Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

o 00 0') 1""""4 America's only weekly motorcycle newspaper Sharon Clayton, Publisher Tom Culp, Marketing Director Caroline Gendry. Sec. to the Publisher Nancy Gora", Sec. to the Mktng. Oir. Editorial Charles Morey, Managing Editor. Dale Brown, Editor, Mark Kariya. Editor. Advertising Skip Johnson, Sales Manager, Terry Pratt, Sales Manager. Linda Brown. Advertising Coordinator. Duane Johnson. Dealer Sales MgT. Graphics and Production Judy Klinger, Production Manager. Pamela Wood, Production Assistant. Marion Hatashita, Cindy Torres. Typography. Dennis Greene. Laboratory. Accounting Mike K.linger. Manager. Jeanne Hammond, ACClS. Receivable. Donna Bryan. Asst. Acc[5. Receivable. Terry Dailey. Credit Manager. Circulation Rheba Smilh. Manager, Shirley Shon. Sarah Taylor. Michelle Allan. Assistants. Want Ads Gin Harper, Wam Ad Sales. Service and Support Chris Aitcheson, Receptionist. Jim Leal, S&S. West 2201 Cherry Ave" Long Beach. CA P.O. Box 498. Long Beach. CA 90801 (213) 427·7433; L.A. Line 636·8844. East 4190 Finl Ave.. Tucker. GA. P.O, Box 805. Tucker, GA 30084. (404)934·7850, Cycle News/West (USPS 141·340) is published weekly except the first and last week of the calendar year for S18 per year by Cycle News. Inc" 2201 Cherry Avenue, Long lIc:ach. CA 90801. Second cI~ postage paid at Long Beach, CA. POSTMASTER: Send form 3&79 to Cycle News. P.O. Box 498. Long 8elIch. CA !lOlI01. Subscription rates: One year. second class mail. S18: two years. second class mail. S30; lhTtt years. second class mail, $41; 25 weeks. SIO. Cycle News welcomes unsolicited editorial material including stories, canoons, photos. etc.. Such material, if published, be-come the exclusive property of Cycle News. Such accepted male rial is subject to revision as is necessary in the sole discretion of Cycle News. Unsolicited material which is not used will be returned if accompanied by • self·addr.-d slamped envelope, All unsolicitated material will be handled with re:asonable care. however. Cycle News assumes no responsibility for the safety. loss or damajtr to such material. Reprinting in wholr or pout only by permission of thr publishrrs. Advertising rates and circulation information will he sent upon request. See- S.R.D.S. Copyright" Cycle News. Inc. 1• . Tredem8rk . Cycle News r"lliaered U.S, Petent Office. All rights reserved. Bob Steffan: a shining example It hit me very hard when I read that Bob is no longer with us. In fact I couldn't completely believe it until I personally talked to Sharon Clayton and Tom Culp at the industry trade show. I first met Bob when I joined the Sunland Shamrocks Motorcycle Club in 1960. It was apparent that Bob was a leader, not very talkative, but everything he said and did was positive and productive. All the readers of Cycle News know about his many accomplishments as a com~tition rider. Very early one Sunday morning in the early 60s a group of Shamrocks met to travel south to a race in District 38. We decided to consolidate motorcycles and equipment and travel in groups of two or three riders per vehicle. In the process Bob's boots and leathers were left behind. Naturally this wasn't discovered until we unloaded at the race site in San Diego County. Everyone was very sober until Bob started laughing. He said to all of us, "I sure hope you guys '!re going to enjoy riding this race as much as I'm going to enjoy pitting for you." During lhe summer of 1978 I was called for jury duty in downtown L.A. After arriving I looked around the large room and spotted Bob. He greet· ed me with a big smile and a handshake. Fortunately we met and talked on several occasions during the follow· ing 30 days . Knowing Bob was a sp(Cial. rewarding experience. He made desert riding better for all of us by spending countless hours laying out Shamrock racing events and serving all of District 37. Hearing that his ashes were spread in Red Rock Canyon. one of his favorite desert areas. will make goin~ there extra special in the future. PAT OWENS Temple City. CA 4 ON THE FRONT PAGE: Kenny Roberts, road racer of some note and probably the world's first kne.dragging rebal. has taken on the formidable FIM. Read how King Kenny intends to keep the World Series alive on pg. 8. Pho~o by Patrick Behar. Speedwav program collector I write to ask you if any of your readers can assist me with my hobby. which is collecting any old or new speedway programs. I am trying to fulfill my hobby with speedway programs from the "Old White Sox 1933 Speedway" on 38th Street in Los Angeles, with Bo Lisman or Ray Grant being the star riders of this traclt to name a few of the old time speedway riders. 