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/126424
opening lap, reducing his expensive new Honda to ashes when it caught fire. Takazumi Katayama DNF after the third lap when his machine developed a mechanical problem. No Expert 'restrictors, 27mm for Juniors, other rules ~hanged for '80 WESTERVilLE, OH. AUG. 10 The American Motorcyclist Association will continue its present formula for Expert dirt track racing equipment through the 1981 season. Carburetor restrictions will be tightened in the Junior dirt track rider classification, but there will be no carburetor restriction for Expert class machines. For 1980, Expert riders will continue to compete on unrestricted machines with a maximum of two cylinders, two-stroke or fourstroke, and a maximum of 750cc displacement. Junior riders in th-. 1980 season may race 335-5OOcc. one or two cylinder engines, two or four-stroke, without carburetor restriction. All 501-75Occ engines, one or two cylinders, two or four-stroke, must be equipped with a 27 millimeter restrictor plate mounted against the engine head. In 1979, Junior class restrictors are 28mm on 750cc equipment. The 1980 formula was announced following a meeting of the AMA Board of Trustees August 6-7 at Monterey, CA. The AMA also indicated plans to announce in September, 1980, the equipment formula for 1982 dirt track competition. ' Rules for 1980 motocross and road' racing competition will be announced following meetings later this month of the racing boards in those categories of competition. Other 'dirt track rule changes will see the claiming rule modified effective January 1,1980, to apply to engines only in all classes. Claiming prices will be $2,000 for 250cc engines, $2,000 for 335-500cc engines and $S.OOO for 750cc engines. The advancement system for Novice and Junior riders will be changed effective January 1, 1980, reverting to the system wherein a rider must compete for an entire season in the classification in which he begins that season. Novices will still be required to earn 40 advancement points to move to Junior, and Juniors will be required to earn 80 points to become Experts. Under the present rules. a rider competing for the second year in a rider classification is eligible to advance as soon as he achieves the required point total. In the area of tires and wheels. major rule changes for 1980 include the limiting of rim width on dirt track equipment to three inches, a reduction of one-half inch from the present limit. In addition. soft compound tires will not be alloWed in dirt track competition in 1980. Titanium, berylium and plastics will be controlled under the 1980 dirt track rules. No titanium or berylium may be used on racing machines unless it appeared as OEM originel equipment on the model submitted to the AMA for approval. Ukewise. plastic is disallowed for use in engines, transmissions and frames, excepting the above OEM originel equipment criterion. • 6 Riders on tbe World Championship Road Race Series circuit banded together and announced at the Aug. 12 British GP that they'lI run their own - non-FIM - road race series in 1980. listed on their schedule of "confirmed" course are as follows: Donnington Park (England). Osterreichring (AustriaI. lolder (Belgiuml, Imola (Italy), Paul Ricard (Francel. landvoort (Holland). Hockenheim (Germany) and Laguna Seca (USA). A phone call to Laguna Seca's lee Moselle did not confirm the riders' plan. "We have had discussions about it with Roberts." Moselle said, but added that he was not prepared to make an official announcement regarding "laguna Seca involvement in the program. Honda raced their 500cc GP road racers for the first time at Silverstone, the site of the Aug, 12 British GP, but results were far from impressive. Mick Grant crashed at turn one on the Kenny Roberts added another page to the legend of King Kenny at Silverstone when he pulled into the pits after the warm-up lap completely covered in oil. Kel Carruthers found a plug missing from the lower end of the works 500cc Yamaha, replaced it. and sent Roberts back out. KR rode "easy" on the first lap, completing it in 20th place. Then he gradually upped the speed once he felt sacure that the plug would remain in place. By the end of lap five, he was in the lead. At the flag. it was Roberts by a half bikelength over Team Suzuki's Barry Sheena. Third was Wil Hartog: Virginio Ferrari took fourth. In the point standings. Roberts leads Ferrari by 14 points. 