Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(lsft) Bob Balentine won overall. (Above) Bruce ~Id Jeff Kaplanweretop (Balow) Second overall Scot HarderL SCORE/Pemocl Off-Road series: Round Two Balentine makes it two in a row By Dale Brown Photos by Charles Morey and Brown SAN FELIPE, B.C., MEXICO, MAR. 27 Bob Balentine and his AI Baker R&D/ Mugen U.S.A. HondaXR500 thumper made it two wins ,in two 1982 races as he took the overall and Class 22 (Open) wins in the SCORE/Pernod San Felipe 250. Balentine's margin of victory in the 270-mile event was about three minutes over the .T eam Husqvarna 430XC piloted by 12 Scot Harden and Brent Wallingsford. Finishing third overall and firsi in Class 21 (250cc) were Jeff Kaplan and Bruce Ogilvie on an American Hondasponsored CR250R. This was in spite of a hard bail-off by Ogilvie late in the race that left him with a separated shoulder and the bike with a severely twisted front end. Ogilvie and Kaplan were scarely a minute ahead of the class runnersup, Kent and Scott Pfeiffer. After their Parker 400 win, Kent and Scott's fortunes took a nose dive when Kent broke his leg in a local race in late February. Since Kent was the rider of record, he had to ride in order for their combined effort to score points. In order to do that, he used the shell of a plastic Scott boot and cut it in half, using the bottom as a shoe around his fiberglass cast and the top as a wrap. Kent rode the minimum 30%of the race while Scott tackled the rougher parts. The youngest racing Pfeiffer, Kurt, and partner Chuck Cartledge had little trouble winning Class 20 (l25cc) on their Premier Yamaha/Hallman/White Bros.!Jones Goggles YZ125. They were 38 minutes ahead of second. Class 20 had one other story of note. Keith Senn, 15, rode the race solo on his Bellflower Yamaha/Dallas Baker/East-West M.C. YZ80, and finished a respectable sixth in class. Class 30 (riders over 30) saw Rick ShireyandJohn "Smokebomb" Gaetz start first on their Dick Allen Yamaha IT465 and then lead the class all the way to the checkered flag. Dick Vick, teamed with Ron Bishop, was first across the finish line in Class 38 (riders over 38). But when Dave Miller finished only a few seconds later, Vick gestured at him and said, "There's your winner." Miller, last of the line, did indeed win by five minutes on his Southwest M/C Sales/Hallman-sponsored Husky. A death marred the race. Ward Ring, 34, crashed about 50 miles after the start. According to reports furnished to the SCORE press headquarters, SCORE medics were quickly on the scene and administrered aid there and then transported him to Valle de Trinidad for a flight to a U.S. hospital. Suffering severe internal abdominal injuries, Ring died en route to the U.S. hospital. Class 22 , The bikes left impound at 6:45 with the first one, the Chuck Stearns/ Bill Tarling Honda, set for a 7 a.m. start at the impressive monument! sculpture that marks the entrance to San Felipe. Balentine started a minute after Stearns, and started catching him as they sped across Diablo Dry Lake. The thumper that Balentine rode and the CR480R of Stearns were physically together as they rode up a sandwash toward the first pavement crossing at San Marais. Stearns stopped briefly for gas, and Balentine passed him shortly thereafter. At the first check, Mike 's, Balentine had the lead by one minute, although both he and Stearns came through at the same time. AI Baker was in third, and Harden and Kelly were very close together for third on time, with Harden still ahead of Kelly physically. ' It had shaped up to be a Honda/Husky battle, and it would stay that way . Chuck Miller, on the Team Yamaha entry, had seized just past the dry lake. Miller's partner, Larry Roeseler, had crashed pre-running the course two days before the race and separated his right shoulder. On the run over th Summit, Balentine had a scare when he saw a wire fence strung across the trail and had to lay the bike down. He got going again, but after awhile one of the bolts holding the front fender went away, and he eventually lost the entire unit. The leading-group lost the Stearns/ Tarling Honda when they had to stop at Valle de Trinidad and replace the rear shock. Jetting problems would plague them after that. Kelly, taking over for Ashcraft at Valle de Trinidad, was within one minute of Balentine as they hit Nuevo J unction and started the run over the Summit. Wallingsford was about three minutes off the leaders' pace. .As they headed toward Borrego, the final pavement crossing, Ashcraft and Kelly apparently had the lead on elapsed time. But just before Borrego they flattened a rear tire , and after it was changed, they were 30 seconds back of Balentine on time. Balentine roared past the finish at II :56 for an elapsed time of four hours, 55 minutes and 50.03 seconds. Kelly, awaiting Ashcraft at the finish, was confident that he would show in a matter' of moments. "It's going to be close," he said. But Ashcraft didn't show, and it was several minutes before Harden arrived. Ashcraft had broken down a few miles past.Borrego, and the team DNF. Harden reported an uneventful ride, aside from nearly stalling in one of the deep stream crossings and jumping off and pushing the bike across. "Bob turned in a really good ride, " said Harden. " He just went faster than we did." Third in class went to Bill Holmes, who rode solo on his White Cloud Ranch/Canoga Park Husqvarna to finish in five and a half hours. j After their shock and jetting troubles, Stearns and Tarling finished fourth. Finishing fifth were two new- . comers to Baja, scrambles rider Alan Knowles and MXer Brian Fry. Knowles crashed coming out of Mike's a nd broke his arm, and Fry had to ride all the way to the finish . Class 21 Ogilvie had only been in the Honda camp for three weeks, but he started on the machine and had it near the top at the first check. Team Husky 's Kent Miller, teamming with Mark ' Miller, arrived thereat the same time, but he'd started a minute and a half ahead. Scott Pfeiffer was the third quarter-liter through on his Premier Yamaha/Hallman/White Bros.! Jones Goggles machine, but on elapsed time he was approximately one minute ahead. By Nuevo, Kaplan was running two minutes ahead of the Pfeiffers and the Millers, but as far as the lead was concerned, the Honda and the Yamaha were running virtually dead event with the Husky about two and a half minutes behind. Over the Summit, Kaplan put enough time on Scott Pfeiffer to take the lead at Tres Posos with a twominute advantage on elapsed time. Shortly afterward, Ogilvie took over for the run to the finish. About 30 miles from the finish, trouble struck: "I was doing about 90, and I hit a big hole. It just put me 10 feet in the air - I was going ass over teakettle and doing cartwheels into the bushes. It cost me about two minutes. One minute to crash and one minute's worth of bad riding after I got started." Still he nursed it in to the finish. Kent Pfeiffer, riding with the cast, struck his foot hard and slowed when it started to tingle. He was passed by Kent Miller, but Pfeiffer gassed it back up and passed Miller when the Husky rider did a flying W after hit-

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