Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area, has been closed to all vehicles. The hill is a prominent feature of Blow Sand Canyon, recently acquired for the park. Canyon access roads, overlooking the Borrego Badlands, will rCMTIain open to ofr-road vehicles, but hillclimbing on Bald Hill, a large sand dune on the lee side of Borrego BUlle, is no longer allowed. Hillclimbs, open washes, dunes, and rocky terrain will continue to present off-road recreational opportunities within the l4,500-acre Ocotillo Wells SVRA, and the State Department of Parks ane\" Recreation is considering acquisition of 26,000 acres for expansion of the area. The proposed acquisition has been approved by the OffHighway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission. There's an interesting twist to the January 8 World Championship Hare and Hound; a real "hare." The role will be played by Baja 1000 winner Jack Johnson, who will have a five-minute headstart on the first wave. Johnson will be called the Skoal Bandit, and the Skoal folks have put a $500 price on his head for the first rider to catch him. Should no one catch the speedy las Vegas resident,the money will .go to first overall. The 150-mile event begins at Whiskey Pete's Casino at Stateline and will end near las Vegas. Honda riders protested 'the results of the recent Barstow to Vegas hare and hound, claiming that if 25% of the riders made it through to the first check it should be left in. However, jn a well-attended meeting Thursday night, December 8, the D-37 Competition Committee voted 5-3 to leave tbe results as they were with the first check out. This was a result of the snafu off the start, where most recent reports are thata miner laid ribbon of his own up a sandwash just past the bomb and many riders followed thal. According to Mik.e Goodwin, only InSport competition licenses will be accepted in the Supercross Series beginning January 28 at Anaheim Stadium. California Racing Club licenses will naturally be required for the CRC amateur event on Sunday, January 29, 1984. The shoulder pad prices missing from last week's Sunshine Motorcycle Ac· cessories advertisement have been located and are back in t'heir proper place in this week's ad. "We have received a letter from Howard Tiedt, the promoter of the Santa Fe Short Track and TT Nationals, listing five points on why we should grant him a sanction for a National short track in 1984," said AMA's Bill Boyce. "He submitted applications for both Nationals and we granted him the TT after he responded he would rather have the TT if he was awarded only one sanction. We haven't returned his unused sanction fee yet so you c:ould say things' are still in the air. Both Wayne Moulton and I are looking into the situation." The Santa Fe Speedway facility in Hinsdale, Illinois, is the only track in the nation which runs a program of weekly races in addition to being a Camel Pro Series National venue. Kenny Roberts may be chasing the Camel Pro Series title in 1984. Roberts made a trip to the Harley-Davidson factory in Milwaukee at Thanksgiving time to talk about a dirt track effort and the possibility of purchasing four XR 750 dirt trackers. He left empty handed. "We would have loved to have helped Kenny out," said Harley Racing Team Manager Clyde Denzer, "but we didn't have any equipment to sell. He is pursuing the avenues open to him for tbe coming season and one of them is to get back into the Camel Pro Series with his own team. I would like to see him do it because I think it would be good for the sport." --If your dealer doesn't handle The mention of a possibJe return to dirt track racing for Roberts was enough to get Ricky Graham's former sponsorItuner Tex Peel on the phone. "I talked to Kenny," said Peel. "and told him if he was really interested in racing again then I had an operation where all he had to do was show up, throw a leg over the seat and ride. We discussed some things, but as far as I know he hasn't made any decision on what or where he'll be racing. He appears to wantto have his own team rather than riding someone else's equipment. I'm working hard on my bikes for next year," continued Peel. "I'll be ready no matter what happens. I may have Hank Scott riding for me because we:re still talking about it and .then I might just have King Kenny." sho~ hiDl this... Dear Dealer, As a Cycle News dealer, you'll not only have the pleasure of dispensing a lot of good cycle news to your. customers, but you'll also have the pleasure of pocketing .50% profit. . A minimum order of 5 copies per issue makes you an official Cycle News deaJer. As a dealer, you'll receive it handy Cycle News coUnter rack, an Openl Closed sign and point of purchase sales aids included in your one time set up fee of $4.00. Why wait? Wherever you a~e East, or West, there's a Cycle News edition for you to sell out of. And a Cycle News staffer is waiting for your call,· 213/427·7433, or write Cycle -News vyest, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, California 90801. Former Puch/DKW/KTM distributor Ted Lapadakis has been picked by the new ownership of the Maico factory in Germany to distribute the bikes in the U.S. "We've signed an agreement to distribute the new pro· duct here in the U.S., but we don't know what we will name it because the Maico U.S.A. people own the rights to the name Maico in America," said Lapadakis. The new Maico factory is owned by Wilhelm, Pete,r and Hans Maisch, all children of the original Maico founders. One of the two founders, Otto Maisch and his daughters, relinquished control of the factory because of bankruptcy, but still own Maico U.S.A. Lapadakis also said that questions over the name and other issues should be resolved shortly, and that bikes should be coming into the country soon as well. The seventh annual Cowpuncher Hare Scrambles was run December 11 in what our northern California correspondent describes as a "torrential downpour, no, make that a hurricane." Nevada resident and KTM rider Charles Halcomb won the event after a last-lap, side-byside thriller with Suzuki-mounted Duke Dowell. Vet rider Gary Vanderpool splashed his KTM to third overall. We'll have coverage in an upcoming issue; as soon as our writer dries out his notes. The California Racing Club's Amateur Supercross at Anaheim Stadium is set for January 29, the day after the, Pro Supercross. The CRC Amateur event will feature an the regular classes plus classes for Pee Wees and under eight years of age. Only four qualifying rounds for these added classes remain on the CRC schedule, however. Professional motoc'ross racers can qualify for the January 28 Supercross at ~naheim Stadium by riding CRC qualifier events December 18 at Indian Dunes; January 8 at Saddleback Park; January 15 at Indian Dunes and .January 22 at Saddleback Park. Up to 20 Pros can qualify for the big one in ~na heim Stadium by riding these CRC events. Larry "Supermouth" Huffman, who announced the Kyoto, .lapan, Supercross race and penned our coverage of the event, had a little help in the (Continued to page 29) ----------~---------- !DEALERS...6EI WnH n! I ~~~s :7t~t t~~nn~~~~::u:'t~~nr:;:rs~C::: yS:~li~1I ~iJf~: I monthly and I have full return privileges on unsold papers, I by returning the issue number and date with my check for I the balance. I I wish to receive [!] [!g ~ copies of Cycle News East 0 Cycle News West 0 I Send CYCLE NEWS to: I Name of Store I Address -'-_______________ City II I I State Zip Authorized by - - - - - - - - - - Send Advertising info Phone # _ 0 Mail to: CYCLE NEWS, PO Box 498 Long Beach, California 9b801-G498 or Call 213-427-7433 I I I I I • I I I I I I ~---------------------~ 3

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