Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ ~ >- W ...J o z :3 >- a: a: :3 >lD '" 0 ... 0 ~ J: 00 O'l a. ...... (.0 >.... ~ ~ .... ..0 QJ ~ Dan Ashcraft cru ised to an easy four-minute overall victory in the second D istrict 37 Hare and Hound of 1985 at Lucerne Va lley. D-3? Desert Hare and H o u n d : A.shcraft blazes to overa"mi" By Larry Lang le y L UC ERN E VAL L EY, C A, J AN . 27 Team Husky ri der Da n Ashcraft powered his 500XC to an easy overall win at the NGK Spark P lu g / Cycl e World Accessory Storesponsored Desert M.C. · 80-mile Hare and H oun d. Ash craft cru ised to a fo u r- m inu te victory m argi n o ver seco nd o vera ll, first 250cc class ride r Eric H allgat h (Hon ). 14 Barstow -to -Veg as and Whi skey Pe rc's \\'or ld Cha mpion wi n ne r Chris Cra nd a ll thu mped h is ATK 560 10 th ird o vera ll o n what riders d escribed as a m ostly wid e-o pe n co ur se. A very g ood ent ry a p proachi ng 500 riders del a ved th e sched u led 9:00 a. m. sta rt by 30 'm in u tes to a llow everyo ne 10 fini sh signing up. Finall y a t 9:30 th e banner dropped for th e Expert / Am ateur sta rt. T he start was a LeMan s type w here th e riders had to run to th eir bi kes ra th er th a n their us ua l on th e-bike sta rt . Senior rid er Richa rd Han sing was lensed o n th e sta r ring line waiting for the ba nner 10 drop wh en hi s propped up bike slo wl y fell over! Since th e banner wa s up, h e wasn 't all o wed 10 right it so when th e banner fin a lly dropped, hi s Yamaha was flooded . Needless 10 say he d idn ' t .get a very good start. H e was able 10 la ugh a bo u t i t , thoug h . " L'rn j us t g la d it didn' t create a domino effect and lake evervo ne's bikes ," m use d . H ansing . Team Yam aha rider T ed H u n ic u u had a big lead thro ugh the pass but Ashcr aft was cl osin g fa st. JUSI pas t th e bo mb , Hu ni cu u cras hed hard a nd Ash craft sto p ped to m ak e sure Hu n icuu was u nh u rt a nd H al lga th a ssu med th e lead . Ash craft took o ff after H al lgath wi th Ken Parry a nd num ber o ne 250cc pla te hol d er Der ri ck Pai em ent in pu rsuit follo wed by Cr andall. T eam Husky rid er Dan Smi th found a radiator lea k in hi s 500XC just before the sta rt a nd had 10 re p lace a ho se wh en his wav e sta rte d . H e ga l go ing dead la st. Viewfinder s M.e. m ember Charli e Barnev ea rned th e number tw o plate in lh'e 250cc cl ass but receiv ed a spo n so rs hi p from Ca nAm a nd is riding a new 500. Th e 500 p rov ed a little harder 10 start a nd it Eric Hallgath survived a fall on the sand hill to take the 250cc win and second overall. took Barney four kicks to fire up the bigger m ot or. About five mil es o u t. Ash craft 's muffler blew it s g u ts o u t m aking th e bik e so u nd like it wa s runnin g ra uy. Clearl y it wasn 't , as he ran down Hallga th a nd qui ckl y esta b lished co nt rol o f th e race. The gas sto p wa s lo cated r ight o n So ggy Dr y Lake a n d th e co urse ca me o ver th e bi g sa nd h ill n ear th e dr y lak e so rid e rs cres ti ng th e hill wer e in full view o f th e pits. Ash cra ft was fir st o ver th e hill a nd into the pi ts bef ore seco nd o vera ll H all ga th ca m e o ver and p rom ptl y crashed o n the steep face into soft sand . No thing was damag ed a nd it didn 't co st him an ything but a few seco nds and so m e hurt pride. Crandall was th ird with Pro- C ycl e's Mark Zoller (KT M) in a t fifth . Zoll er 's brother J oe (KT M) wa s m eanwhil e li m p ing i nto the pi ts with a Ilat tir e. Eddi e O gden had m ove d up to fift h o vera ll o n hi s AI Hol lev-run ed /An sw er Produ ct s Yam a h a : Pa ie m ent wa s rnnnin g eig h th o vera ll but h is r ide wa s soon to en d wh en h is H u sk y l unch ed a ro d. T he 'second