Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

WEST ~ 00 --' ..... l-o America' 5 weekly motorcycle newspaper 0.. < Sharon ClaYlon, Publisher Mike Klinger. Comptroller Skip Johnson. Associate Publisher, National Salts Manager Caroline Gcndry. Executive Secretary to the Publisher Editorilll John Ulrich. Editor Dale Brown. Senior Editor Kal Palmer, Assistant Editor Matt Hilgenberg, Assistant Editor Advertimng Terry Pran. Sales Manager Mike Spencer. S4les Manager Linda Brown, Advt!1l;s;n, Coordinator Tina Bowen. AdvtTtising Assistant Nancy Danger. AdvntisinglEditor;al Assista,,' Graphics .nd Production Lance Bryson. MdMge-r Bennett. Graphic Artist Lori Tyson. Grtlphic Artist Marion HalaShita. TYfJO/Vaphy Sheila Lanen. Typo/Vaplry Dennis Greene. LAboratory G(oM Accounting/D." ProceAing Donna Bryan. Accounts ReuilHlble COOTd;1UJlor Geneva RcpaS5, AssisUJftt Terry Dailey. C.edit Manager Circul.tlon Rheba Sm;th. Manager Michelle Hanna. Assistan' Sarah Taylor, Assis'an' Debbi~ Walker, AssistAn' Lyna Hood. Ass;.tant DMIer 5.....nd Service Tim Ryan,lHalD Sales Manager W.ntAds Roben Elliot. Wont Ad Sale. S.rviclI .nd SUpport Chris Aitebeton. Rec~t;onis' Gregory Hanson. SirS Wnt - 220\ Cherry Ave.. Long Beach. CA P.O. Box 498. Long Beach, CA 9080\· 0498 (215) 427-7455; L.A. Une 656-8844. Ent 4190 Fint Ave.• Tucker. GA. P.O. Box 805. Tucker. GA 50085-0805. (404) 954·7850. Cycle News/West (USPS 141-540) i published weekly ex.ttpllhe finl and laSI week of the calendar year lor $25 per year by Cycle News. Inc., 2201 Cherry Avenue. , Long Beach. CA 90806. Second class pos. tage paid a' Long Beach. CA. POSTMASTER: Send form 31179 to CycIeNewa. P.O. Box 498. Long s.ch. CA 90801 -0491. Subscription rates: One year, stt"ond class mail, $25; two years. second class mail, $45; three yean. second class majl $68; 25 werb, S15. Foreign rates available on request. Cycle News wdcomes unsolicited editorial material including stories, cartoons, photos. ele. Such material. if published. becomes ,he exclusi"" property of Cycle News. Such acapted material is subject to revision as is necessary in 1M sole discre· lion of Cycle News. Unsolicited material which is nm used will be r~urned if accompanied by a ",If addressed stamped envelope. All unsolicited material will be handled with reasonable care, however. Cycle News assumes no responsibiJity lor the sa£ety, loss ordama~ lO such malerial. Reprinting in whole or pari only by permission o£ the publisher. Advulising rates and circulation in£ormation will be sent uP!'n request. See S.&.O.S. Copyright QI> Cycle N..... Inc. 1984. Trademark Cycle N_aregiat_ U.S. P.tent Office. All righta ..-...d. ONTHE FRONT PAGE: Four of the fu1Ht atreet bik.. in the woItd. 4 We tIlke them down the strip on the ..me dey with the ..me rider to find the true E.T. Chemp. Pho_ by PetrIck Bahllr. Fan letter Hurrah. At last a more inhumane way to kill a person next to the electric chair. Put them in a room with John Ulrich and be bored to death. After three boxes of Kleenex and a visit to the porcelain god, I finished the Eddie Lawson story. Lawson is a great rider, no doubt. But to say that he'll be greater than Roberts or Spencer, you blew it. If you have to worship someone, why not try someone like Nick Richichi or Miles Baldwin, who win Nationals on a shoestring budget? Beuer stick to what you do best: wadding up test bikes. R. VANDERPOOL Santa Ana, CA The John Ulrich vs. R. Vanderpool Formula One Grudge Match Race will be held at Willow Springs Raceway on the date of Mr. Vanderpool's choice, barring conflict with Mr. Ulrich's racing schedule. Mr. Ulrich's view of Miles Baldwin is a mIlller of record, as seen in the 198384 edition of the Motocourst! racing annual... Editor. More on beer In regard to the beer at races issue, let me say that as a recem college graduate familiar with the sociology of drug abuse, banning one drug inevitably leads to the increase in use of other drugs. Secondly, as a road racer, and I hope that Budweiser is listening, I am loyal to the Budweiser brand precisely -because of their support of motorcycle road racing and racing in general, though I do think that their product is swell 100. I also buy Chevron gas for my street bike because they are involved to some degree in road racing, and I generally buy nonmotorcycle products that are marketed by companies that support racing. Given the need for sponsors in the expensive and largely non-pro(itable world of racing, I think racers and race fans owe it to spon ors to favor their products. Finally, I would Itke to suggest that peer pressure and high visibility law enforcemem presence are probably the best solulion to the problems that might occur because of drinking at a public event. If the moderate and non-drinkers make clear their distaste for the spectacles from those who overindulge, and seek help from security or law enforcemem personnel quickly and visibly, those who want to overil)dulge will tend to go