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/126417
Rod Spencer, a Rookie Expert who lives "jUst down the street from Ste'Ve Eklund in San Jose (California)," had his first ride in a National halted when he threw a chain two laps from the end. He was running seventh at the time. ". was having fun up to that point," said Spencer. HosPITal STOP: A presstlme report from Concord Hospital, where the riders Injured In the June 16-17 Loudon road rece program were taken, has Dan Chlvington "discMrged" end beck at home at work, Mike Baldwin In "stable condition. although he wiI remain hospitalized for awhile," end Ted Boody "to be d ~ tomorrow (June 211." V1rglnlo Ferrari led a 1-2-3 Suzuki sweep at the June 24 Assen, HoII8nd round of the &OOcc World Championship Hoed R8c:e SerIes. showing telImmet8S Berry Sheene and Wli Hartog to the flnlsh line. Yamllhll's Kenny Roberts rolled across a distant eighth place. A defective monoshock forced King Kenny to ride at a .....th8n-best pace. In series point standings, Ferr.-i leeds Roberts, 81 to 75. Wli twtog Is third with 56; Uncinl and Sheene foHow with 39 and 25, respectively. On the 500cc World Championship MX Sem trail, French rider Jean· Jacques Bruno scored a 1·5 combination to win the June 24 West German MX Grand Prix. Second overall was Team Suzuki's Roger DeCoster with a 3·4. and third went to Honda's Graham Noyce with a 6·2. Kawasaki's Brad Lackey DNF the first moto with a motor problem reportedly it seized - then came ba~ to place ninth in round two. Noyce still leads the point standings with 135 over Team Suzuki's Gerrit Wolsink who has 124. Lackey is third with 106. Mikkola is fourth with 82, and DeCoster is fifth with 76. Mikkola practiced at the race, and turned in 21st fastest qualifying time, but did not ride due to his still·injured knee, aggravated in a Canadian GP crash on the previous weekend. Team Suzuki continued to domin8te the 126cc World Championship MX Series in Yugoslavie. Harry Everts won overeD with a 2-1 score aheed of teammate Akira Wetanabe at the June 24 event. The U.S. Team placed third - and didn't make the transfer - in the World Team Cup Speedway semifinal on June 14 in Eskilstuna, Sweden. Only the top two teams transfered to the World Team CllP Finals, to. be held Sept. 16 in England..Winning the semifmal was the New Zealand team led by Ivan Mauger with 11 points. Mitch Shirra and Larry Ross scored seven points each, and Bruce Cribb put in four for a 29:point winning total. Second went to the Danish team with 27 points. Kelley Moran led the American effort with eight points, Bruce Penhall and Bobby Schwartz scored five apiece, and Steve Gresham took four. At the June 23 World Best Pairs Speedway Final in Denmerk, the home teem of Ol::en and Nelson topped the field with a 25-p0int score. Englend WIllI second with P with a 20- point total, Amerlcens Bruce Penhell and Steve G....ham picked up fifth piece with 14 points, all PenhaU'L Seems G....ham didn't go to Denmark with the offlclel party (from England), and when he tried to catch a flight from London's Heathrow Airport on the day of the race, a strike by eir traffic controllers kept him grounded, Hed he been there...who knows? Promoters of the Laguna Seca F750 race. the Champion Spark Plug 200, report that Kenny Roberts is expected to compete in their Aug. 5 event. Also scheduled to appear are series leader Johnny Cecotto, Christian Sarron, Hubert Riga! of Monaco, Patrick Pons and possibly Virginio Ferrari, present leader in the 500cc World Championship Road Race Series ahead of Roberts. Ferrari, depending on ho,,! he stands in the 500cc class when August rolls around. may decide to pass up Laguna Seca and concentrate on his title chase. Top American .road racing talent is inevitable, so the show should be great. This year, there's camping at Laguna Seca's own campground. Contact SCRAMP, P.O. Box 2078, Monterey, CA 93940 or call 408/373· 1811 for info. Meico-mounted Don Sanford blasted his way te Overall High Point honors at the United Enduro Associetion's Tuff E' Nuff Netlonal Enduro. Sanford dropped 12 points along the 15m1.. route near Lake lsebelle in Sequole National Forest to edge Honda rider Rick Munyon's 15-point score in the June 24 event. High Point A laurels went to Husqvarna rider Dave Bertrand, third overall with a score of 16. Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, Suzuki's enduro squad was doing business in the June 24 Straight Arrow Enduro Riders' 100 mile National Enduro. Drew Smith came out on top overall. George Peck topped the AA class, and Kevin Snapp put in the best A class ride. David Aldana broke 8 bone or bones in his left heel in a heet rece accident during the Sante Fe TT Netlonal. Aldana, running third at the time, tried 8 pess where there was no room and ended up using his heel for a brake. Deciding to check out his injury before proceeding to a party, Aldana went to a hospital. His party ended right there. They wouldn't let him leave. Of major interest to riders and owners of 750cc dirt track equipment was a letter authored by Harley·Davidson tuner/owner Tex Peel and read by AMA rider rep Gary