Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Dan Smith flies his Husky across the southern California desert en rout e to the 0 -37 Wa rren W ilson Memorial Hare and Hound w in in Lucerne Va lley. It's Smith again at Lucerne! By Anne and Tom Van Beveren Photos by To m Van Beveren L UCERNE VALLEY . CA, APR. 27 T eam Husky's Dan. Smith continued his domination of AMA District-37 desert racing by taking the overall win a t the 'first Warren Wilson Memorial H are and H o und at Soggy Dry Lake. The District's number one Open plate holder ran awa y from th e competition to tak e 10 th e checkered fla g a lmost six minutes a head o f hi s nearest co m pe titor in th e Viking s Mor orrvcl e Club-hosted race held in m em o ry o f Warrl'n W ilson. who was killet!las t yea r whil e co m petin!?; i n an ARA desert r.Jce nl."".Jr Barstow, G ll ifo Ulia. Wil son's widow, Lauric, a uen ded the 1'\'\'111 and was at th e fini sh li ne to co nW' ll u la te th e co m petitors and hand OUI co n l in !?;ency money. . '.Vith in suran ce restrictions proh ibllm!?; bomb run practi ce o n Satu rday a nd th e time cha n !?;e to da ylight savin!?;s time, the ri ders wer e up 1-~r1V Sunda y m ornin!?; to find a !?;ootl lin~~ on th e cho p py , cro ss-!?;ra in bomb run . Wh en the banner dropped at 9:05 a. m., Tea m Husky ace Da n Ashcraft was first o ff the stan, Ash craft, who was in top form despite takin !?; two week s o ff a fter hi s fath er's injuries at the Pl as ter Ci ty AMA National Harl' a nd Hound eve nt , fo und a !?;ood lin e o n th e bomb ru n JlJId stilrte d 10 draw o u t in frolll o f th e pjtck . As t1l1'co urse made it s firsl widi: turn a nd start ed on in to rolling te rrai n o n th e wa y to wards Mean s Dry La ke, SGlI'cely a mil l' past th e bo m b, Ashcraft had o pe ne d up a 20- secon d lea d o n rhc fil'ld . Ash craft was fo llowed OU I o n the tra il by a flock of Experts. Tom W il Iis was running in second o vera ll with Ted Hunnicutt 's Yamaha a nd th e Kawasak i of Don Griew « run ning i n secon d a nd thi rd . l'I: ex l through in fifth o vera ll wa s Smith . fightin!?; throu!?;h a r()('ky section to th~' left of thl' Irail after swin gi n!?; Wide o n th e po orl y-m a rket! 90" turn just aft er thl' bomh. Smith was foll owt.(J by'Open Expert Dt'rri ck Pa iemelll, .wil h firsl 250cc Expert Paul Kra use in sevenlh o n 'ra ll. The fir sl four-stroke past Ihe homb wa s Charli e Barney' s Gm-Am in eighth o vera ll with Kenn y Parry's , 250cc Yam aha tucked in IX'hi nd . The fir sl Amateur pa st Ihe homb th un de red through in a n unusua ll y high 12th overall. Dan Dawson , whoS(' four -stroke H onda is Ix'coming " familia r si!?;hl al Ih e Iwad of th e ,;ack in Ihe ea rly runn in g , repealed hi s pl'l'formance of t\\'() weeks ago at th e Ro ver s Hare a nd Ho u nd hy sta rti ng at th e fronl of th e pac k. hUI not aplx'aring althe end o f th e firs t loop. If " Fla sh in t he Pan " Dan ever man - said a triumphant Smi th . " T here ages 10 survi ve the fi rst lo o p . hi s were no tr ai ls. just gnarly rocks. I Amateur cla ssifi ca tion will probably wa s like the National Han' a n t n ot last lon g . Hound in Searchl ight (Nevada ). I Fi rst Vel past the bomb was Open was b itrhiu '.' · Expe rt J im Robinson with Vet 250cc Expert ;\I ike "Sizztin" Si x berry n ot Sm ith a lso sai d he had sl owee far beh ind . As th e co urse en tere d th e down in th e fin al section of th e rao sa n d d unes nea r Means Dry Lake, to sa ve th e bike, whi ch had blown ; Ashcra ft ·s bid fo r th e w in