Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

and Honda would make a better combination than Lawson on a Kawasaki. (I'll bet the brass at Kawasaki already realize this.) So until Kawasaki has as much faith in their equipment as they expect the buying public to have. I'll follow the leader. GLEN JONES Las Vegas, NV Both are fantasticaUy talented rider.;. but in point of fact. Lawson score more Winston Pro SerUs dirt trac points th4n did Spencer du' 1981...Editor. \VIST Infuriated America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Sharon C1aytOD. Publioher Caroline Gendrr. .he Publiaher. Victoria Smi.h. E>:ecu~ ~ry '0 AdvertWng/EdilOrial AlliltaDt. Editorial Dale Brown. Senior Editor. Mark Kariya. Editor. Lance B~n. Editor. Advertising Skip johnson, National Sales Manager. Terry Prall. Sales Manager. Duane johnson, Wes. Sal.. Manager. Linda Brown. Ad""'niaing CoordinalOr. Dan Rodriguez, Ad".,..isi~!,-is.an~. Graphics and Production Kristin Cooper. Graphic Aniat. Donna Shipman, Asoisran•. Marion Hatuhira. Typography. Dennis Greene:. Labora.ory. Accounting Mike Klinger. Manager. Donna Bryan, Ace... Receivable. Shelly Zaiom, AJa•• Ace... Receivable. Terry Dailey, Credit Mana~r. Circulation Rbeba Smi.h, Manager. Micbellellemier, Sarab Taylor, LaNe..e Vasoar, Debbie Walker. Lyna Hood. Aais.an... Want Ads jocelyn McMlIIID. WaD< Ad Sales. SenricesandSupport Chrio AilCbeson. Receptionist. Gregory HaDOO1l. sas. West %201 Cherry A"",.• Long Beacb. CA P.O. Boa 498, Long Beacb. CA 90801· 0498 (%15) 427·74"; L.A. Line 656·8844. East 4190 Fin. A"",.; Tucker, GA. P.O. Boa 805. Tucker. GA 50084·0805. (404) 954·7850. Cycle N..../W... (USPS 141·540) is pub' liabed weekly eacepl.he fin. and lu. week of .be calendar year for $20 per year by Cycle N..... Inc.. 2!OI Cberry A"",nue, Long Beach. CA 90801·0498. Second c1a8 pootage paid a' Long Beach. CA. POSTMASTER: send fonn . , . to Cycle Newa. P.O. Box . . Long 8Mch. CA..,-OIII. Subscription rates: One year. oecond c1aa mail. $20; two yean. oecond c1aa mail. $55; three yean. IecOnd cia. mail. $55; 25 weeks. $1 J. Foreign ra'" avail· able on request. Cycle N.... we1coma ......,Iici.ed edi· .onal material including lIOn.., car· lOODI. photoo. etc. Sucb material. if pub· Iiabed. becomes the eaclusi"", propeny of Cycle News. Sucb accepted ma.eriaI is IUbject to revision as iI neee.aJ'Y in the IOIe diIcretion of Cycle N..... Unoolici.ed material which is DOt uaed will be returned if accompanied by a ..If addreaoed ••amped en"",lope. An un· IOlici.ed material win be handled with tOuonable care. however. Cycle N.... _ .. no responoibility for the aafety. te:.a or dama~ to such material. Re· printing in whole or pan only by per' million of the publiahen. Advertising ra'" and circulation information will be ICDtuponrequest. SeeS.R.D.S. Copyright· Cycle Newa. Inc. 1.1. T.......... Cycle Newa r...... eeI U.S. Pnent 0fIlce. All righla . . Greedy gringos During the recent Baja 1000 race, our team rider. Brad Nelson. ran out of gas about one-half mile from his scheduled pit stop in :El Reyo. At this point, we had raced nearly 800 miles for approximately 19 hours. Remarkably, his tank went dry next to a fellow racer's pit. Even more reo markable is that they refused him gas - not a single cupful. So at 4:~0 in the cold Baja morning. these unknown jackasses watched Brad push his Class ~O IT into the surrounding darkness. He continued for over half a mile. Anyone who rides and races in Baja will find this hard to believe. for most of us have known only thoughtfulness and consideration from our fellow riders and the Mexican people. In spite of these callous gringos. we . finished third in class. MARTY ROUGEAUX Team Pure Dirt (1859 - Brad Nelson/Hurley Wilvert/Pete K,inney) Thanks from Dorene I would like to say thank you to the many ~ple who have helped me along the way through the 1981 season. Thanks go to Hi-Point Racing Products. Answer Products. Mountain View Distributing. Tsubaki chain, ND Spark Plugs. Hayward Yamaha, Fremont Cycle Salvage and special thanks go to a real friend, Dave Venson from Wizard Racing. For those few people that may have missed me for the past two months: I had a quick hospital stop for knee surgery and I hope to recover fast enough for the North versus South AMA California State MX Championship race at Saddleback Park. -...d. ON THE FRONT PAGE: Yamaha provided the oppol1Unity for an exclusive. flrst-ever test on their new VZ25OJ. and wes it impressive I Read more about it on pp. 10-11. Bike by Yamaha. Park by S8ddIebBc:k. Jump by WhytaI. Photo by Karlya. DORENE PAYNE Newark. CA Word economy The National Papers by Roxy Rockwood - always to the point with more info than any magazine. Roxy is always number one with the Winston Pro fans. His comments on Hank Scott were . 