Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

M CU ..c o .. u o Desert ace Dan Smith piloted his factory Husqvarna 510 four-stroke to victory at the Shamrocks M.e. 's 30th annual Hare and Hound. Duane Summers, riding his first desert race since competing at the ISDE in Italy, piloted his 12.5 ea~iva to fourth overall, first 125. AMA/D-37 Shamrocks M.C. Hare and Hound Smith thumps to Shamrocks victory By Anne and Tom Van Beveren Photos by Tom Van Beveren FREMONT VALLEY, CA, SEPT. 28 Husqvarna's new 510 four-strokes, piloted by Dan Smith and Larry Roeseler, dominated racing at the 30th Anniversary Shamrocks Hare and Hound, hosted by the Sham18 rocks M.e. and held at Fremont Valley. In their first appearance on the big thumpers in AMA Dis- trict 37 desert competition. Team Husky's Smith and Roeseler thundered in to take first and second overall, respectively', after a close-fought ballie over more than 100 miles of tough desert terrain. A fieldof 480 riders lined up for the stan of the event. The smoke bomb was lit at 9:00 a.m., and when the banner fell on the Amateur/Expert start, Paul Krause on his potent 250 Suzuki grabbed the holeshot and led the way to the bomb, flying off the drop-of[ into Whitey's Wash 10 seconds ahead of Roeseler, who was running' second overall. Roeseler was chased past the bomb and out into the 30-mile first loop by a huge cloud of dust that enveloped Smith on his distinctive-sounding 510, as well as the first C bike piloted by Michael Heyler, first Vet Tom Martin, first Senior Ron Hall, and first Amateur Clarke Coleman. Krause held the lead as the course reached the edge of the Desert Tortoise Preserve, where it turned south to run through the steep rollers along the fence-line of the Preserve, then through the rolling hills behind California City. After holding Roeseler at bay for almost 25 miles, Krause backed off for a second to pick the best line down a steep downhill covered with deep sand and even deeper rain ruts. The moment's hesitation was all the hard-charging Roeseler needed ·to power past uno the lead, and there was no stopping the Italian ISDE gold medalist as the race turned for the five-mile run into the first pit stop. After a rapid pit, Roeseler was off again, leading the way into the fast second loop, a 42-mile scenic circuit up into the EI Paso Mountains. Smith launched a last-minute sprint on the run into the pits thatpu~him hard on Krause's heels. Thanks to some rapid refueling by Team Husky, Smith went out into loop two in second overall, with Krause chasing hard in third. But Smith's reign in second was short-lived. Only minutes into the loop, Smi th was forced to pull over to zip-tie a broken radiator mount that had fallen prey to one of many creosote bushes that whipped at the riders. . in the low land sections of the race. Krause swept by to regain secondplace honors, and headed off in pursuit of Roeseler. Duane Summers - riding his first desert race since winning a gold medal at the ISDE - had muscled his 125 . Cagiva into fourth overall by the first gas, but was being pushed hard by fellow C class contender John Braasch, who was running sixth overall. By the end of the second loop, with its fast jeep trails and sand washes, Roeseler's 510 Husky had increased its leading margin and thundered into the pits more than 30 seconds ahead of Krause, who was hanging onto second overall by the skin of his teeth. Krause arrived for his second pit with Smith's 510 sniffing at his . tailpipe. Another lightning-quick pit by the Husky Team put Smith out in front of Krause again. The duo followed Roeseler into the third loop, a challenging 30-mile section which featured tight, twisty canyons, rocklittered terrain, and a series of grueling uphills and down hills that culminated in a thrilling drop down Government Peak. It took the leaders just over an hour to complete loop three. Summers was still. running in fourth overall at the start of the loop, with first Vet rider Kern Park, on an open class Husqvarna, in fifth. Park was followed out onto the loop by Team Husky's Dan Ashcraft, while second place 250cc Expert Eddie Ogden, Jr. was running sixth on his Yamaha. A determined ride by Smith had him gaining ground on Roeseler throughout the final loop of the race, despite the handicap of a rear flat tire, suf[ered less than five miles into the race's toughest section. Smith's lastminute dash swept him past his teammate and into the lead as the trail started the steep descent from the towers on Government Peak. In a final run to the checkered flag, Smith crossed the finish line less than a minute ahead of Roeseler, making it a 1-2 punch for Husky's 510 fourstrokes. "This bike is great. I want to race it all the time," said a happy Smith at the finish line. "Everything worked well, and apart from the flat, I had no problems at all. That last canyon sure was a bitch with a back flat. They had some tricky stuff back in that la'st loop. "I finally got Larry (Roese,ler) coming down the hill, up by the towers," Smith said. "I think he lost his brakes. We had a great race, and I think the course was great. I really liked it." Roeseler agreed that the Shamrocks M.C.laid out a challenging, interesting course. "They did a real good job," he said. "I led most of the way and the markings were no problem. They had some new canyons. They used their imagination and it was a good course. "I just tried to be smooth the whole way," said Roeseler. "I had some trouble with my rear brakes. They just gradually wore and wore until in the end there was nothing left. And with Dan pushing hard, that was it. But I really enjoyed it." . Krause took the checkered flag in third overall, first 250cc Expert. "The second loop was a bit fast, especially for a 250, but the third loop sure was fun," he said, "And the bike worked all the way. I can't believe it - it's areal change. We've been having prob J lems with itlatel'y. "Did I think I'd win it? asked Krause, who is sponsored by U.S. Suzuki, Allied Suzuki, O'Neal USA, Spectro and IMS. "Well, I had a dream in my head about winning it for a while there." Krause was followed in by Summers, who claimed fourth overall, first in the C bike class. "It was all right," said Summers, who thanked his new sponsor, Alpinestar. "The tighter the better for the smaller bikes, so the first loop was good, but the second loop was roads, and super fast all the way. And there were those little bushes everywhere - those things are trouble." Taking the checkered flag in fifth overall, third in the Open Expert class, was Team Husky's Ashcraft. "I was doing good of[ the start but right after the bomb I threw a chain and had to stop to put it on, and a whole lot of people got past me," he said. "That left me back in about 30th, with dust everywhere. I thought, 'no way can I do this,' but I just rode my butt ofL I'm tired." The first Vet home, taking sixth overall, was Husqvarna-mounted Park, who said he found the course "pretty tough. They did a good job, and I liked it a lot. But I haven't been out in the desert since February, and haven't been on a bike since June. Plus, I just picked the bike uplast night. But I had a great time, and I want to thank everyone - Torco Oil, ND, Grand Sport Tires, Sta-Lui;>e, and Gear." Eddie Ogden, Jr. (Granada Yamaha/Answer Products) took the checkered flag in seventh overall, second in the 250cc Expert class. "There wer-

• Cover