Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

If you find yourself confused by ,,!l the brands-changing of important nders, you aren't alone. Kawasaki rider Peter Lamppu was listed in the program of the Hang Ten GP as being sponsored by the Montesa factory and as riding a CZ. 6Jldapa?1'eakg + * * Ace desert writer Dick Wright made the casualty list with a broken. arm, fractured just above the elbow du:mg an arm-wrestling bout with one of hiS sons, Jeff's little friend. • • • The starting area for Barstow to Vegas has been changed because some of the land owners in the area were unhappy. To get to the new place you follow the same freeway which will be limed past Minneola Road to the Harvard off ramp. If you have more questions before the 25th call 714/628·1953. * * * The AMA has established a Regional Championship program. There. will ~e three regions and each region will declare a champion for Expert, JUnior, and Novice divisions. More details on page 31. • • • In Australia, Kawasakis are known as Kwackers. But then Australians usually have better names for things. Look at their animals: platypuses, koalas, wombats and kangaroos. Not to mention wallaby. Sounds like somebody's uncle. * * * Giacomo Agostini has. been Italian National Road Racing Champion thirteen times. He has only been World Champion twelve times. He better get it on. Only twelve. Really! • • • CLOAK AND DAGGER SECTION. The CN spies are everywhere. Japanese 125 and 250 class motocross champion, Masaharu Takezawa, has been bouncing around the Saddleback motocross course of recent evenings testing Oriental scooters for and with Kawasaki. He clearly is of the phil osophy that practice and preparation do make perfect as he is entered in the TransAMA at Sadd leback on December th ird. * * * The voters of the little town of Elsinore, . ~alifornia have voted, by about 60 votes, "NO" on the question of whether to have the' Elsinore Grand Prix there again next year. This was an advisory measure on the ballot only and, as such, is not binding on the city government. The Chamber of Commerce is obviously for the race. Others not so. • • • THE HONDA MOTOCROSS TEAM FACTORY STYLE: American Honda has been talking to both the Jones and Tripes families very seriously of late. Jim Wilson has been doing some testing on Honda's 250 Elsinore two·stroke and Gary Jones and Marty Tripes have also had short, but apparently impressive rides on the new Honda motocrosser. oo g> ... .... '" '" ~ '"; , • • • A small green stickie appeared in the window of a small grocery store in Spindleruv Mlynn, the site of this year's 'SOT. The sign read: "We don't care how the hell they do it in California!" .... o Z ~ w z' W Discussion is very serious at this point as Honda would like to introduce their first racing two·stroke in action at, the Saddleback TransAMA. And they would like to see Marty Tripes and/or Gary Jones astride the machine. * * * Goodyear was down at Daytona testing a few weeks ago. We are infonned that they have at least six non-tread patterns and are pouring money into b~ing "the" tire for roadracers in '73. One Grand National Champion who was available for comment told us that he was going two seconds quicker per lap than the tires he used last year. . * * * * * * We hear that Ake Jonsson is getting a new set of clothes. Di,rt bikes cause explosions in 100% of . the blue and white '66 VW buses tested. Being near a dirt bike causes it in certain timey bikes. Newspaper mechanics cause explosions in two ou t of th ree dirt bikes roadraced. It must have b.een sunspots that got Pigman's thing. • • • John Hateley, who was big winner of the weekend rode bikes which were completely put together by himself. Evidence of this is shown in the fact that the seat fell off his 125 and he had a flat on his 250. • • • It seems kind of ironic that Honda has named their first two stroke the Elsinore - just before the citizens of I Elsinore voted to cancel the Grand Prix held there annually. * * * Speaking of Honda, they showed a 600cc four cy linder road racer at the Tokyo show. It is based on the 500, and they feel that its lighter weight and smaller. fron tal area makes it more competitive on tighter circuits. • • • Now they're testing airbags as a safety feature for bikes in England. 'Vetch. Don't laugh, though, they'll be after you pretty soon. * * * Puch is making an electric motorcycle, er moped. J • • • Jarno Saarinen says that his early career as an ice and sand racer has helped him to be a very good road racer. He says that the feeling for a slide has helped a great deal - particularly in the wet. He also says that he feels that he couldn't have won Ontario, but look for him at Daytona. * * * Speaking of Daytona, the course change is not a change of the first few turns, but rather a chicane on the straight. This will limit top speed sligh tly and make the whole thing a bit more sane. • • • Gene Cannady is OK. He was thought lost in Baja when we went to press on Monday, but it turns out that he had the situation well in hand. The case on his 350 Honda single broke near the rear mount to the frame and thereby rid itself of the majority of its