Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Husqvarna rider Garth Sweetland topped the Whiskey Pete's Hare and Hound and collected all of the $3850 purse. Sweetland tops Whiskey Pete's By Anne and Tom Van Beveren Photos by Tom Van Beveren LAS VEGAS, NV, JAN. 10 Team Husky's Garth Sweetland overcame a field of the nation's top desert racers and some of the toughest terrain in Nevada to win the richest desert race ever held for motorcycles in the United States. With $35,000 in prize money up for grabs, this year's Whiskey Pete's issan World Cham- 14 pionship Hare and Hound allracted all of the top names in desert racing and saw some of the fiercest competition in desert racing history. But it took Sweetland's clear head and consistent riding style to conquer the tough, I50-mile coiJrse that sidelined many of the race's top contenders, bringing his brand-new 430 Husky home at the head of the field to take the $3850 prize for first overall. Twenty-one-year-old Sweetland, who is from Phoenix, Arizona, and finished second to Husky teammate Dan mith in last year's championship event, was thrilled with his victory. "It feels great to win this one," Sweetland said at the finish line outside Whiskey Pete's Casino. "This is always a great race, and one of the most hallenging races of the year. It's a very important win for me." This was the fourth running of the annual. champion hip event sponsored by Gary and Greg Primm, owners of Whiskey Pete's Casino. This year's event was co-sponsored by Nissan Motor Company with support from Duralube Oil, Cagiva North America, and U.S. Suzuki. The race was also the first even in a three-race series to be known as the Triple Crown of Desert Racing, organized by Casey Folk's "Best in the Desert" team. Over 200 riders from a total of 16 states signed up for the running of the event, and the entry list read likea who's who of desert racing. Team Husky was out in force with top riders Larry Roeseler and Sweetland, and the newly-signed Open class rider Paul Krause, who is best known for winning District3Ts number one plate in the 250cc class for the 1987 season. Husky ace Dan mith, winner of last year' event, was als • present but was unable to race because of wrist injuries received in a era hat the recent SCORE Baja 1000. Cagiva 125 pilot Duane Summers was back to try for his fourth class wi n at the cham pion hip event, a long with fellow ISDE ompetitors Jeff Miller, Reed Bright and Barry Higgins. B-to-V champ Cliff Thomas was out to try his luck, as were new 125 holeshot Eric Hallgath, "Mr. Huskv" Dick Burleson, and Utah legends Preston and Shawn Gerber. The list went on and on, and even included one foreign entry - from eight-time ISDE gold medalist and Italian national hero Angelo Signorelli, who made his first trip to the U.S. to compete in the event. Grand Marshal for the event was well-known motorcycle racer Jack Johnson, who is now behind the wheel of a truck as part of the Nissan factory racing team. The Governor of Nevada, Richard Bryan, returned for his third year as the race's official starter. The banner dropped for the start promptly at nine a.m. and the wave of Open class riders swept orr the line towards the smoke bomb. Southern California's Curt Crandall got the staTlof a lifetime and was out in front by about five seconds as the field swept past the bomb and picked up the pink-ribboned trail. Race day was cold and crisp, and rain the week before had left the course dust-free with maximum traction. Crandall made the most of the perfect conditions, pouring on the power as he headed out into the first loop, but the recent rain also proved his undoing. About 200 yards past the bomb, the leader hit a patch of ice on the edge of the "ex-"dry lake bed and went down hard. ''I'd been warned about the ice, but T'd never been right up at the front before and I was a bit excited," said Crandall (KTM). "The bike hit the ice and slid out and I cartwheeled. I tried to stick it out after that, but I fell oU the pace. The bike was bent and I wasn't feeling too well, so I ended up dropping out after two loops." Crandall's spectacular crash was repeated and perfected in the 250cc start by Mike Baker. Baker's Yamaha was running third at the bomb, but hit the same patch of ice. "It was impressive," said Baker of his crash. "I went one way, then the other, than I cartwheeled. I was on my knees, looking around for the bike when it came down - right in front o[ me!" A badly tweaked wrist put Baker out o[ the running. With Crandall sidelined, the Open class lead was taken over by Carlos Serrano, with Ted Hunnicutt, Derrick Paiement and Kurt SoCka hard on his heels. Idaho's Dan Huskey and Las