Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

M-Star-mounted Tom Willis took top honors at the 40th annual Jackrabbits M.e. Hare and Hound, held near Johannesberg. NewHI·TOP Models Available 14' ...... Has 6' 1Iderior. . . . Door 1s 59"W x 6O"H. Y'. 20' .24·1IoIIels.... 7' lId8rlor WIllI .... Door .. 72"W x 72"H. For complete informetion and pricea on our full line 'of cuatom built fibargla..trailers call orwrita todayl Not. N•• A........ a ........ (216) 988-4474 1115 Milan Ave., Amherst, OH 44001 . . . AII .......... - 213/427·7~ sales • service • parts • Husqvama MotorcycleslChainsaws and full line of Power Equip. • Cagiva-Ducati Motorcycles • PARTS-IN STOCK-IN A HURRY • Technical Assistance • Complete Machine Shop & Welding 1 (312) 495-2273 M.C.C. 1015 E. 51. Charles Rd. Lombard, IL 60148 UPS 1>oi&jo Uioa ° A... ell. ° CUD 28 Willis tops D-37 desert opener By Anne and Tom Van Beveren JOHANNESBERG, CA, JAN. II Close racing marked the start of AMA/D37's 1987 desert racing season, with Tom Willis powering his 500 M-Star t9 victory by a slim margin at.the first race of the year, the 40th Anniversary Hare and Hound hosted by the Jackrab. bIts M.e. In an. all-out battle for the firstpointsoftheseason, Willis, who is sponsored by Eric's Motorcycles, spent most of the race trying to ward off a determined challenge from 250 Yamaha pilot Tom Kelly. The two were running neck-inneck for much of the 70-mile course, and Willis only broke free from his tenacious rival when the chain adjuster on Kelly's Yamaha broke, forcing him to drop out of the running. With many of D-37's big-name riders still in Las Vegas after the running of the Whiskey Pete's the day before, the race was up for grabs when the banner dropped at 10 a.m. As the swarm of riders headed up the short bomb run and hit the trail that led into the first of the two 35mile loops, it was Paul Krause, Team Husky's newest rider, who had the lead. There was no stopping Krause on the Jackrabbits course. He took advantage of the Open class bike's power on the bomb and burst through to the front as the racers hit the fast fire road that began the loop. The fast-paced early running kept riders closely bunched and caused a ~ttleneck wh~n the ~ail hit the first ught spot, a smgle-hle hili that led down a ridge into Fremont Valley. Following Krause on the downward trail were Tom Kelly, highrunning Amateur Ron Lewis, ex-250 ace Kenny Parry, who is now aboard an Open Class Yamaha, and 250 Yamaha pilot Darin Cartwright. The race heated up as the trail turned to run around the edge of the valley toward California City. Krause lost his lead after overshooting a turn, but soon regained the four places he had slipped during his detour. But just when he'd settled back into the lead, his new Husky decided it had had enough. "All of a sudden the bike started making some horrible noises," Krause said. "It was an awful rattling noise and I didn't want to ruin anything so I shut it off." With Krause out of the running, the lead went to Kelly, with Willis pushing hard .in second. The Kelly! Willis battle saw some dose racing as the course turned back towards home check. Kelly had the lead when the riders went into the pits, but Willis was still within striking distance. The lead pair were£ollowed out into the second JQQP by 250cc Expert Darin Cartwright, with Parry's Open Class Yarna/la and first Amateur rider Ron Lewis, in hot pursuit. Sixth overall at the pits was Kenji Gauthier, with fellow 250cc pilots David Alford and Charlie Morris, Jr. snapping at his heels. Open Expert Ron Shuler and Sean Bradley of the Rovers M.C. rounded out the top 10. Running an impressive II th overall at the pits was the first C-c1ass bike, a Honda under the command of Amateur rider Jeff Black. The second loop took the riders into the hills surrounding Government Peak, where the cold weather that had left traces of snow on the starting line turned some of the trails to ice. • "One place out there was like going down an ice shute," said Senior Ray Waldbaum. "It was a trough down through the rocks and the melting snow had frozen there over night. I starting going down it and fell right away. I didn't know why but the' minute I tried to get up. I found out. Every time you tried to stand up, you'd slide another 50 feet down the hill until a foot peg or something dug in." Kelly and WiJlis were fighting it out for the lead in the tricky mountain terrain, and the close battle looked as though it would last to the checkered £lag. But, with only about 10 miles to go, Kelfy's chain adjuster let go and put him out of the race. Kelly, who had overalled the 250cc class at Whiskey Pete's the day before, was forced tosit by thesideof the trail and wa tch as the rest of the racers swept by. Kelly's bad luck left the way clear for Willis, who made short work of the final mues of the race and took the checkered £lag with a fairly comfortable margin after almost one and a half hours of racing. "I had a great race going with Tom Kelly," Willis said. "Coming in off the first loop we were so close we could almost touch. I lost my rear brakes in the first loop so I'd overshootthe turns in the hills, butI'd get him in the open stuff because he only has a 250. "It was fun following him because he is a master. It was educational to watch him ride." Second overall went to Darin Cartwright (Montclair Yamaha), who finished five minutes behind the leader and took the win in the 25Occclass. "It was awesome," said Cartwright. "The first half of the first loop was reall y bunched up, but then everyone pulled away and it was a great race." Parry crossed the finish line in third overall, to take second in the Open class. Fourth place finisher Kenji Gauthier rode the entire race without a clutch. David Alford finished fifth overall on a 250 Honda, with Charlie Morris, Jr. hard on his heels. The top 10 finishers were rounded out by Ron Shuler, Darren Aldridge, Sean Bradley and Kawa-' saki-mounted Ron Lewis, the first Amateur rider to cross the line. Unofficial Results OVERALL: 1. To';' Wills (M-S); 2. Carin cartwright (Vam); 3. Kenny Perry (Vam); 4. Kenji Gauthier; 5. David Alford (Hon); 6. Charlie Morris (Suz); 7. Ron Shuler (Vam); 8. Ca"en Aldridge (Hus); 9. Sean 8radley (Han); 1C. Ron Lewis (Kaw). OPEN EX: 1. Tom Willis (M-S); 2. Kenny Parry (Vam); 3. Ron Shuler (Vam). 25C EX: 1. Carin Cartwright (Vam); 2. Kenji Gauthier; 3. Cavid Allard (Hon). VET 250 EX: 1. Jim Eveland (Kaw); 2. 8ill Cloward (Hus). OPEN AM: 1. Ron lewis IKaw); 2. Darren Moen (cag). 250 AM: 1. John James 125 AM: 1. Jeff Slack (Hon); 2. Joe Kraft (Yam). VET OPEN AM: Steve Gerner (Hon). SR OPEN EX: 1. Ha' Bankhead (Hus). SR 250 EX: 1. Ceve Kersting (Kaw); 2. Nate Sciaequa (yam); 3. Ron Hall (Suz). OPEN 8EG: 1. Brent Madesh (Han). 250 BEG: 1. Rodney Skaggs (Han). VET BEG: 1. Bob Baum (Vam).

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