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/126750
More details on lhe "rebirth" of Tri· umph that we told you aboul last week. By the time you read this, Ihe leg-al papers naming JRC as Ihe U.S. di IributorofTriumphs should be in the hands of JRC' John Calicchio. John is still planning- 10 have Tri· umphs for sale by the end of summer. While thefiTSl shipment will be made up of kick-start TI-lO's, Calicchio did mention that electric-start eight-valve TS models should be available shortIy after. ESPN will tape the February 12 Wrangler Dash at Seattle for later broadcast. World 500cc Motocross Champion Hakan Carlqvist has been nominated as sport personality of the year by a major newspaper in Stockholm, Sweden. Svenska Dagbladet gives the award annually; the last time it was given to a mOlOrcyclist was when motocrosser Sten Lundin and speedway star Ove Fundin shared the award in 1961. After new factory Honda member Ron Lechien sprained his thumb at the first round of the Golden State Series, he made his debut in the third round at Huron Cycle Ranch but met with little success. While running in the top three in his qualifier, Ron took another high-speed spill and dislocated his other thumb. We spoke with Lechien's father, Dick, and he told us that Ron buried his throttle in the dirt while leaned over in a turn which caused dirt to jam in the throttle housing. A few turns later, the throttle stuck just enough to send Ron over the bars. As it stands now, Ron will be riding the Anaheim Supercron next week but probably won't be 100 percent. Yamaha's Broc Glover returned to action in the third round of the Golden State Series at Huron after he broke his thumb while snow skiing last month. However, Broc crashed hard in the second molO after tangling with teammate Rick Johnson. It was initially thought that he had broken a finger, but as it turn out, he dislocated it. According to Yamaha race manager, Kenny Clark, Glover will still be able 10 ride at Anaheim. 2 Rumors have been flying acron the country that the factory motocron teams would only compete in selected events in 1984. Yamaha was the first to come on record and say that was true, when racing manager Ken Clark indicated that his team would miss the Talladega, Alabama, and San Jose, California, AMA Supercross events, as well as InSport Supercross events at Buffalo, New York, and Foxboro, Massachusetts, Yamaha's big YZ contingency fund also excludes those events. Suzuki, according to spokesman -Rob Sanders, will compete "in all events." According to Mr. Kazuka, American Honda racing director, Team Honda may elect to not ride certain Supercross events in 1984. "We ara currantly studying the possibility of not attending some of the Supercross races in the United States this year, .. Kazuka said. "The organizers must realize that manufacturers cannot continue to expand their racing efforts. The resuh may be for some of the manufacturers to drop out of racing." As of presstime, Kawasaki's racing department was in a meeting on this very topic. Hondaline has run ads offering an exchange for certain Hondaline helmets, because the helmets didn't meet Snell Foundation standards, even though they carried Snell approval, according to Honda. Joe Parkhurst's Motorcycle Business N~sletteT reported that Honda has filed suit against Snell Foundation, charging fraud. Honda spokesman Bill Willen, however, said, "We are working with Snell to resolve certain questions. We have filed suit, but it has not been served and there is no active litigation at present. We are currently conducting our own investigation 9f the maILer." American Sports Company, the helmet supplier mentioned in the Hondaline ads, offered this rebuttal: "American Sports Company believes helmets manufactured over five years ago should be withdrawn from service, The Snell Foundation apparently agrees with this view (deciding) 10 limit compliance testing 10 helmets manufactured within the past five years. American Sports strongly disagrees with representations by American Honda that helmets produced by American Sport over the last five years fail to meet Snell standards. American Sports was licensed by the Snell Foundation to certify its helmet 10 the 1975 Snell tandard and has had a license to certify its helmets to the 1980 Snell standard continuously since OClOber 31. 1981." However, according to M BN, charges ha ve been made that Snell has not tested a helmet since April, 1983, while Snell certification requires random helmets be tested for compliance to Snell standards. The halftime show at the January 28 Great American Shootout indoor short track in San Francisco's Cow Palace should prove interesting. Promoter Mike Kidd has scheduled a "Parade of Champions." Among those expected to make an appearance are former Grand National Champions Dick Mann, Mert Lawwill, Ricky Graham, Steve Eklund, Kidd and former national sidecar champ Larry Coleman. Word is that Brad Lackey may show up too, if he doesn't ride the Anaheim Supercron. BMW of North America has announced that their new watercooled four-cylinder K100 models will be available in BMW dealerships by July, three months earlier than originally planned. Three models - the K1oo, K100RS and K100RT -willsupplementBMW's current R-series opposed twins. BMW