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/126420
good starU then tended to fade midway through the season, before cleverly dominating the final few rounds, two of which are held in Finland and Sweden ... Next year I aim to get a good stan," said Bultaco works rider Schreiber. Papa heard a good definition of Superbowl the ottw day: Disco motocroas. TIp of the «:,de News hat to Suzie Mann -.d the Vogel brothers, Martin and Dave. Jimmy Weinert left July 16 for Europe. The Jammer will contest three 500cc MXGPs and two International eft1lts with Kawasali teammate Brad Lacltey. Weinert', tuner, Roy Turner, will not make the trip; instead Weinert's Uni-Tralts wiD receive the attention of a Japanese factory mechanic. ' Along with Bob Hannah's general Superbowl slump, he developed Team Suzuki's Harry Everts cinched the 125cc Wortd thiIInplonship MX Series title In Ireland on July 1& with a perfect 1-1 victory over Team Yamaha's Gaston Rahler who placed 3-3. Everts has accumulated 274 points, his teammate Aklra Watenabe has 206. -.d 1978 World Champ Rahier has 147. American Dale Singleton crashed in both 100 mile heau oftheJuly 15 Swiss round of the World Championship F750 Road Race Series at France's Circuit Paul Ricard. Singleton was unhurt. Johnny Cecotto (Yam), took the overall win by placing second in the fint leg and winning the final one. Michael Frutsehi (Yam) posted first and fourth place finishes for second overall while Sadao Asami (Yam) took third by combining third and second place rides. Defending champ Cecotto has a strong hold on the standings leading Patrick Pons 79 points to 49 with Frutsehi in third at 43 points. An update on the FIM's action against Kenny Roberta rev.... that the FIM has placed both Roberta and Virginia ferrari on probation for the rest of the season. Any further action by Roberta or Ferrari termed by the FIM to be detrimental to the sport could result in suspension for the 1980 _on. The pair may appeal their finelprobetion at the FlM's Annual Congress in October. The FIM also levied a fine of 500 Swiss Francs (roughly $290) ,against every rider who took part with Roberts and Ferrari in the boycott. against unsafe track conditions at the July 1 Belgian road race GP. The fines must be paid before a rider can compete in the July 22 GP in Sweden. A riders' meeting is planned for Sweden to- enable the riders to prese~t a unified front to the FlM and the event organizers. 6 Steve Baker, America's first road race World Champion (F7&O in 19n1, has called it quits. The Ballingham, Washington, resident broke his left arm and left leg in a rece in England at the end of May. "The cast is already off my arm, and I hope that the plaster will be off my leg in two weeks time, but that crash at Brands Hatch was the final straw. I don't want to spend all my life mending broken bones," seid Steve. In addition to winning the F7&O crown, Baker finished second to Barry Sheene in the 77 500cc GP clas while riding for the Yamaha factory. The following year he was snubbed by Yamaha and picked up rides from the hallan • based Nava 0110 Rat team. He broke his left leg in the Canadien F7&0 round at Mosport last 5eptember. Baker Intends to open a motorcycle business In his hom8tOWt'l. Wes Cooley and Ron Pierce wiD de· part soon for Japan, where they will compete in the Suzuki 8-Hour Endurance race on July 29. Their machine for the race will be a mixture of old and new - the familiar lOOOcc AMA Superbike Production engine mated to a brand new frame from the Suzuki factory which features the antidive forks that Barry Sheene is reportedly using this year. Pop' Yoshimura is setting up the bike right now in Japan_ Honda is fielding a strong team - four entries - and it includes two of the South's finest-ever road racers, Dale Singleton and Freddie Spencer. Reigning 500cc World Road Racing Champ Kenny Roberta showed up at Sears PoInt in a brand new (well, just about) ferrari Dlno. Suitably, It wes painted bright Yamaha-type yellow. Old fallow Ferrari ownerand Yamaha t..m manager Kenny Clark heve anything to do with that? In case you're wondering what happened to Steve McLaughlin in the Sears Point Superbike Production road race, well, Steve didn't compete. He placed ninth in his heat, but didn't start the final, due to the effects of his Loudon crash and a crash in Friday's practice at Sears Point on his physical condition. "We'll be ready for Laguna Seca," said Steve. Guess how Graham NOyce, the man everyone is et.sing in the 500cc MX GP point stIIndings, relaxes. He plays golf. Noyce held a 4O-polnt lead after the July 8 Swiss round, but he's not getting overconfident. ''I'm not kidding myself it's going to be easy. There are a. lot of GPs to go yet. At the moment I'm just doing a bit of jogging and a few games of golf," said the Englishman. Trials ace Bernie Schreiber has announced that he'll be based in England next year. Schreiber, who has annually started off the World Championship Observed Trials Series slowly, knows that he has to score in me first two rounds next year. as usual in Ireland and England in February. "Every year Vesty (World Champion' Yrjo Vesterinen of Finland) has had another problem - a sore arm when he crashed with Scott Gillman, according to mechanic Keith McCarty. LOP', Laurens Offner ca1Jed Papa over to check out the lightest 250cc Yamaha at the Superbowl, Many Moates' YZ250. Accordinl( to Offner, the bike checked in at 1961b. on an air freight scale. Marty Smith didn't ride the CocaCola Bottlers' SIq)erbowl of Motocross because of his shoulder, Pijured at the pnMouS week's &OOcc National MX In Pennsytvanla. Smith's expecWd to undergo an operation as soon as he builds up enough courage; he'l probably mias two to three months Of racing W!