Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

In news from the 1983 FlM Fall Congress held in Spain, Luxembourg's Nicolas Schmit was elected tQ a three-year term as president of the FIM, succeeding Nicolas Rodil Del Valle of Spain. The AMA's Bill Boyce was elected vice-president of the FIM Technical Commiuee during the Congress, which also saw a number of rule changes which will be implemented in 1984. One concerning World Championship Road Racing is the prohibition of "free"praetice prior to an event, where riders from various classes are on the track at the same time. The FIM issued a reminder that beginning in 1984, the 80cc class will take the place of 50s. A new scoring system was announced for the World Motocross and Observed Trials Championships. Under the new system, points will be paid to th.e top 15 riders; per-moto in motocross and based on the final standings for trails. Points will be paid out 20-1715-13-11 for the first five places, then dropping numerically through the 15th spot. While not a rule change yet. the FIM's Committee on Motocross end Snowmobiles will present a new formula to replace the present Motocross. Trophee and Coupe des Nations events with a single World Team Motocross Champion· ship. In the single event. National teams would be comprised of three riders. one each on 125. 250 and 500cc machinery. The proposal will be made at the 1984 Spring Congress. 2 Despite a losing record on the issue, the Sierra Club and three other environmental groups have taken their suit against the Bureau of Land Management's off-road vehicle designation for Dove Spring Canyon to a federal appeals court, the American Motorcyclist Association reports. The 1980 suit against the BLM and the Department of Interior contests the agency's management of the 3000acre Kern County, California, area for unlimited ORV use. The AMA was allowed to join the suit as a codefendant early in 1983. Led by the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund:the environmentalists on November 7 filed an appeal with the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal in Los Angeles. The appeal is the result of an August 5 decision against their case and a September 14 denial of their motion asking for a reconsideration of the August ruling. Both previous decision. came from Federal District Court Judge A. Wallace Tashima, also in Los Angeles. Tashima ruled that he failed to find "an abuse of '. discretion" on the part of the BLM in managing Dove Spring Canyon as an ORV "free-play" area in the California Desert. No date was set to hearthe appeal, filed by the Sierra Club, the desert Protective Council, the California Native Plam Society and the San Bernardino Audubon Society. Although American Honda has cut down on the number of riders on its teem - Mike Baldwin and Fred Merkel are it - team manager Udo Giet! says the recing department will take on an all-new sales aspect. "We will be selling equipment." said Gieti. "such as Superbike kits. We will also have Honda's new 250cc GP road recer. for sale. probably around March of next year." We've heard reports that Suzuki showed two V-4 models at their Canadian dealer show. The two models, both chopperesque, displaced 700 and llOOcc. Other sources tell us that the bikes will make an appearance in the U.S. late next spring. Motorcycle Adventures West is offering American Adventure Tours include trips through the Pacific Northwest. the canadien Rockies. the Continental Divide. the Cas· cades. the High Sierra. the Pacific Coast and Great Southwest. as well as the Mexican Riviera and High Plateau. World Championship Hare and Hound Promoter Casey Folks tdls us that he's received word that riders from several states are planning to ride the January 8, 1984 event. Casey says he's been contacted by riders from California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Idaho. The event will be a l50-mile point-to-point race ending up near Las Vegas. The drawing for start numbers is December 10. Searching out methods of funding the provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1 980. the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering reommending to Congress a 2-5% excise tax on all new off-road motorcycles and threewheeled all-terrain vehicles. the American Motorcyclist Association reports. Funds from the new tax would go toward providing grants to states for carrying out programs benefiting non-game wildlife species which aren't generally hunted. fished or trapped. A Fish and Wildlife Service notice in a recent issue of the Federal Register listed a total of 18 different sources of revenue. including a tax .. -- ........ Split personality? Or perhaps this rider is suffering from the dreaded Ben Hur syndrome and couldn't find a chariot? Actually. the manuever is part of a performance the Victor McLeglen Motor Corps put on in conjunction with the B2V road run. Photo by Skip Johnson. on off-roadvehicles. Some of the pr0posed sources of revenue are appropriate: a tax of 5-10% on wild bird seed and feeders. 5-10% on wildlife identification books. a voluntary contribution checkoff on federal income tax forms (now used on numerous state tax forms) and the sale of special "semipostal" stamps. However. the AMA opposes the proposed tax on ORVs. which could increase the price of a $2000 off-road motorcYcle by $40-$100. In its proposal. the federal agency said it is suggesting sources of funding in which the contributors would also benefit from the programs. "The AMA finds the excise tax on recreational off-road vehicles totally inappropriate." AMA Lend Use Coordinator Roy Janson said in a letter to the agency. "There is no. obvious relationship between the user of off-road vehicles and the funding of Fish and Wildlife Service activities for the benefit of nongame species. The Association feels that there are many other potential sources of funding which have direct ties to the Fish and Wildlife protection programs. and we feel that these sources should be identified and pursued." Gary at 619/421-8399 or 4263976. The D-37 Legal Defense Fund raffle, which culminated with the drawing for a Yamaha YZI25 and 550 Vision in Las Vegas on November 27, raised around $11,000 to help the District pay its legal bills, we're told. All proceeds from the rarDe went to the furid. with Yamaha donating the two bikes. Seven hundred and 12 riders were on the highways between Barstow and Las Vegas in the November 26 Victor McLaglen Motor Corps' B2V Road Ride and Poker Run. Kevin Dalton drew a straight £lush to win the $150 first prize, and John Jezbuski came up with four 9s and an ace to nail the $100 second prize. Tune into this paper next week tor a repon and photos of the goings on. On November 22 at the Continental Motosport Club headquarters in Irvine. California. the CMC'. support vehicle was broken into. Over 40 pairs of Leader goggles. which are rare in the So-cal arae. were stolen. Also taken were MXL goggles and gloves. Hallman gloves and an array of spark plugs. If anyone has information regarding the person(s) in the break-in. please contact the CMC office at 7141 261-6116. On December II, Saddleback Park will host the Budweiser-sponsored EI Trial de Espana. This event will raise funds for an American rider to represent the U.S. in trials competition in a soon-ta-announced world class event· in Europe. Also, throughout the day, there will be a $1 raffle with a Cagiva DG350 trialer up for grabs, and later on in the afternoon, there will be an Expert exhibition "spectacular." For more information give Mike Lauxen a call at 714/776-7539 (evenings) or 213/538-9337 (days). For those racers and their parents who need to make vacation plans an hotel reservations, the 1984 National Motorsports Association's Grand National Championship at Ponca City, Oklahoma, will be held August 5-12. That is. reponed to be the week before the AMA Mini/Amateur Nationals at Lorella Lynn's Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. The Second Annual Desert Dog 100. located near Plaster City. California. will take place this weekend on December 4. This race will mark the final round of the 1983 Golden State Enduro Series. Lest year's winner. Larry Roeseier. will be there and the course will feature over 1 00 continuous miles while including the "famous" Mag Seven Gas Stop. Entry fee also includes a participant Tshirt. For more information call Thirty-eight grant proposals totaling $6.900.865 were approved by the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission when it met November 19 in Borrego Springs. The Commission rejected five applications but approved one additional proposal that had not been included on the original list. The Commission also approved the addition of about 25.000 acres to the existing Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area in San Diego County.

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