Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

..... ..... ~ 0.. < (Above) Howard Pickett goes through a checkpoint on the first lap of the Rat's Ass Classic. (Below) Pit stops were quick. about a rapidly-approaching Mark Hall (Yam) who had won the first moLO. On the last lap, Hall nipped Anderson at the base of the killer downhill with a mid-air pass, to lip into second place. Habig's elecLTifying performance in moto two (and, of course, his 2-1 record on the day) gave him the overall win while Hall's 1-2 had him in front of Anderson (3-3). It was quite a show! Meanwhile, in the 250 c Expert clash, Hickman made it look easy as he glided his YZ250 around the rough, sandy course. Pud is so smooth and has such good throttle control. it just looks (and sounds) like he's taking it easy. Of course he's not, and everyone else JUSt gets farther and farther back when he's on the course. Loren Shockey who, along with the recuperating Joe Wright, is about Pud's only serious competition locally, and hewas spectating today. Loren's okay but his bike is in the Honda hospital with a cracked cylinder. He')] be ready next time! Things were pretty interesting in the "B" races, too. The Novices ran a modified course which excluded the Sand Hill but contained a long, fast sLTaightaway with a deceptive righthander at the end of it. More than one racer overshot thjs panicu lar comer and skittered down the hillside. This was a spot where "overshoot" really meant something! The fun continued even throughout the LTophy presentations. Pee Wee winner Casey Anderson (Yamaha YZinger) was presented a can of chain lube in lieu of trophy. Thi was all well and good for about five minutes until, after grave consultation with his elders, the 3'6" tall Anderson made his way back to center stage to . inform Owyhee Club oHiaals that, "It doesn't have a chain!" And you know ...he was rightl Results PEE WEE: 1. Casey Anderson (Vam); 2. David Kaiser (Yam); 3. Jason Smith (Yaml. MICRO: 1. Richie Reynolds (Kew); 2. James Cyr (Kaw): 3. Dan Lopez (Kaw). MINI B: 1. Mike Harris (Hon); 2. Pat Lovelady (Suz); 3. Eric Smith (Hon). MINI INT: 1. Eric Hatch (Kaw): 2. Thad Smith (Kaw). MINI EX: 1. Chad Case (Kaw); 2. Jon Irby (Kaw); 3. Eric Deschamp (Vam). . 125 B: 1. Steve Davis (Vam); 2. Shawn Woods (Kew); 3. Byron Hunter (Yam). 125 INT; 1. Jemie Steelsmith (Hon); 2. Todd Smith (Hon); 3. Don Wright (Kaw). 125 EX; 1. Rod+labig (Kew); 2. Mark Hall (Vam); 3. Todd Anderson (Suz). 250 B; 1. Cherles Henzel (Hon); 2. Tony Lawrence (Hon); 3. Rick Evans (Hon). 250 INT: 1. Joel Huskey (Suz); 2. Brad Baker (Suz); 3. Curtis Dice (Hus). 250 EX: 1. Warren Hickman(Yam); 2. Ed Hickman (Vam); 3. Derin Bunars (Hon). OPEN B: 1. Steve Acollegui (Hon); 2. Bill Ballard (Mai); 3. Mike Mayden (Hon). OPEN tNT: 1. Tyler Ekard (Vam); 2. Tim Boehlke (Yam); 3. Clint Scott Murray (Yam). OPEN X: 1. Doug Wade (Hon). OLD DUFFERS; 1. Don Toissant (Hon); 2. Myron Davis ISuz); 3. Arnie Gonzales IHus). Habig, Hickman hook it at Boise MX By Marty Gregory BOISE, 10, MAR. 18 Rod Habig (Kaw) and Warren "Pud" Hickman (Yam) were both overall winners today, in the 125 and 250cc Expert classes 38 . respectively, but only one of them really had a race at this weekend's Owyhee Motorcycle Club motocross. Habig's overall was won by virtue of a tooth-and-nail sLTuggle throughout the second moto with flying Todd Anderson (Suz). Pud, on the other hand, led both 250cc motos start-to-finish and was never seriously challenged. Brother Ed Hickman (Yamf was Warren's closest pursuer, and hedjdn't get within 10 seconds of his super-smooth sibling. The second 125cc moto was most cenainly the best race of the day. Habig got tangled up in some course markers at the start and had to fight from dead last to the front of the screaming pack. By the middle of the moto, it was Todd Anderson and Rod Habig swapping the lead in a full-on exhibition of skill and stamina. A collective "gasp" was audible from the good-sized crowd as Habig gassed it down the largest hill, hitting only about every