Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Bob Rutten smokes the Class 21-winning Yamaha toward the finish. Farnsworth and Friant, at that point. Five miles out of Ojos Negros. the end of the loop, Ogilvie encountered a Bronco driven by an American. The driver hit the brakes trying to avoid Bruce, but the rear end slid out and Ogilvie caromed off the rear flank of the car, impacting hard enough to rupture the car's fuel tank. "I got thrown 10 feet over an embankment, and after I landed I remember screaming to myself 'don't pass out, don't pass out!' Bruce related later in the day. The front hub was broken, but Ogilvie got the bike to Ojos Negros, where the front wheel was replaced and Miller took over. Ironically, the Yamaha crew had pleaded with the driver at the highway crossing to not go on the course, warning him that the racers would be coming. Ogilvie had also bent the forks a bit, but Miller's encounter wiped them out totally. Heading for EI Rayo, Miller hit a Mexican car going the wrong way, jamming the front wheel between the car's bumper as he went over the bars onto the hood and then slid off the windshield. He was unhurt but the forks were so bent that the front wheel would hit the exhaust pipe. Fortunately, one of the Team Yamaha trucks was at El Rayo, and they were able to put a fresh set of forks on the bike . "They were stock YZ forks and they pumped up after 15 minutes, but they got us herel" Miller said at the finish. The time they lost with the crashes and repairs put Park and Clark in the lead at Santa Catarina by one minute, although the Yamaha was still physically out in front .. Ogilvie and Miller pulled even by the check at Mike's , then worked up a three-minute lead by Tres Hermanos and a sixminute lead ,a t the finish. It was Park's first big -bore ride in Baja, and Clark was making his first appearance south of the border in several years , but they put it all together for second overall. "We were down on speed," said Clark at the finish line. "This thing can do 85 or 90 , and the Yamahas were clocked at 119. When there's 70 miles of roads .. ." Fishback was the next rider to finish , and the Class 21 winning Yamaha was less than two minutes out of second overall. Fourth bike in was the Ashcraft/Zoller Husky , and their second in class was their best SCO RE placing ever, with Ashcraft in his first year of competition. The American Honda entry of Bill Tarling and Steve Subith finished third 250cc, fifth overall on their CR250. Other than one flat, the pair reported no major troubles. The long riders in Class 22 , Wallingsford and Johnson were next into the finish, taking third and fourth respectively. The Maxwell/Coulter vs. Pfeiffer/ Goodwin Class 20 battle continued hot and heavy around the second loop, with each bike staying within two minutes of each other on elapsed time. Coulter, taking the final leg on the Dales Modem Cycle /Mac Douglas/4M/Yamaha-sponsored machine, was two minutes down when he got the bike and rode madly to try and eke out the win : On the return trip through the Pepsi Stand and onto the highway, Maxwell lost control on the pavement and slid over the cliff. It took several spectators to pull the machine back out, and the time lost effectively ended Maxwell's chances. Pfeiffer, at 16 the youngest member of the Roy's Boys Racing Team, and Goodwin had the victory, winning by two minutes. Kurt's older brothers , Scott and Kent , ' had their share of troubles and finished fifth in Class, 21 . Third ,went Kem Park Ishown) and T~rry Clark took second overall on their Husky. to Scott Atchison and Mike Willis on their