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/126504
Kawasaki's off-road effort for '81 is again headed by Jack Penton, this time with emphasis on the AMA National Championship Enduro Series and the AMA Two·Day Qualifier Series and minimal effort toward the '81 ISDE. It appears that only Mark Hyde may file a letter of intent from the team. On the Enduro squad, Penton will ride a 250cc Kawasaki in the AA class as will Ron Ribolzi. Vic Ely will contest the AA class on a KDX175. In the Two-Day series, Dane Leimbach will pilot a l25cc Kawasaki; Ely and Penton will ride l75s; Hyde and Ribolzi will be KDX250-mounted. We uked Honda Racing Team Manager Dennis McKay about the rumored existence of a 750 y·twin Honda engine, and he replied "No sir. I've got a CX500 twin that's been to Japan (whare they were taking specs and dyno readings) and now it's coming back, the one we started development on last year...With the rutricted 750 rule (upcoming in '82), there's no need to develop a 750:' As far as Honda's 1981 dirt track plans are concerned, the effort will center around Freddie Spencer (who will also ride Formula One road races for Honda) and Jeff Haney, both of whom will ride all Winston Pro Series shon tracks and TIs. Jerry Griffith will tune for Spencer, who will ride a watercooled CR 250 short tracker and an '81 XR500-based TI machine at Houston. Terry Haney will tune for his son, but at presstime McKay did not have a second water-cooled shon tracker for Haney. Mickey Fay will be supported by American Honda, and at Houston he'll ride a Roger Stanley· prepped, Wasco-framed mount. McKay said that Honda appearances at other Winston Pro Series dirt tracks "depends on the progress with the CX500 twin." Scot Harden (Hus) topped the 130mile 11th Annual Moapa to Yegas Hare and Hound on his Husky last Sunday, Jan. 18. First place in the 250cc class was Yamah.mounted Kevin Steele, and Daryl Folks put his Husqvarna on top of the 125cc class. Coverage next week. First Yamaha 750cc dirt track engine arrives in U.S. By Dal. Brown CYPRESS, CA, JAN. 14 The fht 7&Occ cIWn drive y-twin engine - dea1lned for cIrt treek rKIng - errivecI at Yarnahe Motor Corp. headquartan. With more englna acheduled to arrive In mld-February, the firat engine receIvad ..".,. eyeballing at Yamaha before it wee given to tuner Mart lAwwilL who wID conduct en R&D program on the motor, working with C.R. Axtell. Mike LIbby and Dick Mann. "The 7&0 y-twin Yamahe eoId In Japan ia a ch8In cIrive model," explained Yamaha Racing T..... Manager Ken Clark. "and we will atoe:k the pat1a here juat . . for any other machine. You need a pert. ... a Yarnahe dealer:' ca.k uicI there would be plenty of englna available for dealerbacked racing affon., and that Information g"ned from the R&D program would be made availHle. . "With the ramoval of the starter motor, the large aiternator and the atreet Ignition, the weight of tM anglne will be right in the beUpark." ..ldClark. Round three of the 11th Annual Florida Wintar·AMA MX Series saw a near-replay of round two. Mark Barnett again topped the 126cc race, putting his Suzuki out ahead of Stave Martin (Yam) and Donnie cantaloupi (Yam) for a perfect 1·1 win on the Brevard Off· Road Park course in Cocoa, FL Bob Hannah ....o re....ted a 2IiOcc victory, this week with a 1-1, on his Yamaha. Placing second and third in the Jan. 18 event were Johnny O'Mara (Hon) and David Bailey (Kaw). Gary Pustalak proved his Open class win iaet week was no fluke by doing it again with a 2-2 ride on his Husqvama. Ken Keylon (Yam) and Mickey Kealer (Mail pIIK:ed and showed. Supercross happenings; Cynthia Fox of KMET will be trophy girl at the Jan. !II Supercross Kickoff '81 race in Anaheim Stadium. Four radio stations will be offering tickets to other foxes in The Great Fox Hunt; listen to KMET in L.A., KKOS in Carlsbad, KCKC in San