Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Cycle News 1979 09 12

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/126427

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 36 of 47

THE NATIONA~ PAPERS I opened my mailbox, and at first glance, I thought somebody had by mistake sent me an issue of Boys' L'fe or Cub Scout Monthly. America's No.1 Weekly Motorcycle Newspaper Sharon Clayton. Publioher Tom Culp. Marlteting Direclor Caroline Gendry. Sec. to the Publiabcr Nancy Goralt. Sec. 10 th~ Mltlng. Dir. Advertising Slr.ip Johnson. Sales Manager. T~"y !'Tall. Sales Manager. Linda Brown. AdveniJing Coordinator. Editorial Charles Morey. Managing Edilor. Dal~ Brown, Editor. Bobi McGann, Editor. GraphicS and Production Judy Klinger. Produclion Mana~r. Pamela Wood, Production Auiatant. Marion Hatuhila. Cindy Torres. Typo· graphy. Dmni.G=n~. Laboralory. Accounting Mike Klinger. Manager. Jeanne Hammond. Accu. R«civabl~. Donna Bryan. AlIt. Aeeu. R_ivable. T~ Dailey. C~I Manager. Circulation Rheha Smilh. Manager. Tammy Taylor. Shirley Shon. Alliltallb. Read./DeaI. Service Gin H~. Wanl Ad Sales. Harry F'1Ibcr. Duler Sa1co Manager. Service and Support Cbria Ailch....a. ReceptioaUI. Sam Diclr.imon. S&S. West !!OI C~"y Ave.. Long kach. CA P.O. Box 498. Long kach. CA 90801 (215)427·7455; L.A. Lin~656·ll844. e.t 4190 Fin, Ay~.. Tuclt~r. GA. P.O. Box 805. Tucltu. GA 50084. (404) 954·7850. CycJ~ News/Wes, (USPS 141·540) ia -.:ltly ~c~P' thc fint and lut w~1t of ,~ cal~ndar ~ar fot $ 15 ~r ~ar by Cyd~ News. Inc.. 2201 C~"y AY~nu~. Long kach. CA 90801. Second duo poIta~ paid at Long kach. CA. POSTMASTER: Send form 3111 to Cycle N-. P.O. Box _ Long publi.h~ IIeech. CA . . , . Subscription ratel: One year. JeCood cI. . mail. $15; rwo ~an. ~ond duo mail. $27: th= 19n. ~nd d ... mail. $57.50. Cycle News welcomes unsolicited editorial m.aterial including Itorin. e&n001ll. pborell. ~c. Such ma,mal. if published. becomes the exclusive property of Cycle News. Such acttp~ material ia subject: to revision u is n~ry in tbe aoI~ diacretion of Cycle News. UnaoIici~ malmal which ia DOl _ will ~ returned if accompanied by a ~f-add~ It~ m_~. All lllIIOIitica~ malmal will ~ handJ~ with ~_bl~ ca~. ""-'-. Cycle News ..... - DO ~naibility for t~ .. f~. 1_ or dam~ to ouch ma.mal. ~rinting in wbolc 0<" pan only by permillion ol bl~ publiahen. Adveniling ratel and circulatIOn information will be _ , upon mjUelI. S«S.R.D.S. Copyrtght· Cycle N-. Inc. 1171. T........k Cycle N _ regl8Wecl U.S. Patent Office. All right. .._wed. ON THE FRONT PAGE: Meet the 41 best two-dey trlels rid.... In the U.S., at thll moment en route to the sept. 10-15 International Six Days Trial In Welt Germany. Photos by Charlel Morey. 4 Elegy to the Duck Desert Pig follow-up The Duck began his flight with many others. soaring and gliding. until one by one, his companions found other interests and priorities. Fmally, there were only a few silhouettes in the slty. . . and arter many days, the duck was alone. The Duck was wounded early in his flight. but managed to tumble along in the wind. At last the monal blow was struck, and the duck floundered and fell to eanh. Dead. It. ended so abruptly. The Duck appeared to be in his prime, but the mighty mallard was struck down in mid-flight by the apathy of his constituents. The Don Quixote -of ORVers. he certainly was idealistic and impractical for believing he could fly with the Bureaucracy. An ancient proverb tells us "As long as a man's name is remembered. he will live," We will always remember The Phantom Duck of the Desert and what he tried to do for us. From the bottom of our heans. we thank you. mighty mallard. for your flight. It was magnificient. FRIENDS OF THE DUCK . Vallejo, CA I've been riding D-S7 events since 1954, and it continues to amaze me why some people always seem to leave their trash at more than one campsite after a weekend. It only takes two or three minutes to pick up the junk from sites. I am damn tired of picking up after people, but I'll keep doing it because I love the desen dearly. And we must keep it at aU costs. The results of the mtire Ph4l1tom Ducle of the Desert trailn'deltrial saga appear on this wtlele's lAtest Poop page ... Editor. Granny G joins For quite some time now I have been following the doings of the Phantom Duck of the Desert with awe and' envy. Now comes Grandma Duckbacker saying what I was only thinking. There are a few advantages to growing old, but one is the joy of being a little out of step with the