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/126517
12mph to 42mph depending on trail Join the high performance team ... and conditions. In the put if a rider got behind it took superhuman effon to regain the lost time. There was no slack in the schedule. This year in ad· dition to the nice balance of hard and average sections the dub gave 24 minutes per day free time in three eight·minute increments. This slack allowed the average entrant to finish easily without houring out. Even if the weather had not been so co·operative there would have been a high percent· age of finishers. One experienced enduro rider stated, "The event was almOlt perfect. Any good dub can set up' sections so everyone is late but it is difficult to set up sections so AA riders bum check· points by being early. That takes thought and imagination." The only two points Popiel dropped on Sunday came from burning one of the strategi· cally placed checksl He said they really caught him on that one. Competition for the four·man Team Trophy was very dose this year and as of this writing seemed to be among the team on minute seven, Chip Howell, Rick Finger, Randy Hollenbeck and Rocky Tuggle; the Malcolm Smith Racing Products Team of Sherman Schneller, Gary Drean, Wayne Manin and Kent Richardson; and the Torsten Hallman Racing Team of Lars Larsson, Bob Maynard, Jim Townsend, and Bryon Davis. The Las Vegas Team, who dominated the team competition for five straight years through 1979 was back and in the running this year until an invisible rock tore the gear· shift lever and pan of the case off of Max Switzer's Yamaha. Las Vegas team captain Scot Harden even sponed a speedometer on his Husky this year. Hugh Kelly headed up the team travelling the longest distance to the event. Kelly is from Tahiti while Dave Rochlen, Woody Cox and Jack Ching, Jr. hail from Hawaii! The team was doing very well until Rochlen, who is 63 years old and competes wearing a back brace, houred out with a flat tire late Sunday afternoon. An award for perseverance should go to former national din track rieter, Jim McMurren whose Kawasaki lost a rear sprocket Sunday when all the bolts fell out. Jim borrowed one bolt here and one bolt there as he continued on the course to finish the Tecate for the first time in six years of tryingl If the riders could give an award, without a doubt it would go to Bill O'Brien and the crew from Mag 7 who run the incredible lunch check. The normal scene goes liIr.e this. The tired rider pulls into the lunch area and is immediately greeted by a smiling helper who takes his bike over and parks it while inquiring if anything special is needed while the rider has lunch. The extremely competent crew will gas the bike, lube its chain and even fIX a flat tire for you while an· other friendly person leads the rider to a tub of hot moist towels. A beautiful lady carefully deans the rider's face, and he is then led to one of the tables and lunch is served. Refreshed, the competitor heads out on the trail. For some riders the lunch is one of the main reasons for entering the Tecate. For others the chance to ride some virgin terrain, blazed especially for the event each year is really enough and the lunch if just a super treat. Will the Los Ancianos be tempted to sneak a bit more "treachery" and some technically more difficult sections into next year's Tecate just to keep all those experienced riders on their toes and live up to their hard earned and well deserved reputation? Will Mother Nature conspire against the entrants again? One thing is sure, at least 240 experienced riders will be more than happy to plunk down the entry money to find out. They all think it's wonh it. 1J~illlliJ ...... co 0') ...... ..... .... M ~ <: BRAD LACKEY DARREL SHULTZ RICHARD COON WAYNE BOYER NOT PICTURED: WARREN REID· STEVE WISE Carrera goggles wfth exclusive HYPER-SOFT@) FOAM. @ CAIlll£RA INTERNATIONAL COflPOllATION NOllWOOO. NEW JEIlSl;Y 076&8 . .... : ",::":.: : SCORE Mexicali 250 Mexicali. B.C.• Mex. March 21 AI Baker & Bob Balentine Mugen/Honda on Dunlop 2nd - Kent Pfeiffer & Scott Pfeiffer Premier/Yamaha on Dunlop : .' '.", any""'" More cydes ricIe on DUlliop thai tire 1ft the worIcI. ~ D UN.£OP p.o. Box T109.IluffaIo. NY 14240 17