Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

I Mike Baker made it a 1-2 showing for Yamaha by claiming second overall. The California rider finished one minute behind Thomas. With the sidelined Ogilvie reportedly retiring at the third gas, the last section of the race was smooth sailing for Thomas. He cleared Stateline, crossed under the highway, then started the final and toughest leg of the race - a choppy, cross-grain section littered with rocks; it gave the tired riders little chance to relax on their way to the finish line, located near Sloan, Nevada. Thomas took the checkered £lag after more than three hours of grueling, high-speed racing. He finished with a convincing lead of more than one minute over Mike Baker, and took the £lag more than two minutes ahead of the first Open bike, piloted by Ashcraft. Hallgath did some low flying in the tighter mountain section to take fourth overall, finishing hard on Ashcraft's heels. "I can't believe it - I won," a jubilant Thomas said at the finish. "This is the first time I've ever ridden the race, and I thought the course was going to be a lot smoother than it was. It was really rough, especially the last 50 miles, and it was justas fast as I'd expected. . "I had no problems at all -' it was a £lawless ride," he said. "I didn't crash and I d,idn't have to work on my bike, which is just as well because my tools fell out of my fanny pack back there somewhere." ' With such strong competition from the Husqvarna and Honda factorysponsored riders, CliH "Diver" Thomas was the first to agree that his victory was an upset. Although he had been highly placed in D-37 desert racing as a teenager, Thomas dropped out of racing in 1982. He reappeared on the desert scene after buying a new Yamaha in June of this year, and almost immediately established himself as a:'force to be reckoned with. "I think I might have surprised a lot of people with this win," said Thomas. "I'm not one of the big names yet and I only just got my first sponsor.l'm on the Yamaha support team through Montclair Yamaha. I only started racing again back in June, and I think this win shows I've finally got my stu£[ together." Baker, who finished second overall despite injuring his wrist in a fall early in the event, said he thought the race would never end. "That last 45 miles or whatever it was seemed like forever,," he said. "And some of the corners weren't marked very well on the Nevada side, but overall the race was great. "I had some problems at one stage when I got caught in the dust and couldn't see a thing. That's when I went down. It ·took the wind out of me really quick in that fall." . Today's race was Baker's third ride in B-to- V competition. "Last year I didn't even make it to the bomb, so I'm really happy to be up here in second this time," he said. Third overall, first in (he Open class, went to Dan Ashcraft (Scott/HiPoint/Pro Circuit/DMC/Dunlop/ Troy Lee/Bell Helmets) who was happy to just finish the race. "God, I finished - I can't believe it," said Ashcraft, a rider who has seen his 1986 season plagued with mechanical diHiculties. "The bike worked so well; everything was great," he said. "My only problem was that we forgot to put the hose back on top of the tank at gas three and 1 got gassed out in that last section. " Ashcraft said his ride almost came to an end just after the first gas stop. "Me and Cliff (Thomas) were sideby-side going down the road after the pit and 1 backed ofHor a drop off," he said. "Cliff got about a bike length ahead of me over the drop, whIch put -me in his dust and all of a sudden there was a big motorhome coming backwards on the course. 1 went charging into the bushes on the side of the coune trying to miss it; it was pretty close." Fourth-place Hallgath described the course as "perhaps a little fast for a 125." "I thought it was a really good course, but it was pretty fast and you SCORE Baja 1 OOO-winner Bruce Ogilvie took an early lead in the B-to-V classic but later dropped out of the race with a flat tire. Team ~usky's Dan Ashcraft had a near miss with a motorhome on the course but still managed to finish first Open Expert. third overall. have to push hard on a 125," said the Granada Yamaha/Answer/Gaerne/ Silkolene/Scott Goggles/Bell Helmets-sponsored Hallgath. "I did not get a very good start - about four kicks - and after that I just had to keep passing people. It was pass, pass, pass !I.lJ the way." "The bike was great and I'm happy to be with Yamaha," he said. "They're really going to be getting into desert racing a lot more now." Smith, who finished fifth overall (second open expert) despite his Baja injuries, was happy with his performance. "I just went for a trail ride," he said after taking the checkered £lag. "My aim wasjust to finish and 1 think I did just great geuing second. 1 hurt p~euy good now though. Maybe I shouldn't have ridden so hard." Smith said his only problem was getting the big Husky to corner. "Look at my front tire; it's a total baldy," he said. ''I'd try to make turns and it just wouldn't work at all." Husky's Garth Sweetland survived a sixth-gear bail off and rode the last 7

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