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/126441
Husqvama Motorcycle Company is offering extensive support to 60 Husky riders in motocross. enduro and desert racing competition. Plus, the top two motocross riders will receive additional support for the 1980 Trans-USA MX Series; riden who qualify for the ISDT will receive full factory suppon next September in France; and Husky riders winning recognized championship series in motocross. enduro or desen will be considered for a factory contract in 1981. Interested? . File an application through a participating Husqvama dealer. Modified Motorcycle Asaoc:iation held their annuel Toy Run from LA. 's Griffith Park to the Rosa Bowl parking lot on Dec. 1, and a crowd of 20,000 motoreydlata showed up with 20,000 toys in hand. American Honda has signed Steve McLaughlin and Ron Pierce for 1980. The two wiD contest Superbilte events on over-sized Honda 750s, bored out to 997cc. And. while Team Manager Dennis McKay expressed doubt that bikes could be readied in time for the Daytona 200. the team is likely to contest AMA 750cc class racing later in the seaaon. perhaps having bikes in May or june. Papa talked with Suzuki's Endurol ISDT Team Mmwger John Morgan just before presstime and got the scoop on what they've got going for 1980. Riding AMA National Enduros for Suzuki win be a threerider team: Kevin Snapp on a PE17S, Drew Smith on a PE250 (most of the time) and Randy Martin on a PE400. On the TwoDaynSOT equad, Mike Roaao wiH ride a PE17&, DrewSmlth and Jeff Fredette will pilot PE25Os, and Ray Cosgrove wit handle the big bike chores on a PE400. George "Gus" Blekely will continue to wrench and drive for the team. Regarding the smaller size of the '80 team, Morgan said, "I feel I can give fewer riders, ....... attention, to do what we want to do - winl" Morgan also thenked helpers on the drcuit Gunny and Derlene Cleypoole, Dick and Bunny Lenover, Dick and Joyce France, Fred Brown and "countlea em-. who mac:le it all possible." Word has it that Larry Roeseler has signed with Yamaha for 1980. Among his duties for the yellow team will be riding SCORE. ISDT and AMA National Enduro Series events. Reponedly, both Dick Burleson and Drew Smith were offered rides but decided to stay with their current benefacton. Husqvarna and Suzuki. respectively. Ultimately. Yamaha is expected to field a solid "contract rider" team as well as give bikes-and· pans assistance to several other talented off-maden. Kawasaki will offer a limited number of 1980 25O-AI motocroM motors set up with right-hand 8hIft for privateer short track build...., riders. Motors Include an electrical pieces and carbs. No price Is available; check with your local Kaw. saki dealer before Xmas " you're Interested. 2 Papa heard a rumor that Gene Romero signed with the Kawasaki road race team for 1980. but a source at Kawasaki denied it "at this date." Lyndon Yurikusa; Kawasaki's Director of R&D, announced that Gary Mathers will heed Kawasaki's motorcycle racing effort for 1980. Matt.'a replaces former team manage; Dennis D8vicI who has joined the RAM Pro organization. Mathers comes from Minnesota wh..e ha aerved _ Kawesakl snowmobile rKe team mlineger in 1975-78, then served _ New Product Development Menagar for the .. lOwmobiIe division . .d DIrector of Snowmoble engineering. A former Ameteur TT rider, Mathers Is familiar with twowheel racing but admits that his personal riding career ~ ..nothing to write horne about." The annual Nonh American Trials Council meeting held Dec. 1-2 in Denver yielded several surprises along with the 1980 schedule. Two additional suppon classes were added to the existing Sponsman and Senior designations. The High School class is open to riders prior to their 17th blnhday while the Super Senior class handles riden age 45 or older. NATC also announced three bicycle trial$ events - two regionals and one national - with two c~ for riden under 12 and those over. NATC also organized a national rame program to raise money to send top riden overseas for competition experience. A 349 Montesa COla will be the rame prize. Factory sponsored riden will be exempt from winning the oveneas trips. A minor rule change, in keeping with a recent F1M decision. will up the time penalty to .2 points per minute during the hour grace period before exclusion. Concern over the gas situation influenced the NATC to drop its best-five-of-nine format in favor of a best·four-of-six approach, with two Nationals in each of the three regiOlll. Abo dropped was the local rider rule. A national competitor may DOW ride all six champIOnship trials. 