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/126664
configuration of the frame very soon so we can have both a TT and short track set-up available for Houston." The layout of the Pontiac TT track, with it very tight turns, had a few riders grumbling although most considered it well done considering the space limitations of the Silverdome. However, the majority of the riders considered the track to be one of tbe roughest they had ever raced on. "The dirt is also used for the Supercross they run here and if it's lumpy or berms up then it's fine," said track designer/builder David Murrell. "The dirt was wet when we brought it in and it never really dried out. It turned to clods and rutted up pretty badly. We did everything we could to keep the track in shape, but there was only so much you could do with the dirt in the condition it was in." Central Regional Referee Duke Olliges found out how hard the clods were when one hit the right lens of his glasses and broke of[ a big chunk. The AMA has releaHd a tentative schedule for the 1984 Camel Pro Series. The listing shows 34 Nationals with some date changes from last year's schedule and the addition of three new locationsl events - St. Louis, Missouri, and Los Alamitos, California, and a site to be announced in Ohio for a .short track and two half miles, respectively. Dropped from the schedule are the Santa Fe Short Track. Knoxville and Hamburg Half Miles as well as the summer mile Nationals at Indianapolis and Syracuse. The schedule. which follows, is subject to change. 2/4 ST/Houston TX 215 TT/Houston,TX 3/10-11 RR/Daytona Beach, FL 417 TT/Gardena. CA 4/14 M/Sacramento, CA 5/5 STISan Jose, CA 5/6 M/San Jose, CA 6/12 HM/Gardena, CA 6120 M/Springfield, IL 6/2 HM/Louisville, KY 619 HM/Harrington, DE 619-10 RR/Elkhart Lake, WI 6116-17 RR/Loudon, NH 6122 TTIHinsdale, IL 6/23-24 RR/Pocono, PA 6130 I:tM/TBA,OH 717 STiSt. Louis, IL 7/14 HM/Hagerstown, MD 7121-22 RR/Laguna Seca, CA 7/28 M/DuQuoin,IL 8/4 M/Cicero,lL 8/12 TTIPeoria, IL 8/18-19 RRISearsPoint. CA 8126 M/lndianapolis, IN 8/26 M/lndianapolis, IN 9/1-2 RR/Brainerd, MN 919 M/Syracuse, NY 9/16 M/SanJose,CA 9/22 HM/Gardena, CA 9123 HM/Los Alamitos, CA 9129-30 RR/Lexington, OH 10/6 M/Sacramento, CA 10/14 M/Springfield,lL 10/20 TTI Pontiac, MI Ricky Graham's three National victories in a row put him into some select company. No rider has ever won the final three Nationals of the season in the 30 years of the AMA Grand National Championship. Only seven riders have ever won three backto-back Nationals: Joe Leonard, Carroll Resweber, Dick Mann, Gary Scott, Kenny Roberts, Jay Springsteen and Steve Eklund. Only Leonard (1954) and Resweber (1961) have won four straight. 2 The withdrawal by Kawaseki from Formula One and Superbike road racing caught Honda by surprise and caused them to ra-evaluate their plans for the 1984 season, according to Honda's Udo Glett. "We've terminated our Support team program in the Superbike ranks and cut down the factory effort in Formula One and Superbike drastically," seid Giett. "Our factory effort will consist of Mike Baldwin and Fred Merkel in both Formula One and Superbike." Out of rides for '84 are Sam McDonald, John Bettencourt and Roberto Pietri. The October 22-23 rescheduled running of the MRA .S. Motorcycle Nationals at New Jersey's Atco Dragway was rained out for the second time. "We will run the event on May 5-6( 1984) at Atco, " said NMRA'sJim Harris. "Right now we're looking into an equitable way to settle the championship battles which would have been decided at the event." The overall win at the Sunday, October 23 National Championship Series Enduro in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, wentto Mike Melton (Hus) with a score of 11. John Martin (C-A) edged Jeff Fredette (Kaw) for second overall honors. . Both lost 13 points. Melton had clinched the series title at the Black Coal National Enduro in Lynnville, Indiana, on September 11. One round ramains on the '83 calendar. Kimi Douglass was the big winner at the October 23 Women's National Championships held at California's Saddleback Park. Douglass guided a pair of Kawasakis to wins in the 125 and 250cc Pro classes to take the overall championship. Michigan rider Lisa Akins paced her Yamahas to a second overall finish. while Yamahamounted Mercedes Gonzales wound up in third. Complete coverage ofthe Women's Championships next week. "After nearly two years of trial and error refinement and hard work I believe we've got the right combination," said Harry Lillie after Steve Morehead's performance in the Pontiac TT National aboard the Lillie PC-4. "I didn't have a catchy name for the frame so I'm using the part number," explained Lillie. "This was a joint project between myself, C80J frames and Works Performance shocks. The chassis features a single shock mounted to the left side of the swingarm and the frame in a nearly horizontal position. It works on the same rising rate principal as Honda's XR600, but without the linkage. We'll be testing KTM's new 660cc four-stroke engine in a short track Kathy Hoy, Wrangler manager of special evants, has announced the extent of Wrangler's sponsorship involvement in the 1984 Supercross and outdoor