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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126613
(Clockwise from left) The Sportsman team of Richard Shaw and Jay Day finished 17th overall on a YZ125. Brothers SCott and Kent Pfeiffer took the overall on a 250. Scot Harden and Brent Wallingsford were second overall. Pleillers last in Las Vegas 400 Photos by Norman Kauke LAS VEGAS. NV, APR. 18 Yamaha's top 250cc off-road team, Scott and Kent Pfeiffer, did a lot more than take the class win , as they powered their Yamaha YZ250 to the overall win in the 1982 Las Vegas 400. The Pfeiffers ran an almost flawless race . suffering only one tire puncture while covering 375 miles of some of the 14 roughest terrain in th e desert in nine hours. one minute and 55 seco nds . T he brother team took over th e lead halfway through the fir st lap, and despite serio us challenges from severa l teams emerged victorious. As the first bikes left the line in Jean . NV. a small town about 25 mil es south of Las Vegas, i t wa s Husky's Tom Kell y rocketing off to th e lead. Tom and partner Dan Ash craft had led the last two SCORE races at one time. only to come to grief. and they fared no better today as engine p roblem s sideli ned the factory team after putting nearly a five minute lead on th e field. Quickl y tak ing over th e physical lead was Scot H arden . who reeled o ff th e fast est lap of th e day a nd led th e race all the way to th e sta rt / fini sh ar ea . where he turned over th e bik e to partner Brent Wallingsford. Following Harden into th e pits was Kent Pfeiffer followed by Glen Wis chmeyer (Hus), Kevin Welch . having started well back in the pa ck was running fast and challenging for the lead on time wh en th e WeIch / Jack Johnson Maico seized . Wall ingsford lefi th e pits for the high speed California side of the course with the lead when problems started. A flat tire and a broken chain put the Husky team well back in time and left them to play ca tch up. Meanwh ile the Pfeiffers moved into the physical lead, which the y would never relinquish for th e remainder of the race. Pulling into second place was Mark and Kent Miller (H us), abo u t five minutes back . but almost tied on time. The Glen Wischmeyer/Ty Bothwell team held ont o third until Kevin Steele and Troy Fitch (Yam ) went by th em at the sta rt of th e third loop. As th e leaders started th e final hip. the Miller Husky actually had a 20 second lead in elap sed time over the Pfeiffer Yamaha with Fit ch and Steele very close behind. Meanwhile H arden and Wallingsford were back running and setting a blistering pace. trailing the leaders by only about 10 minutes and gaining fast before th e ch ain broke a second time. putting th em back in fifth place. The Millers lost their lead, the race and nearly the finish at th e same time wh en th ey su ffered a flat. For Kevin Steele and Troy Fitch. th e jinx hit them again for the third year in a row . The young Las Vegas tea m ha s been leading their class in th e last two .400swhen disaster struck and this year was no exception as they ran out of gas, wh ile leading the Open class . Meanwhile, Harden had his chain back on again and was in hot pursuit again, but the Pfeiffers rodet he last lap without a bobble and finished the race with a 19-minute edge over the Harden /Wallinsford team. Glen Wischmeyer and Ty Bothwell came in third. second 25Occ. followed by Dan Smith and Bill Holmes (Hus). Fifth overall and first I 25cc were Bill Hill and Scott Atchison on a Suzuki. The team had led the class from the start and finished over 25 minutes ahead of the second 125, Pete Postel and Duane Summers. Tops in Class 30 was the familiar team of Rick Sh irey and John "Smokebomb" Gaetz, who held off a persistent Mike Goodwin and Lynn McGraw. finishing only three minutes ahead of them. Top Class 38 honors went to desert legend Max Switzer and top Arizona Senior Dave Miller (H us) who finished about four minutes ahead of Sam Bass and Ken Guio. It was a good day for the small bores in th e sportsman class too, as one of the yo u ngest teams in the event, Richard Shaw, 16. and Jay Da y. 17, took first Sportsman honors and 17th overall on a Yamaha 125. They finished nearly 20 minutes ahead of the second Sportsman. first 250cc Billy McDaniel and Danny Anderson on a Husky. Top Open Sportsman went to Doug Statlander and Jim Fikes, riding the only KTM in the entire race . First ironman sportsman was Jeff Barnes on a Suzuki. This year's Las Vegas 400 was the biggest ever with over $12,000 in prize money and over $14,000 in contingencies offered. Kent and Scott Pfe iffer each took home a check for $1000. a good da y's pay for a hard day 's work. •