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• ~ OFF·ROAD Best in the Desert Grand Slam ChamIJionshiIJ_Se_rie_s:R_O_UD_d3 ----:--- _ ~ After a two-year layoff, Bryan Folks ~ and won the 125cc Pro class. , • Scott Morris jumped out to an early lead to win the Ely GP in Nevada. Ed Sorensen got a little sideways m route to third place in the 250cc Pro class. Morris most excellentat Ely GP By Mark Kariya/Dirt Rider ELY, NV, JUNE 13 here. are two schools of thought in racing: Open up a quick lead and see if anyone can catch you, or come from behind and systematically hunt down the leader. Both tactics were employed at the Duralubel Ely Gran Prix, but it was Scott Morris who used the former method and kept his early lead until the finish. T Dry conditions in the fields and hills around this eastern Nevada town, which sits near the Humboldt National Forest at about 6000 feet, ensured that clear air would be a precious and somewhat elusive commodity at the race, unlike last year when rains kept the dust to a minimum. The 17-mile course started in the streets of Ely, skirted a local golf course and passed by farmers' fields before heading up into the hills. After meandering through the mountainous· terrain, the course dropped back down into the streets of Ely. Prerace pageantry included something not normally seen at a motorcycle race - a wedding. Over-30 Amateur class racer Bill Swenson, raceready except for his helmet, married a more-traditionally attired Mary Walker in a brief ceremony that was held in a park next to the impound area. Attended by a small group of family members and witnessed by the many racers who were waiting to begin the P'llice-escorted parade to the start, the wedding was a first for a Best in the Desert event. Following the race, a combination wedding reception and Duralube-hosted party was held for everyone. It was not your usual race day. Pros and Experts were the first to run in the five-lap race, and promoter Casey Folks cut the following Amateur race to four laps due to course deterioration during the first event. The start featured four riders starting every 30 seconds, with the .pros heading off. 'first followed by the Expert waves. The exception was Over-38 Pro Tom Barbero, who was not only riding in his first race of the series, but was also competing in his first event as a Pro, having topped the Over-38 Expert series championship last year. Barbero had drawn the number-one starting position ,\nd got to start alone in the first row. "I couldn't believe I drew the lead like that (after learning of it the afternoon before). I thought, I don't know if I want to be up there. That's gonna be something to think about all night." Despite his reservations, the lead position proved to be advantageous for the Yoko/Motorcycles Unlim.itedl Eurocycles-sponsored Honda CR500 racer, who eventually won his class and fInished 10th overall, well ahead of the other Over-38 competitors. "I had the luck of the draw," he admitted afterwards. "It would've been tough to work up in the dust. The guys in the back, they had to do some riding to finish up there. I'm at an age where I don't take chances like I used to. If it's dusty, screw it." Team Green/Duralube/GA Racing/FMFITsubaki/Sprocket Specialists/Renthal/Acerbis/Bell-backed Morris started on row two, quickly took the lead of his group on his Kawasaki KX500, and setoff in pursuit of the overall leader. Barbero clung doggedly to the point position for 14 miles of the first loop before falling and letting Morris by. "My right arm got super pumped off the start," Morris recounted, "and I usually never pump up. So it took a while to catch up to him with that and the dust. It takes me a while to get going anyway." After passing Barbero, the only dust Morris saw was when he began encountering lapped riders. Behind Morris however, some real shuffling was taking place. Greg Zitterkopf, a last-minute entry and last year's overall winner, started in the back row of the Pros. Fighting his way through the pack, the Team Green racer eventually got his Kawasaki KX250 past everyone but Morris. However, with the leader approximately one minute ahead on corrected time, Zitterkopf's air filter became completely plugged with silt, putting him out of the race. For many other racers, filter changes became almost as commonplace at the pit stops as refilling their fuel tanks. Starting even farther back than Zitterkopf was Suzuki-mounted Paul Pitts. A 250cc Expert, he put in the ride of the day by leaving the rest of his class behind and slicing through the Pro pack. By the time he got to the checkered flag, only Morris had completed the five laps quicker, with a time of two hours, 40 minutes and 28 seconds. Pitt's 2:46:39 b'eat Open Pro Destry Abbott by just nine seconds for second overall. . Somewbat ironically, the KTM 300D/XC-mounted A~bott had ridden to second overall as an Expert last year, but this year his bike was running poorly by lap three, suffering from a filthy filter. Bryan Folks was another racer who