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/126596
IAOVERT ISEMENT ) The season rips at Anaheim January 30 ~ ': ' .t - ~ e .Miller High Life Supercross Kickoff C'\l 00 O"l The 1982 AMA sanctioned Wrangler .Supercross Series launches into action with the premiere race the MILLER HIGH LIFE SUPERCROSS KICKOFF, Anaheim Stadium, January 20tJ:1! T he opening race of th e season signals a time of excitement! New teams, new faces . a nd new bikes will be unleashed at Supercross Kickoff. T he shuffling of comparries, riders, mec hanics . and the im provem ent s. changes , and performances of new machines will undergo their firs t crucia l, test on Saturday nigh t. What is the winning combination? W ho will finish first? The stadium racing prize packa ges are yet to be un wrapped . No rider is in the lead . There has been no real p re-season competition io find out who 's where on the 'Scale of Fast , ' There are lots of favorites o n the list, but nobody knows for sure what will hap pen . One thing is not under wraps at Supercross Kickoff : The scoreboard is empty. Until the start gate slams down and th e first qualifiers are released , everyone has zero points! This year, each point earned means more money! Wrangler has sweetened the purse with a $75,00 0 rider point fund to make the '82 Supercross Series even richer. Largely recognized in professional rodeo, Wrang ler is placing extra b ucks on those American cowboys riding stadium events around the country. With this kind of incentive, th ese supercross jockeys will really be turning on the horsepower! At the MILLER H IGH LIFE SUPERCROSS KIC KOFF, 80 of the fastest stadium racers will be scrambling to gain those first winning points toward the 1982 Supercross Series Championship. Under the watchful eyes of possibly 40,000 fans, nobody will be watching the riders more closely than the riders th em selves. Mounting their big red machines for he first -string lineu p of stars, Team ond a will be q uarterbacked by hu ck Sun , winner of the 1981 USGP t Carlsba d and former 500cc ationa l Champion. "T his year I' m upercha rged and ready to got " says un , who has fu lly recovered from his nkle injury. Jim Gibson , who came in ith a fourth place finish in the '81 eries, Donnie "Holeshot" Hansen, ho was fifth, and J oh nny O'Mara, h o fi n ished 11th, will be in the potlight aboard the Pro-Links. oining Team Hond a wit h new onrracts are three favori tes: Darrell hultz, Brian Myersco ug h, a nd Da vid ailey . Riding productions bikes this eason are J imm y Ellis, Jo J o Keller, on Turner, Da nny Chandler, Steve artin, a nd Larry W osick ; and all will dd to the force of Team Hond a . Superchargi ng the stampede for earn Suzuk i will be the 1981 Superross Cham pion and 125cc National ha rnp , "Magic" Mark Ba rn ett; a nd verite veteran, the 250cc National hamp, Ken t Howerton, the " Rh in eone Cowboy." Also tea m ing u p are enny Ben tley and George H olla nd , ho will begin his first full year contes tg . supercross. Newcomers on the ater-coole d works bikes are Warren eid and Alan King. Barn ett , who has een testing in Japan recently says, "I've reall y been train ing hard , and' I plan to keep the Supercross title for th is yearl" , A leading trio of stars dressed in green for '82 with Team Kawasaki are J eff Ward , Goat Breker, and Tom Benolkin . Strong support for these popular riders will come from Billy Liles, Curt McCuistion, and Rick Maki, who make up Kawasaki's Team Green this year. Husqvarna is providing full factory backing in Supercross to Kris Bigelow . the top priva teer inI981 . and to a well known champ, Billy Grossi . Team Yamaha boasts of some heavy-duty talent with a powerful list of winners , incl uding the current 500cc National Champion and TransUSA Champ , "Golden Boy" Broc Glover; former Supercross Champion, Mike "T oo Tall" Bell, and the everpopular Bob -"H urrican e" Hannah. These dynamite stars along with teammate SCot t Burnworth, will be aboard new Yamahas with new linkage and improved · suspension. "These bikes are lighter ," explains Bell , "and I think they're really going to perform