Wow,
I haven't been on the board for a long time and was quite supised to see this thread still on first page and going strong.This sure brings back a lot of memories. I still ride out in the desert quite often and have had the pleasure of riding with Ron Turner many times. He camps with our group once a month. He is now riding a Yamaha YZ250F and still fast as can be. He now has a MX school where he teaches young riders. We have talked extensivly about the Cagivas, about his win in Hawaii, he told me his mechanic had his bike strung out in pieces in the motel room the night before the race when he went to bed. Thinking it was all over only to wake up with the bike completely ready to go the next morning. Whew!!!!.
I have had the pleasure of racing against both Duanne Summers & Charles Halcumb in the 1983 King of the Desert Race in AMA D38. Both rode for UPTITE HUSQVARNA out of Santa Ana Calif. I remember them driving up in the cool van, wow was that intimidating. I followed Duane out on the bomb run, now I know why he was one of the best 125 riders around, all I could see was his dust and then I couldn't even see that. I did beat them both but it wasn't because of my riding ability, I saw both on the side of the course broken. Sometimes keeping the engine in stock form for desert racing has its perks....lol. We also had a fast rider in D38 desert racing by the name of Eddy Foland who also rode a Cagiva.
I am still involved in desert racing down here in So Cal, President of Roadrunners Off Road Racing Club, promoting, not racing, check out my homepage attached to this forum for the link.
Keep the Cagiva stories coming,
Kirk