Scott at the Newsies rider's meeting. The letter presented facts concerning a proposed AMA restrietor rule of all 750cc dirt track machinery in 1980 and asked that rider and equipment owners sign a petition opposm, the restrictors. A majority present did 10. The petition will be presented to the AMA's Mike DiPrete as a signed statement of how the riders feel about the proposed ruling. Among other things, the letter states that a 90 hp Mart Lawwill Herley·Davldson XR750 when fitted with 28mm restrictonl under the proposed ruing produced 66 hp. Speculation exists that an exotic 600cc engine of the Yamehe or Honda four-stroke verIety could put out upwards of 80 hp, thus obsoleting the Herleys and other brands in one swoop. Many opposed to the restricto; ruling have expressed e desire to form another racing organization. Seeing is believing department: A very shapely brown haired lass attired in a tank top and red shorts walked - if that is the term to describe her movement - right past all the security men guardin, the entrance to the pits at the Chanty Newsies. One wide· awake police type was heard to mumble, ". didn't even see if she had a pass." Nobody seemed to care. Lynn Griffis, Miss Winston Pro SerIes, will be appearing in a new movie, Sl.te To.. USA, "Shooting begins In mid-July," seld an obviously enthusiastic Miss Griffis at the Santa Fe TT National. "I don't know whet my pert Is yet. but I should be finding out in the coming week. Alii reelly know Is that It wII have a lot of good music and go along with the current fed of roller disco." Mickey Fay was a no·show at the Santa Fe IT. National. Fay, the Houston IT National winner, crashed in the June 20 warm·up event and sustained injuries to his left hand. Fay headed home to heal for the July 7IT Nation· al at Castle Rock, Washington. Chuck Palmgren and Lance Jones retumed to action over the Sante Fe/Charity Newsies weekend. Jones, recovered from breeking six small bones In his left foot in a racing accident. contested both events. Palmgren, who has been "taking it eesy lataly In Santa Ana, C8lifomle" rode the Newsies Half Mile. Jim Pomeroy. who has split with Bultaco. has signed to ride Italian made SWM motoatweiS with 1pOIlIOI'. ship coming from multi·World Champion and Belgian SWM importerJoel Robert. Honda's Mick Grant recently tested the new 6GOcc Honda GP y. 4 end seid, ''Ya. I'm I'8IIIIy In love with the new Honda but I do hope that people won't expect too much too soon ~. . this project Is so different. If the new bike had been a two-stroko, fair enough. I'm c:ert8ln that Honda could have built a winner streight .way. But beceuse they market four-etrokes they decided to do It the '-d way. The machine alreedy looks different to the pictures released by Honda. The streemIInIng Ia In one piece now and does not have the seperete nose fIIIring shown In those pictures." Mlck would disclose none of tha technlcel specs but did comment on the handling by saying, "It Is eesy to flick It from side to aide ...It's eIso very light end the riding position Is nice and low:' Mike HailwOQCi has announced that he will compete in his last motorcycle race at England's.Donington Park on Sunday, July 8. "I've made up my mind. Donington will be my last race. I'm just too busy with the new shop (a retaJ! motorcycle shop) and in any case I'm not in the mood (or racing. " Everywhere you look these days there's a shortage of something. Rrst there's the gas shortage, then there's the diesel shortage, now there's e rider shortege. That's right, a rider shortagel Due to a lack of rider turnout. CMC's weekly Friday night motocross program at Orange County International Raceway has been temporarily cencelled. Papa has been assured that the OCIR cencellation Is only temporary though end a 11HJP8I.1g wII be ennounced at a later date, HosPITal STOP: Harry Lindenberg of Harry's Cycle Sales in Orange, CA, friend of many young up'and-coming motocross riders, has just returned home from a stay in the hOllpital. Let's cheer Harry up with a few notes, cards_ and letters. Send 'em to 541 W. Chapman Ave., Orange, CA 92668. CMC r/ders Rick Johnson end 11m Lunde rec:ed In Tahiti's June 17 motocross championship event end showed 'em how It's done In CeIifomie. Johnson won the 125cc Pro race, end Lunde took second In the 250cc Pros. Typos unchained: Last week's results for the Loudon Superbike race (see the rest of our Loudon coverage this week on p. 16·17) had Chuck Palmgren listed as placing ruth. Nope_ Wrong. Make that Chuck Parme, and put him on a Kawasaki. It was one of those days ... Loob Uke there's gonne be a big shootout In Texa. On July 21-22 there's a .'0,000 motoeross, nm by the Abilene Motorcycle Racing AssocIetion, and they're .xpectitig to drew a number of the Netlonel stars. Watch the eN c:eIender for deteils. Bob Balentine, again proving that he gets along just fine with his new 420cc KTM, won the June 24 Buzzards' AMA D·37 hare and hound by a reportedly incredible margin. Tbe length of the race - three times around a 25·mile loop - plus heat and rocks were said to have taken their toll. Mark Zoller (Hus) and Rich Zajic (Yam) finished 2·3. •