Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

own, and the David Callaway/Jim Eveland challenge was slowed when their Kawasaki KX500 seized four times in the lower loop. Kawasaki's Greg Zitterkopf almost took himself out of the running in a spectacular crash just three miles into the course and 125cc contender Jeff Capt was helicoptered out after he crashed heading into Midway. The combination of high speeds and blinding dust caused havoc throughout the race. "I had an incredible time with the dust in my first loop. It really frustrated me the whole way," said Ostbo, who took over for Hamel for the southern loop through Graham Well. "I had a real close call with a telephone pole, too. I was clipping along at about 90 mph and all of a sudden there was du st from a slow rider who pulled out. You had to go between th e poles a nd around them and I nicked one with my head and my shoulder." Hamel 's team was 50 seconds beh ind the Roeseler /Hunnicu tt!Krause team when the racers came out of the lower loop and cleared Midway for th e second time , and the chase continued down the infamous wash tha t led back to Shea Road. " I clipped a rock about three miles out and did a handstand," said Morris. , "The spectators were digging holes and putting obstacles out there. That's sick. You're going down th e wash tapped out. If you crashed, you 'd be gone." Krause (su rvived the wash and brought his mount through at the head of the pack. Sweetland, who was still under the weather after a bout of food poisoning, was two ,minu tes back on adjusted time. Scott Davis and Jeff Darland, Kawasaki, finished the first loop eight minutes back in third, and the Class 22 (25Occ) contenders arrived in a closely bunched race for fourth. The Morton/Funk Kawasaki had the edge, 14 minutes behind the Open Class leader on adjusted time , while the Suzuki piloted by Darren Sanford and Fred Willert was tied with Morris/ Smith's Kawasaki just 20 seconds back. The Suzuki later disappeared from the running in loop two. Class 30 (riders over 30 year s of age) leaders Dan Worley and Earl Roberts were also in the hunt for fourth, only one second slower than the first 250cc squad, and half a minute ahead of Kawasaki KX500 rivals Kenny Parry and Craig Adams, as they passed the halfway point of the race. John Braasch and Jeff Kawell were putting up a determined fight on their 125, just 19 minutes behind the fastest Open bike, and Chris Haines and Rick Shirey were ahead in the race for Class 40 honors. AI Guzman, who had given up his traditional solo ride to team with Bob Ashcraft on a 600cc Honda, was holding a narrow edge over Canadian AI Perrett and his Kawasaki KX250-mounted teammate Sam Bass in Class 50. "I should've brought a 500," said first-time Parker racer Perrett. "I've never held a throttle on and on like that before. " . Krause was in front all the way as he blasted back to Midway for the hand-over to Hunnicutt. Sweetland made the switch to Ostbo almost two and a half minutes back in second, and the race was on again in the 37-mile dash to the final rider change at Graham Well. Ostbo turned in the ride of his life and when the two green bikes hit the change-over, they were dead even on adjusted time. "I was jumping up and down when I found out, knocking people over doing back flips," said Ostbo. Mechanical problems, once again, sidelined the Dan Ashcraft/Chuck Miller Honda entry. Teammates Scott Morris and Craig Smith won the 250cc class. via third overall. But Hamel had no tim e for celebration. He grabbed the bike and set off after Roeseler, knowing he had his work cut out to better the veteran rider's time . " I didn 't stop to find out what the split was. I just wanted to get ou t as fast as possible," said Hamel. "All I knew was I had ' to rid e as hard as I could. " As the two top team s headed for the finish, last-minute sprints were starting throughout the pack. Morr is was racing at the head of th e 250s, pushi ng his Kawasaki to the lim it despite an almost bald rear tire. Darin Cartwright was charging hard for secon d 250cc on the Kawasaki he shared with Anna Cody-Merritt despite a bad cra sh earlier in the loop. "He was in somebody's dust and he missed a tum. He crashed really bad and he can't hearoutof one ear," said Merritt. But Cartwright's val iant effort did not reach the finish. It came to an end eight miles out when his mount ran out of gas. A strong bid by Steve Cole, Abe Baumann and Kenji Gauthier ran into trouble in the closing stages when their Kawasaki KX250 started sputtering badly, and loud no ises gave Class 40's Jamie Davenport so m e wo rrying moments. " I had a truck go by me and I was going probably 80 or 90 when a buggy passed me right near the end," the firsttime SCORE racer Da venport explained. " I could hear the truck coming and people were jumping out to take pictures. I knew they didn't want one of me. " But at the