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/126327
T rans-AMA. I like to race. If you do n't race you don't make any money . Su re, the money part doesn't apply to me like it once did, but I still th ink like a pri vateer. " ua er lale • Ins ours e son. (" , that if I wasn 't riding motocross that I would p:roba bly be playing ice hockey:" 'I':] guess Mark Barnett is a homebody whose leisure time pleasu res include cruising main street in Bridgeview "looking at the gi rls, " listening to music and p laying racqu etba ll. Mark lives at home with his parents and is very close to his family. His fa ther. who traveled with Mark , offered advice, prompted. p rodded. and probably kicked h is b utt once in awhile, still goes to as many races as he can. f:; 'My dad and I ta lk everything over befo re and after every race. He's a great help . He comes to the ra ces when he ca n and when he's there I feel I have a little extra on everyone. " My dad also handles a ll my money. Right now it isn't that important to me. It just goes right into the bank, although my father says that I be tter ' b uy a ho use or some land or invest , some of .it because Uncle Sam will ge t a big tax bite if I don 't. "The only thi ng I've bought so far is an $800 stereo system. I like music a lot so I just wen t out a nd bought it. One-of t he most relaxing things that I do is to put on a record of a group I liKe and sit back,' listen a nd get absor- ; .bed in the m usic. I like to do tha t when I' m alo ne. It isn' t the same if som eone else is t here. ~" I guess mos t people would t hin k that the firs t thing a guy wou ld b uy woul d be a ca r , but I d on 't own one. If I need tra nspo rt ation I use the van t ha t my dad and I d rove to the ra ces last year or my mom's ca r . I don 't need my own set of wheels." Quaker State's Group Four Racing Team of Ashtabula , Ohio, won the 10th Annual " 24 Hours Of Nelson " motorcycle race held on July15-16 at the Nelson Ledges Road Course in Garrettsville, Ohio. In the process , the team set new records for distance and speed. Group Four completed the race with 964 laps (1 ,928 miles) and averaged 80.2 mph in the oldest annual 24 Hour motorcycle event in America. And they consumed only 11/2 quarts of Quaker State Racing Oil in protecting the 2-cylinder, V-twin 860cc engine of the Ducati 900 SS mntercvcle. That's a really remarkable small quantity for 24 hours of racing. Group Four's winning riders were John Samways , Dave Belknap , Steve Pearce and,Jonathan White. Don Bartram heads the team. For the millions of cyclists who don 't compete in 24 Hour racing events , Q uaker State recommends its 2-Cycle and 4-Cycle Motorcycle O to help .tnelr street and dirt bike engines run trouble-free. ils Quality oils and lubricants have been a tradition at Quaker State for more than 60 years . I '1 don't like all the action on the day before the race, I would rather hide in my room, look at television and take it easy. " One su rprising aspect about Barnett , one that few people know about , is 'tha t he probably co uld h ave h ad a career in a no ther sport. One far rem oved from motorcycling . "I· guess that if I wasn 't ridi ng mo toc ross tha t I wou ld p robably be playing ice , hockey. I played a lot in school and with a local team a nd I go t to be pretty good. We even h ad a pond next to my ho use rigged up with lights so"1 could practice . I was a lso racing mo tocross and kn ew that soo ne r or lat er I would ha ve to m ak e a decision on wh ich spo rt I wanted to d evot e myself to. j ' Act ua lly t he choice was easy because hockey is a tea m sport and if yrlu win then the glory goes to everyo ne who is playing. In" motocross there is on ly one win ner. It is you and the bike against everyone else. If the bike br~aks then you know where the b lame belongs and if you don't give 100% then you know who to blame also . If you win there is no sharing of the glory. I like th at fee ling. " Besides , I' m partial to mud. " • 1" " " "" Ad;;'rt'i;i'~'g-th~'t";o;'k;-'"" '1 :" ..II... III ...' " " III....._ ....UOll .... ' ..' "' " III'IIIIII..... ' .... ' ' '.,''. '' '. ""., .... "."" .. r-----------, rDUN"LOPI ' RACING TIRES IJ&F-EL ....=.. ~ I I I I WRITE, CALL OR SEE US AT LOUDON SEPTEMBER 1-3 -==PI1A I' 'I I .L PlRFORIIIIII:I 1111111I1& ISSOCIIT!S lsi OUI&I IV!. WIS MAVII. CT, 1&51& I 203 • ,.934· 6855 .J BOX 429· V ENICE . CA LIF . 90 29 1 _23