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/126419
WIth months remelnlng before ride,. atlIrt playing fIIetory mualcel c:helrs, Y.maha'. Kenny Ce.k finds sn unuauellMNlt. Just kIdding, we think .•• Roberts suspen~ed, fined GENEVA. SWITZERLAND, JULY 1 defending &OOcc Roed Race World Champion Kenny Roberta wu "suspended" following the July 1 Belglen GP for eIlegedly Instigating a pertlally successful rider boycott of the event. The FlM .Iao "suspended" current &OOcc points leeder Vlrglnlo Fel'l'llri for the _me reason. Roberta, ferreri .nd others riders In contention for GP cIeaa championships refused to nICe on the new three-mlle Belgian tnlck near Francorchempa lifter the ...cently laid upheIt weeped 011 .nd mede the surface slippery. , The AMA wu notified by teleg...m on JulY 2 that the FlM had "suspended" Roberta. An AMA apokeaperaon .t thet time Aid. "They (the FlM jury on hand at the Belgian GPI don't have the .uthorlty to suspend riders except for the meat In question. They cen recommend thet the FlM suspend them, but that .ctlon would have to come .t the o FlM Congress which doesn't take piece until this .utumn." ' AMA Government Rel.tlon. Director Ed Youngblood flew to Geneva for meetings I.st week .nd reported to the AMA'. WeatervIIIe, Ohio, office on Monday morning. July 9, thet ~ wu leaving Geneve while the meeting concerning the Roberta. ferreri, etc. suspension w .. stili being conducted. But he told the AMA that the president of the FlM had uaured him the "suspensjon" had been lifted. Youngblood reported that the FlM would Instead fine Roberta 5,000 Swiss Franca I.pproxlmetely t2.960I. . Roberta, ...ached vie phone at his northern CeIIfomla home wes "running out the, door for an .ppointrnent." bUt took the time to uy, "They Ithe FlMI can - up • rope .. f.r .. I'm concerned." When informed that the "suspension" wu lifted, Roberta Aid, "I figured thet. A lot of guys didn't ride, but they pointed their finger at ferreri • nd me:' Roberta didn't seem surprised or .ngered when Informed of the fine .nd Its .mount. • 2 Team. Yamaha's 500cc. MX World Champion Heiklti Mikkola described the Payel'ne, Switzerland course as "the kind of track I can go fast on," then proceeded to win both motos in the July 8 event, round nine in the 12race series. Mikkola' was followed in the first moto by Team Honda's Graham Noyce, the present series leader on the Bill Buchka-tuned Honda, and by Andre Malherbe, riding the Alan Hahn-tuned Honda in the second moto. Overall for the day. it was Mikkola, then Malherbe with a S-2 finish and Noyce with a 2·5 tally. Team Kawasaki's Brad Lackey crashed and retired from the first race. then put the Steve Stasiefski-prepped Uni·Trak Kawasaki into founh in the second moto. Suzuki's Roger DeCoster was leading the opening moto when a rear wheel bearing broke. leaviRg the fonner-World Champ with a DNF for his trouble. Bearing replaced, DeCOIIter returned to place third in round two. DeCoster's Suzuki teammate, Gerrit Wolsink, retained his second place in the series standings by scoring a sixth placing in the second moto after crashing and retiring from the first race. Noyce still leads the series with ISO points over Wolsink's distant· 140. Lackey is third with 1~7, and he's followed by Mikkola at 118, Malherbe at 112 and DeCoster at 106. Round 10 of the 12-race series takes place in Holland on July 29. H.rry Everts bl.sted his work. 8 perfect ,., victory in the July 8 French 125cc World Championship MX Series event. Te.mm.te Aklr. W.ten.be followed him ecroaa the finish line In moto one with Y.mah.'. Guton R.hler In tow. R.hler edged W_be In the overall results by pledng second In moto two •• Watenabe rolled In fourth. Suzuki to Kawasaki Motors Corporation, USA has lined up two hot eastern riders to keep the Team Green banner aloft at the July 15 Sears Point road race. Connecticut's Rich Schlachter and Louisiana's Freddie Spen.cer will pilot the two KZlOOO Superbikea originally built for Mike Baldwin. Kawasaki's' . only 750cc GP machine is ~till out of commission following Baldwin's Loudon get-off, and they have no plans of building a replacement and hiring a nnr rider to take Mike's place. Asked .bout the rumor of • production model 500cc Y.mehe Oops. When