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/127284
1990 Incas Rally In the final motocross special test held in Rio , Kevin . Hines was battling for the lead until a rear fiat tire slowed him down. Hines finished third in the mota, which clinched second overall in the 4500-mile 1990 Incas Rally, Some of the cities (above) along the way, the riders did not want to leave, such as this one in Angra do Reis in Brazil, whil e others, (left) they couldn't wait to get out of. This was the sleeping arrangement in Puquio, Peru. One big happy fam ily, participation. Up until the inception of th e Incas Rally five years ago , the only tim e Americans seriously ventured into i nternationa l off-road competition was primari ly for the Int ern ational Six Days Enduro. In recent history, th e o n ly American rider to make a nam e for himself in a majo r ra lly was the lat e Ch uck Stearns, who is the o n ly Ameri can mo torcycle rider ever to fin ish the month-long Paristo-Daka r ra lly that sta rts in Paris, Fra nce, and concludes i n Da ka r, Africa. It is, perhaps, the most famous rally in the wor ld. Unlike many rallies on the continent, th e Incas Rally is one of the few that is accessible for Americans without having to endure the expensiv e and time co ns u m ing q ua lifyi ng procedures usually associated wi th rallies and interna tional o ff-roa d events. Ins tead , you just sign your name o n the dotted line and go for it! T his year 's event departed from its usua l histori cal site in In ca , Peru . Five days lat er, the competito rs crossed the border into Bra zil a nd contin ued throug h the entire Sout h American continent to the horne of the G-strin g bikini - Rio de J an eiro . Along the way riders traversed vast deserts, hi gh alpine moun tains, jungles and everyth i ng i n bet ween , n o m a tt er t he weath er conditi ons. The event rel ied mostly upon its day-to-day lengt h to cha lle nge the riders, as most days were lon g wi th relati vel y easy trails. However, as the man y favo rites to win this year's event soo n fo un d o ut, the Incas Rally wou ld still take its toll. As far as the rall y itself, spirits were h igh as the riders prepared for the sta rt of the first day in Inca. Las t year's In cas Rally winner Ange lo Sig norelli was joined by 1988 winner Walter Surin i, two-t ime 250cc World MX Ch ampion H einz Kin igadn er, ra lly expe rt Fabio Fa sol a and Paris-to-Dakar vetera n Thierry Magnaldi, who were among the favorites to win this year 's event. Throughout the rally each of these riders either cras hed, made mi stakes or did not fini sh, which left the top positions o pe n for suc h ri ders as Fabrizio Meoni, H in es, Czechoslovakian J an Hrehor and Poland's Ryu szard Gancewski to make th eir mark . By th e end of the fourt h da y the to p riders were consolidating their posi -