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/126418
America's No.1 Weekly Motorcycle Newspaper Sharon Clayton. Publisher Tom Culp. Marketing Director Caroline ~ndry. Se1:. to the Publisher Margie Southern. Sec. to the Mlkg. OiT. Advertising Jim Ryan. Sal.. Manager. Skip Johnson. Sales Manager. Linda Brown. Advertis· ingCoordinalor. Editorial Charles Morey. Managing Editor. Dale Brown. Editor. Bobi McGann. Editor. Graphics and Production Dav Pauli, Production Manager. Judy Klingl"r. Production Assistant. Marion Hatashita. Cindy Torres. Typography. Iknnis Gre1!ne. Laboratory. Accounting Mike Klingef. Manager. Jeanne Hammond, ACCIS. Receivable. Donna Bryan. Asst. Acets. Receivable. Teny Dailey. CrC'dit Manager. Circulation Rheba Smith. Manager. Barbara Taylor. Tammy Taylor. Shirley Shon. Asaisrants. T~ Prau. Ikakr Sa~ Mauger. Reader/Dealer Service Gin Harper. Want Ad Sal.. Service and Support Chris Aitcheson. Receptionist. Alexander. S&.S. Rick West %%01 Cherry /\Me .• Long Beach. CA P.O. Bo.498.. Long Beach. CA 90801 (%15)4%7·7455: L.A. Line 656·8844. Eat 4190 Fine Ave.. Tucker. GA. P.O. Bo. 805. Tucker. GA 50084 (404) 954·7850. Cycle New./W ..t (USPS 141·5~0) i. published wee-kly ~xc~pt the fint and lalt week of the cal~ndar year for SIS per year by Cycle New•. Inc.. %!OI Cherry Avenue. Long Beach. CA 90801. Seeond cia.. postage paid at Long Beach. CA. POSTMASTER: Send form 3&71 to Cycle N_. P.O. Bo. . . Long BMch.CA-..n. Subscription nun: On~ yt"ar. le'Cond class mail. 115: two yt"ars. I«ond class mail, 127: thrtt yean, second claas mail. S57.50. Cycl~ N~ws wdcomci unlolicitcd cditorial mat~rial including ItOries, cartOON, pOOle•• etc. Such material. if publish~d. bt=comes the exclusivt' propeny of Cycle News. Such accepted material i5 subject to ~lsion as is necessary in the 10k d.iscrrtion of Cyclt' News. Urisol.icit~ matn-ial which is not used will be returned if accompanied by a self·addrnoed stamped envelope. All UMOliticated material will be' ~ndled with n:asonable ca~, ~ . Cycle News alSurnes no rnponsibility for the safety. lOIS or dama~ to such material. 'Rcprinting in whole or pan only by permission of hee publilM-n. Advcniling rates and circulation information will bf' sent upon request. SeeS.R.D.S. Copyright" Cycle N_. Inc. 1m. Tnldemart< Cycle N _ n1glstered U.S. Pete"t Office. All ,Ights , . . . ..ed. ON THE FRONT PAGE: Tuff E' Nuff Nlltional Enduro winner Don Sanford hustles his Meleo through the trees of the Sequoia National Forest. Photo by Larry "Enduro Squid" Langley. 4 Deer Old Gray Fox • . . Having I'l!ad l~ July issue and mOSl others of Dirt Bilu as weU as yOUT letler to C,cle News I can hardly falhom your ~asoning for culing off your suppon of lhe Phamom Duck of lhe Desert. Obscene names? Guuer memalily? If any stalemenu, in your opinion, made by lhe Duck or Sieman fiu lhese calagories then perhaps you should rerire lO a monaslery. By all means ignore lhe mindless, deslruclive ranlings of lhe eco·extremisls and bu~aucratic drivel expounded in such as the BLM News Beat, OR J' Monitor, New West MagtJZine, L.A.. Times, ad nauseum. As a dislricl 57 desen racer, a buggyist, officer in stale OR J' groups and an individual involved in lhe fighl for lhe California desert since 1969, I find your comments jusl shon of ludicrous. Obscene, is lhe facl that money and polilical cloul - not reason - will decide whelher our desen Slays open lO mulliple use or becomes a 15 million acre museum. Al leasl, Sieman's effons have eliciled monies lO suppon lhe Duck and we off roaden' fighl for the land. Talk is cheap, money and power win baules. Think dial over Mr. Fox. JIM STRACHEN Culver CilY. CA Drake becks Duck Hey, Old Gray Foxl I have jusl reo yOUT leuer in Cycle News Voices Oune 27, 1979) for lhe urnpteemh lime during lhe pasl week and now feel compelled to give you my commenlS aboul your leuer. The Phantom Duck now has lhe suppon lO do whal no man could expecl lO do by himself. lel alone have enough gulS lO lry il. But you crilicize Rick Sieman for using Dirt Bike MagtJZine lO carry our plighl across the nalion wilh more coverage than Cycle News is able to do, plus a larger circulalion, which means more people lO suppon our cause. Yes. Fox - il is warl The Duck and Rick are on lhe from line. Name someone else who has had lhe gulS lO gel inlo a coon ballie wilh lhe U.S. ~ad govemmenl lO protecl lhe righls of aU U.S. cilizens. The Duck did lhis wilh nOlhing lO gain and everything to