we printed the bulletin on the U.S. ISDT squad, we left the Trophy Te.m one m.n .hort. Jack Penton, who led .11 'Brown ~of the Sequol. N.tlon.1 Forest and Robert L RIca of the Inyo NatIonal Forest .... aaIdng for public Input prior to drafting this pl.n. A list of Issues .nd Opportunities thet should be .ddressed by the plan has been .complled, .nd Forest officials . . ukIng' for public comment on. or additions to, this list by October 1, A public Informational meeting to cIerIfy .ny detalla .bout th... Issues .nd opportunities Is set for 7:30 p.m., Aug. I, at the FeIIowahIp Hell - Church of the Nezarerie, ' , . W. Henderson Ave. In Porterville C.dj.cent to the MeaonIc TmepleL The pubic may .Iao submit .ddltlonal 'Issues or opportunltlea at that time. Capl•• of the Iaauea .nd opportunities listIng can be obtained by contIIctlng the Sequoia N.tlonal Forest He.dqu.rters, 900 W. Grand Avenue, Porterville, CA or by phoning 2091784-1600. The Inyo National Forest HeedqUllrt8ra may eIao be contK1lKl at m N. MaIn Street, Bishop, CA or by phonlrig 250cc scorers, -joins fellow Husky 7141873-6841. riders Dick Burles9n .nd Lerry Roe_ler .nd KTM-mounted Frank G.llo, Kevin LeVoie ..nd Ted Lelmb.ch on the te.m. Sorry, Jeck. The Din Diggers are planning their annual GP for Sept. 1-2. It's scheduled for RaciIlg World, and entries will be open Aug. 1. Watl"h forfurther info. road rece machine being sold In the. U.s.. Teem yam.... M ........ Ken CI.rk replied, "There I. • 500cc production bike. Some we... aoId In Europe; I've uked that they meke some evellllble In the U.S. It would help," he added, "If AMA _Id tMy were going to • &OOcc rule for '80 or '81:' Worried about finding enOugh gas to get to the Coca-Cola "Botden' Superbowl of Motocross? Relax. -According to promoters, Stadium Motorsports, four stations in the L.A. ~oliseum neighborhood will remain open for the July 14 spectators, and they won:t even check to see if your plate is odd or even. Of course, you can always sidestep the problem by riding your bike.' For complete Superbowl of Motocross info, dial their 8 a.m. to 12 midnight hodine at 714/645-8990. CRC has rescheduled another big buck MX series in cooperation with IRC Tires, Suzuki West of Rosemead, Malcolm Smith' Products and Canoga Park Suzuki. The series runs for three consecutive weeks, July 22 at Saddleback Park, July 29 at Indian Dunes and Aug. 5 at Racing World. Each race features a $1,500 purse and $1,000 in product contingencies. • Doug "Wheelle King" Domokos told Pepe that he's not Impressed by the Toyota Tornado or eny of that other .tuff on the Coc:e-Coia Bottlers' Superbowl of' Motocross tnlCk. Doug" uya he'll wheelle his Kewe_kl .11 the way around the LA. ColI.eum, no .we.t. We'll ...... Contrary to rumor, Kenny Roberts will not be using lIOIDe exotic rubber compound in his GOodyears at theJuly 15 Sears Point race. They'll be standard slicks. just like you can buy_ At least that's what the Goodyear P.R. depanment says. Inyo .nd Sequola N.tIon.1 Foresta .... In the p r _ of drafting • Menegement Plen for the Golden Trout W11deme.. (308,000 ec:r8aI, de.lgnated by Public Lew 9&-237 In 1978. Forest Supervisor Joe J. ',79. Don't rniu the 5th Annual 100% Benefit Motocross for Cerebral P.lsy. It .11 come. down .t SpIIIwey Perk In Sem. Merle. CA on July 22 .nd It's co-aponaored by the perk .nd the Elks West Centrlll Coeat Council. Lest. ye.r's ~ce provided over $8,000 for the Callforni.-H.w.1i Cerebral P.lsy Found.tlon. A reliable source tells us that the new 500cc Honda V·4 four·sttoIte road racer has six valves per cylinder aDd "egg-shaped" cylinden. 16" inch whee.. are IIIed front and rear. Reportedly the Honda gives away ap· proximately 20 honepower to the Vamaha and Suzuki 500 GP machina. but is "much"lighter. On June 21, .fter h.vlng . tnlYeraed 34 af8tea on her U.s. perimeter tour, motorcycling's grandmother, Hazel Koib rode her H__y up to the '.... of the Governor's offlce In Plo.idellce, Rhode I..end. She heel originated h. 15.aoo mile trip there on Aprtl 12. ABC-TV recorded the oce •• 1on for I.ter bro.dcast on "Good MornIng. AmMce." H. comments ·to the medle7 "Next time you ... • motqrcycle on the road, . . . . the roed with him. It might be someone's grencll'nott.:' •