Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Cycle News 1978 01 25

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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Sunnyvale, CA says they'll be running prototype fork and shock -,units at the opening AMA MX NationaJ at Hangtown. With a good skid plate, we hopei Papa Wealey talked with Bill Buchka, Brad Lackey's mechanic for Europe in '78, and Bill says he'll keep in touch throughout the year. Pape promises to pass Brad and Bill's adventures on to us. Neat. of Nov . 25 , 1977 there wer e motorcycles licensed for street use in California , and another 329 ,810 registered for off-road , d irt use . That's nearly a million motorcycles registered in just one state. Kinda boggles the mind , don't it ? V .S . Suzuki Motor Corp. ha s received As ~03 , 05 7 There is a three-way tussle going on among AMA. MX promoter Mike Goodwin, and a Japanese car company over a proposed $50,000 sponsorship of the stadium series. Mike wants a commission on the deal or concessions from AMA concerning waterholes and rider contracts. Who will win7 Hopefully everybody. KTM America Incorporated's address will be familiar to many: For two years it was the headquarters of Husqvarna East. The new address is 1906 Broadway , Lorain, Ohio 44052 . 216 /244 · 2726 . Jack Lehto will return to that location to head up KTM Amerca . Don Rosene will bein charge of dealer sales . Doug Beam will be the parts manager. Rod Bush will be the service manager and Jerry Wilhelm will be the warehouse manager. Robbers' Roost. featured on p. 12, will be closad within a 500-yard radius of the rocks beginnng Feb. 1 and lasting through July 1. According to the BLM, the closure of the immediate area is to protect nesting raptors Ibirds of pray) such as the red·tailed hawk and the golden eagle, from disruptive human activity. The six-month closure is an annual activity, listed in the EI Paso/Rand Mountain Interim Critical Management Plan. Read now, ride later. Two Flying Machine Factory (FMF) motocrossers are back on the road to recovery following accidents in '77 . Gary Ogden's broken leg is healing, giving him hope that racing isn't too far away, and John Sm ith who was hurt at Hangtown is out looking at the new machines. Can you imagine riding a motorcycle with 12-14 Inches of travel at each end and the ground clearance of a 75 CZ7 We can't either, but Motocross Center in CMC/Suzuki Golden State Series Mountain High rained ' out, Sears Point event relocated By Brian George FRESNO , CA ,JAN. 15 For the first time in three years, Mother N ature took her toll at Mountain High International MX Park causing the second round of the CMC/Suzuki Golden State Series of motocross to be canceled. Hea vy rains washed ou t roads leading to the natural track in Fresno, but if riders would have waited another day, the race may have been run. 2 Promoter Otis Wallace and his wife Diane d id almost everything possibl e to keep the race al ive. Tons of gravel were hauled in to cover the mudcovered road leading to the track . but a constant downpour and heavy washout foiled all Saturday efforts. When dusk fell , one motorhome had succumbed to a broken axle via the mud, and numerous four-wheel drive vehicles were stranded in the park. Riders . who 'd arrived from all parts of th e state, demanded an immediate answer whether the race was to be run or canceled. Weather conditions worsened as the night progressed , and so did the pressure from the riders. The decision was then finalized . There wou ld be no race. "Anyone who lives in the mountains would know that there was no way the event cou ld have bee n pulled off." said W a lla ce , "a nd the riders kept asking for an answer so they co uld eit he r stay ?r go race somew here else ." Everyone left. a nd - su rprisingly so d id the rai n. If riders had waited for a decision that was to be made at six o'clock the following morning. th ey most likel y would ha ve raced. As it stands now . the Mounta in H igh people are ap plying for a rain date to be added on th e en d of th e Golden State Series. Rid ers a re urged to contact O tis or Diane Wallace at 209 / 291 -8793 for further information. Also due to unusually heavy ra in . the Sears Point Golden State Series event will be held at Sa cramento OHV on Jan . 22 inst ead of a t t he Son oma location . Wouldn't Brad Lackey, Marty Smith, Bob Hannah and Tony DiStefano make a formidable Trophee and Motocross Des Nations team? Rumor has it that they're the ones the AMA hopes to see represent the V.S. in the prestigeous international team races this year. Tony 0, by the way, stili hasn't signed with Suzuki. DiStefano's mechanic Alan Hahn has left Suzuki and will . do his wrench twisting on Tommy Croft's factory Hondas in '78. You may have wondered who'd replace Roy "T u ner " Turner when he switched to Kawasaki. Now ya know . If Kawasaki's Steve Johnson goes to Suzuki, the ci rcl e will be complete. Johnson, however , has a good th ing go ing with the green team , and it' s highly unlikely he 'll make a move. approval from the AMA on an $8000 Superbike Produ ction contingen cy program . Should a rid er win the Daytona or Laguna Seca Superbike events on either a GS750 or a GSIOOO , he 'll get $1500 for his trouble. The win . money is $1000 at th e other five Superbike races. Steve McLaughlin, riding the Yoshimura Suzuki, should be a likely candidate for the money from the Big S. GSIOOO Suzukis will be on your dealer's showroom floor by Feb. I , accord ing to the firm 's P.R. Department. The American Motocross Enterprises lAME) $10,000 Sweepstakes series would have opened at Racing World in Trabuco Canyon, CA this weekend, but became another figure on the casulty list due to unending rain. The saven-race MX series Is designad to offer $oCal MXers a shot at some big bucks without having to buck the factory-backed Pros. Check the Calendar section for details. The Trans-AME MX Series, an eight. race program with over $40 ,000 in purse money and awards, will begin on April 9. Friday night MX, also by AME, will begin at Indian Dunes on February 24 . (Continue d to page 27) Team Honda training camp7 Mechanic Merle "Masher" Anderson and Jim "Pulverizer" Pomeroy engage in a bout that almost brought Pomeroy to his knees. Merle cheated.

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