Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125812
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TRIUMPH-KING OF THE DESERT:
Triumph (U.S. Division) has plans to go
back to the desert racing that ,was once
dominatej;\ by the big British twins. The
vehicle for this re-invasion of the
four-strokes will probably be the new
T,riumph 500 Trophy Trail. Some top
desert riders have already been
contacted about possible rides but
nothing has been firmly decided as yet.
Won't it be a gas if they can get the
four-bangers down around 240 lbs?
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NOT ONLY - BUT ALSO SECTION.
Marty Tripes seems to be prospering
,with his CZ ride. At least he had a
works 380 for the last two Trans-AMAs
and his father, George Tripes, is
assuming the role of CZ American
Racing Team Manager.
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A MAN
OF
SURPRISING
SENSITIVITY is Malcolm Smith who,
during one of his numerous successful
trips up the hill at the Eiger Wager
hillclimb during the Laugh-in Trials at
Saddleback, was observed to stop his
400 Husky about" three-quarters of the
way up the hill, walk back down to an
area where the earth was ,churned up
and pick up a little beetle. He cupped it
in his hand, remounted his bike and
rode back down the 70 degree slope
with the bug. Had he really seen the
beetle on the way up the hill?
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During this same hillclimb event, newly
Norton-sponsored Dave Aldana climbed
aboard a shiny new 410 AJS and came
flying up the 'hill all feet, knees and
elbows. He made it about halfway, did a
beautiful 'wheelie and then let the
S,tormer go. The Ajay continued
another twenty feet up the hili, then
reversed direction. David got off as
gracefully as he usually does. He
re covered the now·battered Mxer ,
turned it around and jumped on over a
particularly sheer part of the hill and
went clattering to the bottom, more off
the bike than on, executing beautiful
Flying W's without losing it. A spectator
who knew Dave commented, "How
could you ever convince anybody that
he was one of the top professional riders
in the United States?" He did look a
little like a, kid whose throttle has stuck
open, but that's the way' he rides.
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Corona Raceway got approval from the
Corona City Council to throw a Grand
Prix type of event, using motocross
course, hills and road. It is now
scheduled for sometime in the early
spring. Stay tuned for time, date,
money requirements and the like.'
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HOT FLASH, WARM TEA AND
BRING YOUR CAMERA. The Old
Master himself, the incomparable
Sammy Miller, is confirmed to be riding
in EI Trial de Espana at Escape Country
on December 10. The many times World
Trials' Champion and Bultaco
development rider is coming out of
retirement to compete in this special
trial. .This is strictly a special
performance by the man who has
established a reputation as the Master
Trials rider of all time and one that
sho!Jld not be missed by anybody
within striking, distance of Escape
Country. See the Calendar for further
details. The Park is up Trabuco Canyon
near O'Neill County Park in Orange
County. Sammy Miller is near legendary
and this is a rare chance to see him do
magic things on the Sherpa T he is
largely responsible for Shaping. Hubba,
hubba.
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Peter Lamppu is really a dynamite
hill-climber in his wife's Toyota sedan.
Marty Tripes rode Miroslav Halm's
back-up CZ at Carnegie and at
S'addleback. He had virtually no time on '
the bike when he went out and got his
eighth overall (second American) at the
Carnegie TransAMA.
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It is refreshing to see that Leisuretech,
Inc. who did the publicity for the
TransAMA at Carnegie Cycle Park have
adopted the policy of releasing realistic
paid admission attendance figures for
big International motocrosses. They said
10,300 and that looked about right.
Some of the other TransAMA
attendance figures have been slightly
inflated as anybody whq was there can
verify. Ten thousand is a very good
turnout for any MX.
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THE $25 MILLION MISUNDERSTANDING. Ontario Motor Speedway
has goile belly up. This may not be
exactly news but for those of you who
have been out of town, that's the truth.
OMS, Inc. couldn't make the bond
payments and have closed down the
facility. If it stays closed that means the
end of National road racing in California
unless 'they switch to Riverside. The
facility is open for bids if anybody
wants to buy It or put just a little down
and take over payments. Any takers,?
Barry Higgins appeared at· the
Saddleback Trans-AMA on a 460
Yankee prototype. It proved to be more
reliable than at Carnegie where it broke
after three laps. Higgins finished all
three motos, but the bike appeared to
be fairly heavy and giving him a hard
time:
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Maybe this should be a want ad, but
we'll try and give the Trans-AMA
winner a break. 'Ake Jonsson and Hans
Maisch attemp~ed to sell their bikes
after the Saddleback Trans-AMA, but
upon last word have had no luck.
Maybe, if they haven't given up, you
should give Maico a call.
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Speaking of Ake Jonsson, we're a little
worried about him. He seems to be
suffering from a bit of an identity
conflict between himself and his bike.
Maybe this is why he's selling it.
Obviously one has to become~ pretty
emotionally involved in one's bike to be
a winner, but when you start thinking
you're a dirt bike and print it on the
arms of your jersey, that's too much.
Next we're afraid he may turn up with a
Maico with Ake 400 on the tank_
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SOOPER SCOOTERER: Speaking of
Britishers, Ray Kemp has become the
new British Scooter Champion at tht:
e of 21.
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Cycle News WEST readers who want to
change their subscriptions to Cycle
Ne~s CENTRAL }Vhen that gets gomg
at the beginning of next year can do so
for the time I",ft on their subscriptions
by sending word and the appropriate
information (name - as listed on the
address label, address, and zip) to the
circulation departments of either Cycle
News West or Cycle News Central in
Texas.
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APOLOGIES AND RE-TRACK-SHUNS
DEPT: Last week we said that a
"Medicard" was available for a hospital.
This is not true. What are available from
the hospital are forms that will display
necessary emergency information.
Medicards (the handy little devils) are a
similar item, made to attach to the
apparel of people who do bizarre things
like racing motorcycles, and are
copyrighted, patented, and otherwise
legally bound and registered. They are
not available from the hospital but are a
good idea anyway.
We kind of did a number on the people
who set up bikes for Yamaha in a recent
roadtest. Unfortunately it wasn't really
their fault. Seems that they aren't
authorized to do any tune up. It would
be nice if someone was, as the last test
bike to come from Yamaha didn't even
run.
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It h,as been determined by one segment
of the Cycle News, two-up road test
staff" that the most successful way to
gain a car driver's attention when hl' or
she is usurping said motorcycle's
position is to pound on the hood with
one's fist.
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We received some " more adverse
comment abou t our Baja 1000 coverage.
,Constructive criticism is good fo'r
anybody, especially newsP'aperh- but· ,
there comes a time to darify- i few .
points. First: the story did come out in '
the paper four days after the "Baja,
which, save for blurbs in the
metropolitan dailies, was the first
coverage. Research time was limited.
Second: Nobody can see everything that
happens along 900 miles of course and
the only error of fact in the article was
that Mitch Mayes didn't have his leg
break; his bike did. Third:.Some of the
. Aoo'lO AObertoD is f'l$t...t European IWecan saY.that since Britian joined the Common Marken up Eiger Wag.r during the b..ugh-In Tri.rs H~lcliinb,
people carping apout coverage hadn·'t
dcli."g it"Qn Rolf T~tin"s 400- HU5q""rn".Ro",lhelmet Ul\der ..mf observa A