*' that happens. Rumor has it that Suzuki may unveil a 16-valve, four-cylinder four·stroke to replace the GS1000 and an RG500 style chassis to carry it in. The engine may be 1000 or lloocc in street bike form and will be the basis for Suzuki's Superbike racen in 1980. Word has the bike malting its debut in the Bol d'Or 24-Hour endurance race this September if it fails to appear at the Suzuka Six-Hour in Japan later this month. It's also laid that Kawasalti has a 16-valve head for the KZIOOO ready for production. HosPITal STOP: Mike Baldwin has sent X-rays and information about his Injuries suffered at Loudon lest month to Belgian bone specialISt Or. o-eduwen In hopes that he may be able to speed his 'recovery. - But Baldwin says that he has no Intention of returning to roed racing untI his leg Is 100 percent. Doctors In the Concord, NH, hospital where Baldwin Is recuperating say that he may now be fit --.gh to return to the sport at the end of 5eptember. Think you're paying a lot for gasoline? Consider the following prices for a gallon of premium gas in Europe: Belgium - $2.34, France - $2.82, Germany - $2_30, Italy $2.56, Holland - $2.44, Spain - $2.68. Ouch! Suzuki's Roger DeCoster decided not to use his "Earles·type" RIb! front forks In the British round of the World Championship &OOcc MX Series. He's waiting for a pair of all new gaa units which ere being specially developed by Kaye" to keep the weight of the unique suspension assembly down. There's a strong chance that Suzuki may consider bu>£Ing the pettern for the RIb! forks with a view to making their own possibly production - version. Round three in the National Hot Rod Association's Pro Stock drag racing competition, held July 13-15 in' Englishtown, NJ, saw Bob Carpenter's CM Performance Engineering Kawasaki defeat Terry Vance's RC Engineering Suzuki. Complete coverage next week. SCORE's Baja 1000 date change: Tuesday, Nov. 8 tech and contingency illSf)KtioI. wli be held In En. .neda. Wednesday, Nov. 7 Is race day, stating In Ensenada -.d finishing in laPaz. FrIday, Nov. 9, trophy pr.s. ltation will be held In laPaz, late afternoon. More Info: Call SCORE at 2131889-9218 or 2131889-9224. In a press release with the word "NEWS" boldly lettered in red aCTOll the top, Auemblyman -Bob Hayes proclaimed July 8-14 as Motorcycle Safety and Awar~ Week. Dated on July 9, the release reached Papa', desk on July 12 for publication in the Cycle News/West that went to press on ¥onday, July 16. Hope you all enjoyed it ... On the other hand, a second r."e.. from ~ Hayes cerrled encouraging news. The Senate Committee on GovernmentIII O..ganlzadon ... COI_nt· ad unanlmouaIy to Hayes' "SIIgebrush Reb•• lIft" . . . AS 1407. The bill would fIMII*e the Lands .,.. Commission to conduct a survey to . . ." . . 18 million acres of federallyCOIma•• d land . . the property of the U.s. Government or tile state. At present, the BLM claims title to them. The "Sagebrush Rebellion" movement, which now includes six western stat.. and could eventually COVW' as many _ 10, will challenge the 11th century federal practice of wIth.'loIdIng title to state lands _ a precotldltion to statehood. The federal government stili claims ownership to large portions of western states - from 43% of ArIzona to 98% of A1aske - yet holds no more than 12% of any other lIt8te and oniy 28% of the District of Columbia. we.....-_ HosPITal STOP: Riclt "Super Hunlty" Sieman, editor of Dirt BiM magazine, brolr.e two venabrae and crushed a third when he failed in an attempt tc jump Goodwin's Gulch - an obstack on the Coca-<:ola Bottlers' Superbowl of MotOCTOll coune - in a press day editon' riding lellion. Sieman planted his Maico in the opposing waD of the mini-chasm located at the foot of the perisryle jump in the L.A. Coliseum. Super Hunky', been sentenced to two weeks fiat on his bad. to heal. "The only thing that saved me from breaking the spinal column was my 'pinal erector muscles from years of Olympic weight Iif$g," Sieman told Papa in a phone conversation. "I'm feeling a little grim right now. I've never felt a G-load like that before! Everybody who doesn't wear a full coverage 'helmet is nuts," he added, thanking his KRW, then adding an additional credit to Scott Boots for breaking his footpeg instead of his foot. Send those cards to Super Hunlty, c/o Dirt Big Magazine, 16200 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91436. The Internation8I Motorevde'0lympiad III, originally scheduled for Sept. 18, has been postponed due to confIIcliug AMA and lu..........r al motorcycle events. A new date, not yat decided, wiI probably be .,... the end of the ye.-. •