Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Garth Sweetland takes the checkered flag after the 240-mile race. M-Star's Anthony Pasqualotto and Grant Palenske traded off the lead a few times with the Harden/Sweetland team and ended up second. 20 up to be a grueling race, with a strong wind and thick dust making life difficult for riders and crew alike. Pasqualollo was in fron\ going into the pits, but some rapid riding by Harden brought rus team up to only six seconds behind the leader. And as the teams headed out for loop four. a quicker pit SLOp put the Har-' den/Sweelland duo ahead by three seconds. Folks/Morris were still holding third overall, with Roeseler/Pfeiffer in fourth. A £lattire and lost silencer cost the Summers/Folks team some valuabl~ time, and as the 125s left on their way into loop four the Palmer/Underwood duo were in front by a maller of seconds. The leading Vet team of Shirey/Bouchillon did not appear at the end. of the' third loop, leaving the way open for Carl LOn/Anderson, and with the only other Vets till in the race (Edward Sivon and Kevin Colan) almost an hour down after breaking a chain, th'e last two loops were mooth' sailing for Carlton and Anderson. At the end of loop four, Sweetland brought the front-running Husky in four mintues ahead of Palenske' MStar, with more than ix minutes back LO third overall and first 250cc team Folks and Morris. The Roeseler/ Pfeiffer duo held fourth overall, and Summers/Folks had worked their way back up into fifth overall, from ninth going into the loop. The bid for the 125cc lead from Palmer and Underwood was cut short when the team ran out of gas within sight of the pits at the end of loop four and lost time gelling the bike back LO the home check. By the end of the fifth loop - with only one loop LO go, Harden and weetland had increased their lead to more than six minutes, despite a flat front tire which held them up in the final pit stOp. Pasqualollo and Palenske were still in second, with Folks/Morris, Roeseler/NeiHer and Summers/Folks holding their positions. Sweetland took the checkered £lag at the end of the sixth loop to win the event, and the $800 Open Pro purse, in a time of eight hours and 15 minutes. "The course was reall y well laid out," said Harden as he congratu- lated his winning partner at the finish. "There was a great variety of terrain - lots of up and down hills, sand hills, tight and twisty stuff and not lelling us pre-run the course made it better because it wasn't all torn up prior to the race." Harden said that 240 miles was a perfect length for the team event. "It was just right as far as length," he said. "One more loop arid it would've been starting to be work." The 29-year-old rider from E condido said that bad luck for the Smith/ Ashcraft team was a good break for them. "Ashcraft was leading when he broke, but I've been around racing to know that they don't pay you until you get here," said Harden at the finish line. "It would've been hard to beat those guys in a heads-up race but that's racing for you." Sweetland, who rode the three lap of the second loop, described his part of the course as-rocky. "I tried to back off in the last lap so I wouldn't hit so many rocks," he said, "but I hit even more going slow!" The winning team thanked sponsors H usqvarnaMotorcycle Company, Husky Products, Autolite and BelRay, and the builder of the bike, Mike Lapp of Desert Husqvarna. The second bike across the line was the M-Star piloted by Pasqualotto and Palenske. with third overall going to the first 250cc acro s the line, ridden by Daryl Folk and SCOll Morri . "I've had all the riding I can handle," said a tired Folks at the finish. "My partner didn't want to ride his last loop so I had to ride his as well -that's a long way!" Folks (Husky/Husky Products/ Duralube/Sportsman Cycles/Grand port Tires/E.P. Performs) wanted to give special thanks to Niles Ussery and Richard Wilks. "They put together a motorcycle that just ain't gonna get beat," he said. Fourth overall was taken by the I25cc Cagiva of Duane Summers and Bryan Folks, in an amazing effort for a "lillie bike" team, especially considering the second-row start th~t left them four minutes behind the Open class bikes at the banner drop. "We had a few problems," said Summers. "Bryan (ell of[ in his first loop and bent up the front, then we had flat tires, the lost silencer - oh, and I got lost, but it wasn't bad. And I like the idea of not pre-running the course. It didn't get real chewed up -if we'd pre-run it it would've been wasted by now. They're starting to get whoops now but nothing like Disrrict27's giant whoops - that upand-down-all-day stuf£." Bryan Folks said that apart (rom a couple of flat tires he'd had an excellent ride, and wanted to thank his sponors E.P. Performs. The Roeseler/Pfeiffer team took . the checkered nag in fifth overall, third in the Open Pro class, "I let him (Folks) go by near the end," said Pfeiffer. "The Open bikes were way in front. I just cruised the last lap -there was nothing to gain." Teammate Roeseler said he thought the course was fun, but should have been longer. "I think it should be a 400," he said. "It's always been a prelly difficult race. This year was pretty short and easier - like a regular desert race. As (ar as the layout and everything, it was great. It just should've been longer." Sixth overall and fourth in the Open Pro class went LO local riders Jim Thompson and Pete Sheehan (KTM). "It's the typical Nevada course - rough and nasty," said Sheehan. "We