Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

-: .. ·'O FF~R()AD··: The Nevada Rally Experience By Chris Jo nnum (Left) One of the neatest parts of ihe Nevada Rally is the scenery - when you have ti me to enjoy it, that Is. (Below) The tech Inspecti on process was a bit overwhelming , what with the horde of Italian officials swarming over the bike. Buy the ticket, take the ride...and if it ) occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well... maybe chalk it o ff toforced consciousness expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten. "FinallY , 26 Hunter S. Thompson a race I'm completely prepared for," I sighed to myself as I sat d own to glance over th e Nevada Rally info p acket for the IOOth time. The race started in two days, and for a change, I really felt like I was ready. Afte r all, I was lu cky enough to h ave la n ded a coveted ri de on th e fac tory Honda off-road team (being a journalist does have its ad vantages), and they ha d prepared me a full-race XR628desert sled. Wha t's more, my a1ready motorcycle-onented stream of consciousness had recently been co m p letely dominated by the rally, much to the chagrin of my girlfriend and co-workers. An utter terror of hitting the wall during the event had inspired me to enter a few running races, and I hadn't touched a beerfor the past few months. I had even snuck out of the office for a week-long trail ride in Colorado, re-farniliarizing my butt with consecutive daylong stints in the saddle. Thus, it was with a feeling of quiet confidence that I examined the rider information packet's "don't forget" list that night . "Each bike will be checked for a USFSapproved sp ark arrestor...Every rider is required to carry one quart of water at all times...All en tran ts m ust have a valid motorcycle d river 's license...Ins pec to rs will examine bikes for a working headliWhat??!! I need a motorcycle d ri ver's license?" The instruction had someho w managed to escape unnoticed on my previous 99 browses thro ugh the informa tion, an d I was set to leave for Vegas the next moming. (Don't ask how a CycleNews test rider of two years manages to avoid getting his license. With a preference for dirt bikes and a tendency to procrastinate, anything is possible.) Considering the circumstances, it's not difficult to understand how a feeling of panic quickly replaced m y calm demeanor. After all, a factory ride also means ad di tional 'pressu re, an d I w as am ong some pretty fast company. I had stopped by the Honda workshop a couple weeks earlier, where the stri pped bike frames sat in a line, each with its rider's namescrawled on a piece of d uct tape that was stuck to the steerer tube. " Ch a rl es Ha lcomb, Chuck Miller, Johnny Cambell, Jeff Capt, Chris Jonnum?" My anxiety level had gone up as I read off each n ame. "Hey, at least I' m not the team 's only journalist," I thought. "Let's see, Cycle World - Ji m my Lew is, Dirt Rider - Tom Webb. Hey, both those guys have ridden Six Days. Yikes!" I a ls o knew tha t m y performance w ould be scrutinized by severa l Italian friends from myoId job at Acerbis, and that I' d have to document my results in the story you're now reading. The sudden realization that my silly oversight migh t disqualify me before the event even started simply put me over the edge. Fortunately, an u nsche d u led stop at th e Barstow DMV landed me a learner's permit, and while I didn't score 100% on the written test, I'd just have to hope there were no yellow curbs along the 17lXJ-mile Nevada Rally course. I was no less nervous upon my arrival at Las Vegas' Showboat Hotel , the event headquarters. In fact, the pomp and circumstance of sign-up, tech inspection and Honda's first team meeting only served to make me more tense, and I was a complete basket case as I lined up for the p rologu e the next day . Paul Clipper, editor of Trail Rider magazine and head of Nevada Rally press relations, didn't help matters. " t's 115 degrees out, but you 're shaking I so bad your shadow's blurry," chuckled the silver fox. "This is the most amazing,

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