elsewhere to do so. I have seen visible enforcement be quite effective at the San Jose Mile. I do not know why Harley wants to promote their bad-boy image even further by selling Harley beer. It seems to me that they have stated repeatedly that they wam to get away from that image. But this issue is for the Harley-Davidson public relations people to handle, and for the buyer to consider when making a purchasing decision. It is not an appropriate issue for public policy makers or for race promoters. I might add that those who feel strongly about beer at races should just stay away from races, and teU the promoters why they are stayinK away. Keep beer at the races. Just get rid of the drunks. LARRY JENSEN AFM #803 Los Gatos, CA A clear and present danger The pit squid has struck again, severely injuring yet another rider through stupidity and careless disregard for others, not to mention criminal negligence. This time, it was Team Honda's Larry Brooks, only a week away from his first AMA National, who was drilled at Saddleback Park on the road by some bozo who came £lying over the top of Webco Hill at full throttle, tucked down on his bike in an eHort to go faster. Results? Larry suffered a broken femur, bruised kidney and concussion, and the squid destroyed his ankle, not to mention two motorcycles. This could have been a fatal accidem for ei ther rider. Yet week after week, liule if nothing is done about eliminating this SOrt of danger at most of the nation's race tracks. Riders pay upwards of 7 to get in, plus the cost of race entry, and are told the reason behind the high gate fees is "the high cost o( insurance." Yeah, we know. Insurance to protect the JraCk owners from lawsuits over injuries and accidems caused primarily by fail ure to enforce their own safety regulations. Sure there is a speed limit sign at Saddleback, but how often is it really enforced.? Maybe a warning now and then. And walking through the pits at Saddleback on any given weekend is lilerally taking your life in your hands. Idiots on pit bikes and bigger, wheelieing through the pits and on the roads at full throttle, completely ignored by either ~ park patrol or by the race promoter , who are just as much at fault, especially at Saddleback. And this isn't the only bad instance; at Rio Bravo in Houston, Texas, a spectator was killed and a rider critically injured last year when the spectator crossed the rrack between two double jumps during a moto and was landed on. And to this day, there have been nocrowd-eomrol measures instituted at that track. As an announcer, I do as much as I can to keep this sort of accident from happening, by ragging on and on over the PA till the crowd is sick of it. I wish I could jump out of the tower and pull someofthese bozos ofl their bikes and throw them out the front gate, but I can't. Ever since I saw a guy stick a throule al Irwindale and wrap his bike around a pole, removing a spectator's ear in the process, I have been extremely safety-oriented, both while riding, cruising the pits, or announcinK. There is one thing we can do, as spectators, racers, sponsor.; and offi· cials. 1£ a situation exists that is dangerous, speak up al riders' rDeetings. Don't let your promoter evade the issue. Insisl on crowd and pit control, or make it very clear that there are other clubs and rracks to race at, especially here in southern California, where the problem has reached critical proportions. And police yourselves. 1£ some yo-yo comes screaming by on his bike, follow him; stop him, and make it perfectly clear that he will be reported to the officials who will throw him out without refund on the spot. Insist that your promoter enforce his rules; fOl'second oflenses, a rider should lose his racing privileges for a month or longer, and not be able to enter the park during the suspension period. Report violators to the officials, and especially to the rider's sponsors -that is especially effective. And yell like heD at the rrack operators who are shirking their responsibility (OI'yoursafety. Who knows, maybe a few c1ass-action lawsuits are in order. I know a few good places to start, and so do you. Motorcycling is a great sport. But it is in great jeopardy of losing many of its familiar playgrounds and race rracks, because of accidents like this. Some day the insurance companies are going to say, "no more," and that wiIJ be the end of any organized competition. Next time you pull in the gate, ask them, are the safety rules being enforced totally? If they can't look you in the eye and say yes, and back up their claim, pack up and go home, after stopping at the gate and demanding a (ull refund - and don't move 'til you get it. We can make a race rrack a safe place to go! HAL SANGUINETTI TNT Proouctions Pasadena, CA Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position ofCyde News. Inc. Send letters to Voices. Box 498. Long Beech, CA 90801.

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