1980 Nonhern schedule: May 24. California; May 26. Southern Califor· nia·; Aug. SO, Ohio; Sept. 1. Alabama'; Oct. 4, Colorado; Oct. S. Texas". (·Bicyclc- Trials R~onal. ··Bicycle Trials National) American Road Racers Association awards banquet details have been announced. It takes piece 7 p.m. on Dec. 16 at Mr. AJ', Restaurant, 1060 W. Kate.... ~ helm. and tickets are $I each. Plea.. notNy Pat Manning at 213/ 842-7433 by Dec. 14. Better yet. mail the request to ARRA. 3407 W. Olive, Burbank. CA 91&06. being certain it arrives before Dec. 14. Honda, Kawasaki. Yamaha and Suzuki have donated $25.000 each to a sponsorship pool for the 1980 AMA Regional Motocross Championship Series. The $100,000 will be administered by AMA with an expected 24·30 events with $3.000 purses. Only those with AMA Pro licenses will be eligible. but there probably will be Amateur events run in conjunction with mOdlt of the races. Kenny Roberts ran three days of tire testing at D8YtoNI International Speedway recentiy, eventually breaking two TZ750 motors while everaglng just over 100 mph around the 3.87 mile circuit. Asked how ha thought the 1,OOOcc four-strok_ will do In the Daytona 200, King Kenny replied, "I think the 750s will certainly be faster, but you just can't teU what people like Yoshimura will do with his SUzukis... The 39th Daytona 200 wiD offer over _,000 In prize money to 80 of the worldiS best road racers. Yamaha's motocross dfon for the World Championship circuit will include two 125cc class riders Sweden's jeff Nilsson and Belgium's Marc Valkeneers - in addition to the two Soocc class competitors. Hakan Carlqvist and Andre Vromans. Team Advisor is the title that's been assigned to Heikki Mikkola. and his duties include acting as liaison with the motocross press. scouting for promising young riden and. of course. advising the team riden. He will be based in Finland and do some test riding for Yamaha. Acc:oidillll to Ed Youngblood. AMA Govenwnent ReI8tIoN Director, the AMA Is cr_ling a Pollical At> tIon Committee to , . . and dIIIbibute funda to candIdatea running for U.s. Set... and U.s. House of Repre,e ltalivea. Nemed the Amerlcen MotDrcyclllt Pollical ActIon Committee CAMPAC), the OIpnlzadon will be nwIIIged by a a1x-person boerd, composad of AMA staff end AMA members, appointed by the Asaocladon. A PolitIcal ActIon Committee Is recognized by the FedenII Election Comm. . .n _ a group to . . . .t candidates saeklng political office. As soon ae AMPAC's by-Iaws are completed, the AMA will ,eek approval by the Commiulon to get AMPAC underway by early 1980. "The problems motorcydlsts have faced with poor government represantatlon make it peinfully clear that we haven't been vlllble enough to the nation', lawmekers In the lest decede. By supporting legillators who ur.dei stand our Interests, we believe we can chenge that in the 1980's," Youngblood said. AMPAC fund railing will begin In early 1980. For Info on contributing. write AMPAC, c/o AMA. P.O. Box 141, Westerville. OH 43081. Prepare or beware. AMA Novice Pro MXers will not be allowed to ride in the '81 AMA National MX Series events if there are enough Expenranked riden to fill the 4O-rider fields. No qualifying motos. And with the new AMA Regional MX program in the works for 1980, that could well be the case. (In other words, guys. if you want to be assU1'ed of an '81 ride. better get those advancement points.) Points are awarded at the rate of 10 for fint. nine for second. etc.. down to one for tenth place. And they're awarded in both feature motos as well as the qualifying motas in the regional events. If. for example. a rider wins his qualifier. then wins both motos, he gets 30 points toward the 80 required to advance to Expert. No number plate numeral, except the AMA-approved block numbers will be accapted in 1980. Trans-USA promoten met recently and discussed the '80 series. They expect to run a five-race program with 250cc motorcycles only. There'll be a Trans-USA class, with 110 F1M sanction. and a Suppon class_ ContInental Motosport Club', 4th Annual Golden State Series will be sponsored by Can-Am, end It aI kicks off Jan. 5-6 at Saddleblck Park. There'. $7&,000 In puna and contingencies in the 1980 series. Other contingency sponsors Include IRC T1reI, Hi Point, Dunlop. Scott USA. Melco, Bosch. Crotch Rocket. HUlqYllrn8 and Protrec. Grand Prize for the (Saturday) Sportarnan ....... II a 1980 can-Am 125cc MX-e, and that', in addition to $10,000 in awns. Following the jan. 5·6 Can-Am Golden State Series opener at Saddleback. the series moves onward to Lake Madera on jan. 12-13. the Fremont Raceway onjan_ 19·20, back to Lake Madera on jan. 26·27, to Prairie City OHV Park on Feb. 2-5, down to Carlsbad Raceway on Feb. 10. finally wrapping up at Indian Dunes PariLon Feb. 16-17. More info at CMC. 714/557·3323. Yamaha unveiled a bike that ... been speciIIIy ad8pted to run on both ethyl alcohol and g .011.. at the rKent Tokyo Motor Show. The RS 12& ... a bimetal vacuum swltch valve mounted on the cylinder heed which ................ 111 ...... perature end when that reechel20 degr. .e centigrade it . .I~ over from V- operation to alcohol Y...... c:eIII the experll'lWiiW bike AIcooI. Wedding bells will ring on December IS for David Aldana and his bride to be. Sue Phillips of England. Barry Sheene will be best man at the cremony in England. Prairie City OHV Park wlil host a ChrIatma Give-A-Way sponeored by the Sacramento Cou!ItJ Department of Parks and Recreation on ChrIItmes Day beginning at 8 a.m. Park visitors wli find Chrlatm_ boWl hidden throughout the park which may be exchanged for free gNts at the park office. Gifts are Hmlted to one per visitor. Armor-All Products, CapItol YamahL Bill Welters L..eathar-. Robert Bosch CoqxHadon and Rancho Cordova Suzuki hive donated prizes for the Give-A-Way..