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/126440
The Phuntom Duck attBcks the QuBcker Box. AetuBIly (left to right), AI FoIs, MBry Bnd louis McKey of The PhBntom Duck of the Desert. Inc., Br8 shown receiving over $300 In donations from riders attending the Nov. 24 Cycle NelllfS B-to-V rOBd ride Bnd poker run. Don't even think about phoning us editor-types between Dec. 18 and Jan. 2, 'CO2 we ain't gonna be here. Our bookkeeping and circulation departments will be here, however, to help you as usual. No, it's not an extreme case of employee absenteeism. It's our vacation. Oh yeah. Don't be watching for a Cycle News to show up in your mailbox, either. When we're gone, it just doesn't happen. The last Cycle News of the decade comes out on Dec. 19, and the first one of the 1980s will hit the stands onJan. 8. Joining Jack Penton's True-Sport Development Company enduro squad, the Team Kawasaki effort for 1980, are ISDT riders Ted Leimbach, Kevin Lavoie, and Jeff Hill. The fifth man is a 19-year-old hare scrambles rider from lorain, OH (where True:$port is located) named Mark Hyde. Dane Leimbach will assume chief mechanic duties at True-Sport as well as ride AMA Two-Day Qualifiers on a modified KX125 motocross bike. Assisting Dane will ba Mark Dodd. The new green team will have their work cut out for them, however, since 1980 seems to be the year of the total Japanese factory enduro effort. In addition to Honda and Suzuki-backed riders, Team .Yamaha will be getting into the act on a professional level. Racing Manager Ken Clark has assumed the task of forming a threefaceted off-road effort foJ' Yamaha, and he plans to hire riders for SCORE, and National Enduro ISDT competition. No one has signed, yet, but Clark has talked with Dick Burleson and it's rumored that Larry Roeseler may get a contract., Pierre Karsmakers, an R&D motocross expert for Yamaha has also been considered for a slot on the off-road squad. "We're going to do whatever it takes to win," Clark stated. "Second place in racing is like second place in a gunfight." And then there's the top level Pro Stock and Top Fuel drag racer who flunked his written test for his motorcycle license. We were asked by. the R.C. Engineering people not to inform on their general manager, so we won't mention Bny names. (OK, Terry?) Papa talked with Craig Vetter last week, and it turns out that the Mystery Ship - Vetter's version of the ultimate performance·oriented street machine will be produced. Originally introduced last spring in a Cycle News exclusive, the Mystery Ship plans fell through when Vetter Fairing Company refused to let him manu· facture the machine, claiming rights to the design due to, the agreement under which they'd purchased the company from Vetter. "That litigation is now over," Vetter announced happily in the conversation. They'll produce a very limited number of the ultra-high quality, super expensive bikes. How much will they cost? "At least $10,000," Vetter replied. The 1979 Cycle News Rider of the Year Contest is drawing to a close. There's only one more week to get those ballots in to us, so dig up your copy of issue 146, dip out the ballot form on page 19, fill it out and mail it in. If we don't receive your vote before Dec. 1!1, it won't be counted. The AMA's government relations stBff, the Motorcycle safety Foundation and Applied SCience AssociatBs, an independent safety resurch organization are collaborating on B nationwide study of helmet use and attitude. Rndings will be presented to the May, 1980 International safety Conference in Washington, D.C. Sue Fish returned from over a year's absence due to injuries and pushed her Yamaha/Malcolm Smith/Crown Cyclesponsored YZ 125 to win both Expert motos of the Invitational Women's MX held at Carlsbad Raceway the day after The Superbikers. In the Expert class, which was filmed for ABC's Wide World of Sports, 15-year-old Lisa Akin of Niles, MI. finished second with a 4-2 score, while Women's National MX Champ Cede Cates was third with a 2-5 score. Lynda Ledlow captured the overall win in the Amateur class, and Karen Leitinger topped the Novice class. Complete coverage next week. , Next yeBr stBrts off with B bang: Both the seattle Supercross event Bnd the Houston AMAlWinston Pro rBces run on the Feb. 8-10 weekend. It's gonna tuke two PBpB WeBleys to keep up with next yur's scheduleI Before returning to competition, Sue Rsh was busy doing stunts for the movie Ruckus, "B pure stunt movie," according to Sue, that's due out in AprIl. Flat tracker John Hateley was also involved In doing stunts for the movie. Among the film crew covering the Women's Invitational MX for ABC, one assistant unit manager and at least one cameraman were seen wearing WDCHTHTDIIC T-shirts. Then a California girl won the event. The Best Go West, everyone knows thatl Kawasaki-mounted Tracy Walters ceptured the overall win in the two-day, 24O-m11e AMA 0-37 Last ChBnce Enduro. Walters lost just 34 seconds to leed the other two riders with zero scores, A.C. Bakken IHus) and Randy Leiblg (KTM). Rick Wallace only lost two minutes; he wes the top B rider. Vlck Lord dropped three minutes enroute to his overall C win. The event was hosted by the California Enduro Association. 6 Don't forget the American Trials As· sociation's EI Trial de Espana at •••••••••••• •• ~._~, 5~~': .. /Il • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Saddleback Park on Dec. 9. It's your chance to see World Trials Champ Bernie Schreiber and National Trials Champ Marland Whaley in action, along with some of the top trials riden' in this country. A Bultaco trials bike will be raffled away, along with lots of other prizes. Sign-up is at 8 a.m., ancL the, trial gets underway at 9:!l0. Call, 714/558-1584 for additional info. FllIt tracker Scott Pearson. riding a Honda XR&OO lodged in a Husqvama frame, won his semi race in The Superblkers, but was a DNF in the main. What happened? "The spark plug wire broke - it shocked the hell out of me. I've stilI got five million volts running through me," said Scott. "yeah,"· observed' veteran Yamaha tuner Harry Ullle, stBnding nurby, "You could say he's wired." Papa heard an interesting rumor at The Superbiken last weekend. Somebody said that Jimmy Weinert will start racing cars, most likely at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Could be that Roberts and Romero won't be the only ones to consider following in Joe Leonard's footsteps, making the switch from two-wheels to four. Stuart Toomey phoned Papa on pressday morning to let him know that C,de NelllfS is good for som. thing efter all. Remembar last week's Item about Bruce HBmmer's TZ750 getting ripped off? Well, some good guy rud it and phoned Toomey with info that led to the bike's recovery. Tumed out the fellow who stole it was "kind of a looney tune" Recording to Stuart. He'd driven his Ford Pinto through the shop door, then packed the bike in the back seat. Rgured he wes gonna be a recer at Daytona next year. Hammer's pretty happy, too. The bike wasn't insured, Bnd he still owed about two years of $27&-a-month payments on itl As long as it rains, we're safe ... That's what the outlook seems to be at the Clear Creek Recreation Area in San Benito County. Clear Creek, you may recall, is the area where high-asbestoscontent presents a potential danger to off-roadera who breathe the dust. Tests have proven that three-percent moisture in the soil puts the asbestos content at an acceptable level. The area may be kept open with "an intensified education program on possible hazards," according to BLM's Mark Lawrence. But they may close it ,entirely. So send your comments to Mr. Lawrence at the BLM Folsom \" c." "\.,,j .. : >1 :." ,,; .... . 1