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/126511
World 12&c:c Motocroa Champ HMTy Everta wiD be out of action for at Ieeat two month., following a broken wrIat Incurred In en Inter· I1lItIoI1llI rece at Lummen. In Belgium. Everts. who broke the ..me wrIat lest yeer but atiII won the title. wII probebly mla the first two rounde of the 12&cc MXGP aerIea. Coon will sponaor the ISth annual Hangtown MotoeroII Classic. Mar. 2829 in Sacramento, CA. Hangtown opens the AMA's National Champion· ship Series with competition in 125 and 250cc claIIeS. Promoted by the Din Diggers Nonh. Hangtown is the largest two day sponing event held each year in the Sacramento area. Crowds for the past three yean have topped SO,OOO. Other race sponaon are 7-Up Bottling Company of Sacramento and KZAP radio. Amateun race on Saturday. Mar. 28. and on Sunday the National stan attack the Prairie City OHV Park course. The... will be no weekly .peedwey racing at Aacot In 1981. ContinentIII Moto-aporta Club motocroa wUI move to the Thursday night .'ot In Aac:ot'. bu.y four and five night e week celender, with the first ...ce . . for 1'hundey, Apr. 9. A record 70 entries have been received for the 20th annual AMA/Winston Pro Series TT National at Ascot Park on Saturday, Apr. 4. Past yean have seen the field between 40 and 50 riden, so the 70-rider sign-up was a welcome surprise to j.C. Agajanian. The pre·entry shows 22 Yamahas, 19 Hondas, 12 Triumphs, II H-Os, and one each of Nonon. Can-Am, BSA. American, Suzuki and Kawasalti. Mike Kicid won the event last year on a Honda 500 single. The night before the NIItIoneI TT at Aacot. Apr. 3, wII ... the ninth Nnnlng of the Gerdel1ll Gold Cup AMA half mile for Experta, Juniors end Novlcea. A .3,000 puree • on the line. For those who are k.eeping tally, jay Springsteen's Houston Shon Track National win marked his 26th career victory and puts him fourth on the alltime career win list. Only joe Leonard (27), Ban Markel (28) and Kenny Roberts (29) have won more. Steve Eklund's win in the Houaton TT was his 14th career win and ties him for tenth in the record books. Though the Ventin round wee cencelled due to threIIta of rein, the MIIrch SprIng r Ie brought apeedway recera end fena out of hibernation over the weekend. The first rece of the ..... took piece M•. 8 at the Orange County ~rgrounde In Coate MeA with the U.s. over· a .... teem beating the U.S. home teem 38-34. Bobby Schlnrtz of the 0V8I1I . . . teem won eech rece he wee In during the Klatch-format teem racee while Shane HlIWiey took the handlcep main end Jorden Duncen topped the Junior Speedwlly riders. The horne teem won the fIret three recea at Inlend Motorcycle Sp.edwlly In Sen Ber· nerdlno Sunday afternoon. but the overeeea teem took every victory after that. winning 48%-29%. Schwertz egaln topped the .creteh porIion with CnrIg SchIIeff8r getdt'lll the handlcep win. Jim Buaby wee the JunIor Sp •• Itwey winner. C0mplete ~ge next week. Thad Wolffhad a Suzuki RG500 GP road racer to run in the 200. Wolff. a winner of two Novice Nationals last year, combined a large amount of club racing points and was advanced by the AMA to Expert ranking at his request. "Suzuki wants to sell the RG in the U.S. next year and I thinlr. this was a way to get some expomre, gauge the potential of the bike and if it goes badly I guess they can blame me without damaging anyone's reputation." Wolff, was involved in a crash early in the 200. Wendy Epeteln, one of th.... Expert Ilcenaed women In AMA roed I'lIcIng. failed to queAfy her Suzuki Superblke for the 200. Epatein wee more then a little mad at the way her machinery wee per. forming and hea repot1edly parted company