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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127727
"I was working my way up wh en the bike started slowing d own and blowing oil everywhere," said Campbell. "I d on't know what happen ed but the bike was reall y do ggy ." Positions withi n th e top ten tu rn ed ove r slow ly as the loop wo re on. Despite a stiff breeze, there was thick dust all the . way around the course an d little opportunity to pass in the fast-pace d terrain . Hamel completed the 37-mil e circle in 45 minutes. He took an extra few seconds for a quick check of the bike after his crew had gassed it up, then cruised to the end of pit row, looking relaxed and unhassled as he set off into the 44mile second loop . Zitterkopf was a minute and a ha lf behind in second overall, running at the top of the Four-Stroke division thanks in large p art to some e ngine w or k the wee k before. "Tom Moen d id a lot of work on my bike last we ek. It' s 100 percent better. It's about as fast as I wa nt it to be now," said Zitterkop f. Krause entered pit row in th ird. A quick cha nge of his rear wheel pu t him back on the trail in one min u te flat bu t H oy took advantage of th e downtime and relegated Krause's 10<500 to fou rth. Baumann topped th e Vet class in fifth , ahea d of Richardson, Hunnicutt, Capt and Dave Ondas, and Rex Staten led the Over-40 racers throu gh in lOth aboard a 10<250. "I got a good jump on the start and I was lead ing for abou t half a mile bu t th en all th e 500s killed me on 'the u ph ills. I just hung in there and hung in there an d did what I could," said Staten, who switched from his usual 10<500 in hopes of taking a number of class wins. "I'm thinking I could w in the Vet class on the 500, the Senior class on the 250 and 250cc Expert." Ca mpbell nursed his oil spla ttered H ond a into the pi ts in 11th overall. A qu ick check showed he had plenty of oil lef t a nd, w hen he co uldn't loca te th e sou rce of th e oil slick, he d ecid ed to pr ess on regardless. Ku rt Hintz raced throu gh in 12th and a too-close-to-call tussle betw een Jimm y Lew is and Joh n Braa sch for the 125cc lead hit the pits in 13th. The second loop mad e a large circle to the west of Bessemer Mine Road and the terr ain changed from valley floors to rocky hills. Ou t in front, Hamel was still in cruise mode. "I just ke p t looking back, makin g sure the next guy was staying a ways back," sai d Ha mel. "If he got closer, I wo uld ride a bit hard er." But second overall never even got close enoug h for Hamel to wo rk out that it was Greg Zitt erkop f. "I wanted to be conservative and win the four-s tro ke class - I rea lly wasn't trying for the overall," sai d Zitterkop f. "I mainly wa nt ed to bea t (class rival Jeff) Capt. That was my main thing tod ay." A little further back in the pack, the pace wa s a nyth ing but se d ate . Some close racing put Richard son hard on the h eel s o f Hoy a n d Krause, and the Honda privat eer moved up a spot when Krause derailed his chain. " It was problems all th e way in the seco n d loo p," sa id Krause. " I got a bunch of cactus stuc k in my hand and leg an d had to stop and get th at out. I bent my chain guard, th rew the chain off, rip ped the rear caliper off the bike and had no rear brakes. It was just a survival run for the whole second loop." For Hunnicutt, who had tucked in behind Rich ar d son and wa s ke eping him on hi s toes, there was only one problem but it got bigger and bigger as the loop wore on. (Left) Hon damounted Dan Ric hardson was slowed by a fi rst-loop cras h and a melted silencer bu t st ill finished th ird overall . (Below) Bruised tailbone and all, Abe Baumann topped the 3G+ Expe rt class by finishing seventh overall. "I tho ught I'd fixed the vent hose in the pits - I jammed it back on and thought it would be okay, bu t I didn' t make it a mile out of the pits and it was gus hing like a geyser," said Hunnicutt. "It made a big differe nce to my ridi ng . I would catch Richardson in the tight stuff and I'd be banging his tire, then the hose would come off and I'd fall behind him while I tried to fix it. Then we'd get to a valley and it was too dusty to pass." Hunnicutt's up-and-back challenge continued for miles, even though he was co ns ide ri ng th row in g th e race a w ay completely. "Near th e end of the loop the gas started burning so bad and it was getting in my eyes," said Hunnicutt. "I kept thin king I sho uld