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/126764
Honda VF1000F ..... .... That's what our Dragstrip Shootout should have said last week. The Honda turned 10.91. not 10.98; the typographical error- okav. the big typographical error - didn't change the Honda's placing behind the GS1150 Suzuki (10.83) and the FJ1100 Vamaha (10.86). 0. ~ Other sides to the controversy: Cathy Zoellner has begun a petition drive to get Bast back on the program. She said that she had collected 400 signatures at Costa Mesa on April 13. and would be back the following Friday for more. Wa tried to get a Monday comment from Oxley or an International SpeectwI!Y representative. but were unsucce.sful. Last ride: John Ulrich's last official duty for Cycle World magazine was riding Kenny Roberts' Daytona-winning 680cc DW69 square four at Willow Springs Raceway. "A guy could really win some races with this thing." said Ulrich of the 305-pound. 53.5-inch wheelba.. Vamaha. The Cycle World story. with technical commentary by Kevin Cameron. should appear in three or four months. Controversy: After.winning the first two Scratch main events ohhe season at COSla Mesa's Orange County Fairgrounds, former National Speedway Champ Mike Bast found himself off the program for week three. Costa Mesa promoter Harry Oxley, according to a press release issued by his own organization, said, "ll's a shame this has LO happen, especially at the beginning of the season, but I'm .forced to take· Bast off the program for the simple fact that !"\e is not trying." Oxley said that Bast has failed to perform well in the Handicap portion of the speedway program, transferring only twice in his last 21 attempts. Oxley went on LO state, "I have no choice in this maller as riders are racing for thousands of dollars and many of them earn the right to participate in that purse by performing well in the Handicap part of the program. I'm also concerned about rider morale." 2 More controversy: When we first called Bast for comment on the press rel88se. on Wednasday. April 11. it was the first time he had heard of Oxley's action. Byway of reaction Bast said, "He's got Second Division riders in those Handicap races. They don't know how to race and I'm not going to take any chances. I've been in this sport for 16 year. and I have had more than my share of broken pelvi.... knees. etc. The 40- and 60yard line riders did get a letter at the baginni~gof the season saying that something like this might happen if we didn't transfer out of the Handicap heats in the first thr88 weeks. but the saason is only two World Champion Freddie Spencer rode his works Honda to victory in the April 15 Italian Road Race Grand Prix's500ccrace. Eddie Lawson (Yam) finished second, 20 seconds behind Spencer. Frenchman Raymond Roche (Hon) was third. Lawson continues to lead the point standings with a LOtal of 27. Roche is second with 22 points and Spencer has moved into third with 15. Faustio Ricci (Yam) won the 250cc GP with Martin Wimmer (Yam) second and Wavne Rainey (Yam) third. Ricci and South African GP winner Patrick Fernandez are tied for.the 250cc points lead with 3S' each. Multi-time World Champion Angel Nieto (Gar) won the I25ccGP, while Pier-Paolo Bianchi (Cag) won the first-ever 80cc GP. Dua to an extremely hectic Monday (three National.) and a few other last-minute problem•• you can find more Latest Poop on page 26. That is in addition to the jump listed from page three. A little confu.ion. but more good stuff. The mechanical problem that sidelined Bubba Shobert while he led last week's Ascot TT event, according LO Team Honda manager Gene Romero, was that a plate holding the main bearing in came loose and swung down into the primary gears of the engine. Romero said, "Nothing in the engine broke, it just locked up." See" at Sacramento: an airplane circling the track towing a sign that read ''Where's the beef? It's on a Harleyl" weeks old. I don't have anything against Harry. but I do feel that he is interfering with my right to make a living. .0 I will be _ing my lawyer." Still more controversy: We called Bast on Monday, April II, and he returned the call after speaking to his lawyer. "Harry shamed me at the rid· er's meeting in Costa Mesa when I wasn'r there. I'm embarrassed to come back - call it pride or whatever. It would be costly to take it to the Supreme' Court, so I guess I'll have to announce my retirement. Now, if Harry were to call me back and ask me to ride, then I would ride." Dallas Supercross notes: Suzuki's Mark Barnell took a nasty tumble when he endoed over a jump during one of the Semi Final races. Barnell hit the ground hard with his head and received a slight concussion. By the. end of the night, he was only a little diuy, but otherwise OK. year. Rather than two races at each of three tracks, all will be run at one. In addition, it is now the British Commonwealth rather than Britain versus the USA. Kenny Roberts heads the USA squad and will be joined on OW80 GP Yamahas by Eddie Lawson. Freddie Spencer will have a choice of a three or four-cylinder Honda GP bike while Mike Bah~-olIII win, Wes Cooley, Randy Mamola and Rich Schlachter will ride RS500 production Hondas. Wayne Rainey will ride a Yamaha TZ500. Barry Sheene. on a Suzuki GP bike, will lead the Commonwealth team with Graeme Crosby, aboard a Yoshimura Formula One Suzuki, joining him. Ron Haslam, Roger Marshall, Wayne Gardner and Keith Huewen will ride production RS500 Hondas. Rob McElnea will be Suzuki RG500mounted. American Bernie Schreiber (SWM) took the April 16 German round of the World Observed Trials Champion.hip. besting Fantic rider Thierry Michaud and Honda's Eddy Lejeune. BritonsJohn Lampkin and Steve Saunders wound up 4-5 on the day. QuesterISullivan Racing's Mike Harlow, Dave Boggess and Jerry Holm won the opening round of the WERA National Endurance Series at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Dan ChivingLOn and Dave Schlosser of Team Cowboy, the 1982 Champions, led by a lap until their Honda's dutch fried 18 minutes from the finish of the four-hour race; they finished 10th. Team Po Folks was second. Defendingchampions Team Hammer missed the race - the shortest in the series -saying they were saving money to run both 24-hour races in the series. GP ProductS i. organizing a charter fl"lght from Long Beach to San Jose for the May 6 Mile. Available package. include bu. transportation from the san Jose airport to the n.cebllCk and a reserved grandstend 188t. The chartar will return an hour after the race ends. For more information call 714/ 476-0110. Coriection: D-37 desert team race women's class winners Lori Farmer and Diane Holeman rode a Honda, not Husqvarna as reported last week. More Dallas note.: Jim Holley went home .1 000 richer after flying the farthest over the diet Coke catapultjump. the 1983 Wldowmaker hillclimb The 13th running of the AngloAmerican Match (Road Race) Series on April 22-23 at England's Donington Park takes on a differemlook this Road racer Eddie Lawson was named Champion Spark Plug Racer of the Week on the March 31 edition of WTBS-TV's MOloTWuk llluslT4led. Lawson earned the honor by win- NBC's Sportsworld will telavise Sunday. April 29.