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/126530
from brake lever around his hand and breaking some bones. Son David. who ended up seventh in this year's 250cc National MX standings, rushed to the Professor's aid to help with upcoming riding schools. David Emde (BMW) collected his third straight overall- and GP class -- win in the July 5 ,Battle of the Twins National Championship Series round-at Michigan's Grattan Raceway. John Long IBMWI took the Modified Production Expert win while Jeff McMillan (Duc) was the Modified Production Amateur winner. Dallas Wilson (Duc)was the Stock class winner. Rich Schlachter's ride in the 350cc World Championship class at the June 27 GP road race in Assen, Holland was arranged through Kenny Robens according to Schlachter's sponsor Bob MacLean. "Rich rode (350cc) Worl4 Champion Jon Ekerold's back-up bike and although it wasn't really set up for his style, I think he really did well before being forced to retire when the shift lever broke." Freel That's what the new wind chill and maintenance tips calculators put together by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation are - freel The neat little items are available at many motorcycle dealers or via 'mall. For your free wind chili and maintenance tips calculator write MSF, Dept. MC, 780 Elkridge Landing Road, Linthicum, MD 21090. Additional celculators are 15¢sach, • THE NATIONAL PAPERS In recent years AMA National road racing has become somewhat of a novelty in the west. No more Ontario, no more'Riverside, no more Sears Point and no more Seattle/Kent events. The lone National for the past severa.l IIeaIOIlI baa been the annual Champion Spark Plug Classic at Laguna Seca in Monterey. CA. They may have struck gold in more ways than one up nonh on July IS-19. It has been repeated over and over that Calfomia'i Randy Mamola is going to return to race the event on his Suzuki RG500. Randy was made race-ready on these shores and juat when it looked as though he was ready to ltan winning National events, he fled, or was kidnapped, over to Europe. The last 'time we saw Randy race in the U.S. was at Daytona where he could well have won both the Daytona 200 and the lOO-mile 250cc Lightweight event - with just a fraction of additional luck. For the past two seasons Mamola and Kenny Robens have been the taUt of the European circuits and many feel that Randy will dethrone" Roberts this season as world champ in the FIM &OOcc circles, It is too close to call at this time. Roberts has been near unbeatable at Laguna Seca in recent years. He raced a 500 against the 750s' and won there last year, lapping l!ll but Freddie Spencer and Rich Schlachter. With that he scored his 29th Nation· al. breaking the old mark held for nine long yean by Ban Markel. It will be interesting to see if Kenny will enter, and he is an official entry by the way, a Yamaha 750 or a 500. His last two 750« attempts, both at Daytona have produced a total of about six laps. It was said in 'SO that the non- performing 750 was scrapped into coffee tables and ash trays. No word is out as yet what they did to the one that did a repeat DNF last March. 'But Freddie Spencer may also want a piece of the glory - and Roberts at Laguna Seca. Last year, after he led some of the laps and then took a second, the word was out around the pits that Roberts was saying he could have led anytime and was just playing with the then IS-year-old rookie. No solid proof was ever presented but kids have egtllI as well as the older guys and Spencer, who will ride a Honda, has a good memory. But in Roberts, Mamola and Spencer, Laguna Seca has the three best road racers in the world and no other track in America has ever had that benefit before. Robens has hU,ndreds of practice and competition laps at Laguna, Spencer has numerous laps, and Mamola will need a road map to find the pit gate. The Lightweight Expen evem is also one of note. Eddie Lawson. the I9S0 number one 250cc rider. will be on the track boasti~ a six in a row undefeated streak on his·Kawasaki. Lawson. a convened din tracker. has won three heats at Daytona. Ellt, han Lake and Loudon. Then add the three main eventS at the same locations. Lawson should win again! in midJuly and the only question is if he will use a chain or a belt drive. He has won twice with the chain, once with the belt. Speaking of dirt trackers, the La~ Seca course is fast. tricky and not one for fast young men with little experience. But a few weeks ago we saw full time dirt tracker Wayne Rainey take a borrowed Kawasaki and run away in his first professional road race. Now Loudon is not as long or ~ fast as Laguna but it is up and down. high and tight. Over the years we have seen many ranking road racers get into big trouble on that course. But Rainey came out in the Novice heat races against guys with from one to five years of pure road race experi, ence and blew their doors off. To add to the embarrassment he did it on Saturday in the rain and on Sunday under the sun. We thought it was a fluke on Satu~day and now we will get to see if the entire Laconia Classic two day run was a fluke as Wayne, who is one of the top 20 Experts on the National dirt circuit, gets a shot at the western road race specialists. They are still blushing in the east where the majority of the lads who live back there run the Loudon track lix to 10 times a year. The Superbilr.e race will run Saturday at Laguna Seca. No questions here - Wes Cooley, Lawson and Spencer are the three best, both last year and this season. Between them they won nine of the 10 finals in 'SO and have won all of the finals this year. Spencer won in Monterey in 'SO. with Cooley second. Each of the ,four classes has something going for it on the IS·19th. All in all, on paper, it shapes up as the best road race meeting of the year and maybe for a long time to come. There is an area for overnight camping. a special cycle parking area and if you own a Yamaha. the Yamaha Dealers Association is working on getting all the brand "Y" riders a test lap. You can call and buy tickets by credit card. 40S/37!l-ISl1 or get general race information at 408/!l721516. Air Cal and Golden Gate Airlines fly from the L.A. area into Monterey, and so does United on a limited basis. Roxy Rockwood ..... CO ..... 0') King of the pia. RandY M8mola·. 35-foot Vogue -II motorhomelwd jewa dropping Hkeillealn Europe, In eddItIon to mncIerd motorhome .... there·. . . I treah com.-etor. c10thea weaher end dryer. Ind I dl8hwutw. Randy Ind BrIgitte Blankenahlp. winne,. In the Cycle Newa '81 Ride Awey Sweepatek... picked up their new CR4&OR Honda from Doug Taylor of Sterling MlY Company. Randy. In lICtIve Junior dirt tracker. edded thle Ieteat Honda to tala atIIbIe which Includ.. In XRIiOO Ind XR Honda dirt blk.. .. well ...... XRmOblled cIrt 1rICker. The clawing for the other Cyde Newa '81 Ride Away Sweepatek.. bike. a Yamaha Sec:a &60. tak.. place July 1. at Laguna Sec:a'. Champion Sperk Plug 200km road race. Who rode for whom? Paul, Marty, .Pete and Mike are factory sponsored riders now, for Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki"though not necessarily in that order. They remember a race a few years ago,' at which certain predictions were made by all: Marty predicted that Paul would never ride for Honda. Paul said that Pete was sure to sign with Yamaha. Pete claimed that Mike wo,tiJd sign with any factory but Suzuki. Mike, who was riding a CZ at the time, predicted only that he would win the race that day. The only one whose prediction came true, later signed with Yamaha. Did Mike win the race that day? Who eventually signed with which factory team? 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