Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Papa blew it when he wrote that the Reg Pridmore's KZ1000 Superbike Production steed was co-sponsored by Racecrafters, Inc. and Vetter Fairings. Pridmore and Keith Code will ride identical bikes, both by Racecrafters - not Vetter - at Daytona, Pridmore under full sponsorship and Code receiving partial sponsorship from Race- . crafters. Did you watch the Anaheim Supercross race on N BC's SportsWorid last Sunday? Like it? Then let's tell the NBC people about it. If they know enough of us watched their program (and their commercials). they'll see the value in doing it all again. Write NBC Sports, 30 Rockefeller Plaza , New York, NY 10020 , o r give N BC Progra m ming a call at 2121664 -4444 , The American Motorcyclist Association announced that they are seeking input from Professional riders. To that end they are circula ting blue suggestion forms and encouraging input to the three rider representa rives on the AMA Pro racing boards. The rider reps are as follows : (Pro MX) Tony DiStefa no. 727 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Morrisville. PA 19607 ; (Pro road racing) Steve McLaughlin. 1040 W. MacArthur Blvd . • Suite 110, Santa Ana . CA 92707 ; and (Pro dirt rack racing) Corky Keener. 14479 W. 32nd Ave. , Golden . CO 80401. The AMA also reports that its rider representative system has been so successful that the Federation Internationale Motorcycliste now has two elected Professional riders on each of its three Sporting Commissions. In memorium: Dud Perkins, Sr., 84, passed away following a two week stay in a San Francisco hospital. Perkins, along with thousands of other accomplishments in the motorcycle field, was the world's oldest cycle dealer. What's CBS News' Terry Drinkwater t rying to d07 Last , week he came on during the Cronkite show with aerial fi lm of desert " i n t all y h o s" near the Colorado River that clearly showed the tracks of four-whee l drive vehicles across t hem, which he said were done by " m ot o rcyc li st s." T hey even showed steel f en c es knocked down supposedly by two-wheel vandals.That's not the way it is . In its first i n vo lve m e n t with professional motorsporrs , Shoei Helmets has joined the AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series with its sponsorship of the May 27 half mile race near Denver. CO . To be presented as the Shoei Helmets Denver Gold Cu p . the event will be supported by a full sponsorship and promotional effort from Shoe i Helmets , under the theme "Su pport the helmet that supports the sport. " Shoei Helme ts presently markets nine different st reet and competition helmet mo de ls; all meet the rigid Sne ll Memoria l Foundatio n 1975 safe ty specifications. Speedway promoter Harry Oxley was denied a permit for the World vs . America match races for the two rounds to be held at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The Costa Mesa City Council voted down the permit. but the State of California, owners of the Fairg rounds, stepped in and gave Oxley a permit, backed up by a State Attorney General's ruling that the State takes pre-eminence over a city j uri sdi ction. Oxley also said that all competitors in the series will have to use mufflers. "We're going to choke them down quite a bit," said Oxley , who also announced the Steve Bast would replace Scott Autrey on the American team. The American Motorcyclist Association has released their U.S. Regional Championship Series schedule for mile, half mile and TT racing. Papa put it on p. 31 so he 'd have more B.S. space up here in front. 2 Five GS series Suzukis have been approved for AMA Superbike Production in '78: GSlOOOC , GS750C . GS750EC. GS550C and GS550EC . · The Daytona Superbike Production race will be the largest ever with 68 riders and 10 motorcycle brands represented , pending approval on the bikes ' specifications. Team Honda mechanic Bill Buchka phoned in the results of Brad lackey's first International race in Europe. and , it looks like a great start for the Lackey/Buchka duo's '78 GP offensive. Brad won all three motos at the Feb. 26 500cc International race in Valkenswaard, Holland riding against all the top GP contestants. except for obviously, Roger DeCoster. Second place went to Husqvarna-mounted Hakan Andersson; third went to Team Honda's Graham Noyce. Lackey outlasted Heikki Mikkola as the " Flyi ng Finn " crashed in the first and third rounds while chasing Brad for the lead at Valkenswaard. Mikkola scored a second place i n the second moto. Continental More-sports Club President Stu Peters journeyed up to Sacramento to gather tracks and promoters to keep