third bump and passing Anderson. Todd hung-in, though, and recaptured the lead briefly at a couple of points. Finally, Habig started to pull away from the Suzuki rider, leaving Anderson to worry Pickett pilfers gold in Idaho desert By Marty Gregory MURPHY, 10, MAR. II Against the stark desert beauty of Idaho's historic Owyhee Mountains, Howard Pickett (Yam) led the "char~e" of racers LOwin the 1984 Rat's Ass Classic 100mile hare scrambles. Not unlike his Civil War namesake's ill-fated charge, Pickett's "troops" (the guys behind him) had their share of casualties. Steve "Smoke Bomb King" Henry (KTM) got a tremendous start and was dicing with Pickett for the lead through most of the first lap. Then an unseen obstacle sent Henry over the bars in a hard get-o£( which left the KTM pilot suffering from a broken LOoth and cut mouth. Henry finished the first lap in fourth, just seconds ahead of Reed Bright (KTM), but Steve went to the hospital instead of back out onto the 33-plus mile course. I n a soljd second position at the end of one tour was the surprising Daniel Huskey on a 125 Suzuki. Curt Harpham (Hus) wa n't far behind Huskey at this point. Coming in for the finish of the second lap about 50 minutes later, Howard Pickett was all alone. Curt Harpham showed up next, but the Open Expert was several minutes back and appeared to have no chance of catching the £lying Pickett. Harpham couldn't catch him. Howard Pickett finished well in front of everyone else and didn't even look tired in the pits. Howard rode one of those rare "problem-free" races and made it look easy, One man who most certainly could have given Pickett a tussle was on hand to help Cycle Nuts 'n' Bolts honcho Dick Rockrohr (Hus) with his pit. Larry Roe eler was in town to help with a Husqvarna promotion at C B on Saturday and, though rumors were £lying around southwestern Idaho for two weeks previous, didn't race at Murphy due to injured ribs. During a talk with Roeseler in the pits, we found him looking wistfully out toward the hills and sagebrush £Iats of the cC>Urse. The vacant look which came over his face in between his answers LO our questions left no doubt that. in his mind, he was shifting into ixth and gassing it. Roeseler was impres ed with the terrain and the quality o[ Idaho racing and says he intend LO return to ride Ron Dillon's Sun Valley Grand Prix in June. Ron Dillon, for his part, could have been in contention were it not for a spectacular splatter on lap one. Dillon said, "There must have been a square one (rock) behind a sagebrush." He came 0[[ at the start of a killer downhill just when shi.fting into fifth gear (he was obviously going pretty fast). The crash left Ron dazed, left his gas tank leaking, and his leathers split open. A combination o[ sand and gasoline down his pants left Ron with burning and itching skin which eventually caused his retirement on lap two. It is interesting to note that the same KTM 250 was used the night before (with a Class C tire on it) LO do battle on the Owyhee M/C's Indoor Short Track in Caldwell. At least they don't have rocks on a shon LTack! Lots of other boys found a rock or two. Daniel Huskey's remarkable second overall effon on the first lap was erased by his argument with a nameless Idaho lava rock. Huskey's chain guide was smashed and the chain on his Suzuki kept popping 0[[, leaving Daniel well back, though he still finished a respectable 12th overall and fourth in his cla'ss. Dan's riding partner from Huskey Suzuki, Je[[ Miller, fared slightly better with a second in ·the 125cc ranks and an eighth overall. Desert fast guy Mike Kelly (Hon) won the 125cc Expert class and raged to a fine fifth overall for the first small bike finish. All things considered, the attrition rate wasn't too bad; of the 119 big bikes which started, 88 finished. These included old desert racers Ollie Todd (who coped with a very flat tire for the [inal third loop to wind up third in the Vets class), and everyone's favorite, "XXL" Leroy Smith (KTM) who took third in Senior Expert.

• Cover