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/126394
; there are many additional costs that it seems you failed to acknowledge, such as at least 1600 lbs . of lime, who knows how many feet of ribbon, sweeping the .course, gasoline , course preparation and maintenance. ambulance, insurance, one of a kind trophies, and in most cases, no gate fees . Do you also realize that the club sponsoring pays for all of th e above and still manages low entry fees? Occasionally this is seen in MX , an example being the Bridgestone series. where on the second day there was no gate fee for the returning runoff winners. If other groups and organizations can still operate and make a profit , and still retain the old spirit of MX , why is it so difficult for some of the local tracks and promoters to do the same? I feel that we all would appre- · ciate some suggestions or corrections to the existing problems so that this sport can continue in the years to come. DEBBIE MATTHEWS Tustin, CA • • ~ t 0') I:' 0') WIST ~ ~ CN • e-, ~ C'\l ~ l:: C'\l -, America's No.1 Weekly Motorcycle Newspaper Sharon Cla yton . Publisher T om Culp. Marketing Direct or Caroline Gendry. Sec . to the Pub lisher Ma rgie Southern, Sec. to the Mt kg . Dir . Advertising Jim Ryan , Sales ~anage r. La rry little, Sal es Manager. Skip J ohnson. Sale. Manager . Chris Kelber. Assistant. Editorial Charles Morey . Managing Editor. Dal e Brown , Editor . Bob i Seen , Edit or . This letter is in reply to an interview with Saddle back Park owner Vic Wilson and promoter Stu Peters of CMC , which was in reply to an earlier letter from Ms. Matthews. When she refers to CM'H, that was part of a letter written by Bill West, who -prom ot ed th e AMA Amateur MX Nationals in A tlanta, GA . . . Editor. , Graphics and Production Dav Pauli, Producti on Manager . Judy Kling er . Production Assistant. Ma rion Ha tash ita , Kar en Farhat. T ypography. Denn is Gr een e, Labo rat ory . Accounting M ike K li nger , Man a ger. Jeann e Hammond, Aero . Receivable. Donna Bryan , Asst. Accts . Receivable. Holly Hal e . Credi t , Ellie Cotter. Assistant. Matthews replies to Wilson/ Peters Circulation Rh cba S m it h , Mana ge r . She rry Kaufma n , Ch risty Bdl. Ta m my Taylor, Barba ra 'Taylor •.Assistants. Reader/Dealer Services Gi n Harper , W ant Ad Sa les. Services and Support Pa t Cardenas , Recep t ion ist. Pett it . S&5. Bru ce West 220 1 Ch er ry Ave .. Long Beach . C A P.O . Box 498 . Lon g Beach . CA 9080 1 (2 13) 427-7433 : L.A . LIn e 636 ·8844 . East 4190 First Ave. , Tucker. GA , P.O . Box 80; . Tucker. GA 30084 . (404) 934.78;Q. Subscription One yea r. seco nd class mail , $15; two years , seco nd class ma il, S27 ; three years , second class ma il, S37. 50 . Cop yright " Cycle News, In c. 1979 . Tradema rk Cycle News regist ered U.S. Patent O ffic e . All ri g hts re se rv ed . Published weekl y except the first and last week of the calenda r )'ea r by Cycle News, In c. . P.O . Box . 498 . Long Bea ch . Ca liforn ia . Second class postage pa id at Lon g Beach . CA 9080 I. Cycle New. welcomes un solicit ed ed ito rial material incl uding stories. cartoons, photos. etc . Such ma terial. if published. becomes the exclusive copyright pro~n~ of Cycle. Nc=,..,s. Such accepted material is su bjec t to revision as is necessa ry in the sole d iscretion of Cycle News. Unsolicited ma teri al wh ich is not used will be returned if acc ompanied by a sel fad dressed sta m pe d envelope . All unsolicited material will be han dled with reason able care . however . Cycle News assumes no responsibility for the safety . Joss or damage to suc h material. Re prin ti ng in whole or part onl y by permesion of the publi shers. Ad venising rates and circu lation information will be sent upon request. SeeS.R .D .S. POSTMASTER: Send form 3&79 to Cycle New., P.O. Box 498. Long Beach, CA 90801. ON THE FRONT PAGE: Moto-X FQx rider Donnie Cantaloupi styles slickly through the slop at round two of the CMCI Suzuki Golden State Series at Dunlap Cycle Park, Photo by Jim Gianatsis. 