THE WEEKLY FEED: DAN SMITH-BEST DESERT RACER EVER? OFF-ROAD RACING GALLERY

BLAST FROM THE PAST: DAN SMITH

Dan Smith ruled the desert in the 1980s, winning an incredible 59 AMA District 37 desert races and 7 #1 Heavyweight plates. He won the Hare and Hound National title five times, won the Baja 1000 in 1983 and the Baja 500 in 1984 along with huge wins in HDRA and BITD competition. He won the inaugural Whiskey Pete’s World Championship and the infamous Barstow to Vegas desert race. Dan was also very versatile logging in stellar results at the ISDE qualifiers when he participated in them in the early 80’s.T his photo was taken at the first Whiskey Pete’s event the day before the race by Tom Webb, who was a fledgling editor surrounded by superstars. Dan was hugely humble and a seriously wonderful person who paved the way for future stars like Danny Hamel, Destry Abbott and Kurt Caselli.

 

NEWS

 

OFF-ROAD AROUND THE COUNTRY

LITTLE RACOON NATIONAL ENDURO

Photos Darrin Chapman
Steward Baylor: Despite finishing in the runner-up slot for the second race in a row, Steward Baylor still holds onto a 36-point lead in the series standings with four rounds remaining, and for Steward, that is the main focus. “I could have been a little more aggressive, but at the same time we’re looking at the championship,” said Steward. “If I can keep in second place, and if Grant wants to keep winning, I’ll let him keep winning. I’m happy with it. I’m looking for that championship and I know all I’ve got to do is ride smart and I’m in a really good position as far as that goes.”
Liam Draper: Tely Energy Racing KTM’s Liam Draper was nursing a cracked pelvis from a crash at the Tennessee Knockout the previous week, but still managed sixth overall and first in the NE Pro2 division. “I enjoyed this place last year when we had a sprint here, so I was looking forward to it, it’s slick.” said Draper. “I got off to a pretty decent start. I just had fun all day and kept my head down and managed to get another win. I’m just trying to stay on the bike.”

 

Evan Smith: Husqvarna/ Max Motorsports/FXR Racing’s Evan Smith rounded out the podium, despite taking a nasty fall just before the end of the final test. “I guess it was a good day,” said Smith. “I had a couple of decent-sized get-offs today. The last test, I overshot a ravine and just kind of went into a tree in the air. Not much I could do about it. That hurt a lot. So, I kind of struggled to finish, but other than that it was a good day. It took me a while to adjust to it being so slick, but once I got comfortable, I was able to ride pretty smooth and smart and not make too many mistakes.”

 

GRANT BAYLOR: “Couldn’t ask for a better day,” said Grant. “It was a little slippery in places and you had to be on your toes and be careful and just be ready for when the front end goes to wash. But I didn’t hit the ground all day until the last test. I went down one time in the last test and won every test today. So, it was another awesome weekend.”

 

Mackenzie Tricker: The Women’s Elite race was a battle between Mepmx/Fly/Grizzly Peak/Traveler’s Rest Speedway/KTM’s Mackenzie Tricker and Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna/Moose Husqvarna’s Tayla Jones, with Tricker getting the win by 9.880 seconds ahead of Jones. “I started off a little slow this morning but I came back and got some test wins this afternoon,” said Tricker. “The track was really, really fast and kind of scary at times, I had some really big moments, but that’s what happens when you’re pushing, but other than that it was a good day.”

 

VEGAS TO RENO

Photos Mark Kariya
Riding in clean air was important and the lead off team of Hayden Hintz, Nice Colangeli, Jeff Trulove and Sage Vincent put it to good use. They finished a strong third overall in the 505 mile race.

 

Skyler Howes is the third person to race the Vegas to Reno event solo, and win. His time: 8 hours, 22 minutes and 19 seconds!

VIDEO JUKEBOX

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SOCIAL DISTORTION

 

 

 

Ken Roczen is without a doubt the most skilled technician in the motocross arena when the tracks get super technical.

 

 

GEAR BAG

MotoZ Arena Hybrid Gummy $106.00-$112.99

 

IRC Volcanduro VE-33S $88.95

 

Shinko 505S Hybrid Cheater $63.95-$71.95
Tubliss Tire System by Nuetech $89.95
Nitro Mousse SOFT $112.50

www.slavensracing.com 

 

WOLF: BACK IN THE DAY

This is 1971, the machine is my Zundapp 100 and the place is Annuals. It was an inhospitable pit, completely hardpack and rocky and was located in the northwest end of the San Fernando valley. We (my brothers and our good buddy Carl Ribaudo) would  cruise our dirt bikes through the housing tracks and eventually get to the railroad tracks and took them up past White Front to Annuals. Legal? Ah no! This bike was flat cool. It had a Girling suspension, a wicked down pipe chamber and handled like a racer (of course, I was comparing it to my Honda 160!). I ended up getting a plate for it and rode it to High School!
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