Nevada Rally
NEVADA RALLY
RACE WATCH
Ring around the Silver State on Honda's new XR400
JIMMY LEWIS ALL PIECES OF THE PUZZLE FIT EXACTLY. CYCLE World had one of the first Honda XR400s in the country. Editor-in-Chief Edwards demanded a torturous reliability test on this long-awaited, next-generation XR. Honda, craving a big PR splash for its all-new four-stroke weapon, offered me a spot on its three-man Nevada Rally team. Plus, I love long-distance off-road races. All the pieces were in place, it was rally time!
The 1995 Nevada Rally pitted a world-renowned cast of 67 ofifroaders against 2000 miles of Nevada’s nastiest terrain for six days. Some pretty fast guests showed up for the third edition of the race. Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel and Italian Edi Orioli have seven Paris-to-Dakar wins to their credit. Johnny Campbell, last year’s runner-up, was on the mighty Honda squad, riding a competitiontweaked XR628. Campbell’s teammate, Davide Troili, who spent the last year here racing in the desert, wanted to take the trophy back to Italy. Missing from the field was French rider Alain Olivier, the only man to win the event so far, who was nursing a broken leg. Oh, yeah, and me. I took third last year on an XR628.
Since there were rumors of a tighter, more technical course, I was upbeat about racing the new XR400, even though it was close to 20 mph slower than the fastest bikes entered. I felt I could win if I played my cards right.
Unlike the radical bike I competed on last year, the 400 was to be raced in stock form. Wait, let me say that a little louder: STOCK! Well, there were two small additions necessitated by the rigors of the event. We mounted a larger, 4.4-gallon IMS tank, quick-fill capable, to increase range and make 10-second pit stops a reality. Then, mapbook equipment was mounted so I could find my way. That was it. No pipes, cams, carbs, fairings or global-positioning systems to be found.
I was pretty confident going in. There was a chance to use my freshly honed CW knee-dragging skills in the paved prologue to determine starting positions. I carded the sixth-quickest time even though I ran on wet asphalt, thanks to a brief thundershower. Winner of this stage was Alex Gramigni, a former 125 GP World Champion, so I didn’t feel too bad.
The first stage, from the glitz of Las Vegas to the old mining town of Tonopah, was a high-speed journey that ran beside a nuclear testing site. In 40 miles, the 400 and I worked our way to the front of the pack. Some of the less experienced riders were having trouble with navigation while I was able to click off the turns without slowing. At this point, the new XR didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage when I was all alone and tucked in at 85 mph.
Out front, my confidence was running high at the 150-mile mark. I was gonna win this thing! The course wasn’t going to get any faster. I had a healthy lead. I was not going to crash and throw away the win like last year. Getting lost was definitely out of the question.
Just about the time my confidence peaked, I heard thunder-strange because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Blazing across a 15-mile-wide valley on a smooth dirt road, I looked over my shoulder. Then, it happened. Out of nowhere, Trolli thundered alongside on his XR628. He flashed a thumbs-up and tucked right back under the 105mph windblast that had carried him into the lead. My lead, dammit.
After some quick math, I realized I was at least 20 minutes out of the lead, due to Trolli’s later start time. I was not going to win the 1995 Nevada Rally.
Day One’s results would show that Campbell had just edged Trolli, with Peterhansel third, Nevada native Darryl Folks fourth and Orioli fifth in his U.S. racing debut. I was in sixth overall. Hey, at least I was heading up my class, even if Frenchman Richard Sainct, on another XR400, was right behind.
Day Two got off to a flying start for me-literally-when I hit a ditch that sent both bike and rider cartwheeling into the desert. Crash damage to both parties was superficial, save my mapping equipment, which got crunched. So much for heading up the class. For the rest of the day, I played follow-the-leader.
But it wasn’t all bad. After Orioli dropped out from the effects of the August heat, Campbell and Trolli diced it out up front, with Peterhansel waiting in the wings. I actually made headway as others dropped back. Sainct and I were going head to head, running the new XRs for all they were worth. Still, we lost nearly 20 minutes to the lead trio each day. In the 400 class, though, the lead riders were only three minutes apart. A flat or a wrong turn could be disastrous for any of us.
Throughout the week, I was mighty impressed with the XR400. Honda says the newest XR was designed for woods riding. But the 85-mph wonder worked just fine in the Mojave, far from the nearest handlebar-banging trees, bottomless mud pits and slippery roots. Except for the crash-related replacement of the rear sub-frame, all we did was change the oil, air filter and tires every day-oh, yeah, we replaced a chain roller, once. At the halfway point, the valves were adjusted. Other than these few items, my mechanic, Red Austin, felt more like the Maytag Man than a factory wrench supporting a major race effort.
By week’s end, I had settled into a comfortable pace-wide open-and kept a safe class lead. Up front, Campbell was sweating bullets; Trolli was just two minutes behind. With 250 miles left, they pulled out the stops. Drama time. In most rallies, a wrong turn or late-race crash decides the overall win. In this case, it was both. Trolli got off track and then crashed, as Campbell went on for glory.
As for the XR and me, we took fourth overall, giving Honda the 400cc class win. Trophy in hand, the puzzle was complete. With 2000 miles of wide-open running under its tires, the new XR400 had proved its mettle, and then some, in America’s toughest off-road race. □