says it expects the K1 OOs to boost 1984 sales to 5400, 16% over the record 1983 figure of 4647. "BMW is one of only two on-road motorcycle companies to show a gain on sales during 1983," said Jean-Pierre Bailby, motorcycle group vice president of BMW of North America. "With the introduction of the K1OOs, we see another very exciting year ahead for BMW," Last week we told you that former factory Honda star Donnie Hansen will be conducting motocross schools beginning February 18 at Indian Dunes Cycle Park in California. Whal we didn't say is lhat the 1982 250cc National/Supercross Champ has signed with Yamaha, whose bikes Donnie will use during the schools, Don't look for Hansen to compete on lhe yellow and black machines. however. Donnie says his racing days are behind him; he's concentraling on the motocross school and working in customer relalions at Answer Products. Scott USA will be supplying Team Green, Kawasaki's amateur support program, with gear for 1984. Letters are currently being sent to Team Green members with more information. There was an error in the riding impressions of the Honda RS750 and RS850R that we ran in our big endof-the-year issue last month. Carburetion on both works road racers is by Keihin. not Mikuni. Ron Crandall, the friendly soul who promotes motocron events at Corona Raceway and has worked with Stadium Motorsports on track construction, will be the race referee for the first two InSport Supercross events of the year. According to Gary Mathers, InSport's competition manager, Crandall has agreed to do Anaheim and Seattle, but the rest of the year has not been settled. InSport's procedures for electing a 60-rider field include up to six spots designated as "promoter's choice." For the Miller High Life Supercross Kickoff at Anaheim Stadium January 28, Stadium MOlorsports is exercising its choice. If he can find a way around the la k of an FIM sanction, West Germany's Rolf Die££enbach is expected to compete on a water-cooled Maieo, or whalever they're to be called in this country. Other possible "promOLer's choices" are Australian 500cc National MX Champ Je££ Liesk and Japanese rider Masanora Odiki. The third round of Mike Kidd's Great American Shootout indoor short tra~k series will be held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, on January 28. Professional riders will go at it in the evening, while amateur riders tackle the track in the morning, Under Kidd's rules, there will be three displacement classes - 80, 125, and 250cc - and Novices will run by themselves while Junior - and Expert-ranked riders will be combined. Mark John on, Kawasaki's new Team Green Race Coordinator, tells us that Team Green's western van will be .following the Golden State Series, as _ well as making an appearance for the amateur Supercross at Anaheim Stadium The van will be at both amateur and professional days of the Golden State! koal Bandil a££airs, including the amateur-only day at Carlsbad on February II. Hi-Point Racing Products will sponsor the 1984 Golden State Enduro Championship. The overall winner of the six-event series will receive Hi-Point riding gear, while series class champs and events winners receive Red Dot tires. The Golden State Enduros will be scored by AMA National Enduro rules, and the best five scores will count towards the title. The first event in the series in the February 5 Prospectors M.C. Gold Rush Enduro Palenske in southern California at 213/691-4186; in northern california call Jeff Henning at 916/691-4186. Eleven years after the AMA dropped the Junior class from dirt track Nationals to give the fans a smoother, shorter program it has been renewed. The AMA J umor National Championship Dirt Track Series will kick o££ at the February 4-5 Camel Pro Series Short Track and TT Nationals in the Houston Astrodome and run rounds at each of thedirt track Nationals. "The intent of the series is to enhance the show as well as encourage new riders. It will also give the Juniors a championship title to shoot for," said AMA's Bill Boyce. Three heats, one semi and a final will be added to the regular National program for the Juniors. Pursa money totaling $173,000 will be up for grebs in the road race portion of Daytona Cycle Week, March 3-11. The Daytona 200 will pay a record of $103,000 with the Superbike event paying out $40,000. The Formula Two race will have a $20,000 purse while the Battle of the Twins classes will split $10,000. The AMA National Championship Daytona Supercross has a $55,000 purse. Wayne Rainey will contest the 250cc World Road Racing Championship Series, riding for a Kenny Roberts/ Marl boro-backed team. The team will use Yamahas, and Britain's Alan Carter will be Rainey's teammate, but nOL all the details have been worked OUI. "Kenny and I are leaving for Europe today (January 23) to get a few more people involved; sponsors and so forth," said Rainey when we contacted him by telephone, "We'J1 probably be back around the time Houston runs (February 4-5), and I'll have a lot more soUd information on what's going on." Former National Road Racing Champ Rich Schlachter will return to action in the U.S. following a one-year hiatus. With the backing of longtime sponsor Bob Mclean. Schlachter purchased an NS500 from Honda and will contest the AMA Nationals.