Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

of the Bel-Ray 500cc USGP of Moto cross and the upcoming Superbikers events. Would you believe that 1980 marks hotshoe wizard Ken Maely's 30th year on the circuit i' o 00 (j') ,-4 Sagebrush Rebellion becomes law in California , SACRAMENTO, CA, JULY 29 Assemblyman Bob Hay•• IR-8an Fernandol today .xp......d p....ur. ov.r the fact hi. r.vis.d Sag.bru.h R.bellion bill had been allow.d to become law without the Gov.rnor's slgnatur•. "W. are going to have a study and repon on the legal basis for Carlfornla's assuming own.rshlp of the 16% million acres of territory now run by the D.penment of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management." Hayes said. On Monday, June 28, the office of Governor Brown announced he was I.tting Hay.s' AB2302 become law without the Gov.rnor's signeture. "The Sagebrush Rebellion is alive and well and Cecil Andrus shouldn't forget It:' said Hayes. I "Sagebrush Rebellion" is the teg hung on efforts by lead.rs in 12 western states to force the federal government to relinquish millions of acres of lands appropriated to federal u.e as the price for statehood when California and the others were admitted to the union. Andrus, President Caner's Secretery of the Interior, has pooh-poohed the seriou.ness of the rebellion. Hayes' bill cells for a study of the practices and policies of the federal Bureau of Land Management as well as the legal basis for state claims to ownership of the land, and provides for the Attorney General to take any steps that he believes necessary to change the title of these lands from federal jurisdiction to stete ownership. The lands study is to be conducted by the State Lands Commission, the Attorney General, the Office of Planning and Research and the Depenment of Fish and Game and they must repon the results before January 1, 1982. Last year Governor Brown vetoed a Hayes bill which celled for a study by the State Lands Commission alone. The Republicen from San Fernando then worked with the Brown Administration to put together a bill with which the Governor could live. ' Hayes expressed some surprise that Brown didn't sign the bill, but said he expected the Governor was under some pressure from his Resources Secretary, Huey Johnson, who opposed Hayes' previous legislative efforts. "I'm just happy we have the law taking the first step in claiming California's right to Its public land:' said Hayes, "even if the Governor didn't sign it" Honda's Andre Malherbe won both rnotos of the August 3 Belgian 500cc World Championship Motocross Series round on his Alan Hahn-tuned works bike . Bad Brad Lackey placed 3·2 on his works Uni -Trak Kawasaki, so for for the Aug. 10 finale in Luxembourg, Malberbe leads Lackey by one point, 215-214. With the British RRGP also on Aug. 10 we could have two Ameri can World Champions crowned on the same day . In the MXGP. Yamaha's Hakan Carlqvist placed third with a 4· 3 tally and Honda's Roger DeCoster was fourth with a 2·8 . 2 In the British SOOcc Road Racing Championship round at Silverstone, Kenny Robens needs only to place in front of Suzuki's Randy Mamola. At Laguna Seca, Roberts said if he clinched the title he would skip the one remaining round in West Ger· many. Next Sunday. Aug. 10, could mark a first-ever international double header for Americal Both King Kenny Roberts and Bad Brad Lackey can clinch their respective 500cc World Championship titles . Want to help? Here's how: Dial 1·800/648-4100 (Western Union) and send the message of your choice by telegram to either - or both - of our GP ·winning American rid ers . You may have the telegrams charged to your phone bill. Send th em to Kenny Roberts, Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone. Northants , England , and to Brad Lackey, Team Kawasaki, Luxem bou rg Motocross Grand Prix, Ettelbruch . Lux embourg. The preced ing info rmation was fu rnis hed courtesy of Gavin T rippe of Trippe-Cox, promoters If you thought you heard a thumper booming along with the 250cc Lightweight Experts during practice at Laguna Seca 's National road race. you were right. Bruce Lind , who was the driver of the winning sidehack among other racing exploits that weekend , rode practice with the 250cc twins on a Wasco-framed. XR500-powered pave ment scratcher. Lind submitted a pro posal to the AMA at Laguna Seca call ing for a rule change to make the thumper legal to race against the 250cc two-strokes. Lind said his efforts in practice showed th e thumper to be neither so slow as to get in the way. nor so fast as to run away from the others. Lind, who credits Wasco's Dick Washer with the idea. also mentioned the possibility of a Junior class rider being able to race dirt track and road race with the same powerplant, should the rules be amended . Pat Tucker has been appointed to the position of Sale Promotion Manger at Scott USA. Pat. a former independent manufacturer's representative, assumed the job July 28 at Scott USA's Clearfield, UT, headquaners. HosPITal