Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Idaho's Curtis Dice (NS) took fourth overall and third in the Open class aboard a CR500 Honda. . Winner Dan Smith (left) and AMA's Roger Ansel share the spotlight following the SS-mile race. Smith led from start to finish. 14 start and I was about 30th when we got to the sandwash at the end of the bomb," Parry told Cycle News, "but I was working up pretty well by the time we got to the pits." Brix's Suzuki headed up the 125cc competition in 13th and John Braasch was pulling out all the stops on a YZI25 back in 23rd. The race was on again as Smith arid Hunnicutt left the pits with only seconds between them and powered back down the bomb run to tackle the 48-mile second loop. The northern loop was tight and twisty all the way. "The first loop was great but the second one was even better," said Smith. "It was tight and rocky and you never got ~oing fast. " "The conditions up here were perfect," said Jim Clark who overalled the Amateur division in last year's National Championship Hare &: Hound Series. Smith made the most of the third and fourth gear terrain of the second loop and started to pull away from his race-long KX250 shadow. "Hunnicutt was right with me going out on loop two but I think he started to get tired after a while," said Smith. "He fell back a bit and then I started to lose him." "I followed Dan for about 20 or 25 miles in the second loop and then I got a front flat," said Hunnicutt. "After that I was just trying to keep upright and not have the front end wash out on me. It was a really tight, tight course and a front flat was the worst thing you could possibly have on that loop." Hunnicutt battled to keep the pace going but Roeseler was wmding on the throttle not far behind. "I could see (Roeseler) coming up behind me and I tried to hold him off but I blew a tum and he went by me while I was looking for the course," said. Hunnicutt. Charging up through the pack was Dice, who was back in 10th at the pits, and 250cc contender Phil Douglas. "I think not having any dust made a lot of difference," said Dice. "You could ride with somebody all day long and that made it a lot easier to work your way up." Vet Class contender Kenny Parry was not having any luck working his way up through the pack. "My chain broke about three miles out and I fixed that but it broke again four miles later," said Parry. "I had to wait until somebody carne by with a link I could borrow and that put me way back, but I still finished. I wasn't going to ~ all the way to Idaho and not fimsh." But despite the all-out push near the front of the pack, none of the racers could make up time on Smith. "I could see him on top of some of the ridrs but I couldn't catch him," sai Roeseler. "The second loop was really tight and good which I like, but Dan likes that stuff too." The race leader continued his £lawless run all the way into the finish and took the checkered £lag after two and a half hours of closefought competition_ "I only just made it. I ran out of gas just back there," said the KTM/Hi-Pointl Scott/Metzeler/Arai/Autolite/Acerbis/R&:L/Z Racing/Maxima/Tsubaki/Sunline/Exceed Sports Nutrition-backed Smith, who was pointing back down the course. "I was carrying gas with me but I didn't have time to stop and put it in, so I just wriggled the bike around and I got enough gas to finish." Roeseler was still charging hard when he crossed the finish line one minute later to claim second. "I had a pretty good race," said Roeseler. Hunnicutt wrestled his front flat home just over a minute behind Roeseler to claim third overall and his third 250cc victory in the Championship Series. "The whole course was great - lots of tight stuff, virgin trails and small cow trails, and I had a really good time,"said Hunnicutt. Dice brou~ht his Open class Honda home m fourth overall with 250cc racers Derrick Personette and Phil Douglas not far behind. "1 was about seventh or eighth coming through the first loop, but I had a really ~ood second loop and caught up a bIt," said Douglas. Dan Richardson blasted across the finish line just inches ahead of Kenji Gauthier to steal seventh overall with Scott Davis not far behind. "Nice traction and no dust, but it could've been a bit warmer," said Davis. ''I'm used to 95 degrees, not freezing cold temperatures and wind like this." Mickell Brix continued to dominate the 125cc division all the way to the finish and captured the class win in 10th overall, four places ahead of his nearest 125cc competition, Yamaha-mounted John Braasch. The battle for the Over-30 honors was decided less than 100 yards from the finish line when Oregon's Dan Lees went down in a heap and let Utah racer Kerry Fowler through to take II th overal I. "I guess I was a bit overzealous right at the finish," said Lee. "I was riding on a front flat and it just went away." . The Vet class winner was not without his tale of woe. "I bent my rotor 20 miles into the (second) loop and I've been fighting it ever since," said Fowler. "I was an the way up to fourth at one stage. It really burned me to bend the rotor." The next Vet class racer to cross the finish line was Bob Carlberg in 21st overall with Herb Nachtigall just inches behind. Amateur division honors went to KTM pilot Jim Clark in 27th overall. Rick Bucknell headed up the 250cc Amateurs in 30th overall with Charlie Spellman finishing only seconds behirtd to claim the Vet Amateur honors. Senior Expert Gary Haskell was out in front of his class in 32nd overall. Novice honors went to KX500 pilot Rodney Rapp. "It was very tight, rocky, slippery - everything I hate. I'm lucky I made it through there atall. " • Results O/A: 1. Dan Smith (KTMI; 2. Lany R _ Ted Hunnicutt (Kaw~ 4. Curtis Dice (Hon~ (Kaw~ 3. 5. Daniel< " " ' - e ; 6. Phil Doug'" (y.ml; 7. Den Richardson (Hon); 8. Kanji G.uthier (Suzt 9. Scott Davis (Hon~ 10. Mid

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