was cut . wa ter pump sea l a bout three milt, short wh en hi s Hu sk y d eveloped from th e fini sh . "Tm blowing ware engine p roblems a n d the l'arly leader o u t everyw here.' he said . "It started i had to d rop OUI of th e running 10 be ~ew mil.es back an~ I sta rt ed idling i to wed in to the pits. In case It was !?;elllllg low on water. didn 't want to hurt anything. Another hopeful who bit the dust l'arl y in th e race was 250cc Expert " I gal a good start OUI of the hall Ken Guuthicr, who ran into trouble hUI I had a bad trail, I guess, unc a bo u t five miles past the bomb. evervonv beat m e to the bomb. I hal 10 ride my butt off to ge t back to till "The trail ran riglu through an old pits in front. I didn 't lik e the firs g arbag« dump ." a di sappointed loop at all. T here were too man' G authier sa id . "There was all sorts of roads a nd when you !?;et on the road; trash out there. I gOI a whole lot of in the dust, you GIII't pass. In a ll tha wire ca ug h t u p around my back wheel stuff a t the IJl'ginn ing, I cou ldn't ser and it took a.bo~t20 minu tes to get it where I was gain!?; and I cou ldn't pas: out. I was p ushing to catch up after a nyoue . Th~' second loop was !?;rea that and I go t off really ha rd . It was though - It made u p for the firs 1 lime to call it quits after that." o ne.' Ash craft's w ithd ra wal left Griewe's Criewe roasted aer oss the lin e u Kawasaki in charge of the race. Griewe lake second o vera ll with a co mfort held his lead through th e fast sections ab le three- mi nu te lead o n Pa u of nlu-mating jeep tra il a nd san d Krause, who was th ir d ove ra ll anc wash a nd wa s stil l in front as the tra il first 250cc. headed through the rollers to wa rds " Sm i th got me riglu after the pi ts,' the pits. Griewe said. " I tried Slaying up wilt At this point, Smith's tenacious 1 11m, he wa s about 20 seconds ahead riding started to pay off, Aft er a slow bUI as soon as we hi t a II those rocks i start that left th e 0-37 su persta r in th e wa s all over. I've never seen man unusual position of having 10 eat rocks in one ra ce in all my life," dust for most of the 42 miles of loop Griewe said hi s problems on the o ne, Smith w~>rked his way through second loop were caused by running th e pack, pi cking off th e frontrunner s th e wrong tires. " I' ve gal ex peri men o ne by one. ta l tires a nd they made a rC'.JI differ. Smith got h is Iir st shot a t the lead ence," he sa id . " T hey just don 't worl in th e las I half mile of th e loop when in rhe rocks - it 's like riding or he ca u g h t Griewe in the roller s. As m arbl es. I ga l a good sta rt and I lik ec the two en tered the pi ts neck -andthe fir st bit. bUI I didn 't like all the neck , th e battle for th e lead sta r ted 10 rocks a nd there were loads of th em h eat up. Everyrirne I hit ;1 rock, I'd go off th i Smith pi lied first , g iving a momentrail . These tires a re hopeless." ta ry lead 10 Criewe, bUI with a reco rd Krause, in third overall , look rlu scu in g re-gassing effort by the T eam 250cc honors by a slim margin ovei Husk y cre w , th e ra ce was soon on Kenny Parry in fourth overall. Pa il" again. Smith p assed Cri ewe 's pit just rneru took th e c hec kered flag in [ift]: a s th e Ka wasa k i wa s pulling OUI and ~vera ll and third Open class. Tht rhe two o f th em were side-bv-sid e fir st four-stroke across the lin e wa : again as loop two began. . ridden by Barney and wa s right or The leaders were about three mil es Pa iem en t at the finis h line. • off in th e