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/126412
THE·LATEST Topeka half mile rained out; rescheduled to Aug. 17 By Dale Brown TOPEKA. KS. MAY 20 A lingering storm front in the midwest forced cancellation of the Shoei Helmets Topeka Gold Cup half mile. which was to have been the seventh round of the AMA Grand National ChampionshiplWinston Pro Series. It was announced that the new date for the race will be Aug. 17, the Friday night before the Des Moines. IA. half mile. Rains hit the area late in the week. and right through Saturday morning. That forced postponement of the event until Sunday. its scheduled rain date. Heavy rainfall lasting much of Saturday night was the killing blow. "The track was just too soaked to do anything with," said Harold Murrell, "the man in charge of track preparation. after an inspection. "It needs at least four hours of 90 to 100% sunshine and a 10 mph wind just to dry out the surface. Then, we could get on it with a wheel packer and a grader. However, we don't have the time or the weather." TIckets for this race will be honored at the new date. TIcket holders wanting a refund should write to Trojan Enterprises, P.O. Box 5107, Topeka. KS 66605. The 1979 Bonneville Speed Week will not be AMAIFIM sanctioned. In an April 6 meeting, the Southern California Timing Association's Board of Directors voted unanimously to drop AMA support of the event. The SCTA has been running the Bonneville happening since 1948; at that time a cars-only event. The association still plans to accept all motorcycle entries. The only changes. so far, are that neither AMAIFIM sanction nor AMA organizer Earl Randers wil' be present. The possibility of an AMA-sanctioned all-motorcycle meet has been discussed. but it isn't scheduled for 79. Kenny Roberts added ano ther 500cc World Championship Road Ra ce Series win to his recor d at the Ma y 20 Spanish round . Second was Wil Hartog who led a Suzuki sweep of places two through fou r . Mike Baldwin took th ird ahead of Virginio Ferrari. Barry Sheene, according to a vague report . crashed and did not finish . " Akira Watanabe and Harry Evert!l continued to dominate 125cc World Championship MX Series racing at the May 20 round in Italy. Watanabe put his works Suzuki on top of both motos while Everts had - to settle for a 2-3 day. Riverboat Cruise contest winners selected 2 Our totally unbiased contest judge. Tony Kimball (abovel reached deep into the container of Riverboat Cruise entry blanks ... ut deep in it. actually ... and chose the blank with Scott Karl's name on it. Scott won a weekend at the New Orleans Superdome Supercross with a double room at the Hyatt Regency with $50 room service. breakfast at Brennan·s. VIP Riverboat Cruise tickets. special entry practice passes. special pit tour. VIP race tickets, souvenir program and souvenir Tshirts. Tony also picked five Cyde News vest (or jacket) winners, 10 Cyde News/East T-shirt winners and 10 Cycle News joggers winners. All are listed below. GRAND PRIZE (Riverboat Cruisel: Scott Karl . Selma. CA. Vest/jacket: Brian Conrad, Las Vegas. NV; Bradley Mott. Rock Island. IL.; Cary Contratto. La Mirada, CA; Steve E. Elliott. Whitwell. TN 37397; A.E. Howerton, Sen Antonio. TX. East T-shirt: Mark E_ Soukup. Pittsburg, PA; Kim Vaughn, Edmonds. WA; Steve Marsh, Redwood City, CA; Nolan Forsyth, Covina, CA; Mick Gillan, Long Beach, CA; Donald R. Fields, lafollette, TN; Jay A. Grieder. Chester, Conn; Kenneth Fachini, Albuquerque, NM; Bare Bryant, Middleburg. VA; Steve Ochinang, Salinas, CA. Joggers: Michael R. Young. Coat City. IL.; Walt Herman. Youngstown. OH; Tr iumph Lady, Sen Pedro, CA; James Huff, Spartanburg, SC; Ken Markling. Big Bear City, CA; Dewitt C. McCullough. Simi..CA; Gary A. Neel, Cleveland OH; James Carswell, Monroe, WA; Ray Tovar. Sunnyvale. CA; Tony Wash, Northfield. NJ. Talk about racing a bike right out of the box ; Brauch Nieman received his new KDX400 Kawasaki th e day before entering it in the Botswana TransKalahari Race . an off-road event sim ilar to our SCORE ra ces, tha t tests man and machine over some of Africa's most demanding terrain . Neiman finished second overall. Team Suzuki MXer Scott Gillman suffered a separated shoulder in a practice crash at Saddleback and had to sit out the Southwick 250cc AMA National Championship MX Series round. Don 't forget! The 12th annual Mammoth Mountain MX will be a threeday event this year. Friday, June 22 will see all Open class racing: Expert, Intermediate and Junior. Likewise, Saturday will be all 250cc racing in the same three ability classifications, and Sunday, June 24 will host the 125cc class racers. There'll be a $10.000 purse for the Experts. , Kenny Annesley blasted to Top Fuel honors at the May 19-20 IDBA drag races held at Memphis. TN's Lakeland Raceway with a tlme/s~eed of 8.06/176mph. :l Topping the Super Eliminator class was Ken Blackburn with a 8.501 155mph run. Charles Israel rode a 8.881158 pass to claim Pro comp laurels. and Sid Pogue took the Pro Stock win with a 9.47/143mph run. All four were Kawasaki-mounted. Complete coverage next week. Brad Lackey called the promoters of the Bel-Ray U .S . Grand Prix of Motocross from Belgium last week to say he was doing fine and hoped all of his fans in America would be a t Carlsbad on June 10 to cheer him on to victory. Lackey told th em he was anxious to be the first American to win the USGP and to back it up by 'winn ing the 500cc World Champion, ship Crown. Brad has stated he will go two seconds a lap faster than anyone else at Carlsbad. HosPITal STOP: Lance Shoening. a 14-year-old Washington motocrosser, is in critical condition with a severe brain concussion following a practice crash at the Woodland, WA NMA qualifier. Shoening was reported to have died. but was revived five minutes later by medic Gary Howton, a fireman. The latest report is that Lance is semiconscious, recognizes people and is aware of what date it is (He scribed "TV" on a pad, on the day on which an important basketball game was being televlsed.1 Get well cards and wishes may be sent to Lance. care of Vancouver Memorial Hospital, P.O. Box 1657. Vancouver. WA 98663. The folks at Ma ico West ca lled upto say that beginning late in June, they will have a limited edition machine for the playrider . It's ba sed on th e 450cc rnotocrosser, and will feature a threegallon tank and Works Performance shocks . Californians Marland Whaley (Monl and Bernie Schreiber (Bull took turns beating orie another in a pair of AMA National Championship Observed Trials over the May 19-20 weekend. Whaley's 32.6 score topped Schreiber's 38 on Seturday In Cayuta, NY, but Schreiber edged out Whaley on Sunday in Landisburg. PA. after both finished with identical 63 scores. Whaley accumulated more penalty points than Schreiber and as a result had to settle for second. New York State's Don Sweet (Monl finished third both days. Frank Gallo (KTM) turned in the best score in the 'MayI9-20 Michigan Two Day Q.ualifier. mainly as a result of