Midas Muffler/Yamaha-sponsored mount. The Class 50 battle was about the hottest of the day, with five teams in contention for the lead at the end of the first loop. At Santa Catarina on the second loop , the Erl /Luther Husky had a slim lead over Conway/McGraw, the Mac Douglas/Lon Peterson Yamaha , Bishop/Harper, Jackson/ DeCamp and the Neil Grider/Arne Gruner Husky. DeCamp lost some time near Mike's ' when he got the bike stuck in a mud hole and it took the efforts of himself and four Mexican spectators to get the bike unstuck. He ran out of gas two miles before Trinidad, and bummed enough gas to get to the pit. Jackson had his own problems when a Jeep he was lapping waved him by and then moved right into him, forcing him to crash and breaking the clutch lever off. At EI Rodeo, Erl had a seven minute lead on Bishop and 11 minutes on jackson. At the next check, about 40 miles later, the two Huskies were nearly even on time and the Can-Am only three minutes behind. Jackson went on to win by three minutes with Erl and Luther second and Bishop and Harper third , losing their early lead when they seized going out on the second loop. Erl was upset after the event. "Vick looked over his shoulder and saw dust coming from the shortcut. A mile later he (jackson) blew by him like he was tied to a stump. The SCORE truck wasn 't there (in the shortcut area) on the second loop. The guy said he was on course and I can't disprove it ." "Don't listen to any of this shortcut business. The guy did it with this," said DeCamp, jackson's partner, holding up a closed-fist . cocked-wrist . right hand . "He's the Jastest rider in Class 50 . My job is just to keep us in there and spell him. " Vick and Watkins finished about the same time as the Class 50 leaders. with a 20-minute margin over Farnsworth and Friant. Third went to Parker winner David Miller, who rode with Wayne Decklevar on a Southwest M/C Sales-sponsored Yamaha. Although many riders weren't happy with the way the event turned out, others gave it good marks. According to Sal Fish, Mexican authorities have not yet reached a decision on whether to allow a point-to. point event for the Nov. 4·7 Baja 1000 , or to make it a loop type event, Results - CLASS 20 1125ccl: 1. Kurt Pleill._ Goodwin, 10:46.48.88 (Yam); 2. Rob ~ ea.-, 10: 48.32.17 (Yam); 3. Scott AaJ ... l1:0t57.71; (Yam); 4. Scott Coutts (Y&nl; S. Domie MorriaonI Morgan Malocco (Yam); 6. KINin CaoaIMil:t.- _ (Yam); 7. Chuck C&tIedge IHusI; 8. RInIy T&IIIEd Corron (KTM); 9. Patrick lYDonnoIIIDo8> -1HuoI; 10. Wok.. Nash/Kenneth Saunders 0-= 11. _ _ Valve" JohnsonlRandv "-son (Yam). CLASS 21 l25Occl: 1. Jim ~ - . . 9:46.49.92 (Yam); 2. Dan _ _ _ . 9:59.50.16 (Husl; 3. BiU T.Ii.. ~ 10:12.12.06 IHon); 4. Chuck ~ o..idoon {Hus!; 5. Scott P1eiff.lK_ _ (Yam!; 6. Y ~ (Hen); 7. Rob KennodVlMiite Van _ (Yam!; Cnig Adams/Paul Huffman {KTMl; 9. Hal HIIIgoIhIGuy Gowdy (Yam); 10. AdrianApodacalS_ ChopeIIHuot; 1 1. Gordon ClarkIRoccy Tuggle IHuoI; 12. - . , ..-w... "s..... a. Duffner lHonl. CLASS 22 (OVER 251ccl; 1. Bruce 0giIviWChuc:I< Mmer, 9:39.25 .27 (Yam); 2. Kam ParIlITorry CI&1t, 9:45.08.26 IHus!; 3. Brent WaIIingsfordISco HanIen, 10:22.26.04 IHus!; 4. UIrTy ~Jack . - . . . IYam); 5. Marte Miller/John ImbriaIe IHuIl; 6. Dan Hensley/Darrel Brown IHus!; 7. Bob Ewing/R&< _ _ son; 8. Steve BellITed Venden Raedt 1Husl; 9-1C&w1elh W . Yarnal UJohn Etchort (Yam); 10. Cnig GivantIIWph Mendenhall IHusl . ' CLASS 30 lOVER 30 YEARSk 1. _ .Jac:ll-.I Dennis DeCamp, " .04.47.00 lHusl; 2. George &II George Luther, 11:07.31.06 IHus!; 3. Ron lIishopIMiI

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