Bernardino or KACY in Oxnard for details. The 1980 Motocross Finaia, held iaet Oct. 25, will be aired on KHJTV, channel 9, at 11:30 p.m. Friday night. Jan. 30. It's a half hour show. Carter Alsop had People magazine's spotlight turned on her last week. The feature article highlighted the fact that Gina Bovaird was the first female to compete in the Daytona 200, but Carter's ambition is to be the first lady road- racer to "finish" the 200. Stay tuned. Chuck Sun was running a strange looking Simons fork assembly on his Honda at the Gainesville 'Winter·AMA round. They were mounted upside down, with the fork tubeS attached to the axle. Brad Lackey says he'lI ride the remainder of the DG Golden State Series; Graham Noyce says he'll be sure to ride the Carlsbad event. Aluminum helmets'1 British Aluminum is considering it. Really: Gordon Jennings will teach a course called "Two-stroke Racing Engines" at Oxnard CoIege, acc0rding to Suzuki's Mark Blackwell. Classes will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis. so dial 8051488-0911. A three-man American team on Italjets at the Scottish Six Days Trial? Could be. Responding to a chall~ letter by Lane Leavitt that was printed in England's Trials + Motocross News, English ltaljet importer Manin Hardiman has offered two factory Italjets. works suppon and lOme beIp with expemes for two American riden. The team would be, led by Italjet factory rider Bernie Schreiber. HosPITal STOP: Motorcycling superstar Malcolm Smith, set for a return to two-wheeled competition in a SCORE Parker 400 effort with Rolf Tibblin, crashed while play riding in the california desart and broke three ribs. Malcolm's up and about. but the laughter will be on a low volume for a while. Get well cerds can be sent to him at his shop, 7&63 Indiana, Riverside, CA 92507. Get well quick. Malcolml Skid shoe wizard Ken Mae1y and his wife Judy reponed a wonderful Christmas vacation Down Under. Mter spending a few days with John DeSoto in Hawaii, they continued on to Australia where Ken captained the U.S. speedway team in a series of test matches (the Yaw suffered from tired equipment and finished third behind England and Australia), went trail riding and chased kangaroos, and all sorts of neat stuff; the re-telling of which caused Papa's desk to look awfully depressing. Ken said that he and Judy were treated wonderfully by their Australian hosts, commenting, "The hospitality in motorcycling is out of sight." David Bailey will be carrying the Moto-X Fox benner u he competes 'in the 250cc Nationals and Supercross' Series in 1981, riding on Kawasaki equipment. ''I'm jazzed, things are really looking good," said Mike Kidd in reference to the progress of the Yamaha 750 dirt track effort. "I talked to Mert (Lawwill) today (Monday, Jan. 19) and he says since he has gotten the engine and had a chance to get into it, that it is even better than it looked in the blueprints. I'd like to race one in the Harley-Davidson Dirt Track Series, but I believe that is wishful thinking right now because Mert is also working hard on the Houston effort." Rich Schuenemann hae been pr0moted to General Manager of Maico West. and one of his first official acts of office wee to tell Pape about a Maico . . . Maico dealers have been offet'ad special pricae on groups of flve or 10 motorcycles, and Rich and his gang are encouraging the dealers to pass that savings on to you. He also r. ports that there are plenty of Open class Malcos In the warehou. . for thou of you who haven't been able to find an '81 big bore. Speaking of Maico, the following riders will comprise the Anaheim SupercrOllS Kickoff '81 team: Jimmy Weinen, Marty Tripes, Carlos Serrano, Ed Arnet, Dave Coupe and Eric Eaton. All will be mounted on the '81 reedvalvers. Beginning on Jan. 24, Saddlaback Saturday Motocross wHl host an AMA DistrIct :f1 points race every month.