front of the pack, it was smooth sailing all the way. Roeseler slid home in a cloud of dust just afte r noon but there was no sign of a celebration. Stopwatches clicked on and all eyes were fixed on die end of the wash , waiting for Hamel to ap pear so th e final outcome could be decided. The second green bike screamed into th e finish just three minu tes beh ind Roeseler, to take the win by exac tly one minute and set th e fastest avera ge speed of th e day at 61.18 mp h. " Everyth in g worked perfectly. We didn't have any problems all day," said Hamel, whose team sponsors included Kawasaki, Manana Grafix, Scotts Performance, T rick, Maxima, FMF, Yoko , Maier and Song Dog Packs. "T h is is the first Parker 400 I've won and it's my first SCORE race with T eam Green. It 's amazing what a first class effort T eam Green is." Roeseler described the race as exciting all the way. "We were dead even almost all day. It was never more than a minute either way," Roeseler said. " Both teams are real solid. Ham el is probably faster than anybody rig ht now but overall the teams are about the same." Hamel said th at the first!second finish serves noti ce on Team Green's competitors. " I think the compe tition is going to have a real hard time catching us ," said Hamel. "There 's still competition ou t there but T eam Green dots all its Is and crosses all its T s. They've done this so long they've go t it down to a science." Scott Morris brought the Morris/ Smith Kawasaki KX250 home in third overall, 11minutes beh ind the leaders on adjusted time, and he too was watching the clock . "I' ve got about five minutes to wait before we're in the clear," said Kawasaki /Duralube/Ga Racing/Sprocket Spec.lTsubaki/Bell / Acerbis/FMF/ Maxima-backed Morris. H is worries were over when Morton and Funk fin ished four minutes back on adjus ted time, with the Cole / Baumann/ Gau thier team less than two minutes beh ind for third in class. Yamaha pilot Chr is Stra ng fin ished an im pressive solo ride just two minutes beh ind to claim fou rth. "T he course is nothing to write 'ho me abo ut unless you like high speeds," said Morris. " O ur biggest worry was our back tire. We went all the way on one and it's been a slick for the last few miles." Kenn y Parry brought the first Over30 bike hom e but was relegated to fourth overa ll and secon d in class when Dan Worl ey sho t home hard on his heels. Worl ey collapsed in the fin ish chu te an d spent some time in an ambulance before he left the fini sh under his own power. " I hit a rock in the wash about three miles back and did a f1ying-W, but I wouldn 't let go because I knew we were winning on time," said Worley, who piloted a Kawasaki KX500. " I came down on the side of the bike and it dragged me about 50 yards . I hit my knee on a rock , then it fin ally flipped me. I think I'm just bruised and now that we've won , it 's all worth it." For Parry, who finished his last race in the hospital and had been sidelined more than six months, any finish was a triumph. "I rode a little conserva tively and gave up some time.' I'll have to try harder next time. r'.said Parry. John Braasch and Jeff Kawell were the only fini shers in the 125cc field. Their ride lasted five hours and 23 minutes and earned them ninth overa ll. "I was a flawless ride," said Kawasaki/Dunl op /Pro Circuit/Smith / Shoei/Uni Filter/Maxima/ Acerbis/ Trick-sponsored Braasch. " No crashes, no flats , no nothing. Damn, I hate those rides," he joked. The top rid e in the Over 40 division was turned in by th e Haines and Shirey team. The duo finished 17th overall, 10 m inutes ahead of seco nd-p lace Jamie Davenport. "We had a perfect ride, " Haines said. "Zero problems with the machine and the Kawasaki pits were perfect." The Guzman/Ashcraf t du o topped Perrett and Bass by seven minutes to take the Over-50 win with an -average speed of 48.3 mph. " It was ni ce to have a partner to give me a rest," said Guzman. " I' m getting too old to solo." c:N Results - 0 / A: I. Danny Hamel/ Ostbo/ Sweerland (Kaw); 2. Larry Roeseler./Hu nni cut t/Krause (Kaw ); 3. Scott Morri s/ Cra ig Smi th (Ka w ); 4. Dan Worl ey/Earl Roberts (Kaw); 5. Kenny Parry/Craig Adams (Kaw); 6. T im MortoniI'im Funk (Kaw); 7. Steve Cole/ Baumann/Gauthier (Kawl; 8. Chris Stra ng (Kaw); 9. John Braasch/Jell Kawell (Ka w) : 10. Masami Ishi i (Kaw). CL 20: I. Joh n Braa sclt/jeff Kawell; 2. Jell Capt. CL 21: I. Sco tt Morris; 2. Tim Monon; 3. SIeve Cole; 4. Chris Suang ; 5. Masami Ishii. CL 22: I. Dann y Hamel; 2. Larry Roeseler j 3. Dway ne Le wis ; 4. J a son In gerson ; 5. Bryan Dob meier. CL W : I. Dan Worley; 2. Ken ny Parry; 3. Too McKay; 4. Jim Roewer; 5. Jell Sheets. CL 40: 1. Chris Hain es/Rick Shirey; 2. Jam ie Davenpo rt/MArk Romp; 3. Bob Van Dyke. CL 50: I. Al Guzm an /Bob Ashcra ft; 2. Al Perretti Sam Bass; ~ . Lou Peralta. 11

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