Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

World Champion Freddie Spencer (Hon) won the May 27 West German 500cc GP road race at the new 2.8-mile Nurburgring circuit. Eddie uwson (Yam) finished second, 16 seconds behind Spencer, with Randy Mamola (Hon) third. It was the second American 1-2-3 sweep in eight days. Spenceropted to ride an updated three-cylinder bike rather than the four-cylinder Honda he has ridden in previous GPs. uwson was challenging for the lead at the one-third mark when he was forced off the track by a slower rider. The resulting loss of time before he got underway allowed Spencer to open up -his lead. uwson still leads the point standings with 69 points to Raymond Roche's 43, with Spencer third at 42. Christian Sarron (Yam) picked up his econd 250cc GP win in as many raCel> with a victory in West Germany. Manin Wimmer (Yam) took second over Martin Herweh (Rea). Team Marlboro Roberts' Wayne Rainey (Yam) and Alan Carter (Yam) placed sixth and seventh after gambling on intermediate tires due to a threat of rain that never materialized. Dave Busby (Yam) finished 27th. Angel ieto (Gil') continued his winning ways in the 125cc GP as did Stefan Dor£linger (Zun) in the 80cc race. Team Honda's Greg Arnette was detained at the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport prior to the Mt. Morris National MX, while toting II Showa fork to be used on a Honda works bike the next day. Security guards accused Arnette of carrying a bomb, but upon opening the package found only suspension components. He was released. Billy Liles' 250cc works Kawasaki sported a rear disc brake at Mt. Morri . JeH Ward, Kent Howerton and Goat Breker continue to use. rear drum brakes on their works machines. GOllt Breker will be mounted on a new works bike for the Pasedena (Rose Bowl) Supercross on June 2. "The bike I'm riding now is too small for me," Breker said. "The new bike Will have a larger freme; it will be much more comfortable and I should be able to go faster." Breker put together a pair of strong thirds at the Mt. Morris National for third overall in the 500cc cI.... "I'm still riding • bit conservatively since I h.ven't fully recovered from injuries I sust.ined .t the Atl.nta Supercro.., but things .re getting much better now." A Yamaha RZ500 made its racing debut by winning a 3OO-kilometer production road race at Lakeside, Australia ~ay 27, defeating a field largely composed of Kawasaki Ninjas and Honda VFlOooFs. The Yama· ha made up on brakes and in cornering speed what it lacked in acceleration and top speed compared to the larger four-strokes. 2 The S.n Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will meet June 5 to consider alternative staging and access proposals for the Pismo Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The public hearing, which will begin at 1:30 p.m., will include a presentation by the California Department of Parks and Recreation on their proposed alternatives and recommendations. Interested parties are invited to comment on the issue. The meeting will be held in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, California. Rained out again: the Springfield Mile, rescheduled from May 20 to May 27 and now to July 22. Before rain forced rescheduling of the Springfield Mile, Team Honda's Ricky Graham set a newonelap qualifying record of 104.203 mph, completing the lap in 34.54 seconds. Graham shattered Hank Scott's 35.283 seconds, 102.032 mph record set at the Indianapolis Mile in 1980, on a HarleyDavidson. Two issues ago, we reported that Carroll Chandler was fired from his position as Motocross and Hiliclimb Manager for the AMA Pro Racing Department. We should have used the word terminated; the position he occupied no longer exists. Thumpers will be the feature attraction June 3 as the Continental Motosports Club's Four-Stroke Nationals run on the B.ja Cross course of Saddleback P.rk. The event is also going to feature sidecars, including defending National Champ John Palfreym.n. For more information on the event, call CMC at714/261-6116. Gone Direct S&W Engineered Products manufacturers of suspension component. eliminating traditional distributors and selling to motorcycle dealers. eHective May 26. Appointed To the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission, AMA 0-37 Legislative Officer Edward H. Waldheim, 45, by Governor George Deukmejian. Waldheim, whose term is three years, succeeds Howard Wilshire, the anti-ORV environmentalist appointed by former Governor Jerry Brown in the final days of his administration. Fonned National Harley-Davidson Dea1e.rs Alliance, in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, to challenge what the group calls "questionable management decisions of the HarleyDavidson Motor Co." No details on the group's size or specifiaomplaints were included in press releases announcing the organization's forma· tion. . Wadded As in totally destroyed, c 1984 Yamaha Venture Royale, fully equipped with Drag Specialties equipment, during a Motorcyclist magazine test, by Marc Hemsworth, 28, a contributor, in New Mexico, enroute from New York to