Vegas' Mark Morris were fighting it out [or the early lead in the 250cc class, with Duane Summers and Eric Hallgath running neck-'n'neck out in front of the 125s. The close battle in the l25cc class was soon over as the wide-open terrain of loop one's early running claimed its first victim. As Duane Summers explained, "Eric (Hallgath) and I changed the lead about eight times. We were just going way too fast so I dropped back hoping to slow down the pace, but Eric kept going and hit a ditch wide open and did a huge endo." Hallgath made it back to the start line but was later taken to a local hospital. The fast terrain was soon over and the 42-mile first loop headed into the mountains, where riders went headto-head with Nevada's infamous rocky terrain and aw the first o[ the snow on the course. Serrano lost the lead jut over ha Ifway around the loop after reportedly seizing, Husky's Roeseler wasted a lot of time with a broken chain, and fellow Husky hopefuJ Paul Krause ran out of gas heading into the first pit. Loop one knocked Ted Hunnicutt out o[ the running when he hitan icy patch and ploughed into a tree, and also saw the first in a long line of mechanical problems for Summers when his clutch lever napped off "for no reason at all" just as he started into the rocky uphills. When the riders came out of the mountains and headed for the first. pit after almost an hour and a half of racing, Ron Naylor - the factory Can-Am pilot from Central Valley, California - had recovered from a mediocre start and was out in front, with a one-minute lead over top southern Nevada motocrosser Kevin Steele (ATK). Oregon's Rick Bozarth (Hus) was pushing hard in third overalJ, with Dan Ashcraft (now piloting an XR600 Honda), Arizona's Jeff Darland and Garth Sweetland hard on his heels. Tom KelJy came out of loop one with the lead in the 250cc class (23rd overall), but missed his pit and slipped back to fifth going out into loop two, giving the 250 lead back to the hard charging Ed Lojak from Pennsylvania, who had been out in front at the loop's halfway point. Grant Palenske was second in the 250 division going into the first pit, with Charlie Morris Jr. pushing hard in third, just ahead of Italian entry Angelo Signorelli (KTM). In 46th overall, and still in frontof the 125cc class despite losing his cl u tch lever and ridi ng most of the first loop on a rear flat, was Summers with fellow-Cagiva rider Bryan Folks of Las Vegas just over a minute behind in second. John Braasch and Idaho's JeU Miller were locked in a battle for third. Loop one saw a great bailie in the Over 30 division, with a trio of Yamaha riders - Mike "Sizzlin'" Sixbery, Scot Harden and Idaho's Dan Lees -fighting it out in close competition for the entire 42 miles. Sixbery came outof the loop in front (64th overall), with Harden less than 30 seconds behind and another half minute back to Lees. The first Over 38 division rider out o[ the loop was Barry Higgins of Atlanta, Georgia, io 91st overall with J Danna Brownell leading in the Women's class. Ron Naylor maintained his lead in the mountainous terrain of the second loop, completing the 33-mile section in just under an hour, but his lead was cut back drastically. He headed out into loop three with Jeff Darland, Ashcraft and Sweetland hard on his heels, with a short gap back to Kevin Steele. The snow-covered third loop saw the lead change back and forth as the riders jockeyed for position and When,' the 37-mile section finished with a scramble down a one-trail rock hill behind the casino, Sweetland hadl come out on top with Darland 30 sec-' onds behind and another minute back, to Steele. Naylor disappeared during\ the loop and was not seen again for the rest of the race. Pushing hard to' keep up with the handicap of a front £lat, Ashcraft bit the dust midwayl through the loop and had fanen back to 24th overall as the loop drew to a close. The Lojak/Kelly battle for first in the 250cccla s continued throughout the race with the two riders disappearing into loop four only three bike lengths apart in a tussle for 11th overall. Mechanical problems and a bail-off had relegated Summers to second in the 125cc class, pUlling Bryan Folks into the lead (21st overall) while Sixbery had disappeared in loop two leaving the lead in the Over 30s to Harden (28th overall). The final 42-mile loop was smooth sailing [or the ra e leader. Sweetland had his 430 Husky wide open on the fast fire roads that made up most of the loop and could not be caught, taking the checkered £lag after more than five hours in the saddle. "That was an excellent race," said Sweetland (Husqvarna/Dirt Unlim-

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