Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Team Gree n 's Ted Hunnicutt (7 3) kept winner Dan Smith in sight all . race lon g bu t came up 38 seconds short at the checkered flag. ATK's Cra ndall inherited the lead j ust after the start when Smith took a wrong tum. Crand all was later passed by both Smith and Hunnicutt. Four-time defending National Hare & Hound Champion Smith (N1) leads Chris Crandall after the bomb. AMA National Championship Hare & Hound Series: Round 1 Smith edges Hunnicutt at Desert M.C. National By Anne and Tom Van Beveren Photos by Tom Van Beveren LUCER N E VAL LEY, CA, JAN. 28 Defending four-time National Hare & Bound Champion Dan Smith grabbed the holeshot for the 1990 National Championship Hare & Hound Series by edging Ted 10 Hu n ni cutt by 38 second s across the finish lin e a t the I series opener in L ucerne Valley near Soggy Dry Lake. The factory KTM pilot, Sm ith, sto le th e lead from AT K's Chris Crandall 10 m iles into th e race and was still going stro ng whe n th e checkered flag fell two hours and. approximately 90 mi les later. "This is a great way to start the year ," said Smith. " It really helps to win the first race. I won it th e first year they had the series , but in the last two years I was sick and I crashed. I've got a head start now. " T he first round of the seven- race National series was organized by AMA Distr ict 37's Desert M.C. The Superbowl-Sunday event dr ew riders from as far away as U tah and Idaho and the starting lin eu p was 458 strong whe n the banner dropped for the firs t wave at 10 a.m. Smi th leaped off the line and made the most of the wide-open bomb run that followed the valley north from Soggy Dry Lake. Smith was out in front when he dashed past the bomb, but his bid for the early lead bi t the dust just a few minutes later. ATK 's Crandall made th e most of Smith's mistake. " I had a better start tha n I ever expe cted and I was rig h t behin d Dan whe n we got to the bomb," . said Crandall. " He mi ssed the course and started going down the valley in stead of tu rn ing. I got th e lead there and I held him off for abou t 10 mil es." The up hi ll bomb mad e life di fficult for th e smaller bik es in the field. " T here's no way I can get a good start o n a bomb ru n lik e tha t," said J immy Lewis , whois the defending 125cc Nati onal H are & H oun d Cha mp ion . . Washington entry Paul Ostb o had a different kind of problem. . " We got a flat tire, " said Ostbo. "I t went flat on th e bomb run and I had to ride the first loop wit hout any air. T hat cost me a lot of time and it's hard to make it up when the competition is this tough. " 1 The ra cers ran wide open as the y crossed Bessemer Min e Road and headed into the 40·mile firs t loop. Crandall led th e way with Smith hard on his heels , and Team Green's Hunnicutt was close behind in third. "The first section was pretty fast a nd choppy," said the defending 250cc Nationa l Hare & H o und Champi on, Larry Roeseler, who was p ilo ting a Team Green KX250. "It was rea lly d usty off the start and everybody was goi ng everywhere, so . I just took it easy for a whi le." Kawasa ki-moun ted Dan Ashcraft was also ta king his time. "I was eating dus t off the start and I . lost so many positions ," said Ashcraft. " I can't get myself to go • for it in the d ust anymore." Crandall was pushing hard to keep the number-o ne position, bu t Smith proved too strong and dodged past in a corner near the Ifl-rni le ma rk. The factory KTM pilo t led the way pas t And erson Dry Lake and Cougar Buttes and was almost a minute ahead when he ent ered pit row. Crandall thundered through th e ~ pits in second overa ll and Hunnicutt brought his KX500 through in third. "The co urse was really good," Hunnicutt told Cycle News. " It got tigh t in some pl aces, then it br oke into some valleys, so there was a lo t of every thing. There was lo ts of variety and you didn 't have time to get bored with one th ing."

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