Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Rom LovilRR Series to Voices Quc,rterley In reading your responses to my recent letter, I fear you miss my point. I am not pulling a reverse Kenny Roberts in complaining about speed differentials from a slower rider's point of view, especially during a race. I have seen and had tense moments passing slower riders and in being passed by quicker riders. It does sometimes present a problem but can be handled safely and efficiently. What concerns me is unsafe or inappropriate riding. These aTe the points: I) Practice - This is the place to check out the bike, the track, and yourself. It is not the place to try to knock out fellow competitors by kicking at them or by running inLO them as actually occured at the mentioned race. Actually it is a stupid place todo anything that might cause you to fall. 2) Pits - This is another place not to be stupid. Sears Point specifies 10 mph in the pits. Excessive speed in the pits is not only dumb but endangers those who don't choose to take the calculated risk of racing (like my sixyear-old daughters). 3) Race - This is the place for WFO riding. This is the place where money or trophies are won or lost. But even here there must be a few restraints. If a rider is truly unsafe, if he refuses to obey flags, or if he has a serious mechanical fault like an oil leak then he should be black £Jagged. Also if a really dangerous on-track problem exists then the race should be sLOpped If we're looking for solutions to racing problems, let's discuss these and let's not get into a fast-slow personality hassle. AfteraII, how could we appreciate the artistry of a KennyFreddie duel if we all had the same speed and ability? DON CONKLING San Bruno, CA By Gary Van Voorhis LOUDON, NH, JUNE 16 Dale Quarterley, the red-headed rideroutofMassachusetts' Brockton Cycles, came away from the Laconia Classic Camel Pro Series a wonhy combination for tackling the woods. Conical hubs are also found on each end, with strong drum brakes tucked inside. Plenty oj surefooted braking power is available when in the dry, but the units share a common denominator with many other European din machines - the stopping power rapidly diminishes when the brakes get wet and only returns after a lengthy dragging seSSlOn. The plastic pieces (there isn't a hint of fi berglass LO be found) all around are well done, all molded in white. The front fender is a bit on the narrow side, wi th a desi'gn reminiscent of a Yamaha unit in use several years ago. We especially liked the quickdetach gas tank - with the removal (without tools) of a pair of rubber straps the tank comes right off. Keep an eye on the routing of the fuel line; ours had a tendency to chafe against the upper engine mount and eventually developed a leak. A layer of extra padding over the tank mounts will keep the fuel line safe. The seat, LOO, pops right off without tools, exposing a tool tray and tool kit, with the air filter located below. That's all nice, but then you have the strap on the seat -.fitted for the benefit of your passenger - and a set of accompanying passenger pegs mounted on the swingarm. Maybe this is more of a trail bike than a pure-bred competition machine. Keep in mind the fact that in Spain bikes like this are often used as street bikes. That explains items like a high/low beam switch, etc. Then you have a speedometer/ odometer with a trip meter that can't be reset by ten ths of a mile - rendering it useless for an enduro rider. And a feeble-sounding electric horn. We could go on, but as you can see the bike is in a different class than the Husky, KTM or Can-Am enduroof£erlOgS. As far as ridi ng goes, the 250 H7 can get through the woods in a hurry and do it in a comfortable manner for the rider. The suspension does its job well and the mOLOT allows you LO squirt £Tom corner LO corner with small throttle openings. All seems well and good until you get out of shape - then the extra weight and height can spell trouble. With the shon wheelbase and sharp steering head angle quick maneuvering is possible, which may save you in some situations. But let's look at the machine for what it is: a bargain-priced woods bike aimed more at the trail rider then the competition-oriented individual. When viewed in that light most of the minor shoncomings fade away, and you can simply hit the trail and have barrels of fun, all the while takin" deli"ht in the fact you saved a bunc~ of p~se·tas.··· weekend at New Hampshire's Bryar Motorsport PaTk with a bonus in the form of a $1,000 check and a silver loving cup with his name engraved on it. Quarterley, in a sUpeTb come-frombehind ride, got that tidy sum for finishing third in the final series round of the three-race Rom Lovil Memorial Challenge Road Race Series. The California Superbike School (CSS)-organized, Kawasaki, Super Trapp and Dunlop-sponsored eries was actually a series within a series with the rounds also counting toward the seven-race CSS title. The idea behind the series is to pit top professional riders in a heads-up shoot-out. The bikes, supplied by CSS founder Keith Code, are Kawasaki GPz550s and aTe prepaTed identically. A random drawing is used to select the bikes for the top five in the current Formula One, Formula Two and Superbike point standings at each series venue. The only modification allowed is that a rider may change the shifting sequence to conform with what he is used to running. To equalize the weight of the bike and rider with that of the rest of the field, lead weights aTe added to rhe frame member beneath the engine or the amount of gas carried in the neaTly five gallon tanks is increased. Sometimes a combination of both is used. Quarterley's second place at the opening round at Riverside came behind promoter-seeded Earl