Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Motorcycle lacing's future May Be In Television By Dick Ainsworth No matter if it's fact, assumpti on, or an individual evaluation, it is generally accepte d tha t the motorcycle industry is as much as five years behind the auto mobile industry as far as trends are concerned . Chris ' Economaki, editor of "National Speed Sport News" and commentator- advisor to ABC's Wide World of Sports, has announ ced the signing of a three year contra ct between th e Nation al Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) for a repor ted SI ,365 ,O OO.00. This will bring 35 Nation al races (by this association ) to the television public. The United States Auto Cub (USAC) made a similar agreement (SI ,200,OOO.00) over a two year period with an independent TV network in New York City for live coverage on 16 USAC races. I have no reports on IMCA, NHRA, AHRA, et c. and the numerous othe r auto racing associatio ns, and their negotiation s with TV networks which are presentl y underway. After watching the televised Pepperell Inter-Am Mot orcross, I was ' overjoyously shocked by the outstanding impression this must have made on the non-cycling public. It included music, slow moti on, video replays, and an announcer th at seemed to know what he, was talkin g about. It was exciting, full"Uling, and gave a true picture of what cycle competiti on is really like. But cycle coverage on television in 1969 was considerably less than in previous years. A lot of this can be attributed to the fact tha t the promoter has very little to gain (f inancially) from selling his prod uct to TV. The AMA has practically aU television rights on Nationals. The pact between NASCAR and ABC guarantees NASCAR S290,OOO in 1970, and if option s are fully used, S500,000 in 1971, and the remaining S575,OOO in 1972. NASCAR would distribute the monies in the following manner: 55% to the originating track, 25% to a driver fund , and 20% to a pool for distribution to tracks at year's end for races not televised. Let's look at some of the promoters involved directly and indirectly. Bill France (Dayt ona & Talladega Speedways) is one of the major figures in NASCAR's package. These two locations are also the sites for two 200 Mile AMA National s, J.C. Agajanian isn't active in NASCAR, but will be involved in USAC's 1.2 million dollar agreement . " Aggie" also promo tes a minimum of three AMA Nationals a year, Ascot TT , Ascot half mile, and Sacrament o Mile. Mar-Car (Oklahoma Ci ty) and Pace Management (Houston Astrodom e) mostly sta y with IMCA events, but Pace did run some USAC Midget s th is winter. Santa Fe (Willow Springs, Ill.) w ill again promo te a TT and Short Track National this s ear, bu t are also very active in auto racing. Heidelburg was blacktopped for auto racing, but the Mini RR National is growing in popularity. Hard Core Tries Honda Ltd. Weather Run By J . K. Frost It ' takes a certain breed of cyclist to arise at five In the morning and go out Into a rain chilled January morning, mount his machine, and depart the warmth of home for a two hundred and seventy mile ride just for the sheer desire of riding. On January 11th, Pacific Coast Honda organized jus t such a rid!!. There was no entry fee, no trophies, just free coffee and donuts at the start. Most of the forty-odd riders were on Hondas, but a couple of BSA's, a Moto Guzzi and an old Indian were represented. As our wheels rolled north on the rain covered fr ee way to Gorman, California, I doubt if there was one person who wasn't reca1llng the fa mlllar statement of that famous soldier In Custer's Stand at the little Bighorn - <' What am I doing here ?" After breakfast and a warmup stop In Gorman, the still wet group of hard core riders departed west through the Frazier Park area and onward to Highway 33, the fog had so limited vlslblllty that ex cept for an overdose of guts the r ide would have come to a complete stand still. Seventeen , cycles of Honda Limited Motorcycle Club eased past a falle n bike and after finding no in juries or damage, proceeded on In the lead, water an d mud washed over the roadway at every dip In the terrain. Bikes slid as the less experienced missed a breaIdng po int by a fraction of a second and entered a curve jus t a little too fast. But onward they rode, masochist, crazy, stupid were just some of the adjectives floating through their minds. Face shields, glasses or goggles, rain washed and fogged over, gave little help in spotting the frequent landslides as the roadway twisted and turned its way through the mountains to Ojai, California. Soon, the plastic rain gear had felt the wind once too often, and torn, fell by the roadway allowing the wet to creep closer still to the already .cold riders. The bikes were mud caked, pin stlping was worn away by the grime soaked legs as they rubbed and pressed against the gas tanks in an effort to remain mounted ' to the slippery two wheelers. Coffee and food In Ojai warmed the riders. They then headed homeward as