Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

tho.. competitors were enjoying a break in their ..ries. Camel Pro Series dirt track competitor Steve Morehead's string of bad luck aboard Carl Patrick's HarleyDavidson XR750s continued at the July 2 Indy Mile. Morehead qualified second fastest but his night came to an end on the second lap of his heat race when the bike reportedly seized. In addition to the problems he's been having on the race track, Morehead's brother, Mike, was struck by a car while riding his street bike and he suffered a badly broken I~. According to Dick Murphy of the Treaty City M.C. of Greenville, Ohio, Mike was not carrying insurance and could use some financial help. Working with Russ Collor, Murphy and club members collected over $500 for Mike at a recent District II dirt track event. Uncini was discharged from the Dutch hospital where he was listed in critical condition just one week ago following his being struck by another rider in the June 25 DutchGP. Uncini says he'll race in the British GP on July 31. Honda has refused to allow Freddie Spencer to compete In the July 17 Cemel Pro Seri.. road race round at northern Cellfornie's Laguna Sece Racewey. At first It w .. thought that Yamaha would follow suit and withold Kenny Roberts from the event, but the word out of Belgium hes Roberts joining his teemmata Eddie lawson and Suzuki's Randy Mamole at Laguna Sece. A Los Angeles TV station made mention of the "motorcycle element" in an editorial opposing B to V. We offer this stlckie-adorned Rolls as evidence that they have nothing to feer. This picture w .. taken in the Carlsbed USGP parking lot by a sharp-eyed staffer. Kenny Roberts (Yam) won the Belgian GP's 500ccrace on Sunday, July 3, after Freddie Spencer (Hon) saw his eight-second lead disappear due to a worn-out rear tire. Randy Mamola (Suz) finished third, while Takazumi Katayma (Hon) was fourth and Eddie Lawson (Yam) took fifth. Spencer, who knocked seven seconds of( the Spa lap record in qualifying, still leads the point standings, but Roberts cut that lead to just five points, 105 to 100, with just three rounds to go in the World Championship Road Race Series. Mamola is a distant third in the point standings with 69 points, and he's followed by Katayama in fourth with 62, and Lawson in fifth with 54. Didier de Radrigues (Che) won the Belgian 260cc GP to become the first Belgian rider in 16 years to score a home-country win. Garelli teammates Eugenio Lazzarini and Angel Nieto finished 1-2 in the 126cc GP, while the Sidecar race went to Rolf Biland and Kurt Waltisperg (lCR). 2 Defending World Champion Franco Former World Champion Andre Malherbe (Hon) won the July 3 French GP, the eighth round of the World Championship 500cc MX Series and moved back on top of the point standings. Malherbe finished second to Harry Everts (Suz) in the first moto, but came back to win the second moto which saw Everts DNF. David Thorpe (Hon) was second overall with a 3-4 day, while Ivan Van der Broeck (Suz) took third overall honors with 5-5 moto performances. Malherbe now has 168 points, with Hakan Carlqvist second in the standings with 165. Carlqvist DNF the first moto in France, but came back strong and picked up second place points in the second moto. Graham Noyce (Hon), who failed to finish either moto, is now third in the standings with 121 points. American Gary Semics (Hon) picked up one GP point with a IOth- place finish in the second moto. Defending World Champion Eddy Lejeune (Hon) won the July 3 Swedish round of the World Championahip Obllrved Trials Series with e score of 66. Toni Gorgot (Mon) was second with 7& marks, while former World Chemplon Bernie Schreiber (SWM) finished third with a score of 77. After nine of the 12 '83 rounds, Lejeune leeds the point standings with 114 points. Californien Schreiber is second with 92. Team Honda road racer Mike Baldwin jetted to Belgium last week to have his right wr\st, which he broke. in a July 23 practice.session at Pocdno International Raceway in Pennsylvania, looked at by famed Belgian surgeon, Dr. DeWaeder. Motocrosser Jim Gibson was a spectator at the July 3 Belglen Road Rece GP. Gibson Is competIng in the 126cc MX GPs, but I - Califomle Senete Bill 166, the Green Stickle Fund repayment bill, wiH be heerd before the Aseembly Way. and Meen. Committee on Wednesdey,JuIy13,etge.m. The bill, Introduced by Senator Alen Robbin., ha. elreedy peued the State Senete, P..... write, cell or wire your Assembly repr••enta· tiv.. and urge them to support the measure. The weekend follo~ing Laguna Seca will see the first AMA-sanctioned Superbike race ever held at Oregon's Portland International Raceway. The AFM Pro-promoted event will run July 25-24, and is being billed as Nippondenso Spark Plugs presents the Kawasaki 100. The race itself will feature the Superbike class running two legs with the winner being determined by Olympic scoring. AI mentioned in the lest Issue or so, the fire hezerd in the California duert Is very high. The Bureau of Land Menegement I. requiring campfire permit. for open fim (hibechl. and Coleman stova are OK without a permit), and the permits ere availeble from any BlM office or BLM ranger. One eree of the deeert, bordered by Highway 40 on the north, the 29 Palm. Marine Ba.. on the ealt, Highway 62 end the Sen Bernerdlno Netional Forest on the south, end by the Mojave River on the west. I. closed to campfim ahogather. Papa was Qne of the many Los Angeles-area residents who caught the KHJ-TV Channel 9 editorial against the BLM-approved Barstow to Las Vegas motorcycle race. KHJ Public Mfairs Vice President Fernando Del Rio delivered the editoial, with such classic lines as, "In the race the motorcycles will leave a wake of destruction of thousands of plants and animals native to our precious desert." Or, "Secretary of the Interior James Wall refused to let the Beach Boys sing at the Fourth of July concert in Washington. He felt they would invite pot-smoking youths to the nation's capitol. But in California he is allowing the motorcycle element to use our desert for free." Quite frankly, Papa was shocked. He and the rest of the editorial gang around here realize that not everyone is going to love the idea of motorcyclists racing B to V. But responsible journalism requires - make that demands - gelling the facts straight. In his editorial, Del Rio cited 1400 motorcyclists; the race limit is 1200. Del Rio says that the course will run over open desert; in fact the course is made up entirely of existing roads and lIails. Del Rio speaks of a "wilderness environment"; yet he fails to mention the other, minor man-made intrusions in the area - little things like freeways, railrO

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