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
King K.nny Roberts put the wraps on his second 500cc World Chem· pIonship RGed Race SerIes title at the Sept. 2 French GP on the Paul Ricard circuit. From the pol•• Roberts got start.d in fourth b.hlnd Virginlo F.rrari. Barry Sheen. and Randy Mamola. Th. four took off. leaving the peck b.hind. and maintaln.d th.ir pieces until near the helfwlly point wh.n ferrari sudd.nly dropped back to seventh piece. Trying to recover his lost positions. Ferrari then crashed whle attempting to overtake Johnny c.cotto and wes hit by the motorcycle. Ferrari suff.r.d a collaps.d lung and a severed artery In Is arm. but he WIllI reported to be recovering wen in the hospital on Sunday night. Roberts then pessed both Mamola and She.n. for the lead, and appeared to be headed for victory. On the lest lap, two backmark. . crashed In front of Roberts; h. ran off the cours. and stalled the motor whil. avoiding th.m. Sh••n. w.nt on to win with Mamola second. Roberts. testing a wider v.rsIon of a new Goodyear Introduc.d at the British GP, restarted to finish third. "I'm going back to my hom. In Modesto. and I'm going to take the phone off the hook. It·s bean a herd season. an things considered. and I feel I·v. earned a rest." Roberts said. H. I.ft the Sunday night victory banquet early to visit Femilri In the BlM, ~hantom Duck sign six-point stipulation lOS ANGELES, CA. SEPT. 4 From a letter sent to Cycle lie. . by Bureeu of Lend Menegemem Riverside District Meneg« G.-lei E. HUller: "The Iitigetion concerning the 1978 Phentom Ducklthe Beratow to Lea Vega trd ride WIllI settled August 28, 1979. In the 18tdement. all perties egreed to a six· point stlpuletion." Enclosed WIllI a copy of the stipuletion; the six points ere .. follows: 1. The Defendants and the BLM have taken reesoneble steps to c:Iur the COCA . . . . that were used during the 1978 Berstow to Lea Vegas tnIl ride and rehebllitate those . . . . where rid. . verled from roeds and treHe. 2. Although the Pleintlff does not usert that the Defendants ere l..bIB. the Defend8nts egree that they wit contact Mr. Jemes R. Smith. lila Vegas. N.vede for the purpose of voluntarily meklng their puce with Mr. Smith. 3. The 1978 Berstowto Lea Vega trell ride should not hev. needed to heve tak.n piece; and In the absence of a Bu..... of lend Meneg. ment permit. It would be wrong for an event to heppen In the future and lllegel events should IICtIvely be dlscoureged. 4. Th. BUrNU of lend Meneg.m.nt und.rstends that It ... a constItution8l duty to Bet without pr.judic. to M....... McK.y. S1emen and FoIs. who give up not first am.ndm.nt rights. Mr. Sieman's involv.m.nt In this matt.r b.for. Nov.mber 28. 1978 wu strictly journelistic. 5. Th.r. is a public d.mand for a 1979 Thanksgiving w ••k.nd off· road motorcycle .v.nt. The Bureau of lend Manegem.nt will consid.r a permit application for such an .v.nt in the Kadiz. Danby and Park.r arN. In ord.r that such a permit be issued. it is necessery that a bas.line, monitoring program be dev.loped and the BLM will solicit public pertlcipetlon In the d.velopm.nt of the program. 8. The court hes the jurisdiction at any tim. to reopen .. proceedings with regard to requiring reimbursem.ntto Mr. Smith.. The stipulation WIllI signed by Jam.s R. Arnold. Assistant U.S. Attorney; Gerald E. Hillier; George Jemes Stephan, Attorn.y for M..... McK.y. Si.man and Fo"; louis H. McK.y; Rick Sleman and Albert Fois. Warren J. Ferguson WIllI the U.S. District Judg•. According to en accompenying BlM press rei..... "Highlights of the stipulation ere that the BLM permit system WIllI upheld by the Court. a private Individual whose road WIllI most dameged by the event is protected. the defendants agreed that en .vent such u the 1978 Berstow to lila Vegas Tral Ride should not take piece without a BLM permit. and that Illegal events should be actively discouraged." H. did not mention point fIv•• public demand for a Thanksgiving week.nd off-road motorcycle event. .. a "highlight." • Sagebrush Rebellion on the rise 6 Assembly BHI 1407. the "Sag.brush R.beIlion" bill that could result in the Bureau of lend Managem.nt being kicked out of California, was pessed unenimously by the State Senate Rnance Committee and goes to the full Senate next we.k. Ass.mblyman J. Robert Hay.., calling from Secram.nto, said the bill hes bean p1ac.d on the "consent cal.ndar, which virtually _res unanimous pessege by the full senete:' end then back to the Assembly for concurr.nca with Senate am.ndm.nts, then on to the Governor. • hospital. The Aug. 29-Sqx. 5 Silw:r Anniversary National Hot Rod AJIOCiation U.S. Nationals drag race at Indianapolis Raceway Pa~ was marred by two d~aths, on~ of a td~vision ca=aman. the other of motorcycl~ rac~r Erni~ Rif~. 