50 if any of your older readers who were fans of the White Sox Speedway. I would like to hear from them or. bener still. to have a few speedway programs. I would be most grateful to you and your readers for any assistance towards my request. I am also interested in today's speedway in California and any programs from any of the tracks in the USA. T. P. SHIRLEY 12, Afon Close New Inn - Pontypool Gwent. South Wales NP 40 QE, U.K. Contributor contributions Congratulations to the Phantom Duck of the Desert as rider of the year for the second time. My son and I recently had an article published in Cycle News. We will donate our check to the Duck's Defense Fund. To get the Duck's New Year off right (and ours for that matter). I propose each contributor to Cycle News donate a check from their articles to his fund. Due to the Duck and people like him we still have places to ride and to write about. Your byline on the bottom of a check will really help us all. DONALD E. L. BETSWORTH DONALD W. BETSWORTH Torrance. CA Bucks down. Yosh fights back The AMA's plan to run 14 races in 1980 for Superbike Championship points plays directly into the hands of the factory teams. Very disappointing. The cost of Jppearing at all 14 races is exhausting. and to most. unman· ageablel What now, Bill Boyce? If Honda can force everyone else out of the running purely on their money power and not their horsepower. then everyone in racinjt has lost! Competition is the sound of excite· ment and high.revved engines. not the sound of gold coins clinking in the palms of greedy hands. For this season, Yoshimura has teamed up with motorcycle enthusiast Craig Vetter. Vetter Corporation will be sponsoring the Yoshimura 5uzum at the Superbike events this year. Rider Wes Cooley will ride both the Vetter/Yoshimura Superbilte as well as the Formula One. Yoshimura intends to present to American race fans an honest team effort. And they deserve it! David Aldana (winner of the Ontario S~ Hour and Brands Hatch, England). and most probably Graeme Crosby; will appear with the Yoshimura Team at Daytona 1980. I would like the race fans to understand what kind of an effort Yoshimura is making on their behalf. There is something still to be said for how you plav the ltaIne. While Y05himura has strived fQlr original, inventive and competitive ideas, Honda seems to be throwing a conglomerate wrench down the throatS of each and every other racing effort. Where is the spot in that? If the Almighty Dollar were the time clock. Honda would take the checkered flag every, time. Unfor"' tunately for Honda. the winner's circfe is meant for those who have done their homework, and not their pocketbooks. With Team Captain Steve McLaughlin at the helm. Honda has weaned away Yoshimura mechanics with contracts containing unmatch· able salaries. Apparently Steve hasn't changed. And neither have we. We intend on winningl _ Funher along these lines. Honda has approached Yoshimura sponsors, dividing support. They're aiming for the throat. And the riders selected for the yetto-be developed Honda Superbiltes have previously ridden on Yoshimura machines (Spencer's Kawasaki was reworked by Kawasaki factory mechanics. states Kawasaki. after being sold to them by YOIhimura). McLaughlin won Daytona in 1978 on a Yoshimura Superbilte, and Ron Pierce did the same in 1979 on ,a Yoshimura bike. Perhaps Honda dreams of repeating the same 1.2,15 team sweep YOIhiumra experienced at Daytona 1979? Honda acquired a 1979 Yoshimura Superbike (it is rumored) and took it apart at the factory in Japan. While the Yoshimura bike screamed on the dyno at 135. the Honda counterpan could only reach 100. Dream on., Honda! Even agaiM the odds Honda is trying to stack up, even when they are trying to mark the cards, Yoshimura remembers one thing. It's a racel We at Yoshimura intend to hold on to out title. Even though we cannot compete with the dollars of Honda. we can compete on the traclt because ... We eat, sleep, live. breathe and love motorcycle racing. . We'll see the rest of you who are interested in racing at the track. CAROL CARPENTER Executive Coordinator Yoshimura Research a. Development of America. Inc. North Hollywood. CA Wrong again. savs Gary Scott You printed a few things that are untrue in the article done by Gary Van Voorhis about a decade of rolling thunder. Over the past few years in various articles. you have stated Corky Keener as being the only rider to win money every year since R.J. Reynolds' initial three-race series in 1974. I have kept quiet until now. I am the second highest money winner to date and have won some of

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