for us this year - especially on the tight supercross tracks ." Yarnaha's .support team will feature Rick johnson, J eff H icks. JeffJennings, and Eric McKenna . Not only will it be rider-against rider and team-against -team on Jan. ·30, but it'll be every man for himself in a challenge against Anaheim Stadium's spectacular supercross track! When Supercross Kickoff gets underway. the best racers in the nation twist their throttles at the WRANGLER START LINE, and 100 yards of straightaway looms before them. The gate drops, 'the gas is on, and the race begins! A 'six-foot wall of dirt surroun ding th e firs t turn, the DIRT BIKE MOTOCROSS ACTION SUPERBERM. rockets them out on to the next straight and into the H ONDA HIMA LAYA S, a series of ramped jumps four feet hig h! A hard right -hand turn and they're facing a set of KHJ DOUBLE CRUNCHER hu m ps that leads them to a nother line to pass , which slides them into the next sweeping rig ht turn . Around this bend. they will climb CARRER A R ID GE, and launch off the six-foot high slope over a 30 -foot plateau for a quick la nding. Braking hard for some sharp hairpin turns , the next obstacles a re the UNIVERSll'Y STEREO TETONS . a pair of steep and ra dical five-foot jumps. Turning left. the riders find themselves in the midst of the MILLER BATTLEFIELD, _ filled with bo ne -jarring whoop-dedoos ; jump off a four -foot ledge. an d make their wa-y through a teeth grinding 60-foot DEL TACO H OT STUFF SAND I'll'. Scaling a six-foot wall of dirt is the on ly way out and once over . they'll gas it down a short straight, around big left -ha nd berm , and right into the KMET ROCKERS . . . a IOO-foot long section of pounding whoops! Riders recover just in time to meet the biggest, meanest chunk of a ,....-( 1:' C'\l >~ ~ ;:j s= ~ ~ IAbovel Team Honda's Donnie " Holeshot" Hansen,lBelowl Supercross kickoff track. mountain ever, the COCA -COLA CATAPULT. They fly off the eight foot cliff. skid into the last hairpin turn, and roost out on to the start straightlWhewl! Its MILLER time! Presented by KMET and sponsored by Miller High Life. American Honda, Del Taco. Coca-Cola, KHJTV9. Ca rrera , University Stereo, Dirt Bike and Motocross Action Magazines, Supercross Kickoff will offer race fans more special prizes and ha ppenings than ever. Spectators can pick up a free Del Taco Early Entry Pass at any participating Del Taco Restaurant, whic h a llows earlybirds in to watch rider practice at 4:00 on race day. While at Del Taco , sign up for the Del Taco Sweepstakes! Priied awa rded in this Hot Stuff drawing are a Honda CR250R, a $1000 University Stereo system, DG riding apparel worth $600 , a year's supply of Coca -Cola , free lunches at Del Taco for one year. and subscriptions to Dirt 'Bike and Motocross A ction magazines. Fans can also stop by the Box Office p roof of between Jan . 26-29, wi purchase from any 2 liter Coca -Cola product. and get a free Del Taco Early Entry Pass. Tube watchers should be 'sure to tUIj,e in for half-hour supercross specials on KHJ-TV Channel 9. The 1980 Coca -Cola Supercross Finals at San Diego will air on Friday, Jan. 15 from 11:00 -11 :30 p.m. ; and the .1981 Supercross Kickoff at Anaheim will be shown on Friday, Jan. 29 from 12:00 midnight -12 :30 a .rn , Even though the entire Supercross Series is thrilling action- packed entertainment , the MILLER HIGH LIFE SUPERCROSS KIC KOFF is the best buy of the season. Last year this exciting event at Anaheim Stadium was a sellout - more than 5,000 fans were left without a seat. So plan to get your tickets early. Supercross tickets are inflation fight ers with prices the same as 1979! Tickets as low as $6 available now at any O range County Honda Dealer , Supershops, Tickerron , the Anaheim Office, Convention Center Box Mutual , and through the charge line 714/535-3151. .' Supereross Amateur AMA sanctioned race will be held Sunday, Jan. 31. Ride the Pro track! Register at 7 a .m . at Anaheim Stadium or ca ll (714) 494 9482. Purse, trophies. points and morel This race qualifies riders for th e . National Amateur Supercross Cham pionships this Fall in San Diego. • 5