103 to 89. Sheene is third with 72 ahead of Hartog's 66. Roberts had qualified fastest by iI full second over second-fastest Johnny Cecott9. Cecotto dropped out early in the race. Papa beard that ABC·TV filmed (taped?) the British Road Race Grand Prix and that it's scheduled for Wide World of Sports on the Aug. 18·19 weekend. Check local listings to confirm. Our 01' boy also heard that Kenny Roberts will appear on the next SPOTts IUwtT4ted cover. Writer Sam Moses was at Silverstone. and a call to Yamaha verified that they'd been talking with SI about the article. The final round on the '79 500cc World Championship MX Series slate took place in Luxembourg. and Team Honda's Andre Malherbe took the overall win over Team Kawasaki's Brad Lackey. Malherbe rode his Alan Hahn tuned Honda to a 2·1 score as Lackey put his Steve Stasiefski tuned Kawasaki into sacond with a 1-2 total. It was Malherbe's second overall win in a row. Last week he passed lackey in the point standings for third. Graham Noyce, who sewed up his title last week, ended his seas~n with a 225-point total over Wolsink's 177, Malherbe's 176, Lackey's 173, Heikki Mikkola's 147 and Roger DeCoster's 125, In tbe final 125cc World Championship MX Series event, on Aug. 12 in Spain. it was business as usual: Harry Everts, Akira Watanabe and Gaston Rahier finished both motos in that order. Defendants in the Phantom Duck of the Daert va. the BlM case were granted a continuance in their trial from Aug. 9 to Sept. 18, due to the recent back injury of c0defendant Rick Sieman. which happened shortly before the Superbowl of Motocross. In the meantime. attorneys for both aides will meet with Judge Ferguson on Aug. 27 for a status conference on the progress of out-of-court negotiations between the Duck and the BlM. If there's no settlement. the evidentiary hearing resumes Sept. 18. The Black Hills Motorcycle Classic in Sturgis, SD was the biggest yet with 25,000-30.000 ",otorcyclists on hand_ Team Honda riders Mickey Fay and Jeff Haney stole the show with wheelies and a win (Fay) in the Aug. 11 Saturday night short track at the Jackpine Gypsys c1ubground. Harley riders Corky Keener, Frank Word and Phil McDonald one-lWo·threed the Aug. 12 Sunday afternoon AMA Regional Half Mile in the Expert division while David Jones led Don Shoben and Robert Crabbe to tlle cbeckers in the Junior division. (Haney's 500cc Honda was fourth,) In Novice action Jim Felice topped Brett Miller and Brian Anderson on the Sturgis Fairgrounds half mile oval. Tentative for the 19111 Sturgis/BlaCk Hilla happening is a reunion of the old timers - racers from "the original '38 rally through the mid60s. and it should be quite a show. Curious? Contact John T. Hughts at 6051347·3624 or 6051347-5332. Or call Richard Creed of the at 6OS/347-25m. There's also talk of establishing a Motorcycling Hall of Fame 'n Sturgis. Any feedback? let em know. III'" eoa.t, ,nm.. News from the Aug. 8-12 Yamaha 1979 Motocross NMA Grand Natiorr.ll Championship event at Ponca City, OK has Erick Kehoe winning the 85c:c Stock, 83cc Modified and the 105cc Modified classes on his YZ80 motocrossers. He raffled off the winning bikes after the race. "Mouth" McCoy topped the 50cc Novice race on h,is brand·new-just-introduced . at ,PoncaCity YZ50 model Yamaha. Full coverage next week. Daytona will be the site of a ProAm road race over the Oct. &=7 weekend. Bill France. president of Daytona International Speedway said, "We are happy lend more support to the growth of motorcycle road racing in the SoutheaSt and believe the Daytona Pro-Am along with the Aug. 18-19 Pro-Am ,at Road Atlanta will help many young riders gain the necessary experience to reach the professional ranks:' The Daytona Pro-Am. like the Road Atlanta event. will be open to nine amateur classes and one Pro class. which offers a $6,000 purse. to The press release announcing the Dayto~a Pro·Am revealed that next yelll"s Daytona 200 will be open to Super e Production machines as well as 5&0 and 750cc motorcycles. The paragraph which "lets the cat out of the bag" reads as follows: "For the first time tbe nation's premier motorcycle race will see Superbike Production machines race against 500cc Grand Prix and Formula 750 machines." HosPITal STOP: Pat Jacobson, injured in a first tum pile-up at the Rio Bravo 1251500cc AMA National MX round. is in a Houston hoapitBl with back injuries that have resulted in paraJysis from the waist down. The accident occurred in the first moto. while Pat was making his first appearance on a factory Suzuki. Carda and letters should be sent to him at Methodist Hosphll. Room 6666 Fannin. Houston. m. TX77030. The British government bas granted the Triumph.producing Meriden cooperative a brief respite to enable them to come up with the overdue $2.6 million they owe in accumulated interest charges. The interest was due on June 30. Triumph's chief executive Geoffrey Robinson jetted to Switzerland for talks on a partnership deal to 'save the co-op, A British investment publication has advised its readers to buy Triumph Bonnevilles. Tbe recent article speculates tbat if the machines are bought and stored in protective coating of grease they could be sold at a huge profit in years to come, After a meeting with the trade creditors, Robinson said. "We have a fighting