Roloff. Quarterley took an off-course excursion on the sixth of eight laps while running second, barely missed a beat, and kept on chaTging. Quarterley didn't wait aTound at Road America and split in the final, run Saturday after the Superbike race, leaving Nick Richichi, HaTTy Klinzmann and John Bettencourt to follow him home. QUaTterley's 2-1 finishes easily kept him ahead of challenger Bettencourt with 5-4 finishes. Quarterley should have been home free in the Bryar round after Bettencourt broke a wrist in a practice accident and didn't compete, but things didn't turn out that way. Quarterley crashed in turn one on the start of the 12-lap, 19.2mile final and spent the remainder of the laps licing through traf(ic in his daring style to come within inches of taking second away from Miles Baldwin at the finish. Richichi won. "There were a lot of things behind the Rom Lovil Memorial Challenge Series," said Code. "Rom was the moving force behind getting the California Superbike School taTted when he was public relations director at Kawasaki What really got the series going after his untimely death, was Rom's mother. She knew his involvement in the sport and wanted to donate a perpetual trophy or something similar to keep his name alive. Kawasaki liked the idea and added a $1,000 bonus to the top overall finisher in three races. "The inaugural Rom Lovil Series went over very well and we're already looking forward to next yeaT," said Code. "In addition," continued Code, "each CSS race pays the winner $700 so there isn't too much playing around because . --second j:>,a-ce·pais·onr(m~······"·· (Continued from page 5) Inappropriate riding Your original letter said nothing about kicking or ramming in practice; it sounded like a complaint about speed, and practice is a place to work up to racing speed... Editor. Letter to Senator Pete Wilson As a representative of the whole state of California, how can you increase the wilderness bill to include 1.69 million acres without distributing maps to your local constituents? What is the definition of wilderness anyway? The definition used for the wilderness bill changes day to day. Webster defines it as "an uncul'tivated, uninhabited region; waste." My understanding of the bill is that blacktop is the final boundary. How can other things like power lines, ORV trails, hiking trails, and jeep trails be overlooked when considering if an area has wilderness potential? How can a proper approach towards wilderness areas be taken without letting the United States Forestry Service know what part of their land is wilderness and what is not? I am personally concerned with the boundary of the Manchesna Mountain Wilderness area. The Santa Lucia District Rangers of the United States Forestry Service are not sure where the wilderness area ends. Pine Mountain ORV (16EOI) is the prettiest and the longest trail available in the Pow area of the Los Padres National Forest. With this trail deleted £Tom the area it would put riGers in rridre'Oahger due to the further crowding of an already crowded ORV area. CLIFFORD RANNEY Cal Poly Pepguins M.e. San Luis Obispo, CA G.K. Scott once again Once again I've decided to write you ... All the people around me seem to only agree with me. Even people I barely know come out to my truck at the track to tell me they support my side. It seems to me that people think I'm a better critic than John Ulrich is an Editor. G.K.SCOTT Newbury Park, CA - G.K. Scott holds the Most-LettersWritten-to-Cycle-News,ln-a-Month record... Editor. Novices vs. Experts I would like to add my appreciation for John Ulrich's joining the Cycle News staff. The paper is betterl His forums, and insight into racing (dues paid and it shows), add an exciting dimension, and I like it better. I would also like to comment on the slow/fast Novice/Expert mixes that occur at road races. I have just switched from being an Expert dirt tracker to AFM road racing. The AFM events are fun, and the guys at AFM North (my area) really try to make racing safe and fun. It's a given fact tha t any can test of speed can be dangerous, but the mixing of riders with no racing skill, (not to be confused with being fast), and Experts, (or OK riders), is of such potential danger that I am surprised that the AFM has allowed this mix to occur this long. It is clearly time to take action. Novices (new riders) should no longer be allowed on the track with Experts. That includes practice and races. I doubt the Experts would mind not having to lap a group of riders who are 30 mph slower at a critical point usually a couple of laps from the end, and I'm sure the Novices won't mind not having to be in the wayl Dirt tracking doesn't allow this practice except in shoTt track, where speed differential is not cataclysmic. Sure, it is a change, and many people are resistant to change, and it will require that a new class be run for Novices (they could all run together, bro~en down on the grid by engine size only), and it may not solve all of the problems, but it is a start, and it is in the direction of safety. To eliminate massive speed,differentials within the Expert classes, the fastest rider should be timed during practice, and riders that are more than 15 seconds per lap slcwer, should not be allowed to ride (tLat time differential could be adjusted). If you are not fast enough to be competitive, go home and do more homework. The fans will benefit, and so will safety, and it should be an incentive to go faster and try harder, since in some races there are no heats to separate the very slow from the winners. CRAIG RANDALL AFM #242 Hamilton AFB, CA Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News, Inc. Send letters to Voices. Box 498, long Beach. CA 90801. ·23"

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