Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Cycle News 1983 11 30

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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shine on Saturday, November 26. The event begins at Barnes Yamaha in Barstow, with finishing festivities starting at 2:30 p.m. at the King 8 hotel and casino in Les Vegas. The main drawing for prizes will begin at 3:30 p.m. The British paper Trials and Motocross News reported that MXGP stars Harry Everts and Jo Martens have both inked conttacts with Husqvarna for 1984. Everts will ride the 500cc MXGP series with Leif Persson, while Martens will contest the 250cc World Motocross Championship. ~ o C(') ... Q.) ..0 E Q.) ;> o Z Judge dimisses Sierra Club suit, clears the way for . Barstow to Vegas lOS ANGELES. CA. NOV. 18 With hardly a week to spare before the scheduled stert of the November 26 Barstow. California. to Les Vegas. Nevada. desert race. federal judge A. Wallace Tashima denied an environmentalist lawsuit seeking to prevent the race. reports the American Motorcyclist Association. Following a hearing on November 7 and an unusual field trip to view the race course on November 10. Tashima finally issued his ruling at 7 p.m. on November 18. The judge decided against virtually every one of the arguments presented by the Sierra Club. the Wilderness Society. the California Native Plant Society and the Desert Protective Council. The ruling was quickly appealed to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, although attorneys representing the AMA expressed their belief that the environmentalist suit had little chance of victory because of the strength of judge Tashima's November 18 ruling. The Barstow to Vegas cross-country reca was halted over its 1974 running due to organizational problems and claims of environmental damage. Since then AMA staff members and officers from AMA District 37 have worked diligently with the Bureau of Lend Managbement to secure a revival of the classic desert race. louis McKey. the "Phantom Duck of the Desert." also played a key role as figurehead in the protest trail rides held in the interim on the traditional Thanksgiving weekend date of the event. A permit for the event was finally granted by the BlM earlier this year. followed by the filing of the Sierra Club suit against the BlM and AMA on September 13. "The judge's decision reinforcas the power of the BlM to plan for and accommodate a wide variety of uses in the California Desert." commented AMA Government Relations Director Rob Rasor. "The Sierra Club elected not to get involved in the public-participation process. and they found out in this case that the court isn't going to tell the BlM how to do its job. " Two new Supercross sponsors are apparently on their way. In CaJifornia, Mike Goodwin announced that Coca-Cola had been signed for the entire series. According to Goodwin's press release, the Coca-Cola program has three main facets. The first is a . pre-event payoff to riders such as for the furthest jump off the "Coca-Cola Catapult." The second is the signing of Honda's David Bailey as a CocaCola-sponsored rider. The final facet regards promotion by CocaCola bottlers when Supercross events are held in their territory. In Houston, Texas, Pace Management's Randi Markowitz revealed that Pace was working with Toyota Trucks for at least their events. "We don't have a firm offer in writing yet," said Markowitz, "but we're expecting one." Mr. K. Fuketsu. who has been charge of motorcycle sales at American Honda C) since 1980. is returning to Japan ~ to take up the duties of generel t', manager of Honda R&D at Osaka. Succeeding him at American Honda will be Mr. lwei. most recently head of domestic motorcycle sales with Honda of Japan. Everybody is invited to Team Hammer's victory party Saturday, December I0, from I I a.m. to ~ p.m. at Cycle Tune, 2466 Sepulveda (at the corner of Sepulveda and Crenshaw in Torrance, California. Team Hammer's endurance race bike will be· on display and the team will be there, including Team Hammer president Bruce Hammer. Representatives of Team Hammer sponsors will be on hand to answer technical questions and Team Hammer shirts, jerseys and hat will be sold. Free beer, soft drinks and hot dogs will be served. For more information call 21~/5~0-0~14. vice-pr~sident in The Victor McLeglen Motor Corps tells us that the 0-37 Barstow to Vegas Road Ride will run rein or Yamaha Racing Team Manager Kenny Clark made the announcemant as to who would be in the Yamahe camp for 1984. "We've signed Keith Bowen, and he will join Broc Glover and Ricky Johnson. " Asked about Mike Bell, Clerk replied. "Mike Bell has decided to ratire. He tried to make a come· beck from his latest knee problems, but he was hit by a rock on thet knee and he made the retirement decision. Right now, we're working up a deal with Mike to where he'll be working with us on testing bikes, and doing riding for magazine photo sessions. " The schedule for the 1984 Continen· tal Motosports Club/Skoal Bandit Golden State Series has been an· nounced, and beginning with the first weekend