lose. Now he has lhe suppon of lhousands - maybe millions - of bike riders and if our dollars keep flowing, he jusl mighl win lhis batlie for lbe freedom our Conslilulion guaraDlees us. If lhe Duck wins, lhe victory will be ours, not just his. The Duck will be lhe Dr. Manin LUlher King of mOlorcyclisu. . All I can say now. Fox. is: Send in your buck and gel behind lhe Duck! His viclory will ~ your victory.. JOHN F. DRAKE Buena Park, CA Published lett. . do not neces· sarlly reflect the position of Cycle N_s. Inc. Send letters to Voices. Box 498, long Beach, CA 90801. Guest Editorial Prix - ~nly in America - where lhe U.S. factory teams can run their highbuck, one·off prolo machines. do aU lhe R&D lhey wam wilhout fear of geuing claimed, and lhe fans will be l~aled lO exolic equipmenl ridden by superstar racers. The Nalional Grand Prix division could consisl of I 25cc. 2~Occ and Open sized bikes. The Nalional Championship division would be made up of mOlorcycles available for sale lO lhe general public, would be re5lricled in lhe amoum of modifications lhal could be adminislered .and would have a claiming rule whe~ l~ daiming price would be lhe faclory's suggested ~lail price of lhese calaloged machines. This division would be open lO aU licensed racers and would consisl of 12~cc. 2~Occ and Open sized bikes. This is aboul lhe same as saying a "slock" and "modified" divisions. A "stock" bike could run in "modifed" (Grand Prix) bUl a "modified" could ... not run in "slOck" (Nalional). Grand Prix would be reslricted lO faclory and Expen classed riders. ~lional would . be open lO any licensed Pro. The Nalional, Supercross and Trans-AMA (This year, Irs TransUSA . .. Editor.) schedule would have lO be changed somewhal. Supercross would be Grand Prix bikes (bul "Nalional" bikes could run) wilh no claiming rule. Poinu are kepl according to lhe re5ulls. AMA's presenl Nalional Championship series would be changed lO where each evenl would have one Grand Prix class and one Nalional class. Motor sizes in balh divisions-could be rotaled and allernaled lO make su~ lbey all get equal exposu~. Poinu would ~ kepl in. balh divisions and added lO lhe _ Supercross poinJS. As lhis pan of lhe series moves aU over lhe U.S.. il would change format equaUy. One weekend il would be 2~Occ Grand Prix/125cc Nalional. The neXl weekend il could be Open Grand Prix/2~Occ National, elC. Then lhe ole Trans·AMA (TransUSA) pan of lhe year comes around wilh lhe main class being Grand Prix (no claiming) and lhe European aces could use their bikes wilhoUl worry. The "suppa"" class would be a Nalional on "stock" bikes with a claiming rule. Poinls a~ kepl and added to lhe Supercross and Nalional series poinlS. rhe lOp American in poinlS in December would be AMA Number One. I don'l lhink lhe~'s much worry of a Novice cherry-pickin' lhe number one plate by wise choosing of nalional and SUPPO" classes. The Hannahs, Weinerts and all will continue [0 blow everyone away nOl mauer wbal lhey ride ..... Grand Prix or Naliomd. This mighl open up mo~ faclory rides - a Grand Prix leam and a National learn. Cl8imlng rule - Compromise? I've watched the "to claim or not to claim" controversy with in· terest and agree that both sides have valid arguments. Maybe the solution lies in doing il balh ways and (maybe) making everyone happy. I never have cared much for having so many mOlocross champs. We have champs in 12~cc, 2~Occ. ~OOcc, Super. cross and Trans·AMA Series, bUl no one you can call the "American Champion." I am suggesling a change in lhe formal lhat mighl give us an American Champion plus setde lhe claiming rule siluation. Eslablish lwO motorcycle divisions in AMA Championship mOlocross; Nalional Grand Prix and Nalional Championship. The Nalional Grand Prix would be made up of full-blownanything·goes equipmem wilh no claiming rule. Just like FlM Grand Mo~ oulSide sponsonhips mighl pop-up as they could run Nalional and DOl fighl factory dollars. This would be ~al for the factories. They could use Grand Prix for R&D and advenise lheir·wins. They could also enler stock. Nalionals wilh die resulu of lheir R&D, and you beuer believe lhey'd love [0 advenise l~ir wins here! The fans would be trealed lO seeing lhe slars ride on bOlh exolic and stock. They'll rdale lO a slock bike 'cause'ifs jusl like lheirs! I lhink everyone would profit. it would be fair lO all riders and luners, and Am.erica would finally have a Number One mOlocrosser. Dick Ain.sworth