1. E is ulli for Hank. Wishing him a speedy recovery and to see a great competitor on the track again next year. DICK MARSHALL Tacoma. WA P.S. Gary Nixon's article on Barry Sheene - great! Two of the giants_ of racing together. Wishing I was there. More interviews by Gary Nixon ... pleasel Green ballerina? Just like Cindy and Rufus Palmer writing in the Oct. 21 issue (Cycle News issue 141). count me also as an Eddie Lawson fan. I saw him and that big Kwacker dance all over everyone at Laguna Seca. It was poetry in motion - the mean green ballenna. MIKE SALISBURY Mill Valley, CA 20 to 1 against Those are the odds in Las Vegas to· day of your chance of seeing two of the best road racers - "Fast" Freddie Spencer of Team Honda against conservative Eddie Lawson of Team Kawa· saki - riding the National short track and TT at Houston next year. It is really too bad that factories like Kawasaki bombard us with advertising to see number one go to the wrong factory .. In every race, Kawasaki was outhonepowered by Honda, but Honda was plagued with problems. lit the races Honda won, they were superior to all other machines. while Freddie clearly outrode the other riders. (Two Nationals Hon.da, Kawasaki none.) The sad part was Kawasaki wouJdn.'t even enter a single road race National. I feel this shows a lot of people who builds better street ~uipment. If you ask a pro dirt rider why they don't ride a Kawasaki in TT events. they would probably say that Kawasaki isn't competitive enough against Honda or Yamaha. If you ask them who is a better dirt tracker, there is no doubt they would all go along with "Fast" Freddie, since Lawson has nowhere near the dirt track experience these last few years Feddie does. This doesn't mean Lawson couldn't back it in with Freddie in a TT event, but Freddie I have read your paper on and 0 for 10 years, but have never fel compelled to write and voice my opin ion until today. When I read that Mike Kidd ha sijtDed with Honda for '82, I was in furiated to say the least. Aher all Me Lawwill has done for Mike Kidd in th past and the fal:t that Roberts/ La Racing allowed Kidd to ride the bik of his choice in obtaining the numbe one plate, I find it unthinkable of Ki to ride for anyone else, no matter wha the salary. Mert Lawwill and Kenny Ro are two of the best, if not the best ambassadors this sport will ever see And to think of them not being inw in the Grand National Championshi circuit this year seems sacrilegious me. I believe Kidd has said in the pas that sponsors Qutside of motorcyc1i will be the catalyst the Winston Series needs. I'm very curious h Wrangler took the news that thei expenses and efforts in helping the number one plate were all in va' I'm sure they'll think twice the ne time they are approached. In conclusion I must point out t I am not an insider and I know none . the aforementioned penonalIy. I'm . a past participant and now avid fa and spectator who thrives on AM Class C dirt tracking. MITCHKELLE Kennewick, W 'To avoid any confusion, Mert Lawwi continues to be active in the dirt trac scene with his business. LawwiU Ra ing Products . .. Editor. V-to-B double take When we were pulling out of Blu Diamond Rd. heading home, I look in the mirror and couldn't believe m eyes. In fact, I had to take a picture 0 nobody e~ would have either. He not only rode B-to-V, but he w pitting for a four-wheeler. Maybe i was a s~are, just in case. Notice tha the tire IS strapped to his body. DR. JACK D. WORDE Pomona. C Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Inc. Send letters to Voices, Box . . Long Beech. CA908D1.

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