STOP: Desert/motocross rac er Tom Kelly underwent surgery July 18 to repair damaged cartilage and liga ments in his left knee. His leg will be in a cast for six weeks. His final comment was. "Man, you gotta watch out for those sandbars!" Help cheer Tom up by dropping him a line at 16637 Del Norte, Mojave, CA 93501. HosPITal STOP: After an accident In the Cal City GP, desen rider Jim W.ntz is still hospitalized with two broken bones In his neck. A cerd or note sent to him at Casa Colina Hospital, Unit 2, Room 5, 255 East Bonita Ave., Pomona, CA 91767, could help produce a smile. The NMRA Golden State Nationals at Fremont, CA, Aug. 9-10 will see the full R.C. Engineering contingent. Top Fueler Frog Thacker will be there, as will be Super Eliminator class rider Bob Malloy, the most recent addition to the R.C . gang. The Pro Stock wars will see a three-pronged attack, with Bob Carpenter, Vicki Farr and Russ Collins himself twisting throttles and burning rubber. California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill by Bob Hayes that redefines a "road" In the California Vehicle code. The common sense d.finition provided may come In handy in a legal tussl. ov.r what a road is, penlcularly penaining to Wilderness areas. After Laguna Seca, the point standings in the AMA Superbike Series are as follows: 1. Wes Cooley (88): 2. Eddie Lawson (85): 3. (TIE) Freddie Spencer/Dave Aldana (79); 5. Ron Pierce (53); 6. Chuck Parrne (44): 7. Roberto Pietri (40); 8. James Adamo (35) ; 9. Richard Chambers (23); 10. Joe Patton (22) . An G1attke is making a move from Golden State Raceway at Sears Point to Medford, OR, where he will assume General Managership of the fairgrounds that sports a drag strip, kart track and is in the process of building half mile and quarter mile dirt ovals. The former GM and PR director at Sears Point under Filmways and Bob Bondurant is very interested in National level motorcycling. Motorcycles will receive 25 percent 0 the amount of gasoline allotted to automobiles in President Carter's rationing plan, which became law midnight. July 31, when Congress failed to defeat it. The plan could be imposed by the President if a 20 percent gasoline shortage exists - or is likely to exist - for 30 days. President Carter estimates the plan would take three months to implesrnent, f The competition committee of the National Motorcycle Racing Asso, ciation has announced several rules and procedural changes that will become effective immediately.. The first of the changes relates to Sportsman classes of competition where "no breakout" will be permitted during the running of eliminator competition except on the final run. Also any modified class that establishes a National record of 12.5 saconds or faster will compete in the Modified Biminator category. Air shifters are permitted in all categories of competition except Stock and Super Stock. Also effective immediately, the new Goodyear Road Race-style slick that is marked "Drag Racing" is permitted for use in the modified classes of competition. Page 29 of the current rule book under the ALTERED section indicetes that seats must have a minimum of two inch padding which has been changed to three-quarter inch pad; ding as originally intended. !": 1 NMRA Top Fuel point standings: 1. Roy "Frog" Thacker (Kaw) 1623; 2. Bo O'Brochta (Kaw) 1422; 3. Elmer Trett (H -D) 1373; 4. Jim Bernard (Yam) 1220; 5. Roland Stuart (H-D) 909 ; 6. Danny Johnson (Kaw) 876 ; 7 Ken Blackburn (Kaw) 603; 8. -Sa m Wills (Kaw) 406. Government regulations on motorcycle exhaust systems can lead to greater noise abuse, according to a study released by the American Motorcyclist Association. ' The report. "Nationwide Customer Attitudes Toward Motorcycle Exhaust Systems:' is based on a survey among motorcycle dealers conduct· ed in March by AMA's Government Relations Department. It suggests that the increased noise infractions can result from motorcyclists' rejection of the unattractive and expensive exhaust system parts reo quired by the government. Chief findings of the study also include: 111 Only about 13 percent of all motorcyclists show a preference for loud exhaust systems. A March, 1978, report by the Environmental Protection Agency claimed that just 12 percent of the nation's motorcyclists were responsible for causing excessive' noise, a claim that the AMA study seems to support. 121 Verification that noise abuse can be . diminished through exhaust system styling treatments which are accepted by customers? AMA's study examined customer response to styling treatments appearing on the market largely since 1978, when EPA released proposed regulations for exhaust systems. (3) Cost, not noise level, is a 'm ore significant factor in a customer's selection of a modified exhaust system. The study was conducted among motorcycle dealers in California, Florida, New York. Ohio, Oregon and Texas. These states, distributed even geographically, include over one-third of the po pula -

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