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/126759
would have been furious. Jim Naylor is doing something terribly wrong. In 14 years the track should be getting safer and better. The fans love the sport, so why do the riders hate his track? One again, he won't be getting our support. We'll just stay home and use the money to rent video tapes like On Any Sunday ll. DONNA MADDOX, JESSIE LANGJN, GLENN YOUNG Be GREGALKJRE WEST America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Common cause -' Sharon ClavtOn. Publisher Caroline Gcndry, Executive Secretary to the Publisher Nancy Danger. Advertising/Editorial Assistant. Editorial Dale Brown, Senior Editor. Lance Rrysor, EdiLOr. Kit Palmer, Edilor. Man Hdgenberg. Editor. Advertising Skip Johnson. National Sales Manager. Terry Pran. Sales Manager. Mike Spencer, Sales Manager. Linda Brown. Advertising Coordinator. Tina Bowen. Advertising Assistant. Graphics and Production Gene Hennen, Graphic Anisl. Lori Tyson. Graphic Artist. Marion Hala· shita. Typography. Sheila Larsen. Tvpography. IknOls Gr.,.,ne. LaboratOry. Accounting/Data Processing Mike Klinger, Co!'lToller. Donna Bryan. Accounts Receivable Coordinator. Geneva Repass, Assistant. Terry Dailey O""it Manager. ' Circulation Rheba Smilh. Manager. Michelle Hanna. Sarah Taylor. Debbie Walker Lyna Hood, Assistants. • Dealer Sales and Service Tim Ryan, D.aler Sales Manager. Want Ads Roberl Elliou, Want Ad Sales. Service and Support Chris Ailcheson. Receptionist. Gregory Hanson, S&:S. West 2201 Cherry Ave.. Long Beach. CA P.O. Box 498. Long Beach. CA 90801· 0498 (215) 427-7455; L.A. Line 656-8844. East 4190 FirS! Ave.• Tucker. GA. P.O. Box 805, Tucker, GA 50085-0805. (404) 954-7850. Cycl~ News/West (USPS 141-540) is published weekly excepl the lim and last week olthe calendar yearlor $25 per year by Cycle News. Inc.. 2201 Cherry Avenue. Long Beach. CA 90806. Second class postage paid al Long Beach. CA. POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to Cycle News. P.O. BOll 49B. Long Beech. CA 90801-0498. ubscription rates: One year second class mail. S25; two years. sec~nd class mail. $45; three year. seconddass mail, $68: 25 weeks. $14. Foreign rales available on request. Cycle ews welcomes unsolicited editorial material including stories. carLOon, photos, etc. Such material if publish"". bttomes Ihe exclusive pr~p erlY 01 Cycle News. Such accepted male· ~1311S subJect to revision as is necessary an the. S?le discretion of Cycle News. UnsohClled material which is not used will be returned if accompanjed by a sell addressed stamped envelope. All unsoliciled malerial will be handl"" with reasonable care. however, Cycle News assumes no responsibility for the safely, loss or damage LO such material. Reprinting in whole or part only by permission ~(lhe ~ubl~sher. Advertising rates and clrculauon mformation will be sent upon request. See S.R.D.S Copyrlgh~ Cycle News. Inc. 1984. T..d........ Cycle News reglst d U.S. P.tent Office. All rights . served. Good work It seems that every time I write Cycle News, I have something good to say about someone. Perhaps I am fortunate, or maybe the industry is really gelting on the ball. This letter concerns the fine efforts put forth by Contra Costa Honda· Suzuki-Kawasaki, and one of the world's most .honest.and forthright salesman, Kevm Newms. This adventure started when I spoued the fact that Honda was giving away 1981-82 CB650s. I called Kevin to try and gel one for my boss, who had decided that if he could gel one of these bikes he ~ould take the pI unge and become a rider (as we know, it is these customers who~e critical to the growth of motorcychng, and it is also these customers who are then most quickly t~rned off by shoddy first impressions and move on to some other activity which provides a beuer return f?r their money and time). By the lime I got to Kevin, American Honda had sold the last of the 650s in the warehouse. At th.is point Kevin spent a good deal of hiS own time finding my boss an '82 650. This was not an easy task and culminated in his driving to Sacramento before work to pick up the bike he had tracked down. After all of this effort to obtain ~ bi.ke with a small profit margin, he IDSISted upon selling it to my boss for the same price originally quoted when the deal had commenced. . My boss took to the bike like a "Duck to the Desert" and is spending his weekends touring nonhern Cali· fornia. Barring serious injury he will probably ride forever and 'buy many more motorcycles. So, next time your readers are near !,iusburg,.Califomia they should stop 10 and give a tip of their hats to Kevin. Maybe he'll sell them a bike while they are there! RICK HOLTZMAN Berkeley, CA Crisis? 