loop wa s aga in d escribed as wide o pe n exce p t fo r o ne end u ro-type downhi l l. Ash cr aft wa s no t goi ng to be de n ied as he ca rne in w ith a fo ur-m in u te lea d over second overa ili first250cc H all gat h . Ash craft wa nts th e number o ne p la te this yea r a nd wanted 10 th ank Husq va rn a / Bel Ra v/P ro Ci rcu ir / Sco u USA/ Go ld Belt / Du nl o p and Bell for th ei r su p port. T hat 's two 0 -37 races in a ro w for Ash craft. H e wo n the last 0- 37 race o f 1984 (Jackra b bits Hare a n d Hou nd )a nd m issed th e first race when he part ici pat ed in th e Whi skey Pet e's World Cham p ionship ra ce in stead. H all gath is t he h ot 250cc ride r ri ght n ow . H e a lso won his class a t th e j ackrabbits race and wen t to Whiskey Pet e's . He probabl y has to be the fa vo ri te 10 nai l dow n the number on e 250cc p lat e this yea r. " H ey, it was a g rea t co u rse, well m arked a nd ca n I th ank Answer Products?" asked Hallgath. You bet. The o n ly positi on cha ng e a mon g th e front runner s wa s Ken Oviatt (P ro-C ycl e KT M ), who passed his sponsor, Mark Zoll er , for fifth over- all ; Ken Parry m o ved up 10 sevent h o vera ll. Performan ce Cycle's Charl ie Barn ey (C-A) m ade up for hi s fourki ck sta rt a n d fin ish ed a t ninth o vera ll in a good r id e o n h is new bike. " It was a reall y fast co u rse, a nd I wasn 't geared ta ll eno ug h, " said Barney. F ir st Veteran in was T ea m H onda 's Bruce O gilv ie a t l Orh o vera ll o n hi s XR500 thum per. Wa yne Carl ton picked up a M-Star sponsorship a nd prov ed he wa s worth y a s he won th e 250cc Vet cl as s o ver T ee Vee H olmes (KT l\I) . Car lt o n 's i\1-Star was set u p bv Er ic's Mot orcvcl es. Fir st Am ateur 250cc Ve t was Ren e Reese (KT M). Cagiva rid er Du ane Su m m ers had th e C bike lead wh en a roc k from th e rear wh eel o f a no ther bike pun ched a h ol e in hi s bike' s ra di at o r, purrin g him o u t o f th e ra ce. Fell ow Ca gi va rider a nd number o ne C bike pl at e holder T om Eli as to ok adva ntage o f Summer s' misfo rt une to win th e class. Elias is sponsored by H ow a rd a n d So ns a nd Du ralube, Elias was follo wed in by Jnll ian G uerra a nd Denn is Cr ea so n (KT l\I). T h e 250cc Sen io rs had q uite a duel goin g wit h In vad ers l\I.C. member AI G uz ma n (Suz) bea ting C h ecke rs M.e. rid er R o n H a II ( Ya rn ) wi th Don Wh iteho rn in a t th ird. T h e Sen io r I 75cc class was domi na ted bv Ama te u rs as former end u ro ste wardj erry Ba iley (Ya m) bea t C hris Hend erso n for th e cl ass win . Mel T eu ey won th e Seni or Ex pert I 75cc cl ass b ut fo llowed bot h Ba ilev a n d H ender son into th e fin ish . . • Results OVERALL: 1. Dan A sh c raft (Hus ); 2. Eric Ha llgath (Han); 3 . Chr is craneen (ATK); 4 . Eddie Ogden (Yam); 5. Ken Ovi att (KTM ); 6. Ma rk Zoller (KTM ); 7 . Ken Parry ; 8 . Ron Shuler (Yam ); 9. Char lie Barne y IC· A ); 10 . Bruce Ogilvie (Han ). OPEN EX: 1. Ashcraft; 2. Crandall; 3 . Oviatt . 250 EX; 1. Ha llgalh; 2. Ogden; 3 . Zoller. 175 EX: 1. Tom Elias (Cag): 2. Julhan Guerra; 3. Denn is Creason (KTM). W OM EN; 1. W 3 2. VET OPEN EX; 1. Ogilv ie (Han); 2. V 23 7; 3 . V3 . VET 25 0 EX ; 1. Wayne Car lt on (M·S); 2. Tee V ee Hol m es IKTM) . VET 250 AM : 1. Ren e Reese (KTM). SR OP EN EX; 1. Cun Horst; 2. An Knap p tHus); 3 . Robe rt Torg er son . SR 250 EX; 1. A I Guzman ISu,); 2. Ron Hall (Vam); 3. Don W ht ieh orn . SR 175 A M : 1. Jerry Bai ley (Yam); 2 . Chr i s Hend erson . SR 17 5 EX; 1. Mel Teney; 2. Ken M eI er . BEG · OVERALL: 1. S. Par son; 2. 301 ; 3 . 2 63.; 4 . P52; 5. Robe rt Prima vera; 6 . Jim Okie: 7. D. Ede lstein; 8. J . Stevens; 9 . Dan Noll (Hu s); 10 .456 .

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