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/126633
Trans-Ca l Series, was hit by a car in an intersection while street riding. His motocross-honed reflexes certainly helped him as he told others that he kn ew he was going to be hit and lifted hi s leg as high as possible. That quick action saved him a larger handicap: but hi s right leg still had to be amputated several in ches below the kn ee. His spi rits a re reported to be good , and he was otherwise uninj ured. Aston has had four operations already, a nd a no ther on e schedu led, but doctors say he should be u p a nd around in six months. T im has reportedl ys aid he will be racing in th at m uc h time. Ca rds a nd lett ers ca n be sent to T im Aston , P.O . Box 61. Biggs, CA 959 17. We have heard that T im ca n use blood donors. If you can help, call the hospital a t 916/ 4532011 for informati on. Pennsylvania Congressman Robert Walker has again introduuced a re s ol ut ion calling for a presidential strike force t o inve s t ig a t e and prosecute " o ut la w " motorcycle gangs. HCR82, just like Walker's HCR220 in 1979, fai ls to make a differentiation between " o ut la w" motorcycl ists and law-abiding riders. HCR82 calls for a program that would establish a federal strike fo rce in each U.S. jud ic ia l district to "i nv e s ti g a t e and prosecute crimes committed by members of outlaw motorcycle gangs." Wheeli e King Doug Domokos and his lovelygirfriend Loah Corry are plann ing an October 1983 wedding. We do n' t expec t Dom okos to wh eeli e all th e wa y to th e alta r; th e wedd ing is to be held in Hawaii. Johnny Cecotto made his fir st U.S. appearance since the 1979 Laguna Seca F760, but it was in a car. Cecotto fin ished sixth atthe Long Beach GP. Superbikes will be coming to Riverside Int ern atio nal Raceway as the Budweiser Superbike Cup on April 16· 17. The Pro-Am program will see a Lock hart O il Coolers SuperStreet race, an N D Spark Plugs-sponsored Formula Two race, and the Bell 100 Superbike feature , run in two legs. For more information on this event, contact the promoters, AFM Pro, at 7141735·5342. . Mike Be ll models a prototype Bell helmet t hat he's been using . Suzuki's Eric Geboers topped Yam aha-mounted American Jim Gibson in the first round of th e I 25cc World Motocross Championship Series, held March 27 in Best, Holland. Geboers won both rnotos, while Gibson turned in a 3·2 tally . Yamaha rider Joh nny Hensen went 4·4 for third overall. Mike Brown , an American contest.ing the series on a works Cagiva, qualified 19th fastest, but did not place in the point s in either moto. 2 In the first ISDE Qualifier of the year in Tellico Plains, Tenn ., Husky 's Ed Lojak took the overall and 260cc Intent class w ins. Fellow Husky riders Mike Melton and Mark , Hyde captured the 600 and 126cc Int e nt class victories, repectively. Drew Smith took the Over 600cc Fo ur-Stro ke c lass on a Honda XR . There were no fi nis he rs in the BOcc Inte nt c lass . ~ SCORE San Fe lipe winner Jack Johnson credited much of his March 27 victory to Bob Ba lentine. Ba lentine, the 1982 San Fe lipe winner, was seriously injured last year in an accident while prerunning the Baja 600 and lost the bottom portion of his right leg. Johnson said that Bob was responsible for building and prep· ping the bike for the rac e. In addit ion, Ba lentine was in San Felipe to pit for Johnson and offer advice. "I don't m ind working on the bike when you have a guy like Jack rid ing it , " said an obviously-proud Balentine. Bob is now working with AI Baker on the development of the Honda 'four-strokes and is competing in local endu ros to test the bikes. Balentine claims he doesn't go too fast yet - "I'm just having a good time and doing my jo b." . HosPITal STOP: Northern Ca lifornia T eam Gr een morocrosser Tim Aston . most rem ember ed for h is many-lap lead .over Jim Gibson and Scott Burnworth in last year's CMC Re nt -a-racer syndrome hit Hangtown with one famous ride r getting sideways and being pulled over by one of the attenda nt sheriff's deputies. The ride r commented later, "I would have liked to have seen him explain at the jail: ' I caught this man doing powerslides in an off-road vehicle parkl'" The rider received only a warning, and made his plane. Denny Bent ley and Donnie Cantaloupi were among the notable noshows at