Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

at a time when the ~cond check was considered out. Fredette ended the day a 988, with Fero and Dan.Ashcraft (Hus) nine and 24 ~conds behind him, respectively. Joyner turned in a 682·~cond twola p test to lead the 175cc class wi th 1033 points. Rosso might liave been close, but at the dead·engine start of the ~cond test, his engine was exactly that and didn't fire for about 20 costly· ~conds, putting him back in the pack. Scott Atchison (Suz) and Matt Cullins (Yam) were 2·3 between joyner and Rosso. In the 125cc ranks, Colin McDonald was credited wi~h the lead, just one second ahead of Knarr. But McDonald's score would be readjusted the following day to include 300 route points, drop· ping him to Silver. Day Two As Open class co· leader BaJ.,entine impounded his machine Saturday after· noon, he noticed he had a front flat possibly caused by getting a stick' iilsid~ the tire during the second special test. Du~ng the IO ..mimae morning work . penod, Balentme changed the tube and felt around for any debris~ but couldn't find any. The replacement tube lasted through the first 4O-mile loop and the morning test, but out on the ~cond loop, the tire went flat again. Balentine borrowed a tube and tools from Jeff Fredette and changed the tube again, and arrived at the next check a minute past his grace. When the tire went flat a third time, Balentine decided to pack it in. Of tbase still in the running, Harden turned in the best test of the morning, an astounding 302·~cond run. Open classer Chuck Miller (Hus) ana Stacy had 3095, while Johnson and Howell tripped the clocks at 310. Fredette ad· mitted to having problems with the comers and turned in a 316. Joyner and Rosso turned in identical times of 336 in the 175cc battle as Joyner wanted to keep the lead and Rosso was out to make up time. McDonald was s~ill run.rung hard in the 125cc battle, as he edged Knarr by eight seconds. Instead of running the tests at the 80 and 160 mile markers, the Day Two tests were run at the 40 and 120 mile points, with an acceleration test in between. The acceleration test found Conrad Stit~k and Carl Cranke, both riding 495 KTMs, to be the fastest. (The weather on Saturday had been sunny and warm, but Sunday morning dawned cold and cloudy. Cranke rode Sunday morning's special test with only a T ·shirt to keep his upper body warml) The final test on Sunday, again tWo laps, was to be the decider. Johnson ree!e~ off a 620·second mark besting OgtlVle by five ~conds, Miller by eight seconds and Howell by nine. It locked up the win for Johnson, and it was the first· of his career in Two-Day competition. "This morning 1 thought I had a really good special test, "said Johnson. ".1 felt really good, thought I hit all my hnes, and I found out 1 was five or six seconds slower than all the guys. This afternoon I thought 1 had a really terrible one in the two laps, but what happens? 1 was five or six seconds faster than everyone e1~I" . Johnson will miss next week's Trask Mountain Two-Day to drive a car in the Mint 400 off· road race, where he is the defending champion, but will reo tum to Two-Day competition the following week. Ogilvie wound up the weekend with a 1973 score, good for second in class and second overall, tQ make the Dale's Modern Cycle crew fairly happy. "On the trail I didn't have any troubles at all, the bike ran good. The only prob211 LC ~1)~ lIlt ~J\'I'Jt IllJ' lem 1 had was when they dug the big mudhole on the special test and 1 fell off the first day. It cost me about 10 ~conds, and that's probably what I'll get second by," said Ogilvie shortly after the event concluded. Bruce Ogilvie was not the only Ogilvie to finish. His father Don, 55, turned in a Silver medal performance riding against the