oil. This had a detrimental effect on performance and Gene decided to quit and hitch a ride back to Chula Vista on a truck. Only problem was that everybody 'and their granny were out looking for him while he was taking his truck ride. * * * RE VOLUTION: What will happen when 3,500 bikers come against the feds at Barstow to Vegas? • • • American Honda is making four lJew films for use with a motorcycle riding simulator by the Alhambra High School . district. This is a pilot project fo-r motorcycle driver education, not connected with the MIC $5·million safety program. '* * * As usual the Hopetown GP was well run and a great success. People in attendance couldn't help but feel the community of the situation. • • • The European Sidehacks did run, and the Dirt Diggers billed it as an exhibition run . to protect the Europeans' licenses. The European hacks started in the back but it didn't take long to build the substance of a race. * * * A pass the hat collection afterwards to show appreciation and help the poorer Europeans supposedly netted at least 800 dollars. • • • John Rice who had a stupendously unlucky weekend finish'ing one out of five classes, finished his one class on a 350 Maico. It looked like a 250 lower end with a 400 upper end. Sounds like instant destructo, but that was his finisher. * * * We're still trying to' find ou t who started that flap over the European sidecar stars racing/no t racing/ exhibiting/not exhibiting at Hopetown. On immediate and even not-ilO-immectiate inspection, it comes off looking like dirty pool to us. Nobody is willing to say anything who mjght have been involved, or they're being hard to reach. The important thing is that the guys did get to show the spectators and Grand Prix participants how they race motocross on three wheels. The second 'most important. thing is that sort of nonsense stops right now. It does nothing but burt the sport and make all organizations involved look like a mismanaged kindergarten. • • • THIS TIME FOR SURE AND OTHER CERTAINTIES. Leisuretech, Inc., the promoters for the TransAMA at Carnegie Cycle Park on November 26th say that US. Suzuki says that World Champion Joel Robert has been confirmed positively for the I'ntemational class for that event. That, if true, must mean that his knee is all healed up, Suzuki is going to fly over another 370 GP bike,. and the FIM isn't goi ng to say a nyth ing about both of the Belgian Champions being out of the country at once to race in the same event, which happens to be AMA·sanctioned in California, since the AMA and the FIM, apparently, communicate so well. As in the sidehack brouhaha at Hopetown. (If you don't know what a brouhaha is, go ask your mother.) * * * When the helmet law was enacted in New York state, bike fatalities dropped off by 48% in the five year period following. • • • "There are three kinds of lies: plain lies, damn lies, and statistics." - Mark Twain. * * * A young studen t recen tly purchased a 1964 Rabbit motorcycle (yes, there is such a machine.) Noting that the pink slip mistakenly listed the bike as a 1964 Rabbi, he requested the DMV to correct the pin k slip. The DMV, thinking that they were being put on, refused to change Rabbi to Rabbit. So now, the ,tudent is officially the proud owner of a 1964 model Rabbi. • • • YOUR OWN FACTORY .PIT CREW. A warm Santa Ana condition blew some hot tips in our direction for those of you who intend on trekking the Barstow-to-Vegas trail on a Kawasaki. The word is that Kawasaki will provide a pit area for any and all Kawasakis en tered, with the only stipulation being that all needed infonnation and three full gas cans (legibly marked with your name and number) be delivered no later than 6 a.m. Saturday in the pits near Barstow. Just look for the bpmer as you head in. To insure you get all the importan t inside stuff, give Kawasaki a jingle immediately at 714/540-9980, extension 222. • • • We have noticed that Ford Motor Co. has started to use power mowers instead of bikes as a course of noise to demonstrate h.ow Quiet their LTD's are for their TV ads. We are ecstactic. We do wonder, however, if they are going to receive nasty letters from the American Power Mower Associatjon, the Power Mower Industry Council, Mower News, Power Mower Illustrated, Modern Mower, Ho·t Mower, PORE (Power-mower Owners, Racers, and Enthusiasts) and other mower oriented groups and publications. • • • I want somebody to make a four stroke street bike with valves and timing that you don't have to set. * * * This is the helmet that Dick Kilgroe was wearing wh~n he began his crash ~uring a recent ~ractice session at Willow Springs roadrace course. When he had come to rest, DIck was somethmg less than pleased with the helmet which had actually cut him. He had loaned the helmet that he normally uses to a friend. Spending a few dollars more on a good hat when you consider tl;lat you can't get a new head at twice the price. IS worth It - especially The Honda 125 Works motocrosser is also a two-stroke. It looks very foxy, indeed. When do we get 'em in the U.S.? - Phoros by Bob Narikawa. . ..J U >- U

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