National Motocross season. "The series will be two-fold in '84. There will be the Wrangler Cup Series, which will encompass both Supercross and outdoor Nationals, and will have the same format the Wrangler Super Series had in '83," Hoy said. "Thera will also be the Wrangler Supercross Series. The Wrangler Cup Series point fund will total $76.000 and the Wrangler Supercross Series point fund $50.000." The $126.000 total is an increasa of $26,000 over that paid out in '83 by Wrangler. Add Mike Melton to the list of those who will compete in the Superbikers event on November 5 at Carlsbad, California. Melton, who has clinched the National Enduro Series title and was top American at the ISDE in Wales, has been invited to vie for a portion of the $50.000 purse. Motocrosser Danny "Magoo" Chandler won the event in '82, and will be back to defend his crown. "I'd like to apologize to aU my friends and fans for not being at the (October 23) Camel Pro Series Awards Banquet," said Gary Scott in a call from his Springfield, Ohio home. "I want to Pontiac with the thought of riding the TT National but my arm was still waak from my accident at Syracuse although the bone I broke is 100% healed. I would have really feh funny going to the benquet and celebrating when all did _ watch the races." A group seeking to establish a 640acre ORV facility near the California desert com unity of Ridgecrest has received a $452,000 grant from the OHV Fund to develop the project, but they haven't cleared all the obstacles yet. The money from the OHV Fund must come through a government agency, in this case the City of Ridgecrest, and there is opposition coming from environmentalists and the railroads, even though the area is presently classified by the BLM as for intensive use. The Ridgecrest City Council will meet on Monday night, November 7, and vote on whether to accept the money or not. If they refuse, that's the end of the project. If you're in favor of an OR V park near Ridgecrest, or plan to use such a facility, the Ridgecrest Cycle Park Committee urges you to write positive letters of support. Send them to Mayor Ron Cheshire, Ridgecrest City Hall, 139 Balsam St., Ridgecrest, CA 93555. The third annual North versus South California MX Championship will be held at Saddlebaclt Park on November 19. The idea of the event is to pit the 20 top riders in a wide range of classes from both northern and southern California. and let them have it out for the state bragging rights. There will be Pro (but no AMA Expert MX Pros), Intermediate, Novica, Old TImer and Vetlr classes, and although the qualifiers have been held, there are some openings. For the full details on those, contact the promoter, Jim Beltinck, by calling 714/496-4771. The Great American Motorcycle Show will hit the southern California area on December 8 as the four-day show opens allhe Los Angeles Convention Center. Among the attraclions will be the 1984 mOlOrcycle lines, as well as personalilies like MXers Bob Hannah and Donnie Hansen, aclors Bruce Penhall and Larry Wilcox and announcer Larry Huffman, plus trials riding demonstrations and motorcycle fashion shows. Tickets lo the show are $5, bUl dollar-of[ coupons will be available at paTlicipating motorcycle dealerships and Chief Auto PaTls stores. Off-highway vehicle organizations and other groups may arrange for free group campsites at all California State Vehicular Recreation Araas in exchange for work parties to assist with clean-up, minor maintenance and other needed work. All araas have a need for litter pick-up, fence-instaliations, revegetation projects and other such activities. Campsites and work agreements must be agreed to in advance, by contacting the Individual SRVA. The six California SRVAs and their phone numbers are as follows: Carnegie (408/637-3874). Hollister Hifts (408/637ยท3874), Hungry Valley (806/248-6447), Ocotillo Wells (619/767-36461, Pismo Dunes (806/643-2161) and Clay Pit (916/634-2409). AMA District 37 is producing a sauvenir program for the Novembe,h27 Barstow to Vegas Hare 'N' Hound. The program is scheduled to incl de a full rider list. history of the event, personalities, etc. All funds generated from the program adveTlising and program sales will go directly to the AMA/Dlstrict 37 Legal Defe\lse Fund. Anyone interested in helping lhem OUl can contact Tammy Kennedy-Wert at 26551 Saddlehorn, Laguna Hills, CA 92653,714/831-6330. Bobby Schwartz and John CoOk, both of whom scored wins on the big track last year, lead the f"leId in the November 4 Ascot Long Track Championship to be held on the Gardena, California, haH mile oval. Over 40 riders are entered, including British League star Lanca King and a good contingent of northern California riders led by Buddy end Rocky Robinson. The riders in the Friday night event will be going for a $3000 purse or 30% of the gate, whichever is graater. Jeanne Bear Sleeper, lhe president of Stadi urn MOlOrSpOTls, said thal ticket sales for lhe November 5 Miller High Life Supercross in San Diego were "beginning lo perk up now that we've staTled our adveTlising." As to the disa~eemenl,between SMC and ,the AMA, Sleeper alluded to continuing talks between promoters led by (Continued to JItII" 16)