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/126556
r my hand is healing I'll make it (to the Anaheim, California, opener on January ~ I), Last season the press seemed to overplay the Howerton/Hannah confficts, especially Saddleback (California National on April 5 where Howerton and Hannah knocked each other down). What's your position on Hannah? It was kind of bad. You've got the magazines who want to sell their stuff. Especially Motocross A ction; they're biased towards Bob. All the other magazines did an article on me and Bob, giving each side. Motocross Action only gave Hannah's side. and there's nothing for the reader to gain information on, to make a judgment. Our County Commissioner even wrote them a letter explaining all the things they did wrong. They used misleading questions and answers. It helped the attendance, which is no problem, but one paper in Sacramento (California) . said some stuff and the other rider reads it and he thinks, 'God dang, does he really think that about me?' I thought maybe Bob wouldn't be that gullible to read that, but I know he did. He mentioned it in another article. There was a lot of pressure on both of us. for me to retain my title and for him to get it back. I think we could have gone through all that without any problem if it wasn't for the big deal Motocross A ction put out. I don't care anymore, it's all done and gone, but I'm sure the magazines will want to play it up some more. Motocross people are some of the biggest gossip people around. They have to have something to eat on, but that's the way it is. It doesn't really bother me, but I don't like it and there's nothing I can do about it, so I just go on and do whatever I want to do anyway. . It wasn't hard to beat him (Han· nah), that was no problem. I'd just charge for 15 or 20 minutes and then he was nothing. He could gas it at first but then he'd fade. The whole mood was bad. You won the race but didn't feel as good about it. As a veteran of MX, do you feel you have a different outlook than some of the younger riders? I've got a lot of experience, I started racing professional in '73. I can look over a whole year and I know exactly what I have to do. Each year I know what to add to get up to whatever I need to do. The older I get the stronger I've been getting. I think I'm maturing into it a little bit slower than others. Most of the young guys who are riding started earlier; if you look back when some of them started it's ridiculousl Like Brian Myerscough, he started riding minis. Brian's been riding longer than I have, yet he's not considered a seasoned rider. I never started riding until I was 16, then I started racing at 17 or 18. All my friends I was riding with thought I was crazy. I'd just see a hill and take off at it. They'd just sit there and shake their heads and say I was insane. I learned rapidly and was eager to ride. That's all I could think about, and thell I progressed rapidly. The biggest thing I want to do is win the stadium championship. I've come so close all the time. I'm going to build a stadium track pretty soon, I've got all the equipment t9 do it. Are you planning on racing anywhere in January other than Anaheim? _. If the doctor lets me out of the cast I'm going to start working my hand like crazy and start riding. I'm just going to stay here and get with the program. If I'd go to the races in Florida I couldn't train hard enough. I've got everything I need right here. Those r"ces would just be another way of gelling hurt. I only race if I've got .. • something at stake. '82 HUSKY's, MAICO's, KIM's HERE! Congratulations Dan Smith - 1981 0-37 Desert Open Expert Greg Torgerson - 1981 AME Open Pro 11 David Rogers - 1981 AME Vet. Expert #1 Richard Jackson - 1981 SCORE Class 30 #2 Watch The.. Guys Go In '82 Brett Howell Darren Oliver George Cook Rob Murray Bob Alvis Dave Sweeney Mike Vafchak Bob Murray Busqvarna IfIIAICD IiIH CALL US FOR OUR LOWEST PRICES (805)324-6266 KERN SPORT CYCLE 307 19th Street Bakersfield. California 93301