Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127249
More than 1300 racers turned out for the, 10th annual two-day Desert Vipers' Adelanto Grand Prix in Adelanto" California. Team Green rider Kenny Parry (8) and Larry Roeseler (21) dice in the Pro race . Roeseler won four out of f ive classes he entered at Adelanto. Roeseler four-for-five at Adelanto Grand Prix By Donnetta and Bob Murray Photo by Bob Murray ADELANTO, CA, FEB. 3-4 Trying for a repeat of last year's five-forfive p erformance at the AMA District 37 Adelan to G ran d P r ix, Kawasaki Team Green's Larry Roeseler came up one short, with his teammate Ted Hunnicutt claiming the money bag in th e Pro race. ยท h d Th e Desert V1pers oste 12 more th an 1300 compe tito rs in th e 10th annual staging of their event , whi ch was an eight-mile co ur se through th e streets of Ad el anto befor e turning into the desert and finishing back in town with an extended motocross section. Saturday's racers were greeted by ideal weather conditions - clear and cool. J o h n n y Ca m p bell led th e Unclassified racers through the first four laps of the five-lap race. Eventual winner Hunnicutt had to snake through a train of 80 riders until he had access to Cambell entering the mo tocross section. Hunnicutt was able to overtake Cam pb ell as the pair headed ou t of th e.ch icane a nd down th e street for the Iinal lap. Jeff Haase fini shed th ird . Senior rid er T .V. Holmes used hi s Open KTM power to lead th e Seniors from start to finish. Al Hull maneuvered past Ron H all on th e second lap to claim the second-place position to the checkered flag, whi le Dave Kersting worked hi s way up through Rick Shirey and Hall to grab third. Mark Force also passed Shirey and Hall to capture fourth, while Shirey finished fifth. Roeseler made his first appearance on th e line in the Vet race , which boasted of the largest class of the twoday event -:- 335 riders. With so many racers and a short course, itwas hard to tell who was in what position as th e leaders and lapped riders passed thro ugh the motocross section, but it was obvious each time Roeseler arrived on the scene as the roar of th e crowd announced his presence. Honda's Chuck Mill er tried to make a race of it , but had to deal with dust and lapped riders, finding it im possible to reel-in the elusive Roeseler, who took the checkered flag on the _ fourth loop. Miller finish ed in second place, wishing for one more lap. Starting in the third row, Yamaha 250 rider Jeff Haase made his way th rough his class and then up through th e big-bore bikes , which pulled him on th e straightaways. He finally passed Ron Bragdon, on a Honda CR500, on the last lap to claim third overall. " My silencer fell apart on the last lap , causing my bike to run sour on the top end," said Bragdon. H e finished fourth. "It was ki nd of difficult to get around out there. 1 must ' have passed 50 riders on the last lap alone." Roeseler was tested early in the 125cc co nte st, as Kawasaki Team Green 's Roger Hurd matched Roesei er ' s pace and th e duo diced through th e desert section of the course. Hurd was still in co n ten tion th roug h the first motocross section, but Roeseler was soo n to widen the ga p, as he did each lap to the finish lin e. Hurd backed off som e because of th e dust from the lapped riders a nd wen t on to rid e a co nsisten t race for a solid seco nd place. Racing to claim third pl ace were Sean Bradl ey, ab oard a Honda, and Kawasaki 's Kenny Parry, rid ing a 125cc for the first tim e since he was a ".. . little kid ," said Parry. The twosome swapped positions severa l times until Par ry ran ou t of gas and had to stop to refu el. Bradley crossed th e checkered flag in third place, wh ile Parry settled for fourth. John Braasch , piloting a Yamaha, over came a dead- las t start to make a stab ' at fini shing in the top five. He passed Paul Ostbo on the first lap, but Ostbo returned the favor right away. By th e last lap, Braasch managed to get by Ostbo, again, and a fallen Dustin Evans to accomplish his goal. Team Gr een's Anna Cody Merritt earned th e Women 's overa ll title, as she held her own along with the guys and led all the Women through the race. Two thousand or more spectators lined the street to watch the start of the Pro race featuring to p riders from the desert, motocross and enduro racing worlds. Craig Adams and Charlie Morris led the pack down the street to the desert section and seven laps of power racing. Once in th e desert , Derrick Paiement, on a Kawasaki KX500, took over the lead a nd set th e pace for the contest, Hunnicutt was soon by hi s side and the pair matched eac h other through th e desert section with Paiement eventually picking the better lines and increasing th e gap between the two . Hunnicutt stopped for a confused gas pi t at th e end of the third loop, giving up preciou s sec o n d s to Paiement, Randy Moseley, mounted on a Suzuki, found himself in third place but not without som e press ure from behind.Breathin~ down his neck throughout th e first two la ps was O stbo, on a Kawasaki, followed by Roeseler aboard a KX125. Roeseler had worked past O stbo by the end of the th ird loop and that's when Moseley found out what pressure is all about. "I told myself if 1 could just beat him to the road and hold him orr a lap, that would be great ," said Moseley . That he, did for two laps, ' then Ro eseler dropped him back to fourth. Meanwhile, following a bad start" ATK's Willy Musgrave began choosing some good lines and moved up through the pack. Going out into the fifth lap, Paiement got off at high speed Ostbo stopped to make sure he gorhelp and lost a few positions. which he regained quickl y. With Pai emen t o ut of th e race, Hunnicu tt found himself alone in th e lead. Roe seler had moved up to second but was forced to change a flat tire foll owing th e fifth lap. T erry Fo wler was fina lly ge tting th e hang of desert riding and p assed Parry in the chicane. Coming through th e bal es of home check at the end of the sixt h lap, Musgrave caught Moseley. The' pair were side-by-side when Moseley slid into a bale and allowed Musgrave to pass him. "My plan after the pit was to ride a smooth race, pull up on Paiement , and at the last minute, sprint past him," said the Team Green-backed H un nicu tt after he took the checkered flag. " But he crashed and 1never saw anybody after that." Musgrave held onto his second place through ,the finish , while (Continued to page 46)