4 I don't regard myself, or. any of the other racers, as mutineers for trying to impro ve the sport of motocross. In the reply to my letter, little was sa id about how' to correct the problems, as if they are insurmountable. I don't feel that they are. You stated that inflated prices have been brought on by ourselves, the riders who support you the promoter. How can this be so? An out -of-state track that only operates four to five Collector's item offered months out of the yea r . manages to have entries ranging from $2 to $4 I am an old (62) former professional dollars , payback to Pros , free camping. motorcycle racer and one day I riders carrying their own insurance , received a number 'of Cycle News (this keeps your cost down) free food issues from a friend . and drinks . and of course good track I started racing in 1935 and, with preparation and maintenance. All this the exception of the war years , I rode for $2 to $4 when in California. races from 1938 to 1955 for the German are run year round and we pay three factory Auto Union on their 250 and times more for less. (See Cycle News 350cc DKW two -strokes. Nov. 15th. Issue 144, pg. 15.) From these years I have a silver I understand your right to make a cigarette case with the engraved profit . but this is ridiculous. You claim signa tu res of about 60 of the most flaggers are Very expensive. Anyone well -known European road racers , who has observed the races knows that The case' was given to me after one of the flaggers are paid $5 a day, or an my hardest races, a 180 ·mile plus entry fee, and are usually 8 to 12 years event in Hamburg in 1938. by the of age. Flaggers are usually found highest motorsports-Nazi of th e time , sleeping, lea ving early, or too awed at Adolph Huhnlein , with h is name a crash to flag properly. Maybe someengraved as the first on the case. thing can be learned from AMA Certainly I am not proud of the giver District 37. and his name , for Hitler's war stopped I recently attended a motocross t ha t me from racing at my peak. D-37 put on at DeAnza. I was amazed I am not able to buy a motorcycle at when I saw competent people this time, and I think a motorcycle flagging , with food , drink and lawn would be better for me than the chairs provided for their use in cigarette case sitting in my glass case. addirion ro their pay. I also noticed The case would be a big treasure for a that the old , almost-lost spirit of MX collector, so I am trying to find was still present , both among the someone who would like the case and riders and promoters. pay enough for me to buy a used You also claimed .that you have a motorcycle, about 350cc. .Ia nd lease to pay. This is true. But. you also lease the land out to clubs for SIEGFRIED WUNSCHE grand prix and MX, and what is the Teggingerstr. 20 difference if you race one week, or a Postbox 1233 club the next, especially if you are D - 7760 Radolfzell making money off of leasing the land West Germany to the club? This should make it much easier for you to pay yourlease, A mong the names engraved on the .You also ran a slight comparison cigarette case are the following World Championship winners: Geoff Duke, of MX to desert . You stated that it is John Surtees, Eric -Oliuer, Werner. much cheaper to operate a desert or Haas, Fergus Anderson, Ceyl G.P . race, than for you to operate MX on you r land. But is it really true? In Sandford, Enrico Lorenzetti, Herbert Muller and 'N ello Pagani. . . Editor. - - therabove mentioned' ~ -uf-nein g - . . DD N M C, riders help fight Cerebral Policy The members of the Dirt Diggers _North M .C . would like to thank all competitors and spectators who attended their Seventh Annual Lilli putian Hare Scrambles held Dec. 3. This year's event was a fund raiser for United Cerebral Palsy and due to the large turnout our organization was able to donate $3 ,007 to CP from the event . Both our Vice President , Bruce Young, and Treasurer , Doug Good , appeared on the Cerebral Palsy telethon New Year's Eve to present a check to the association . We would especially like to thank the following riders who donated their trophies to the CP effort. A- check for $10 was presented to the United Cerebral Palsy in each of their names: Keith Anderson , Maynard Idleman , Elmer Kraus . Bob Gabbert . Bill McClinton , Greg Martz , Rick DeLong, Buzz Presser, Brian Jodry, Charlie Marshall , Peter Lowis , John Csjenko, Dan Turner, David Lee, Joseph Cody, Jerry Morgan , Dick Mann and Rich Ramsey. FLOYD L LEWIS Secretary Dirt Diggers North M .C . Orangevale, CA Surber sez thanx We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the riders, their families and everyone who has helped, to make the 1978 -79 Grand National Championships Regional - Program a record success. We are also grateful for the powerful support our contingency sponsors, which incl ude Hi -Point Racing Products, Robert Bosch Corporation. Scott USA, and Howard Racing, Inc ., have given us throughout this year's program. We feel honored to have sponsors of this magnitude for our series. We look forward to the greatest ever Grand National Championship International Finals in the Astrodome on March 18, and hope to see all of you there. JERRY SURBER -- - -- Frien dswood, TX