di stance wh en M-Star's new Senior co m pe tito r Bill Sa lt zmar factory r ider Derri ck P aiemen t storm held onto seve nt h overall , just ir ed through th e pits in third overall front o f S ummers , who look th e to ]; a fter working his way up fro m a si xt h ho no rs in the C class on h is 125n pl a n ' 011 Ihe bomh. P a ie ment wa s fo lCagi va . H owell . wh o finish ed 1711: lowed o u t in to lo op IWO by th e Cano vera l l 10 take seco nd in th e C class Am thumper o f Charlie Barney, with dropped back because of two f1al fir st 250n : co m peti to r Paul Krause tires. a nd th is year 's number o ne 250cc N inth ac ross th e fini sh line wa : pla te holder Kenn y Parry sli ps trea m Paul Palmer 's Yamaha , la king thirc ing beh ind. 250cc Expert in th e process will Next th rough , in seven th o vera l l. Mike S ix bery taking th e hono r a wa s Iir st Seni or rider Bill Sa ltzma n firs t v« hom e wit h 10lh o vera ll. T h o n hi s Husk y. T he fir st Vet ou t in to first Am ateur to cross th e line, inl9tl th e second lo o p was Bill Becker in overa II , was Kell y Pall' in o n lv hi 11th o vera ll. Breu Howell 's Kaw asecond r id e si nce transferring 'cron sa ki wa s lead in g in th e C cla ss in 161h • tlu- Novi ce ranks. . overa ll, but with Duane S um mer's Cagiva o n ly eigh t bikes hack a t thl' Results Ove rall: 1. Dan Smith ( H us ~; 2. Don Gr iew ~, alfwa y m ark , th l' prl'ssurl' wa s start(Kaw); 2. Paul Krausa (Suz); 4 . Il:en Parry (Yamt m /!; to mOlm t. D~rnck Paiement (M · S); 6 . Charlie Barney (C ; AI thl' hC'.Jd o f th e pa ck , Smith a n d Summe rs (Cag); Bil l Saltzman (Hus) ; 8. D uane _ Paul Palmer (Yamt 10. Mike S,xbery (Yam). G r iew e raClod Ih rou/!;h th e fir sl secOPEN EX: 1. Dan Smith (Hus); 2. Don Griew tion o f Ih l' S\'co nd loop wh ich look (Kaw l; 3 , Derrick Paiement tM -S). 2SOEX: 1. Pau l Krause (Suz) ; 2. Ken Parry (Yam Ih e r id ers Ih rough a grul'l in !?; section 3 . Pau l Palmer (Yam) . of Ihe SCORE Greal Mojave 250 125 EX: 1. Duane Summers (Ceg); 2. Bren HO'N (Kaw). cou rse, ft-.Jturin!?; fa st , c hop p v Il'I'r ain VET OPEN EX: I , Bill Becker (Hon); 2. Jim Robi wi th deep si It a nd clouds o f d~lSl . And son (Vam); 3. Andy Rocco (Hon). th en . as th e Ira i l hmded o ff into th e VET 250 EX: 1. Mike Sixbery (Yam). SR OPEN EX: 1. Bill Saltzman (Hus); 2. Na ro ck y hills on ils wa y 10 Anders o n Sc iacqua. Dr y Llkl', Smith start ed to pull away . SR 250 EX: 1. Dave Kersting (Kaw): 2 . Ro n H (Suz). . . Smith continued to ex ten d his ll'ad SUP SR EX: l . Curt Horst (Vam). a s Ihe {'ourSl~ para lieit'd Camp Ro ck OPEN AM ; I , Tim Weichers (Han); 2. Chr Grenk e (Yam); 3 . Chris Torgerson (Yam ). Roau and made a lo ilp 10 ru n ba ck 250 AM : 1. Kelley Pate (Yam ); 2. Jim Evela through L ucerne Valley' s infamous (Vam). moon rocks . And hy thl' tim(' he. 125 AM : I , Larry George IKTM); 2. Gary M ere (Yaml : 3 , Gary Christ ie (Han). l·ntt:l"ed Ihe final s('\'en milt's o f th e VET OPEN AM : 1. V251 (Vam). lo op. wilh ils tr ick y e nd uro -like terVET 250 AM : l . Steve Harmon (Hus). SUP SR AM : 1.'J.T. Clark (Hon). rain , Griew\' had droPl x-d back o u t of OPEN NOV : 1. Darren M oen (Cag); 2. J ack Ur i s i~ hl. Sm ith t. ok ! he c hec kered fhl!?; o (Hust 3. Roger Clapp (KTM). 250 NOV : 1. Andy Nelson (Han ); 2. David Beck with almost S i X mlllutl'S to span'. tHon); 3. 306 x (Yam). . " T hl' la sl 10 m ill's 0 1 th l' second 125 NOV: 1. Michael French IKaw ); 2. Ma loop was th (' hest part o f the ran'," Harpwood (Vam). 4A)

• Cover