California. He was unhurt. Jay Springsteen missed his third National in a row with recurring stom· ach illness; he didn't show up at Springfield. Look for prototype versions of Husqvarna's ·new single-rear-shock 250cc motocrosser, expected in the U.S. before the July 8 Unadilla (New York) 250cc Motocross Grand Prix. RISK By John Ulrich The KTM factory says it parted with former 500cc World Champion Graham Noyce due to insufficient time to resolve minor technical development problems with the KTM 495 LC (Liquid Cooled) motocrosser, by mutual consent. But KTM of America's Bill Berroth said KTM terminated Noyce's contract due to lack of results. Berroth also said that KTM may sign privateer Kurt Nicholl, son of 1970 Trans-AMA series winner Dave Nicholl. The AM-PM ISkoal Bandit Sweepstakes will award a 4x4 Toyota truck, a riding course at Gary Bailey motocross schools, and a year's supply of Diet Coke; entries are available at participating Southern California AM-PM mini markets. Winners will be announced at the Miller High Life Superbowl of Motocross atthe Pasadena Rose Bowl on June 2. Participating southern California retailers are giving free fickets to the Superbowl with the purcha e of Wrangler jean. The uperbowl is part of the Wrangler upercros Series. Bob Rosa, who has been promoting AMA races in northern California for 20 years, is now promoting motocross events at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area. The first event was May 20, the next race will run June 3. Rosa says the events are semi-pro on an all-new track. Rosa also says he is building a new track for three-wheelers, Odysseys and other four-wheelers. For more information, Rosa can be reached at 408/394-8225. Scoring changes in the Fools Gold National Enduro (covered elsewhere in this issue) were announced shortly before we went to press. As you'll read in the slOry, the final check was thrown out for A and AA riders, but not for B riders. However, AMA rules prohibit that; a check must be thrown out for all classes. So the B class results change lightly, with Scott Taggart moving up to first Open B with 77 points, followed by Bill Rus· sell. In the 250cc B ranks, Colin Thompson and Mike McMurray advance to second a!ld third in class. The Los Anci.nos M.C.•re beck in business, they say, .nd will be hosting a one-day enduro in Baj. California December 1 . There will be 300 spots .v.il.ble in the enduro, which club member Fred Germ.ine described .s, "not for Beginners." Info on the event cen be obtained from the club.t P.O. Box 808, S.ntee, CA 92071, or by calling 6191727-6000. American Honda has received one extra RS250 road racer; it's for sale. And not 10 the highest bidder. Road racing team manager Udo GieLi says that he is now accepting resumes to determine the buyer; they can be sent to his attention at American Honda Motor Company, 100 West Alondra Blvd., Gardena, CA 90247. Additional RS250s are expected to be available near the end of this year, according to Gietl. (Continued to page 22) An essay on not dying Last year Wayne Montoya fell of( his Yamaha TZ250 in turn two at Laguna eca Raceway, during practice for the AMA National. He wa going a little over 120 mph when he backed off the throttle for a moment. just before entering the corner, and the bike seized. Montoya grabbed for the clutch lever, but it was too late: his motorcycle threw him off the high side. Montoya tumbled and slid, heading for the most dangerous place in American road racing, a sheer dirt cliff respon ible for killing two men and breaking the necks of two others in the preceeding handful of years. Montoya, by all rights, was headed for death or seriou injury; judging by the recent past, his normal life was over. He had crashed in a bad place, and was about to pay with his fie h and bones. He was 25 years old, had been racing for five years, and carried AFM's It? plate, which meant he was seventh in 1982 points earned by AFM's 900 members. He wa second overall in AFM Superstreet points that same year, riding a modified RD350 painted in camouflage colors. Montoya rode hard, but never took his racing or himself too seriously; he ran under the Team Bozo banner. Montoya had graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.. in Chemistry; he worked as a chemist for Raychem Corp. of Menlo Park, California. His title was Associate Staff Scientist; his duties lay in product development, formulating and testing new plastics compounds for use in California's burgeoning aerospace industry. Wayne Montoya was in trouble; nothing he knew or had learned could help him now. •••••• Montoya was unconscious when the corner workers reached him; both he and the bike were covered with hay from exploded bales lining the cliff. He woke up as the workers moved his bike; an ambulance team arrived and went to work, checking him for damage. Montoya rode back to the pits in the ambulance. He had a headache, one that would last for days. He haa scrapes and bruises. And he finished seventh in the Formula Two final the next day. Montoya fell at the same spot as

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