with her tuner Ken McNulty. Harley-Davidson executive explains °H_D sale Honda announces 750 V-twin dirt tracker DAYTONA BEACH, FL. MAR. 4 .....y-Devldson held a press cont.rwIce to c:Ie8r the air of Nmors about the ..Ie of HMey·DlIV1deon by parent company AMF to top .....y-DevIdeon management. Vaughn L BuIa, Jr~ AMF Corporate V1c:e-Praident and Moton:yc:le Produe:ta Group Executive, and the IeIIder of the manag.ment group attempting to buy the oompany, explained the reeeona behind AMP. desire to Hli HerIey-Devld8On. "AMF hu atnId pubIIcty over the peat ..ve...1 yeers Its objective to Incree•• the ratio of AMP. Industrial ..lea to Its Ielaure ..lea to a one to one bula. In 1980, 38% of AMF'. billion revenu.. _ _ from their Industriel buaineuea end 82% w. . from the Ielaure ald•. AMF'. recent ec:quiaitiona of Scientific Drilling Corporation and Geo Space compan_ _ _ direct at8pa towerd this obj.ctIve of equal revenue. "Herley·DlIVideon hu been by fer the largeat _ngle buaineaa within AMF for many yelIrs. Today, It. nU twice the aize of the next largeat bu.ineaa. Th. feet. combined with the projected glowth of H"'y· Devldeon, hu made it increeaingly difficult for AMF to reach their objectlv.. of &0% Indu.triel and liO% Ielau... while retaining control of the motor company. "AMP. deciaIon to HI HlIrIey wee feciliteted by two flIcta: 1.1 Herley· Devideon had d.monatntted Ita ability to be financially Ind.pandent in ...cent yeers, and 2.1 The mal1llgement group wa.·reedy, willing and able to make the purcheA." B..I. concluded hi. ...mark. with optimism ebOut the tutu.... An article In the Sport Styl. new.paper r.ported that while AMF up for 1980, the lelau....id. w.. off. Although Herley· proflta w Davidson _ _ up, the AMF lelaure produe:ta po.ted 1980 revenu.. of t9&4.8 million. compared to mlUlon for the previou. yeer. In the ..... time period, AMP.lnduatriel revenuea roA 21%. DAYTONA BEACH, FL. MAR. 4 The oft-rumored end Iong-ewelted move hu fIneIly been mede. Honda will roIln the dirt along the AMA W1naton Pro SerIes nU. contesting the 1181 Grand N8tioneI ChempionahlplWlrwton Pro SerIes with a fullaceIe CIeaa C effort. heecIed by freddie Spencer and Jeff Heney. The motorcycle they have c:hoMn for Spencer and Heney to ride In the hIIIf-mile and mile eventa, beckbone of the Pro SerIea, • a 7&Occ water-cooled V·twln; deeign8ted the NS7&O. .,.6 ".8 2 Jerry Griffith, Honda C.... C Reclng Menqer, hu been working on th. project ainee the fell of 1180, In ~ for the 1181 a....1t. AMA ruIea require the conatrue1Ion of at re..t one complete motor· cycle, In eddltlon to a minimum of 24 edcIItIonel engln.., available for ..Ie; In order for a particular model of motoreycIe to quelify for c0mpetition. Honda Racing Teem M-.ger Dennie McKey Mid he hu four englnea now, and the remainder neceuery for AMA homoIogetIon by the .nd of March. The NS7&O power plant • e "bored end atroked" veraIon of the CX500 which wee first offered to the public In the 1977 model yeer. This engine I. a water-cooled, four-stroke, four·valve, V·twln. The engine'. "V" will be pa...llel to the wheelbe.., and Honda ..Id the motor wIH deliver In exceaa of 86 horeepower. Honde claim. thet d..pite the p.....nce of e ...dlator on the water· cooled engine, the... .. no w.eight dlAdventage beceu.e the light· weight aluminum unit weigh. no mo... then the cooling fin. on an air· cooled engine. The NS7&O will weigh In at under 300 pound., poaaibly .ome 20 pounde Hghter then the competitive .....y·DevIdeon. The engine future. four veIve. per cylinder, wIth.hort puah rode. This four valve .yatern wee Introduced by Honda ..veral yeers ago and • ueed In many of their current moclela.