stop and ask people for some water to tip over me, and for so me more gas for the bike. By then , I was worried abo ut ru nning out of gas." Hu nn icutt's problems gave Richardson a secure hold on fou rth and the CRSOO racer got an un expected boos t u p to third just a few hun dr ed yar ds from the finish when Hoy ran out of gas . "I was carrying gas so I sto pped and dumped it in," said Hoy. "I could've got Richardson back but it was too tight for me to get around him: ' Hamel was unaffected by all the tu rm o il beh ind h im . H e co m p le te d h is tro uble-free circuit of the second loop in jus t over a n h ou r a n d, w hen h e bounced th rou gh the final rocky sectio n to cross the finish line, nobod y else was in sigh t. Zitt erkopf cru ised hom e three minut es behind Hamel to take second overall and his third cIass win in the series Four-Stroke d ivisi on . Richa rdson held Hoy at bay all the way to the checkered flag and grabbed third overall by a bike length. "We both had a bit of bad luck. Hoy passed me when I cras hed in th e firs t loop and I passed him when he ran out of gas," said Richardson, looking back at his melted silencer. "I figured he would get me back because th is thing wo ul d hardly run : ' Hoy reported a tro uble-free ride all the way until he ran ou t of gas . "I just rode my own race," the KTM 550 racer said. "I had a 105° temperature for the last two days, so I d idn 't want to push it, fall and get hurt." A gas-soaked Hunn icutt crossed the line in fifth and Capt grabbed second 'in the four-stroke division just a few yards behind him. Abe Baum ann stood ti'p most of th e way a ro u n d the SO-m ile course a nd came out with seventh overall and honors in the Over-30 class. "I bruised my tailbone at the So. Cal. race, so I have to be really careful how I sit on the bike. I can only sit in one position," said the Kawa saki pilot. "L'got a tw o-kick start but I geared the bike up just before the race and it paid off. The first loop was rea lly fast and it hel ped me make up time: ' A steady ride by Dave Ondas netted eighth in the ove rall standings, ahead of Johnny Cam p bell , whose oil-soaked Honda started to pick up speed in the second half of the course. "I mad e u p a lot of time in the las t loop, " said Campbell. "T'm no t sure what's wrong with the bike but it feels good to be back in the top 10." Pau l Krause rounded ou t the top 10 and "Rocket" Rex Staten took the Over40 win in 1Ith overall. Staten's nea rest Over-40 r ival was Bill Maxi m, w ho b rough t his KX500 home in the hi gh 30s. "Staten is my sponsor. I've got to let h im beat me - it's par t of th e d ea l," joke d Maxim. "T he bigges t p robl em today was dust. It was so dusty you co u ldn ' t pass a nd you co u ld n' t see where you were going. I backed off:' The rac e-long bat tl e for the 125cc hon o rs ended when YZ125- mo u n te d Jimmy Lew is crossed th e line in 12th overa ll, just five pla ces ahead of John Braasch 's YZl 25. "I guess I h ad a good ride bu t it wasn't a 125 course at all - way too fast," said Lewis. " I had a good race with Braasch for awhile. His bike is way, way faste r. than mine. He went past me in every valley and I would have to ge t him back in the tight stuff. It was hard work." . Craig Smith took the 250cc Expert win in 15th overall on a 10<250. 0 National H&H Lucerne Valley, California Results: Ap ri l 23, 1995 O/A : 1. Danny Hamel (Ka w); 2. Greg Zitterkopf (KTM); 3. Dan Richardson (Hon~ 4. Todd Hoy (KTM); 5. Ted H unnicutt (Kaw); 6. Jeff Ca p t (Hon); 7. Abe Baumann (Kaw); 8. Dave Onda s (Kaw); 9. Johnny Campbell (Hon~ 10. Paul Krause (!(aw); 11. Rex State n (!(aw); 12. Jimmy Lewis (Yam); 13. Drey Dircks (Han); 14. John Rudder (yam); IS. Craig Smith (!(aw); 16. Kurt H intz (Kawj: 17. John Bra asch (Yam); 18 . Oak ley Lehman (Yam); 19. Jim G ray (KTM); 20 . Ma r k Lundgreen (KTM); 21. Steve Hengeveld (!(aw); 22. Jon Pa rk s (Ho n); 23. Keit h Loonsfoot (Kaw); 24. Jam es Summers (Yam) ; 25. Rob Poznoff (Kaw). OPEN EX: 1. Danny H amel (Kaw ); 2 . Dan Richa rdson (Ho n); 3. Todd Hoy (KTM). 4-STK EX, I. Greg Zitterkopf (KTM); 2. Je ff.Capt (Han), 3. Johnny Cam pbell (Han). 250 EX: 1. Craig Smith (Kaw ); 2. Oakley Lehman (Yam); 3. Jim Gray (KTM). 125 EX: 1. Jimmy Lewis (Ya m ); 2. Joh n Braasch (yam ); 3. Quint Betts (Kaw) . 0-30 EX: 1. Abe Baumann (Kaw) ; 2. Drey Dircks (Han); 3-Iohn Rudder (Yam~ Q.4O EX: I. Rex Staten (Ka w l; 2. Bill Maxim (Kaw); 3. Steve Pitts (ATK).