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/126062
Ever wonder why Honda, upon re-entering European competition, would ignore the two-stroke dominated GP circuit and concentrate on the four-stroke dominated Coupe d'Endurance? Consider this scenario, circa 1978, when the EPA effectively outlaws all performance two strokes: After the three other Japanese firms have busted their collective buns (at the expense of dropping their racing ' p rogram s) created de-fanged, de-clawed four stroke street bikes, Honda drops a 94 lcc DOHC "Coupe d'Endurance Replica" into a performance-starved market. Bowango! For a preview of Honda's endurance road racer, see page 34. Speedway racing reports will be beamed over the airways from San Bernardino radio station KOLA (99 on the FM dial). The show is appropriately called "Speedway Racing Special Report" and will air Tuesday evenings at 6;45 pm, right after the ABC News. It features the silver throat of Jim Griffith of Motor Sports Broadcasting and is sponsored by Inland Motorcycle Speedway of San Bernardino. Rumor has it that Kawasaki's 1977 model KZ 900 won't be a 900 anymore. . Instead, it will displace IOOOcc in the engine room and will have a new rear disc brake to slow down all those ponies. Off roadies will have to wait for the legendary Lobster another year. The Swiss 125 GP motocross was dominated by Gaston Rabier (2-11 as the diminutive Suzuki works rider now has 15 firsts in eight Grands Prix. First moto, it was Jiri Churavy (CZI, Rahier [Suz], Alberghetti, Zdenek Velky (CZ); second moto was Rahier, Alberghetti, Velky, Roger Harvey [Hus], Overall, the top five in 125 Motocross world points standings are: 1. Gaston Rahier 195; 2. Jiri Churavy 160; 3. Marty Smith 130; 4. Zdenek Velky 128; and 5. Roger Harvey 82. Boy, do the slicky mags get careless! Somebody left this Suzuki GS 400 parked in the open, and CLICK! Pretty cute cousin to the GS750 we previewed,earlier. boogying on hiking trails, trying to go places that are unridable and getting stuck; and openly defying rangers who , are, for the most part, on our side. It's true, the pack train operators would like to shut the whole area to bikers, but it's maverick bikers that are giving them ammunition. Ascot once again ran their combined midget car/speedway bike show this Wednesday, again with mixed results for the bikers. Ironically, it turns out that most of the cars have motorcycle engines. Weird. The Wagner Cup International Trial, when all the bills were totted up, actually netted nearly $3,000 profit to the host club, Pacific Northwest Trials Assoc. Not too shabby, for a strictly amateur sport. Sequoia Nat 'I. Forest has released a proposed ORV plan that looks like our people have been doing their homework. Outstanding features are extensive open areas that include most of Greenhorn Pass .sou th around Lake Isabella; and Designated Routes classification for Kennedy /Monache/ Bakeoven .area that includes extensively-plotted loop trails. Obtain a copy by writing Sequoia N. F., 900 West Grand, Porterville, CA 93257; as the Forest management has asked /for user comments before finalizing the plan.,Do it now. 2 Speaking of Kennedy Meadows, one user reports that some riders are creatin roblems for the rest of us by -, ' Ron Pierce will no longer ride for Boston Cycles. After a season of disappointment riding Kevin Cameron-prepared Kawasakis, Pierce is once more on his own. "It will be hard," said Pierce of his future, "but I've always done best on my own machines. " "- Harry Klinzmann's father, AI, has rented Riverside Raceway for the Thursday 'befo re the AMA National. On September 30, anyone who wishes can practice at the track, for $30 for first bike, $10 each additional bike. An ambulance will be on hand. Get more information from Mr. AI's Restaurant, 1050 W. KateUa, Anaheim, CA. 92803• . Late word from Europe doesn't give us his finish, but says that Walter Villa clinched his third straight 250cc World Championship at the Brno, Czechoslovakia road race GP. Villa, on Harley-Davidson, becomes the first man in history to perform this hat trick. At the SCORE World Championship in Riverside, Rolf Tibblin got ahead of · Malcolm Smith in the Class 9 buggy race to finish second while Malcom was third. Rolf didn't expect to do so good., but decided to "give it a