had a few bad breaks. I went down and punched a rock through the radiator, stuff like that, but I think we did prelly good considering we threw this together in the last two or three days. I'm in the Over 30s but I couldn't find anyone to ride with me so I had to ride the Open class. My partner (Thompson) probably would've overalled the whole thing if he had' found a younger rider to go with! The Johnson/Powers team took second in the 250cc Pro class, crossing the line in eighth overall, despite a continually fouling park plug. "It kept fouling plugs the whole time," said Powers. "It would be okay for a while, then start again. About a mile out there it started running badly again - I only just made it in!" Morris/Stadtlander took ninth overall and wrd in the 250cc on a Yamaha, and were followed in by the Open Pro entry of Heers/Wilk on a Husqvarna. Second I 25cc home was piloted by 16-year-old David Gianchetti of the GianchettiiSteele partnership, who was shaky after hitting the dirt not far from the finish and knocking the wind out of himself. Third in the 125cc class went to Kevin Case and Guy Kibbe (Yam) in 13th overall, and hard on the heels of GianchettiiSteele despite the handicap of no rear brake. "We hit a rock about halfway through the race and had to ride the rest of the way with no back brake," said Case, uWhen Guy brought the bike in he asked if we wanted to go on. I said we're going to It keep going until it don't run any more. We made up some time on 101 (Gianchetti/Steele) but after the brake went away there wasn't anything we could do. We just kept going hoping nothing else would happen!" Case wanted to thank Yamaha Motor Corporation, Beach Yamallil, Dallas Baker Products, Hallman, Smith and Cycle Shack. The first Vet Pro team to reach the finish was the Carlton/Anderson MStar combination in 14th overall. "I liked my loop - it was a turning course - turn, turn, turn - typical Casey Folks tight terrain. I think I got into fourth gear once," said Carlton. "On the last loop the course was getting prelly trashy. If they'd let us pre-run it would've'gollen to be like regular District 37 racing. But I had lots of fun and the bike held together!" First in the Open Sportsman class went to a team of brothers from Goodsprings, Nevada. After not racing over a year, Joe an,d David Stephens finished in 15th overall on a week-old Husky bought especially for the race. "We want LO thank D &: J Enterprises, Mom and Dad, and our pi t crew - and I want to thank David for letting me ride his new bike," said Joe. Second in the Open Sportsman contest, in 18th overall, was the Yamaha-mounted team of Paul Rankin and Tom Voss, with third going to the father and son team of Sam and Damon Bass. The 250cc Sportsman class was won by Randy Carney and Monte Wadsworth (Honda), with the Michael Walling/Scoll Fletcher Honda team in second, and David Stouard and Paul Skeary's KTM in third. The 125cc Sportsman class was won by the amazingly mismatched big/small size combination of Richard McElfresh and Mike DuPaix that must have caused nightmares setting up the bike. The win in the Iron Man competition went LO Glenn Warren (Husky) from Las Vegas in 20th overal I. The Best in the Desert organization hopes that this team race, in combination with Whiskey Pete's Hare and Hound solo event and a World Championship Hare Scrambles event in the planning stages for late 19860rearly 1987, will build into the Triple Crown of desert racing. "The race worked well this year," said organizer Casey Folks. "Out of 71 entries we had 47 finishes, and not one injury. That's a pretty good record." • Results OVERALL: 1. Scot Harden/Garth Sweetland (Husl; 2. Anthony Pasqualotto/Grant Palenske (Hus); 3. Daryl Folks/Scott Monis (Hus); 4. Duane Summers/Bryan Folks (Cag); 5. Larry Roeseler/Kurt Pfeiffer (Hus); 6. Jim Thompson/Pete Sheehan (KTMI; 7. Kevin Steele/Randy Honeycutt (Hon~ B. Joe Johnson/Mike Powers (Hon); 9. Mark Morrlsl Doug Stadtlander (Yam); 1D. Floyd Bradley/Billy Quinn (Hus); 11. Mike Heers Jr.lRichard Wilk (Hus); 12. David Giancheni/Sean Steele (Hon); 13. Kevin Case/Guy Kibbe (Vam); 14. Wayne CarltonlWes Anderson Jr. (M-S); 15. Joseph Stephens/David Stephens (Husl; 16. Randy Carney/Monte Wadswonh (Hon); 17. Michael Walling/Scott Aetcher (Husl; 1B. Paul RankinlTom Voss (Yam);' 9. David S.touard/Paul Skeary (KTM); 20. Glenn Warren (Husl. OPEN PRO: 1. Scot Harden/Garth Sweetland (Hus); 2. Anthonv Pasqualono/Grant Palenske (Husl; 3. Larry Roeseler/Kurt Pfeiffer (Hus); 4. Jim ThompsonlPete Sheehan (KTM); 5. Kevin Steelel Randy Honeycutt (Hon). 250 PRO: 1. Daryl Folks/Scott Morris (Hus); 2. Joe Johnson/Mike Powers (Hon); 3. Mark Morris/Doug Stadtlander (Vam); 4. Dave Chase/Curt Crandall(Hus); 5. Paul Kline/David Hoesch (Hon). 12S PRO: 1. Duane Summers/Bryan Folks (Cagl; 2. David Giancheni/Sean Steele (Hon); 3. Kevin Case/Guy Kibbe (Yam); 4. Bill Mattox/Darin Cart. wright (Vam). 0-30 PRO: 1. Wayne CarltonlWe. Anderson Jr. (M·S); 2. Edwerd Sivon/Kevin Colan (Hus). 0-38 PRO: 1. Al Forbes/Ed Hooper (Yam). IRON MAN: 1. Glenn Warren (Husl; 2. Gary Prater (Yam); 3. Frank A. Rossana Jr. (Hon); 4. Jeff Benson (Hus). OPEN SPRTSMAN: 1. Joseph Stephens/David Stephens (Hus); 2. Paul RankinlTom Voss (Yam); 3. Sam Bass/Damon Bass (Hus). 250 SPRTSMAN: 1. Randy Carney/Monte Wadsworth (Hon); 2. Michael Walling/Scan Fletcher (Hus); 3. David Stouard/Paul Slteary(KTMI; 4. Rodney Hayes/Barney Aspia Jr. (YamI; 5. Chris Nor· throp/Scott Benshoff ISuz).

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