of January, there will be six professional and seven sportsman events. The schedule is as follows: January 7-8, Saddleback Park; January 14-15, Hollister Hills; January 21-22, Huron Cycle Park; February 4-5, Sand Hill Ranch; February 12, Carlsbad Raceway (sportsman on· Iy); February 18-19, Sunrise Valley; February 25·26, Spillway Park. The final event of the series will feature double points for sportsmen, who must ride five of the seven races to be eligible for overall series awards. Two issues ego we mentioned thet Miller High Life Beer would be heavily involved with the 1984 . Supercross Series. All Supercross winners will qualify for the Miller Masters, a $60,000 event where they'll also meet champions from other countries. Details on the where and when of the event have yet to be determined, but the winner will pocket a cool $30.000. Miller Will also be posting $4000 in purse money for each Supercross, with $1000 going to the winner and the remaining $3000 being split among the 60 riders in the event. If thet's not enough, Miller is currently negotiating with the AMA to become the series point fund sponsor for the 1984 outdoor National MX Series. As it stends right now, thet would be a $60,000 point fund for an eightrace series. Papa has heard that Earth First!, a militant environmentalist group, has sent out flyers advertising a Thanksgiving Weekend "gathering" near ZzYZK Road off Interstate 15 north of Barstow, California. Hmmm. How coincidental that it's that weekend and that site, since the Barstow to Vegas hare and hound course passes underneath 1-15 near Zzyzx Road, and of course the date for the race is Saturday, November 26. A friend of Papa's who had seen the poster said that Thursday and Friday are for "set-up" and the actual· "gathering" is Saturday. We hope that the Bureau of Land Management takes all necel!sary steps to protect the permitted event - the race - and to IDsure the present condition of the cour.5e'. Dr. Charles H. Hartman. president of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation announced his resignation November 14. In his letter of resignation Dr. Hartman said. "The 10 years I have been with the Foundation have been chellenging and rewarding for me. The MSF record of growth and accomplishment speaks for itself - in motorcycle rider education, licensing improvement. public information. research and the esteblishmant of the MSF as the pre-eminent entity in the field of motorcycle safety. I take some measure of pride in these accomplishments." Dr. Hartman continued. "Nineteen of the 27 years I've devoted to traffic safety have been in demanding executive management positions in both tha public and the privete sectors. This point in my career is a most appropriate time for reflection on those years and a possible reorientation of my personal and career goals. " While his television show is in hiatus, Larry "Supermouth" Huffman is embarking on a Motorcycle World radio show. The two-hour talk shows will run on Sunday nights from 9-11 p.m. beginning Sunday, November 27. Huffman ana his guests - Mike Bell and Terry Vance are scheduled for the first show - will field phone calls from listeners. The show will be broadcast by southern California station KNWS, 1190 on the AM dial. Sears Point Receway will host two AMA 0-36 motocrosses before the end of the year. Mark November 27 on your calendar as the first date, and December 11 as the other. The phone number for the Bay Area facility is 707/9388448. A few weeks ago we mentioned one of the co-sponsors of the Barstow to Vegas race. Brian Myette points out that Be Cycle Supply and U.S. Suzuki are also co-sponsors. Saddlebeck Motocross, the nice folks who bring MX to the Orenge County facility every Saturday morning and occasionally on Sundeys. have a new phone number: 714/831 -3482. They also have a new Sunday date for an event, December 18. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation' and the Washington Department of Licensing have announced the formation of the Washington Mowrcy: cle Safety Program. WMSP will establish or continue independently operated training programs for motorcycle riders. WMSP will also certify sites and instructors, set up and supervise new and existing programs and provide financial and technical assistance to training sites. The program was established by legislation passed in 1982. Don Mapp, an MSF employee, will be Washington's full· time state motorcycle coordinator. He will manage all active rider education sites. He will be located at the Department of Licensing, Highways-Licenses Building, Olympia, WA 98504, 206/75~-1~49. Bernes Yamaha/Kawasaki in Berstow. California. will be the sterting point for the B to V road run organized by the Victor MacLeglen Motor Corps.. and in thet regard they say they'll open their doors on Saturdey morning, November 26, at 7 a.m. For those involved with the Barstow to Vegas race, the shop will stey open on Friday night until 9 p.m. The shop is located at 1881 W. Main St., and the phone number is 619/266· 31~7. "" . .'" :,

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