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/128123
figured, 'Shoot, that ain't going to last.' Same thing for the Kawasakis, because I used to ride those, and I know you've got to let them breathe a little bit. We just decided to put in good, consistent laps, to where we would be in the hunt but not abusing the bike." Not that the team was completely free of trouble early on. After starting third and immediately moving up to second, Steve Hengeveld began experiencing troubles with his steering damper, which was locking in turns and making it difficult to ride. He pitted for a quick repair after the first la-mile lap, re-entering the fray back around eighth, but some of the front-runners would be taken out of contention soon after. Around lap seven, the leading team of Davis, Kurt Caselli, Terry Fowler and Nick Pearson began to experience problems with the countershaft bearing, and they eventually came to a stop on lap 10, with Fowler on the bike. Under the mistaken impression that motor changes were against the rules, the team pulled out for good, though Pearson, who had traveled from out of state and hadn't even gotten on the bike yet, signed up to assist another Yamaha team consisting of Earl Esiderio, Brian Cunningham, Dennis Gallagher, Phillip Zieger and Dave Jenson. (Pearson didn't get on the bike until each of the other riders had completed his first stint, and then he rode only as frequently as his new teammates.) As for the Esposito bike, which was also being ridden by Andrew Short, Jeff Northrop and Andy Grider, it was soon in the pits, having a new crank installed, and not long after that, it would pit yet again for major engine repairs. All this meant that by around 3 p.m., the aforementioned numberthree Honda was already in front, and its riders continued the conservative approach through the early evening and as night fell. At that point, another minor inconvenience surfaced, this one with the dual-beam Baja lighting system. "The HID [a strong spotlight] wasn't working, so we only had the flood," Steve Hengeveld said. "I rode a section like that while they prepared the new one, a.nd when we put that on, everything was fine." During the night section, Steve Hengeveld and Healey let the other two riders catch some shut-eye, trading off rilling stints every hour. Then Healey woke up Joe Hengeveld and hit the sack, while Steve Hengeveld continued riding until a hard crash convinced him to wake up Staab and get some sleep at 4 a.m. By 7 a.m., with just three hours remaining, the entire team was awake, taking turns on the bike. During a pit stop around that time, the team stripped a bolt in the rear caliper while changing brake pads, so the entire rear-brake assembly had to be replaced. That was done quickly, (Above) The pro and expert racers start off their 24 hours with a Le Mans-style start. Ty Davis (1) grabbed the earty lead, bu1 his team was out early with a broken motor. (Below) Like the Baja 1000, pit stops are an Imegral part of·the 24 Hours of Glen Helen. Unlike Baja, the pits stay in one place, making things much easier on the support crews. cue' • n e ...., S • SEPTEMBER 26, 2001 11