4 ON THE FRONT PAGE: Why should the guys heve ell the fun? Our gill Lori tekes e spin on the Nighthawk S. An imp....sion begins on p. 24. Photo by De.. Brown. In regards to Mr. Sparks' leuer "Crisis," he seems to have a very dim outlook on motocross. The figures are peaking out in Supercross because the events are selling out. Outdoor events are growing in popularity due to all three classes being run on the same day, and also because of the picnic-and-sunshine atmosphere. As far as riders under 17 being the only ones to get big contracts, whor Ron Lechien is the only l6-year-old lately. He wins races. Everyone with a factory ride is over 18 except Lechien. Sure the factories are keeping their big guns - they win races. Sparks is also wrong about stock bikes. Team Yamaha's bikes are far £rom stock; plus they only have one win to date. Ricky Johnson is com· ing close, but his "stock bike" broke at Gainesville. Alan King came in . second ahead of works-bike-equipped l\:fark Barnett on a modified prOduction Honda at the same National. The problem with expenses is no longer the factories. It's with the riders. A rider can do fairly well on a production bike at the Nationals. The problem is sponsors. So go out and get some. Stop waiting around for someone to offer you support. Stock cars have been utilizing non· industry support for some time. Box vans can wear sponsors' names and colors; not just stickers. The same goes for riding clothing. Riders should get off their buus, and get a manager if necessary. Maybe then Honda and the others can sell factory bikes to those whose sponsors can afford them. They do it with more expensive road racing machinery. Other sports such as cars, boats and trucks are making it happen, so it can be done. GLENN "BERMIE" SCOTT Ventura, CA Used togo We used to go to Ventura Speedway every Tuesday, up until last year. The fans came out in force but not the riders. Second and Third Div!sion riders we.re riding in First DiVISion. T~e raC1~g was boring with MI!<-e Fana havmg no competition most of the time, unless he pulled back to help a friend or for some other reason he'd JUSt quit. Now that he's going to England, who's left? We were not surprised to read about the Spring Classic event. We didn't go. We went camping and riding for the weekend. Good thing, too! We I would like all the District 37 0(£road riders to support the road riders' effort opposing the use of catalytic converters on motorcycles in California. I agree with the engineering and economic evaluation as stated by Pat Owens, Instructor, Los Angeles ~rade Technical College. The road nders have been very supportive of the o[f·road riders' legislative e(£orts (i.e. Barstow· Vegas Race) and deserve our support in this common cause. A shon paragraph to Chairman Gordon Duffy, California Air Re· sources Board, P.O. Box 2815, Sacramento, CA 95812, stating that "you oppose the use of catalytic converters on motorcycles and support the manuf~cturersplan, called corporate aver· agmg for engine families of each brand." The C.A.R.B. is planning a Public Meeting March 23, 1984, at 8:30 a.m. at the State Building, 107 South Broadway, Los Angeles. Please attend or write a short letter. JOE L. BILOTTA President, AMA 0-37 Sports Committee Norco, CA Speedway survival There has been great concern as to the future of speedway at the Ventura Raceway following the cancellation of the Spring Classic on March 3. We at Raceway Promotions are writing to inform you that the 14th season of speedway will definitely proceed as planned on Tuesday night, April 3. The reasons behind the unfortunate cancellation of our round of the Spring Classic have been corrected and all parties concerned - the rid: ers, the officials, the staff - are ready to make 1984 a memorable season of Tuesday nights at the "Commotion by the Ocean." For those of you that altended our non-race on March 3, you may get refunds in exchange for your double blue coupons. Send your stubs to: Raceway Promotions, 2810 W. Woo· ley Road. Oxnard, CA 93030. Or if you prefer, we will honor your stubs for any race during the '84 season. In appreciation (or your loyalty, ~e Will orrer free programs, free park109 and 25-cent Coors beer on opening night, April 3. JIM NAYLOR Promoter, Ventura Speedway Oxnard, CA Publi.h.d I.tt.r. do not n.c....rily r.flect the po.i· tion of Cycl. New•• Inc. S.nd I.tt.r. to Voic••• Box 498. Long B.ach. CA 90801.