Hangtown. Actuall y, Bentley was there, bu t fell in practice on Saturday and hurt his shoulder. Cantaloupi cracked an ankle at Houston and will be out for several weeks. Darrell Shultz, one of two champions not able to come and defend their championships, had another knee operation th e week before Hangtown to flush his " bovin ic" knee . Now that he has missed the opening round. Shulu plans to let the knee have whatever time it needs. His father said, "If you have the speed, you can come back. Look at Hannah. " Kawasaki teamster Kent Howerton was still suffering from the effects of his right knee injury, but said it d idn't bother him. He was wearing a borrowed brace on it . " I didn't want to spend $600 for a brace like this and not have it work," he said . '" a lready spent $76 on one I don't like. I'm going to get the material and build one myself. I know that I can build one that is better than this and less bulky. Until I have time for an operation, I'll just have to fake it. " Tw o-t irn e Wor ld Road R a ci n g Champ and 1976Daytona 200 winner Johnny Cecotto scored his first Wor ld Driving Championship point with a sixth- place fin ish in th e Long Beach G rand Pr ix Formula One a uto race. Cecouo qualified his Theodore N 183 Cosworth 17th in the 26·car field. In ot her LBG P action , Wor ld Speedway Champion Bruce Penhall finished ninth overall, fourth celebrity in a pro/ celebrity ra ce. Former Cycle Guide editor and current Sports lllustrated sta ffer Sam Moses DNF after being cra shed into by rock star T ed Nugent. To protect its na me and tradema rks, Ha rle y- Davi dso n offic ials and fede ra l ma rshals confiscated unaut ho rized me rchandise bearing th e Harley -Davidson name or t rademarked log os in Daytona Be ach t he week before Cycle Week ' 8 3. W hil e Ha r le y is taking a c t io n against those w ho sell merchandise w it ho ut license, t hey have s ig ned 21 lice ns e s and are actively neg ot iating contracts w ith 30 other firms . " In setting up formal licens· ing agreements an d ta king actio n aga inst compa nies that sell Harley mercha ndise without lice nse , we are making sure that we keep t he righ t to th e Harley-Davidson na m e ," said John Heiman, Harley's tradema rk lic e n si n g manag er . "That, plus limi t ing the number of licenses in anyone product category means the Harley name w ill be just that much more valuable ." SWM· USA has sig ned Col orad o rider Mor gan Ca vana ug h to compete in th e 1983 AMA /NATC Na t ional Observed Trial s Series. Cavana ug h, wh o fin ished second in th e series in 1981 : will rid e th e new SWM 350 Jumbo. Lubri ca tio n Dy namics, the makers of DuraLube, re po rt that Danny Hopkins is the new president of the firm , having succeeded Thomas Denner near the end of 1982. Hopkins served as vice president of the company for the past several years. Steve Booth, publisher of th e book Diggin' Dirt sa ys he'll be supporting th e 1983 U.S. International Six Days Enduro effort . From now through August, all purchasers of the book at its regular price ($11.50 postpaid) will receive an AMA ISDE 1983 Sup' port Team sticker worth $2, a nd the $2 will be sent to the team fund a t AMA headquarters. If you 'd like to buy th e book and help the fund, yo u can contact Booth at Paragon Productions, 3106 Sweetbrier, Lafayette, CA 94549. Enduro competitor John Fero has taken the position of Eastern Ser· vice Manager w ith Maico. Fero will relocate from his home in illinois to Ma ico's Virginia headquarters. KK Motorcycle Supply's J .R. Kelley suffered a heart attack over the Christ· mas holida ys. A KK spokesperson tells us th e attack was a mild one and J. R. is O K. H e's curren tly a t a South Carolina universit y where he's being giv en di et a nd exercise program instructio ns. 1984 w ill see the first running of the Tria l des Nations, an annual int e r- na t io ns event that has been under FIM consideration for the past two years. Poland will host the first Trial des Nations in which each competing nation will field a team of four trials riders, of which the best three will count. In a hom ecoming of sorts, Triumph has left its Merid en factor y a nd is currentl y moving machinery to Coventry. Eng la nd, th e ci ty th ey left 40 years ago when th e pl ant was flattened in th e World War II blitz . T riumph chairma n, J ohn Rosam ond.