darkness fell on the crowded freeway to Los Angeles. As the glow of the city reflected Its way through the rain and fog, I'm sure many of the riders were thlnklng; " At least I made it safely. If I'd have known what it was like, I' d never gone." But, now that my feet are warm and dry an d my nerves , r elaxed , " it was a good r ide and I made It ; pat me on the back." The Southern California Chap te r s of Honda Limited , Inc. wish to extend this Invitation to the owners of 35Occ, 45Occ, and 750cc Honda motorcyles, to join the fastest growing all Honda cycle club In the world. Honda Limited Is a non-pront organization, designed to give Its members well planned local, state, and nationwide motorcycle tours . A r ecrea tional cl ub for the adult road rider and his family, Honda Limited also striv es to improve the i mage of motorcycle riding. Your Iocal chapter will be organized and managed by you, Its members. The Parent chapter, In SepulVeda, California, can and will only give advice to aid Its growth and organization. Honda Limited holds a charter with the American Motor cycl e As s oc iati on and the Southern California Motorcycle Association, participating In these association tours as well as their own planned events. For more Information regarding Honda Limited In your area, write Honda Limited, Inc., Public Relations Depart ment, 9000 Sepulveda Boulevard, Sepulveda, California. o. All '69 YAMAHAS KAWASAKI SPEED KITS Parts-Service & AccesS. 120cc &175cc writ. or call GENE H. MYERS YAMAHA , 4151 Redondo Beach Blvd. , Lawnda Ie, Ca CIllI3\\1 (213) 542-40411fa.ef/ e/r s. LA • • u. .. Ccatwy • ......... = • ."'0'" '71..o4Ol .00 up . 1629 So. Standard Ave. Santa Ana, Cal. 92707 (714) 543-9688 HONDA /~/YAMA HA IlS7 $46 DRACO 'S MOTORCYCLES kI .@-in'LL KRAUSE'S ; 1I0TORU CI.f: IJf'pr CYCLE LESS GANGS Rece ntly the Ne w York Daily Ne ws reported a melee between what was described as "two , gangs of motorcycle toughs" in the lobby of the N9W York Coliseum. It was ' th e occasion of the National Rod and Custom Car Show, and the battle was described as the continuation of a war begun last March between the Pagans and the Aliens. One cOP, noting that about 40 "motorcyclists" scattered on foot, was puzzled over their manner of departure. " The funny thing Is there weren't any motorcycles In vi e w, " he said. Congratulations to this unnamed officer for flnally noticing. Now, if only the Ne w York Daily Ne ws , the Cleveland P r e s s , et al would notice. Canadian Takes Winter Vacation TaIdng a vacation fr o m the snowy winter landscape of his Toronto, Canada home, Helkkl YIonen has traveled to Southern California to pursue his motocross Interests. Helkkl has a s teel siding busines s In Toronto but the win te r storms force a halt to all such outside construction so, as Helkkl puts It, " Th ere was no reason for me to say In Canada, the snow will stay unW May. I need lots of motocross p r actice so I cam out here where I hope to race every Sunday.,, ·· He rides a 250 Husky and Is sponsored by North York Cycle of Barrie, Ontario. Helkkl's home land Is Finland where he served as a race mechanic for Finnish motocross champ Seppo MakInen. Seppo came to Canada three years ago and brought Heikkl with him. Helkkl started racing last year and after two eyebrow raising races he was bumped Into the Experts class. He also won his fi r s t Expert race. The Canadian rode the Cope to wn Inter-Am this year and was the fi r s t non-European finis he r . CZ's.250 and 360ee. Also 50 ee. ESOD~ B.O.R Valerian's. BIG DISCOUNT ~ A quot e from Roon e Arledge, President of ABC Sports, is as follows: " Auto racing has been one of the mainstays of 'ABC's Wide World nf Spor ts' since the program debuted nearly nine years ago, and contin ues to be among our best-rated shows. Since th e ty pes 'of automobiles competi ng on the NASCAR circuits are the ones viewers identi fy with Ford, Plymouth, Mercury , Dodge, etc., we . can be confident of the success of our new package." AMA Racing is based on the same standard as NASCAR's, only the brand names are H-D, Triumph, BSA, Yamaha, Suzuki, etc. If the AMA was to land (for exa mply) a one million dollar package over a thr ee year period , and divide it up into thir ds between the three main groups (promoters, riders, and the AMA) that would mean each group would gross an additional Slll,OOO per year. The promoters, riders, and the AMA could . no doubt, find use for these exira funds , and this would encourage riders to sta y in cycle racing, create new cycle race promotion among other promoters, the AMA could expand th eir raci ng prog ra m more fu lly, an d manufact urers, importe rs, and dealers would benefit in increased sales. Is th is five years away? I hope not , but if it is-It's nobod y' s fault but our own! • ' "-son LARGEST PARTS & ACCESSORIES DEPT. INTHE SOU LAND TH We can give you immediate, bike-otf-the-floor delivery oil all three models. Stop by and stay up front with Jawa-CZ. 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