25. of Cerritos, CA. Rif~ was running his Top Fuel bik~ through 'a qualifying pass wh~n he lost control n~ar 180 mph, th~ cam~ra man died wh~n hit by a car's supercharger thrown from th~ exploded motor. Th~ incid~nts thr~w a shadow ov~r what oth~~ was a ~ lett~r day for Suzuki·mounted T~rry Vanc~, winn~r in th~ Pro Stock division. Vanc~edged Kawasaki pilot Bob Carpent~r in th~ final run·off with a 9:19/144.69 run ov~r Carperii~r's 9:16/145.08 att~mpt. In th~ Top Fuel division, Kawasaki-mount~d Roy "Frog" Thack~r topped Jim Bernard's Yamaha in th~ final shootout with a 7.84/175.45 ov~r B~rnard's 7.75/ 181.81 run. In th~ Pro Stock ~gm~nt, Bob Carpenter turned in low ~.t. with a 9.08 second blast whil~ Jim B~rnard ~t a new National record in setting his low ~.t. in th~ Top Fuel ranks at 7.57 seconds. Top speed laurels w~nt to Sid Pogu~'s Kawasaki with a fast Pro Stock speed of 146.57 and to K~n Blackburn, also Kawasaki-mounted, with a 184.41 in th~ Top Fu~1 class. . lven Mauger became the only sixtim. World Speedway Champion In Poland at the Sept. 2 World Spe.dway Rnais. and Kely Moran. the only Amellca. who qualified for the field. finished fowth. Second place went to PoIand's Zenon PI.ch. Ev.ntual third plac.r Michael Lea. Kelly Moran and Billy Sand. . tied for third place. end In the run-off Brltaln's Lea came out on top. Moran held off Sanders for fourth. Husqvama will b~ putting up som~ bucks for th~ troops in this y~ar's Trans-USA (form~r1y Trans-AMA, b~fore th~ identity crisis) in both classes, International and Support. Husky riders will pick up $150 for each moto win and $200 for an overall victory, a possibl~ total of S500. They also pay to placings anywhere in th~ top 10. Interested? Contact Husqvama, 4925 M~rcury St.. San Diego, CA 92111. Mash from the rumor mill'" both Jon Ros.nstl.1 and Marty Tripes leaving T.am Honda. Apperently, Jon R will make his move first. going to Team Yam'" to tun. Donnie Cantaloupl's motocross machines. Then, after Tripes' contreet with Honda expires on Sept. 30, he'll join the yellow team. and Jon R will go back to tuning "Typhoon" Tripes' mechinery. Will 1980 be the year when MartY Tripes gets It all together for an .ntire season and gets a National Chemplonshlp MX titI.? w.·n be watching ... stick around. California Assembly Ways and M~ans Committee has approv~d a bill providing $6.8 million to expand the riding ar~a at ~Anza Cycle Park in Sunnym~ad, CA. Th~ mon~y will add 5,000 acres to th~ 640-acre park. The funds com~ from th~ fees paid by offhighway v~hicl~ owners. an account that r~poned1y has a balanc~ of $20 million. Peter Starr reports that his film Talr. It To 7JIe Limit hes bean edited slightly - about 10 minutes of '-than-spellbinding scenes and. that he is "wei Into negotiating a distribution deal." Starr's next v.ntura may be a film on the Cannonball Beker race. Assemblyman Bob Haye;' AB 101, which would allow pUTcha~rs of customized lic~nse plate; to ~armarlt th~ money for th~ 5tat~ off-road v~hicl~ fund. passed the Senat~ Financ~ Committee and goes on for a vote in th~ full Senat~. If passed, and that looks likely, it goes back to th~ Assembly. Haye; ~xpects ~nviron· m~ntalists to c~nt~r' th~ir fight in th~ Assembly and also to pressure Gov~rnor Brown to veto th~ bill if it passes. . Cards and letters to appropriat~ legislators, folks, cards and lett~rs . . . San Jos•. 7JIe Mil•. Tlck.ts for the Sept. 23 AMA Grand National ChamplonshlplWlnston Pro Series ev.nt on the Santa Clara County fairgrounds oval ere now avallabl. at Bob Berkheim.r Associates. 14 Camp Evers len.. Scotts Veley, CA 96088. through BASS tlck.t outlets and at selacted NorCaI motorcycle dealers. A Bad Eight Hours. If that tid~ souDds lik~ a desert rac~ you could really get into, you're either (1) nuts, or (2) ready for th~ ~ Scramblfis M.C. 15th Annual 8-hour Desen Rac~. Th~ plac~? Grand Junction. CO. When? October 7. Purse? $6,000. Entries? $75 before Oct. I, $100 after Oct. 1. On weekends or ~ings, phon~ 505/ 454-6156 for info, or srnd your mail ennie; and info requests to Bear Henslq - Desen Scramblen. P.O. Box 411, Grand Junction, CO 81501. Another Iast-rac.-t-Racing·Wortd will take place on Sept. 30. a California Racing Club motocross .vent. CRC will present th~ Presid~nt's Cup Grand Prix at Indian Dune; on Oct. 21, a $5,000 purse-carrying ~t for Pros and a $1,200 gift cenificat~ d~al for Sportsman rid~rs. It's sponso~ by rrr Div~rsified C~jt Corporation. Hmmm that's on~ of Papa's spon· sors. too son of. Entries open Sept. 15. Tlck.ts for the Sept. 29 AMA Grand National Championship'