youngsters. Harden's fantastic first test was negated when his rear tire went flat halfway through the second test. "Those two loops got me each day. The first day I whiskered a plug and lost some time, and then going into the second one I was only fi~ seconds be-' hind Jack for the overall. I knew it was close and I was going for it. I thought I had a good chance to win it, but I got a flat going out on the second loop and that was the end of it," said Harden, who finished third with a 1984. Howell turned in a pair of good tests to finish fourth in the Open class with a 199-3, while Chuck Miller, now riding an Up-Tite Husky, recovered from Day One crashes to prace fifth. Brent Wallingsford (Hus) had a bad moment on Day Two in one of the tests, when he came over a blind jump to see Terry Davis' Yamaha lying on the course. Brent hit it and crashed, ~ut got u.p ~nd carried on to place SIxth. DaVIS didn't finish. It was late Sunday afternoon when the controversy over the eJtclusion' of S.aturday's second check arose, as nders who didn't get lost said, "It isn't fair to throw out a check when only five riders get lost." The referee reevaluated his decision, and the score sheets were pulled down and redone. Both Stacy and Reynaud, initially on Gold, went down to Silver. Even before the referee's decision Stacy had his problems. His neck sponed a nasty rope bum where a slower rider had forced him off the special test course and into the rope marking it. Fredette, who gives the impression that he's not really crary about the desen, nonetheless took the 250cc class with an 18-second ·margin over Fero. "Everything was just bouncin' along, said Fredette, "right over the rocks and everything." Fero was followed by Dan Ashcraft and Mike Godfrey (C-A) in the 250cc rankings. The top four riders were the only ones to finish on Gold. Desfite falling twice in the second specia test, Rosso still posted the fast 175cc score of the afternoon. It wasn't enough to catch Joyner, who took his first class win, but it did move Rosso to second. "Can we do the first day over?" he asked later. By three seconds, Cullins took third over Atchison. Knarr continued on to take the 125cc laurels, with Zitta win second and Gray Leonard (Hus) in third. There was only one manufacturers team entered, the Suzuki trio of Cosgrove, Rosso and Fredette, but they were all on Gold for a good showing. The Perfect "36" team of Joyner, Cullins and McDonald took the club team honors. • IAbove) JfIff Fredette took the 260cc claa by 18 seconds. (Clockwise from below right) Deen Joyner..took his fkat cIua win in the 17Scc ranks. Frank StIICy went fat. but got Ioat his first time in the desert. Bob 8IIlentine went fat. but DNF with flats. Scot Herden w .. third overell. Results OPEN: 1. Jack Johnoon. 1955IMa); 2. Bruce Ogilvie 1973 (Yom); 3. Sco. Harden. 1984 IHuol; 4. Chip Howell. 1993 (Yoml; 5. Chuck Mill.... 2002 (Huel; 6. Brant Wollingsfcn:t. 2035 1Huol; 7. Bob Ruttan. 2059 lMa); 8. Roy Coogrow. 206B tSuzl; 9. Conrad S _ 2107lKTM); 10. e.t Cronko. 2125tKTM). ' SILVER: Morris Norman tHUll; V...lin Von Zllo (Huel; Jo.... V,ncont (Hulr, Don Ogilvie (Yom); M _ Leer tKTM); W_ Cukavoc (Yom)· George Zuber lYom)· JeII_. ' • 250: 1. Jell "'-'e, .1992 ISuz); 2. John Foro, 2019 (Yoml; 3. Don _1ft. 2023 tHUIl' 4. Mike r.___, 2154tC-Al. .' ~ ........ SILVER: John Blythe IHuol; Doon Biddle IKTMI' "'onk Sl8Cy tSuz); Ruoty Reynaud IHUIl; Kovin Devi~ IKTMI; Doug Behnko (Yoml. 175: 1. o.n Joyner. 2113 ISuzl; 2. Miko ~. 2144. tSuzl; 3. _ Culini. 2147 (Yom); 4. Scott Atehioon, 2150 ISuzl. SILVER: J.rtrey Ogden l~). 125: 1. Ron Krwr. l2200 IKTM); 2. Allen ZittIo, 2256 fHuol; 3. Gr8\' Leonord, 2342 CHuol. SILVER: Colin McDonald (Yoml. .... ft.~ • l 11 S • 9

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