try" anyway. Both bikers were upped by Roger Mears who won. According to informed sources inside Yoshimure R&D of America, famed tuner Pops Yoshimura will not campaign his very fast Kawasaki Z-ls after the Riverside, California AMA National Superbike Production race in October. It seems that Pops has reached agreements with Suzuki to build Suzuki production racers. Yoshimura wa~ seen leaving U.S. Suzuki headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California with one of the new GS750s just last week. Yoshu{.ura, not wanting all his development on Kawasakis to go to waste, will run the Kaws in drag races. An unconfirmed report has Yoshimura also dealing with Yamaha. HosPITal STOP; Dan Toomey (concussion) and Robin Hood (dislocated shoulder) were released shortly after their separate mishaps at Irwindale, August 12. But Brian Short, who suffered a compound leg fracture in that evening's bizarre crash, has been transferred to Washington Hospital, Mar ' Vista, Calif. in "stable" condition, Doctors informed Rex Reese that the leg is still "inoperable" for fear of serious infection. In any case, it's going to be a long and painful seige for "Thumper", so keep those cards and visits going~ Looks like AFr.l/North 's scheduling quite a full two days of racing for their August 28-29 Golden Gate Challenge at Sears Point, running from 9:00 a.m. til whenever both days. Be early if you wan t to practice! According to AFM points-keepers, Dan Spisak is likely to wrest their National Number One from two-time holder Rudy, Galindo. Spisak, the , current points-leader, races 125 and 500 GP. W/ERA's National HQ announced recently the addition of two "tiddler" classes - 0-50cc and 5I-100cc GP -to their program. Both would be restricted to single cylinder machines and allow riders from age eight and up. "Cheese" McCarty (Suzl, Bill Buchka [Yarn], Eric Crippa (Husl and Don Habermehl (H·DI will travel with their ' respective team riders to the Trophee and Motorcross des Nations. Harley's John Ingram Will go as team manager, and AMA's Mike DiPrete will be our rep on the F 1M jury. Full House Specialties will suit the team up in riding pants, other material support will come from AMA's MX des Nations T-shirt sale proceeds. The Trophee, for 250cc machines, is September 5 at Wohlen, Switzerland; the Motocross for 500s is the following weekend at St . Anthonis, Holland. Next to the Belgian Easter Trophy, this pair of team meets brings the most of the world's motocross heavies into head-to-head competition. Is Gaston faster than Roger? Is Brad badder than Babarovsky? And where is Marty Smith? Stay tuned ... AMA envisions the 1977 Winter-AMA motocross series as a four-race swing through Florida in February, Hey, you guys at PITStop - Zerk is spelled Z-E-R-K. PS: What's a mysophobiac? NorCal trailriders 'lost a great friend in June this year, with the death of Jack Rote, victim of a massive coronary. Trail Bike Sportsmen Assoc., of which Jack was a key member, has requested the U.S. Forest Service to re-name the Rubicon Trail (a five mile stretch along the Rubicon Riverl as the "Jack Rote Memorial Trail." It's not all bad news everywhere. In Oroville, California, the Butte County Planning Commission, by a 5-4 vote after 55 weeks of hassle , granted a use permit for an ORV park near Oroville's airport. The applicants, F & F Cycles and ,Gerald De Roco, hung in there, running the gauntlet of studies. rreports and red tape, to clear the way for their proposed Airport Speedway. The Invaders MC have dropped extra ' charges for post entry to their September 4-5 Grand Prix at Oak Hill Wheel World, near Adelanto, Calif. The club will include a Beginner class and a wet T-shirt con~st somewhere 'in the two days' festivities. Can-Am will support Canada's Silver Vase Team at this year's ISDT. Team The San . Luis Obispo County Sheriff's . leader will be four-time gold medalist Department has suggested the passing of Jeff Smith hisself, aboard a 250 T'nT. a written permission ordinance in that Backing up Smith will be Director of county, as a response to park vandalism Engineering Bob Fisher (Gold, 1973), in a community park. The idea falls Ron Mathews, former BSA·mate Jeff with a dull thud, among the county's .Burgess and .Ontario.dealer Eric Nielson. • _ Jaw-abiding bikers. __ • • • _ •• _