Kelly Although the Buzzards club was Kline follow(d by the first two -"C" sorely undermanned, they managed to layout a creative course and covered it bikes piloted by Charlie Hamill and Torsten Corum, a small hurricane on with three well-placed checks. Note: Reminder to the 30 and over two wheels. The course led to the back side of age group: The 'D-37 Veterans class the mountains where little relief from began on July 1 for a trial run to the the beat couid be found as the course end of the year. Suppon it. Balentine takes Impress1ve Buzzard win' 26 Jack Johnson roda to the overall win at the Charge,. West MRAN GP. Johnson clips MRANClover Creek GP by secoilds By Skip Johnson CALIENTE, NV,JULY 1 Mter Jack Johnson streaked into the finish impound area on his Team Husqvama S90, the official time clock seemed to be waiting for Husky teammate Scot Harden to catch up. Johnson's time was still being \-ecorded as Harden exploded around the gravel-strewn pavement comer just before the finish, desperately trying to stop the clock in time. Harden's throttle was full-on as he flashed by the finish to stop the clocks only seconds after Johnson. Unfortunately for Ha-rden, his corrected time gave Johnson a 17-second edge and the overall win. Harden knew it could be close and his final charge was 50 hard he was unable to keep from sliding into parked rider 'Tom Scales who was also checking in, one lap down, in the too-narrow, too-shallow impound area. The race was the sixth annual Clover Creek Gand Prix, a Motorcycle Racing Association of Nevadasanctioned event SPOD40red by the Chargers West M.C. and the Caliente Volunteer Fire Depanment. The GP utilized a timed stan, (MRAN's first, . ever) with waves of five riders each 15 seconds beginning with the Expert, Amateur, Over 38, and Novice divisions. Everyone raced along a refreshing and challenging 20-mile.plus course which combined six miles of creek bed zig-zagging over 20 water crossings, high speed roads. mountain trails, virgin ground, hills, sandwashes, rocks, plus a mile or so of road rashin' on the .streets of downtown/residential Caliente. Caliente is a small, primarily mining town 150 miles nonh of Las Vegas and just where downtown SlOps and residential starts is hard to determine. - The Chargers West work closely with the city council and concerned Caliente citizens to insure a u:u1y enjoyable, truly authentic off-road grand prix. Nevada is one of the few areas where motorcycle racing, ·the racers and the spectators are generally welcomed and encouraged to involve themselves. The Nevada BLM worked closely with the Chargers, as they will with other Nevada clubs and actually went along with club members and made recommendations ,on how and where the course should or should not go. Combine this type of active cooperation with equally enthusiastic private land owners that allow racers use of their land, and the Nevada desen provides one of the few areas where all of the things that used to make up cross country racing still happen. Some 50-plus Expens were flagged off row by row promptly at 9:00 a.m., with early leaders including local whizkid turned national motocross and supercross contender Lenny Giger riding a Honda/Kawasaki of Las Vegas-sponso~ ~awasaki 250. His race was over early, howeover, as he clipped