Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Pete Sheehan and Lee Pearson powered their KTM to first place in the Over-30 division. Frank Chase and Kenji Gauthier topped the 125cc class when the Honda of leaders Jeff Miller and Brett Howell seized two miles from the finish. The 250cc division was won by H.onda-mounted Joey Lane and Mark Vanscourt. traditional 250cc class standouts. also were experiencing mechanical problems. With a lead of more than seven minutes over the rest of the 125cc field, Jeff Miller seized the Coor's Honda just after crossing Bessemer Mine Road. "I got it going again but it ran ragged on the bottom end," the ISDE ace said. "After that we had to nurse it along. Our biggest worry was killing the engine. We thought if it stopped running, we'd never get it going again." Miller was soon back in the race, but he was off the pace, nursing the bike, and the time out had cut his lead back to just over five minutes. Morales continued Team Honda's push for the lead as loop two began, hoping that Smith's solo ride would cost him time in the later stages of the long event. But as loop two continued, it became clear that fatigue was not going. to be a prob· lem for iron-man Smith. "I tried lO pace myself but it didn't work out like that," said Smith. "I just raced the whole way. It wasn't bad at all though and I was feeling pretty good, even at the end. " Smith's stamina allowed him to keep up the same sizzling pace he had set in loop one and the Husky ace turned in an amazingly consistent 46.87 mph average for the second loop, about the same as his 46.56 mph average for loop one, despite getting a flat rear tire in the fmal stages of the race. "I got the flat just before the finish· - about five or six miles back, I think," said Smith. "But that was my only 'problem all day." Try as they might, Team Honda could not catch Smith and the 23year-old four-stroke pilot swept across the finish line lO take the wm just over three and a half hours after the starting flag dropped. "The race went well for me, but I think it was one 'of the most dangerous races I've ever' been in," said Smith, who is sponsored by Husqvarna/AUlOlite/Scon/Gold- belt/Metzler/Malcolm Smith/ Alpinestar/ArailRenthall/HRP / Ascerbis. "I don't know what SCORE is doing, but they should never have run the bikes back with all the cars," Smith said. "I was the first bike off, but I only got a mile before I had to pass a car. I was in dust the whole race and it's too dangerous to be out there on a bike with all those cars when you can't see anything. It's not only dangerous, it upsets the race too. The cars get in the way and they won't move for you. They can alter the whole outcome of the race. "I hope SCORE learned something and doesn't do this again. I have an obligation lO Husky so I'll race itagain even if they· leave it like this, but if I didn't .have that obligation, there's no way I'd ride like that again." Randy Morales crossed the finish line in second overall, just over five and a half minutes behind Smith in the time-adjusted standings, giving Team Honda an average speed of 45.52 mph. "I don't know how Dan goes so fast," Morales said. "We did everything we could and we just couldn't catch him. He must have ridden his butt off." "It was absolutely crazy out there," said Ashcraft. "I don't like passing cars and they were everywhere. In the second loop I came around a comer in a ,sand wash and 'ran right into a car that had stalled. I wasn't going very fast but it tipped me over and I couldn't get the bike started for a while. Making us last off the start was a terrible idea. " Thirteen minutes behind in third overall was Norman, who is backed by Grand SportiSportstrackiShowa America/O'Neal. "I've been having mechanical problems all year and I'm really surprised that I got through this with nothing going wrong," said Norman. The close-fought battle for the 250cc crown was won by the Lane/ Vanscoun Honda duo, sponsored by California Communications/Body Glove/House of HondalTsubaki/ Scon/American Honda/Tustin Honda!Answer. Lane/Vanscourt took fourth overall with an average speed of 42.71 miles per hour. "If it wasn't for Grand Sport tires and the Michelin Mousse tubes we would never have made it," said Vanscourt. "We were hitting rocks a lJ over the place. "My partner and I both had a good ride," he said. "One of the best things we did was put a horn on the bike before we started. We found the cars were quite courteous. Once you honked the hom, and they knew you were there, they'd move over. It was pretty scary with so many out there though." Finishing six minutes behind the 250cc winners were Yamaha pilots Kent and Kurt Pfeiffer, who took second 250, fifth overall "If they start us behind the cars again I don't think I'll do it," Kent Pfeiffer said. "I usually race a car in these events and the way this was done it was just too dangerous on a bike." The Las Vegas duo of Scott Morris and Bryan Folks took third in the 250cc division and sixth overall, despite loosing the front brake and flattening a front tire. After leading the 125cc class all the way, the Miller/Howell Honda finally gave up the ghost just two miles from the finish line. "We had 15 minutes on them and I think the lOp end went south," said Howell. "We'd been having problems ever since Jeff seized it in loop one and I had to push it to get it going a~in after the last check, but then it fmally gave up only a couple of miles from the end." . Howell pushed the bike two miles to the finish line and had to be content with third overall. The Coors team's misfortune gave the 125cc win to Frank Chase and Kenji Gauthier, wJ:1o cornpleted the course in four hours and forty minutes. Second in the 125cc division went to solo Yamaha rider Keith Senn, who crossed the finish line just seven seconds ahead of the disabled Coors Honda. Pete Sheehan and Lee Pearson took a wire-ta-wire win in the Over30 division, bringing their brand new 500 KTM home half an hour ahead of the nearest competition with an average speed of just over 39 mph. Sheehan and Pearson were followed in by the Honda-mounted team of Jim Buckingham and Paul LaVoie. David Callaway and Mike Bast brought their Kawasaki home in third. The battle for Over-38 honors was won by last year's champ Ron Gray, who ·brought his Husky home just two seconds ahead of the John EtchartiLynn McGraw Honda in the time-adjusted standings. • Results CLASS 22 (OPEN): ,. Dan Smith (Hus); 2. Dan Ashcraft/Randy Moralas (Hon); 3. Randy Norman (Hon). CLASS 21 (250): 1. Joey Lane/Mark Vanscourt (Hon); 2. Kent PfeiHer/Kurt PfeiHer (Yam): 3. Scott Morris/Bryan Folks (Hus). CLASS 20 (125): 1. Frank Chase/Kenji Gauthier (Kaw); 2. Keith Senn (Yam); 3. JeH Millar/Brett Howell (Hon). CLASS 30 (0.er-30): 1. Pete Sheehan/Lee Pearson (KTM); 2. Jim Buckingham/Paul laVoie (Hon); 3. David Callawav/Mike Bast (Kaw). CLASS 38(0_ 38): 1. Ron Grav (Hus); 2. John Etchert/Lynn McGraw (Hon).

• Cover