the CMC banner alive in Northern California , Boss MX lost its CMC affiliation recently . and Peters is meeting with three different possib le promoters as to whom will take over the sanctioning in the Sac ramento a rea , Jon Boyett e a nd Hon Herrera of Jhont Motocross are the two most- likely candidates for the spo ts at Sacr ame n to Off-H igh wa y Vehicle Pa rk , Argyll. and Helvetia , Fred Dion, head of Boss MX, quit as a promoter after the final event of the CMC/Suzuki Golden State Series. Dion, who phoned from Sacramento, said "I'm cancelling all my races. I lost over $8,000 in the Golden State Series, and I've just lost Helvetia Park." Dion said he would make good on his debts and hoped to get back into promot ing in the future. Bu t Kelvin Fra nks of CMC, in a phone conversation with Cycle News , said, "All we could find out was that he'd [Dion 1 sold his house and moved to Oklahoma. I understand his wife is from that area ." Franks said that Dion had apparently left without paying the rent to Helvetia Park. though he did furnish to CMC complete results from the last Golden State Series race, as well as all licenses he had sold. "He d id everything right for us." said Franks. Unofficial but highly reliable sources indicate that U.S. Suzuki signed Brian Myerscough last week to their National motocross team . Myerscough, a former national Minicycle champion, will team with Mark Barnett in the AMA 125cc Nationals. A mammoth motorcycle parade , starting on the sands of Daytona Beach behind the Hilton Hotel and ending on the back stretch of Daytona International Speedway, will be a new featu re of Dayt on a's Cycle Week '78. The pa rade will lead to " H a r ley H eaven ." an enclosure di rectly across from th e ch ica ne at the end of the backstretch . T he Harley H ea ve n grandstand will sea t 4,5 00 spectators. TIckets to Harley Heaven are being sold at participating HarleyDavidson dealers throughout the United States for $10, the cost of a regular infield ticket to the Daytona 200 Motorcycle Classic. . On arriving at the Speedway, the. parade will be split into two groups, one routed to Harley Heaven and the other directed to the infield or' grandstand entrances. The parade will depart from behind the Hilton at 10 a.m., Sunday, March 12. The annual Harley-Davidson trade show at the Hi lton is scheduled Wednesday, through Saturday from 2:00 to 11:00 p.m. Engl and's M ot or Cycle rep or ted that Bill Em ison . im po rter of Berm tr ials gear and accessories in England . has offered to ba ck Debb ie Evans in t his year 's Scottish Six Days tria l thi s year., Steve Baker has been testing works Suzuki road racers for use in the Nava Olio Fiat team this year. but they're last year's Texaco Heron Suzuki GB bikes, not the new trick ones that Ba'rry Sheene and Pat Hennen will ride, according to Motor Cycle. Harley-Davidson will debut a I.340cc vee-twin at the Daytona Motorcycle Show . Designated the FLH 80 (80 cubic inches) , the bike will a ppear in . full touring gear like the I,207cc :" Electra Glide. but will be completely restyled. Also . a 1.000cc Sportster wit H a frame similar to the XLCR ca fe racer will be introduced at the show, Gary Nixon will contest this year's Formula 750 road racing championship series, running the TZ 750 that Erv Kanemoto prepared for him last year. Taka zumi Kata yam a will ride in th e 350 and 500cc classes in '78 W orld Championsh ip roa d raci ng, Though Ka ta yam a will .rid e Ya m aha works m ach inery . it . will come in Sarome colors, allo wing Ka ta yama to take . advantage of a lucra tive d ea l with the Japanese cigarette lighter company. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved Prairie City OHV Park as the name of the County's Off-Highway Vehicle Park during the Feb. 6 meeting. In early January. the selection committee met to judge their Name the Park Contest entries. and found "Prairie City Park," submitted by Dennis Keyser of Citrus Heights, CA as the most appropriate name. Loca ted on White Rock Road between Grant Line Road and Pra irie City Roa d . Prairie City Pa rk is ope n Wed nesd ay through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for off-road vehicle use. Fees are $1 for m oto rcycles IOOcc and u nd er and $2 for all other vehicles. For information on operation or group activities ca ll 916/366-2061 or 3510271: Sacramento County Department of Parks and Recreation will be cosponsoring a Night at the Movies, Thursday, March 30 at 8 p.m . in Prairie City OHV Park's Moon Room. The program. presented by the Valley Off-Road Rac ing (Continued to page 7)

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