Barstow To Vegas Hare And Hound
BARSTOW TO VEGAS HARE AND HOUND
3000 Other Racers Are Only Worth Hassling If You're In Front. J. N. Roberts Was, For The Fourth Year In A Row.
DAVID RANDOLPH
EACH YEAR, on the weekend after Thanksgiving, the Barstow to Vegas Hare and Hound is staged in the Mojave Desert, where it stretches across the state line into Nevada. About that time, most Easterners are beginning to wish they had gone to California, earthquakes or no earthquakes, instead of braving another long, cold winter with their scooter in deep freeze in the garage.
Had they made the trip, they might have witnessed this event, or even joined in on the fun and ridden it. The only worry would be beating another 3200 racers, one of which is J.N. Roberts, who is becoming a legend in his own time. He has won this Hare and Hound four years running.
The world’s largest race starts on the outskirts of the desert town called Barstow, a place where people are friendly and weather runs in extremes. In the summer the thermometer hovers above 110, and in the winter it plunges to near zero at times; all the while the wind blows fiercely.
In November though, the weather is not so unpleasant in Barstow, save for the cold nights. And racers find the temperature just about right for daytime events, which is precisely when the San Gabriel Valley Motorcycle Club holds its annual fling.
This year the start was at two different times, 8 a.m. for Expert riders and 9 a.m. for Novices and Pie Platers. This is done for safety reasons, as beginners have a tendency to get run over by some of the faster Amateurs and Experts. That usually slows both of them down.
Naturally, traffic was backed up terribly on the Minneola Rd. off ramp of Interstate 15, with racers and spectators all trying to be at the same place at the same time. Most racers abandoned thoughts of driving in with their vans and pickups and unloaded right on the off ramps, riding the remainder of the way in on their motorcycles. Even the Highway Patrol didn’t seem to mind.
Most riders made it to the line in time to see the banner go up in front of them and then drop, as the race was started. Three thousand motorcycles starting up and leaving all at once is an amazing sight.
The pre-race prognosis favored J.N. heavily. After all, he had won it three years straight. In fact, Dusty Coppage is the only other man to have won this long, rugged grind, and he did so in the inaugural event. Coppage was entered in this year’s race but dropped out with mechanical problems.
At the start riders headed for a smoke bomb about two miles out and then turned right towards the city of slot machines, Las Vegas. As everyone had figured, Roberts got to the front at the start and began a fight for first place with Rich Thorwaldson, another desert dynamo. Both were battling for the District 37 Heavyweight Desert No. 1 plate, and this race would be worth many valuable points.
Forty-five miles out at the first gas check they were still dueling, and Roberts was first into the pits. Thor got a faster stop however and beat J.N. out for the lead. This turned out to be short-lived: bad luck bit Thor’s tire and it went flat. This caused the engine to work a little harder, and it sucked all the gas out of the tank, ending his hopes of finishing near the top.
All this time, of course, Roberts cruised along, building up a commanding lead. He covered the 160-odd miles in just over four hours, and finished ahead of 2nd-place George Walker (Kawasaki) by 20 min.
Meanwhile, out on the course, things were a lot rougher for many, especially between the first and second gas pits. The course is supposed to be 40 miles in length between those two points, but it turned out to be 58 miles. Needless to say, about 200 riders were left stranded looking for gas. Many of the Suzuki 400s that started the race were eliminated right here, as well as several other big bore machines.
This section was also festered with beds of lava rock that slow down even the fastest of riders. An endo in that stuff will cut you to pieces, so riders used much caution. Deep sand, holes, and bushes also had to be dealt with.
Whitey Martino, the current heavyweight champ, was running 2nd until he spilled on the last leg. It was only his third race since his recent bad crash, but he certainly didn’t seem any the worse for wear. He finally finished 1 1th.
A large number of Huskys were entered, both 250s and larger models. They had more finishers than any other marque, but the big surprise were the Kawasaki 350s that finished 2nd and 3rd overall. Most expected a Husky sweep with a couple of Yamahas thrown in.
Amateurs faired quite well, with Jim Sovie 3rd and Ron Lambert 5th on a CZ. Lambert barely beat Dick Breker’s 400 Husky to the finish; it was a duel right down to the final few yards.
Wes Anderson Jr. brought home the first 250 (another Husky) even though he had fallen near the last check and had broken his collarbone. One of those amazing Harley Baja 100s came in 10th overall with Mitch Mays aboard.
You have to hand it to J.N. Roberts. In the last four years, he has managed to defeat about 10,000 other riders in the same race. That is a meritorious accomplishment to be sure.
RESULTS
