Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Campbell. I felt really good. I was really pumped. I was like, 'Okay, this could be the first [major desert win]. I'm going to do it; take it easy.'" Campbell said, "I couldn't go any faster without hurting myself, so I let him go." Unfortunately for Grider, his trouble-free run ended a few miles later. "I went down in the 'Rock Garden,' not going very fast. One rock smacked my head and split my eye open and covered the [goggle] lens in blood. I could only see out of one eye. I was doing all I could to hold Johnny off. We got stuck behind another quad coming into the finish, and David Pearson caught up to us; it became a pretty tight race again." Though Grider led the pack into the pits to complete the third lap, David Pearson's steady drive had him in the lead on time, though the Kawasaki still trailed the two Hondas physically. The fact that he'd turned a 55:38 - the fastest third lap of the field - didn't hurt. Despite his crash, Grider's 56: 14 was third fastest, trailing Russell Pearson by two seconds. Campbell clocked a 58: 11 that time around, putting them third overall on corrected time. Unfortunately for the Team Green duo, a shock seal couldn't take the pounding any more and failed on Esposito as he sped through the fourth lap. That put the strongest challenger to the Honda team on the side of the trail and out of the race. "I told my pit crew after I got off the bike [the first time], that I thought that shock was softer than normal," Esposito said, while revealing a broken mud guard, which may have contributed to the shock failure. "When I got the bike from Dave, I think we had a 30-second lead on corrected time. Coming through the alternate pit, 'Heng' was right on Cooper, then I was probably about 10 seconds off of Hengeveld. I hit a bump and the rear shock was blown and I went down." Hengeveld put in a strong 53:49 in an effort to get back on top on lap four. "I went as hard as I could go and ended up passing Cooper and just kind of pulled away," Hengeveld said. As Cooper blazed away from the pits en route to a 55:41 fourth lap, he (Abovel A battered and bruised Danny Cooper was forced to put in an extra lap after his teammate Andy Grider crashed and got injured. The earty race leaders ended up third. (Above right) A broken shock seal forced the Shane Esposito and David Pearson team out of the race. thought he was going out for his final stint, and he rode accordingly in order to try to regain lost time due to Grider's crash. Unfortunately, he got off hard and limped back to the pits, expecting Grider to take the bike one last time. But Grider could not ride_ "I didn't realize I was hurt as bad as I was until I actually went back out for the last lap," Cooper said. "Steve got by me in this pretty wide wash just before the 'BLM's Revenge' on lap four. I got into his dust to try to stay with him and not let him pull me. I kind of was just too close to him and hit a rock and went over the bars. [The endo injured his back and kidneys.] When I came in at the end of lap four, I didn't know Andy was hurt as bad as he was, so they told me I needed to keep going, so I just went. He would do the same thing if it was me, It was harder to go because I was hurt. My kidneys were really sore; my back - I couldn't stand, because it was hurting so bad_ Every bump or rock I hit made everything hurt worse. It slowed me down that last lap a lot. I'm kind of bummed. I wish we would've finished at least second." Cooper's 1:01.15 trailed Campbell's 55:03, the fastest last lap of the field. Russell Pearson sped to a 55:36 and thus overtook the Cooper/Grider team in the final standings to claim second place. eN Henderson TelTible's Z50 Henderson, Nevldl O'Neal/Jon Ortner/Brian Schmuckle (Hon); 8. Eddie De£lnes/Carlos Molina (Yam); 9. Eddie Zeller (Yam); 10. Jose MezllI (Hon). CLASS 22 (OPEN PRO): 1. Johnny Campbell/Steve Hengeveld (Hon): 2. Ty Davis/ Russell Pellirson (Yam); 3. Danny Cooper/Andy Grider (Han); 4. Mike Childress/Beau Hayden (Han); 5. Dave