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/127559
eOFF·ROAD e Heslin the Desert Grand Slam Series: Round 1 Danny Hamel roosted through the damp conditions to the overall win. An l1IlS!=heduled gas stop proved to be Hamel's winning move. Greg Zitterkopf topped the 250cc Pro class and finished second overall on a course that was better suited for Open-class machines. • Who else but Hamel at Mesquite GP By Anne Van Beveren Photos by Tom Van Beveren MESQUITE, NY, JAN. 16 split-second decision halfway through the rain-soaked Peppermill Gran Prix turned mud into gold for Kawasaki's Danny Hamel After battling thick mud and rain- A 12 , slick pavement for two of the event's five laps, Hamel made an unscheduled dash into pit row to change his muddy and fogged-up goggles. "I wasn't supposed to stop until the end of the next lap but I'd taken my goggles off in the second lap and 1 really needed a new pair," said Hamel. The break knocked Hamel out of the lead, which he had shared with Kawasaki teammate Ty Davis, but turned to his advantage near the end of the next lap when Davis's KX500 rail out of gas. "He was sitting about a mile from the pits, pointing at his tank," said Hamel, who was riding a similar KX500. "We . thought we could go three laps before we pitted. If I hadn't stopped for goggles and got gas a t the same time, 1 would've been sitting out there right beside him." Hamel learned from -Davis' mistake and stopped for gas again at the end of lap four. The conservative strategy kept him charging hard all the way to the finish and turned a pair of muddy goggles into a four-minute winning margin and a gold-colored check for $1372. "Stopping for goggles was the key to the whole thing. That's what won me the race," said Hamel. Conditions were far from ideal as the first round of the Best in the Desert's five-race series got underway. Heavy rain the week before the race had turned the 17-mile course into a treacherous, power-robbing mixture of thick mud and heavy sand, and thick gray clouds promised more rain during the race. But the 232 riders that had gathered in Mesquite, a town of 3000 residents on Interstate 15, halfway between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, were not daunted. There was a flurry of lastminute tire changes, as racers surveyed the mud, and trash bags were pulled on over the top of clean riding gear, but the riders were ready to go. The event began with a prerace ceremony in the parking lot of the Peppermill Res'ort Hotel and Casino, and local police led a parade through town to the starting line. Ty Davis led the charge when the green light flashed for the first time at 9 a.m. The new Kawasaki recruit had drawn the coveted n,umber one position and headed out alone from the first line of the starting grid. The rest of the Pro and Expert racers followed, four riders at a time every 15 seconds. The amateur racers competed in a separate event that began as soon as the Pros and Experts had cleared the course. Hamel set out from row four of the starting grid, 45 seconds behind Davis. Last year's overall winner, Greg Zitterkopf, gunned his 250cc KTM off row two and Kawasaki KX250 hopeful Larry Roeseler began all the way back on row 10. The racers knew the traffic-free, roost-free number one position would work to Davis' advantage and they rocketed off the line in a bid to rna tch the front-runner on adjusted time. Tires spun on the short paved section that led off th.e start and dirt flew as they attacked the short motocross section that followed. "It's harder starting back in the pack," said Roeseler. "You have to get around everybody so you know you're getting further behind, and, at the same time, you know the guy in front can go faster because he doesn't have to worry about getting his goggles roosted." The chase began on the east end of town. The course used a combination of fields, washes and sandy trails as it made its way to the western edge of the city and back to the start/ finish area. Most of the racers praised the 17-mile loop that they would complete five times before the checkered flag fell. "I liked it - it was way awesome," said Roeseler. "It was technical, it was fast, it had ruts - it had everything." But others were not as impressed. "I was really disappointed with the course. It was a fifth gear, wide open 500cc course," said Zitterkopf. "There was nothing but roads, which made it