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/125981
Speedway League Custom tune [Con ti nu ed fro m page 3) :\lass -media sp ortscribes were only too familiar with the league sports co nc e p t. bu t to the m oto rcycle press it is a new thing. "Is th is j u st an o t he r league:' t he foo tba ll and tennis reporters asked ? ";0; 0 . th is " i ll b e like noth ing y ou've eve r seen be f ore. " :\Jrs. Cl a y t on s ta t e d . "th i s is d y n a mi t e-powe re d a th le tics for the industrial age . " Videotapes of Sp eedway rac ing ' v re sh own . It loo ks great on -c TV. Co-founder J ack Long . a principal of the Worl d Hockey Associat ion a n d In te rn a t io na l Track Associa tion . spoke to the sports w ri te rs on their 0\\"11 level. He sai d the re would be "a rider d raft " wit hi n 30 days. He ad m itted the new league foresaw problem s, that teams" can los e m oney. But . " Long m ainta in ed. " the $200 .0 00 per te am t hat th e S~IL requires o f it s o wners vir t ua lly guaran tees co mp le ti o n o f a se aso n, a nd it would b e difficu lt fo r th em n ot to make so me o f it hack." League racing works this way : there are 12 seven-rid er team s altoge th e r. sp lit in t o West ern. Ce n tra l a nd Eastern U. S. divisions o f fou r tea ms each . Owners buy te am fra n c hises fro m the le ague a nd th ese te am o wn ers co n t rol the leagu e . Eac h team co n t rac ts seven racer s for th e e ig ht -wee k seaso n a t a guaran teed weekly salary . plus w ha tever prize mo ney and poin ts mo ney the rider s wi n in the eight or nine ra ce season. The ream riders have to agr e e not to ra ce any t h ing b u t le ague ra ces during the c o n t rac t seas o n, however. to your style of ride. . - Bast got " blackball" threats - Race r :\Iike Bast . wh o a tte n d ed t he p ress c o n fe rence with his b r o ther Steve . th e cu rre n t U.S . speed way cham p io n . obiiged reporters by ca n d id ly an swe ring their questi ons ab o u t h ow much m oney a speedway ra cer earn s. A race r o f the Basts' calib er " can m ake $3 0 t o $3 5.00 0 a year," Mike said. He said he avera ged $500 to $8 00 per week last ye ar. "TIle m aximum 1 can w in in league raci ng is $2.000 per week ." he reckoned. hut men tioned th a t half of the existi ng speedway promoters have t h r e a t e n e d to b lackball hi m from com peting for t he ir purses if he ra ce s wit h th e " n e w - f a n g led Speedway Mo torc y cle Leag ue . " Long sa id 50 % o f the lea gu e 's ride rs . all Ameri ca n s. are signed u p al ready . S te ve Bast spoke up la te r. " 1 meed 10 i mee ts last y ea r and w on S 1 i ,000 in prize mo n ey p lu s ano t h er $9.000 in c o n t i n ge ncy a nd testimo nials a nd stu ff. " li e said . " my team wi ll pay me more th an I' ve ever made . Ma y be it'll be Seattle. if so . I' ll go there and do my best for th e team ." The Los An geles S:\II. team fran chise b el o ngs to Golden St ate In d u st ri es. headed b y J ack Burk , listed in "Who 's Wh o in finan cing," The Orange County te am o wner is ex - Britisher Chris Po ok. h e ad o f a t rave l age n c y a nd a seco n d-ge n era tio n sp ee d way b u ff: th e Seattle . Washinl(t on team is owned by Don Dorsey of Thunder Ro ad . In c. a n d s e veral other prominent Washington businessmen . and the fourth t ea m will be based in n orthern California a n d op era ted by the league in co o p e ra tio n wit h Bo b Ilarkh im er and Associates. One-ring circus Whe ther real te am ra cing \\;U go over with the Ameri can pu blic o r not is still unkn own. but th e Sp ee dw ay ~I otorcycle Lea gue will so on b e the first to find o u t the a ns we r. a n d they arc betti ng at least $8 00 .000 th a t th ey are righ t. A t one point . grop ing fo r a word . Sharon Clay t o n des c ribed speedway ra cing as "a c irc u s, I hate to u se t he wo rd. " she said. " b ut it is li ke a ci rcus. when all th e atten tio n is ri ve ted o n the c e n t e l" ri ng. Speedway is One- ri ng ci rcus .' she concl uded. An d every b o dy lo ves a ci rcus, righ t ? Ph o ne number f or Speedw ay Mot orcycle Leagu e informatio n is (2 13) 435-8364. 11I11~Mulhollancllll l l l , The rebuildables Mulholland provides a total suspension system comprised of shocks, spr ings, and fo rks with interchangeable components allowing you to fine tune your suspension to fit your style of ride. 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