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/631326
OFF ROAD ROUND 1 / JANUARY 24, 2016 JOHNSON VALLEY OHV AREA / LUCERNE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA P60 KENDA/SRT AMA HARE & HOUND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Briefly... The Desert M.C. is noted for trying new things at the Winter Classic and this edition was no different. It con- sisted of two 35-mile loops with loop A being more wide open and loop B the more technical one. However, both loops ran simultaneously. The Pro, A and B riders started on loop B while the C and other one-loop rid- ers started at the same time on loop A, their race over when they finished. After finishing loop B, the Pro, A and B riders tackled loop A, which meant some of the slower one-loop riders got to experience the top Pros whiz- zing past a gear or three higher. No collisions were reported, though. Prior to the start of the big-bike race, the Desert M.C. had a moment of si- lence followed by a ghost ride for the late Steven Kirk III where his uncle, Dwayne Lewis, rode Kirk's YZ250 race bike (nicknamed Savanna) down the bomb run, accompanied by his sister, Kaitlynn, on her YZ250F. Former series champ Ty Davis was on hand as a minibike dad, his son, Dustin, entering the Pee Wee class for his first-ever desert race and fin- ishing third behind 2014 class champ Cole Timboe and Racer Fry. Chidester Transport Racing made its debut at the Winter Classic with an impressive 11 riders under its tent, ranging from Pee Wees to an ATV to Pro rider Max Eddy Jr. But it was Ty- ler Lynn who put in the most miles of the group. After overalling the Youth race, he came back about two hours later and lined up in the FMF Pro 250 class, finishing ninth in class and 32nd overall. Taking a cue from the arrive-and-ride program that KR4 Racing does for the GNCCs and AMA National Endu- ros, Madjack Racing has started a similar program on a smaller scale. Right now, the customer provides the bike, which Madjack Racing will transport to and from the hare and hound nationals (plus Big 6 and WORCS) then prep before the race, all for $250 per bike per race. Parts are extra. For more information, visit www.madjack-racing.com. Nicole Bradford wasn't the only for- mer champ making an appearance on the podium in Women A. Unlike Bradford, however, Anna Cody plans to do the entire season to see if she can retake the title she won in 1989. Asked when she last rode a National, Cody answered, "I did a national four years ago, but doing this series? A long time ago! I've been working re- ally hard [and] training really hard and I just wanted to start riding again. The series looks like a really fun series. I won [the championship] in 1989 so I thought, 'You know, it would be really neat to come back at 48 years old ver- sus 22 [and win again]!' So, we'll give it a shot. Today, I got a flat tire and I was like, 'I don't want to have a DNF so I'll just salvage [what I can] and hopefully [do okay]. I didn't know I'd get third!" After starting the year at the Parker 250 aboard last year's bike, the Purvines Racing Beta duo of Nick Burson and Axel Pearson debuted their 2016 480 RRs. Besides now being fuel-injected, Burson noted, "It's actually a little dif- ferent so it took a little bit to get used to, going out there, but we'll be better by next race. But the speed was there so that's good." The next round in the H&H series isn't until April 2-3 in Idaho, but the team will also be competing again in the Kenda/SRT AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship Series whose second round is near Coalinga, California, on February 13-14. Besides the recently concluded Da- kar, Ricky Brabec is scheduled to do four other rallies this year in prep- aration for Dakar 2017. The first of those he anticipates doing is in Qatar on April 17-22 or Egypt on May 8-15, rounds two or three of the FIM Cross- country Rallies World Championship. On Friday, Destry Abbott held a one-day DA8 Training class. On race day, DA8 athletes did well with Bra- bec winning overall and Joe Wasson taking second in FMF Pro 250. After running as high as second, Sky- ler Howes barely made it to the finish in 33rd overall aboard his borrowed YZ450F whose fuel pump went out about 10 miles from the finish. PCI Race Radios KTM rider David Kamo got hit by roost on the bomb that ended up rendering his front brake useless. After pitting, he got only a little way out on the second loop before he realized he needed to replace the entire front brake system so he returned to the pits to make that swap. Kamo ended up 14th Pro and 19th overall. In the Slow Your Roll slow race on Saturday night, Idaho's David Kamo wore very little despite the cold temps.