ordinary crowd. to throw caution to the wind. I want to be on the desert in November as my statement of protest against current BLM policies. So this grandmother has signed up for lessons to learn to ride a motorcyclel Right on, Grandma DuckbackerJ You are not alone. GRANNYG RICH MARKELL Huntington Beach, CA Papa's with you on this one, Rich. Pigs are everywhere - just loole around the beach, for e3tample. But, as n'ders, we're aU in this save·the·desert thing together, and we aU must realUe that the people who would close "our" desert will only use our faults against us. Let's aU malee it a project to police our events. If you see someone getting ready to leave a mess, perhaps offering to help him clean it up will put the message across. . . Editor. Thank, to Spanaway', Calhoun Our YZ80 minicycle was stolen from Spanaway Speedway, and when it was discovered, Rick Calhoun stopped his program and penonally made a speed run through the neighborhood in search of the bike as did many of the riders whom we want to thank for their effons. . But our special thanks goes to Rick. On the following Thursday, after hearing from some of his track help. he spent the entire day chasing all over Spanaway and the neighboring area until he actually found the kids who stole our minicycle. By 6:00 that evening, he met with us, and we were able to recover our bike. Without his special effons. we would not have gotten that bike back. We want to make our thanks to him public so everyone will know how much time and effort he put forth. The matter had been turned over .to the local authorities and might have JUSt been forgotten by another race track manager. JACKIE McGILL & FAMILY Olympia. WA Peeking out at me on the front cover of Cycle News (East) was this baby face with a large cap atop the head. The only reason I didn't put it back in the box was that looking around from behind this kid was Lynn Griffis. Miss Winston Pro Series. The thought went through my head that perhaps Lynn was baby·sitting on the side. or between flights to the races, The cover. of course, was of Scotty Parker winning the Duquoin mile and beating out Ted Boody as the youngest rider ever to win a major AMA race. Scouy is the same kid who aced the AMA two seasons ago when they came up with the idea that you could transfer with points and not total experience. Young Parker. so says the birth certificate. was born late in the year. So when he turned 16, he had only a few weeks of Novice racing before the new year. Scotty went out and chased a raft of ice races, and in record time came up with enough points to transfer from Novice to Junior in weeks. not months. What ice racing has to do with half mile, shon track and TT racing has never ~n explained. For 1978, Parker was a Junior with only weeks of experience on the lightweight 250's. But he was one of those rare kids that backed it up and was indeed able to race a 750 at speed and win in the yellow plate division. By the time the '79 season opened, Scotty was an Expert with slightly over one season in the Pro ranks. Like all hotshot Junion he headed for Houston and his first two National events, He batted zero - just like most first timers have done over the years. But each race found him getting the hang of it, and he bounced his way into the half mile winner's circle two weeks in a row at Louisville and Laurel. Something that no rookie had done even once in all of 1978. But TT racing is not oval racing, and the kid from Michigan (where the latest crop of new go-fast riden are coming from) did not come close at Houston. and he failed to make the final at both Chicago and Castle Rock. Up at the Rock ~ put on a show in the Trophy Final that we will DOt forget for some time to come. He raced the full distance, m~ sideways and more times off the ground than on, to squeak out a win over one of the Northwest TT specialists. It was probably the best Trophy Race I have ever watched. A couple of weeks later, at the AJcot TT, Scotty put it all together and was a solid qualifier for the final. Only the lack of experience forced him toward the back as each lap went by. But he had broken the TT barrier. Then came the win on the Illinois mile. When was the last time a rookie won a National race, and a mile to boot? But this season we have not one but two 17 ·year-olds dusting them off from coast to coast. Freddie Spencer is the same age as Parker but has taken (Continued to page 42)

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's - Cycle News 1979 09 12