FrY/Mett Gosnell (KTM). CLASS 21 (250 PRO): 1. Eddie Deanes/Carloo Molina (Yam); 2. Eric Hlngeley/Eddie Zeller (Yam); 3. Joe Desrosiers/Mark Dunne (Yam). CLASS 30 (30. PRO): I. Daryl Hambleton/ Kevin Ward (Han); 2. Mike Barnhill/Jim O'Neal/Brian Schmuckle/Fred Willert (Han). CLASS 40 (40. PRO): I. Jim O'Neal/Jon Ortner/Brian Schumckle (Han); 2. Gene Dempsey/Sam Dempsey/Kenny Hayden (Han). OPEN SPRTSMN: 1. Bobby Black/Shawn Black (Han); 2. Sam Jones/Kevin Wilson (Kaw); 3. James Bartnick/John Kuhlken (Han); 4. William McKinley/Ron Purvines (Han); 5. Matt Lyman/ Jeremy Milnikel (Han). Results: July 13, ZOOZ [Round 4 of 61 O/A: 1. Johnny Climpbell/Steve Hengeveld (Hon); 2. Ty Davis/Russell Pearson (Yam); 3. Danny Cooper/Andy Grider (Hon); 4. Mike Childress/Beau Hayden (Hon); 5, Dave Fry/Mett Gosnell (KTM); 6. Daryl Hambleton/Kevin Ward (Han); 7. Jim BRIEFLY••• Steve Hengeveld rated the race tough on three fronts: the competition, the course, and the conditions. "There were spots out there on that course that were just gnarly," he said. "From the alternate pit for the next 10-15 miles, it's just super, super treacherous. Plus, the heat played a factor, especially in the canyon where it's real rough - there's no wind up there! This is Nevada, it's July, and we're out here racing dirt bikes. What are we doing?" Jim O'Neal found himself somewhat forced to compete, as he again entered both Class 30 and Class 40, O'Neal, who is still recovering from the injuries he suffered while pre-nunning the Baja 500 last month and is forced to wear a patch over his right eye because of double vision, simply rode a few feet off the start in order to qualify for pOints. SCORE regulations stipulate that the rider/driver of record must either start or finish a race in order to earn pOints. Officially, he ended up winning Class 40, with Jon Ortner and Brian Schmuckle, and took nunner-up honors in Class 30, with Mike Barnhill, Schmuckle and Fred Willert. Motocrosser Jon Ortner ended up riding practically the entire 251 miles solo. Ortner took their O'Neal/Precision Concepts/Pro Circuit XR650R to the Class 40 win, though Brian Schmuckle stood by in the pits ready to take over if needed. "The first three laps were really great." Ortner said. "If my hydration program would've been a little more orga- Motocrosser Jon Ortner rode most of the 250-mlle race solo and ended up winning the Class 40 dMsion. nized, I think the fourth lap would've been a lot better. The last lap was tough. I started getting a headache, and the temperature started increasing. The wind blowing across the valley was just searing; it was like sticking your face in an oven. ~ SCORE hosted a number of pre-race activities for the inaugural Henderson race, such as the IGT Pit Crew Challenge, held the evening before the start. Bikes had to be ridden into a mock pit area in and have both wheels changed against the clock. The winning crew earned $500, the nunner·up team got $300, and third-place crew won $200. Johnny Campbell told his crew of Tom Jones and Eric Siraton that he'd match the purse if they won, Despite the added pressure, they pulled it off. stopping the clock in 32.4 seconds. Though slowed by their MX-spec. slow-change front axle. the Russell Pearson crew of Ty Davis and Jim Hardaker were the $300 winners in 37.13 seconds. Danny Cooper's pair of Bob Bell and Jim Greene took third in 41 seconds. Unlike SCORE's Baja races. racers were not allowed to pre-run the course until the day before the race, with a BLM-mandated escort. Ty Davis didn't experience any bike problems in the race, but he did have to deal with mechanical problems with his box van the night before the race. He had to replace a fuel filter and a fuel pump, which is exactly what he wanted to be doing in gO-degree heat the night before the race that starts at 6 a.m. It's now easier to tell Nick and Russell Pearson apart. Older brother Nick now sports bleached-blond hair, while Russell remains a redhead. cue I e n e _ S • JULY 31, 2002 61

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