Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Team Harley loaners By Matt Hilgenberg BYPftPft WfftLfY Honda's'Freddie Spencer parked his four-cylinder works bike and raced an updated version of last year's three-cylinder to victory in the 500cc class of the July 8 Belgian GP at Spa. Randy Mamola (Han) and Raymond Roche (Han) followed Spencer with series points leader Eddie Lawson (Yam) fourth. Spencer's margin of victory was six seconds over Mamola. With three rounds to go, Lawson holds a 20-point margin over Spencer, 107 to 87, with Mamola third at 81 points. The 250cc GP win went to Manfred Herweh (Rea). Team Marlboro Roberts' Alan Carter (Yam) finished 23rd after starting 36th while 20th qualifier Wayne Rainey (Yam) DNF. Michele Rinaldi (Suz) won both motos in the July 8 125cc MX GP in France. ColTIIdo Maddii (Cag) followed Rinaldi in both motos for a 2-2 tally with Dietmar Lacher (Hon) third overall at 3-4. Maddii, with 214 points, leads the standings over Kees van der Ven (KTM) at 196. Van der Ven wu 7-3 on the day. Thierry Michaud (Fan) won the July I Austrian round of the world Championship Observed Trials Series. Philippe Berlatier (Ita), at 47 marks lost, was three marks off Michaud's winning score. Eddy Lejeune (Han), the series points leader, was third with a 50-mark score. American Bernie Schreiber (SWM) finished sixth. Camel Pro Series dirt tracker Steve Morehead is ready to do a bit of four-wheel dirt track racing. Morehead has been offered a ride in a sprint car when his schedule permits. "There are three tracks relatively close to my home in Findlay (Ohio) which run a regular Friday through Sunday World of Outlaws schedule so that when I'm not at a National I'll be trying my hand at driving a sprinter," said Morehead. "If you want to get your eyeballs pushed back into your head all you have to do is stand on the gas... Eddy Lejeune (Han) and Thierry Michaud (Fan) continued their duel for the World Championship Observed Trials Series crown on July 8 in Italy with Lejeune dropping 46 for the win over Michaud's 55-mark score. Lejeune leads the standings with 180 points to Michaud's 172. America's former World Champion, Bernie Schreiber, who firtished fifth, holds third in the point standings at 126. 2 Terry Cunningham (Hus) dropped 29 points on his way to winning the July 8 National Championship Enduro in Athens, Ohio. Mike Melton (Hus) finished second with a loss of 39 points followed by Randy Kline (C-A) and Fritz Kadlec (Hus) at 46, with series point leader Kevin Hines (Hus) fifth overall at 47 points. Jim Robson (Hus) won the High Point A award with a 49point loss. Last week we carried an item about vintage racing bikes and their event at the July 21-22 National road race at Laguna Seca. If you want to enter the event, or desire more information. about it, contact Mike Lewis at I0200 Nevada Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311, or telephone him at 818/882-4489. Both the San Gabriel and Rowher Flats off-road vehicle areas are open, reports the Angeles National Forest. Spark arrestors are required in both areu; Green Stickies in the latter. Congratulations to Bill Cummings of Vancouver, Washington, and to Douglas Hague of Austin, Texasl They're both winners in the "Pick a Cagiva" Cycle News Sweepstakes. Cummings opted for the Cagiva 125WMX while Hague chose the WRX250. The winner of ••ch Pro class at Mammoth Mountain Motocross received a prize of $2000. That's $600 more than Jeff Ward got for his win at the Rose Bowl. Suzuki rider Gary Bowman wu the top money winner of the weekend, taking home $3600 for his efforts. RD Performance has the new Bridgestone M39 and M40 soft-terrain motocross tires. They have a very tall knob and have been used extensively by the factory teams. The tires were finally available for publicconsumption at Mammoth. Honda's Bob Hannah created quite a stir when he drove "up the hill" at Unadilla (home of the renowed "Hill People") in full drag on the eve of the GP. The hill residents responded by throwing mud clods at Hannah, and he made a quick exit. Boy George would have been proud. Team Honda tuner Chris Haines, who does the wrenching for Ron Lechien, sported a cast on the right fOOl/lower leg at the Unadilla 250cc MX GP. "Ron and I were out practice riding at Saddleback Park," said Haines. "I took a pretty nasty fall, and my foot was broken. The cast should come off in a few weeks." Haines was still going at full tilt, however. We watched him hobbleat a high rate of speed - to the finish line in the second mota in order to greet Lechien, who had won his first GP. LONG BEACH, CA, JULY 9 Various riders are slated to ride the ill Jay Springsteen's factory Harley-Davidson dirt trackers. The rider at each race will depend on the location of the track and the type of event. During a phone conversetion with Cycle News, Harley team manager Clyde Denzer seid, "We are working with several physicians on Jay's condition and a possible cure. It is something that will probably take more than a week or two to resolve. We're going to play it on a week-to-week basis and see what happens." If Springsteen is not able to complete, a rider will be drafted at the race site. "Mickey Fay is our first choice on the lightweight bike (the thumper); he's been using the same frame on his bike u we usa. We're starting to get a feel for the changes he needs, it's pretty euy for Bill Werner to sat up the bike for him," said Denzer. However, at some events, there may not be enough time to get a rider before the race, especially if Springsteen is feeling better. "At St. Louis, it was four minutes before 11 :00 when we told Fay he could ride the bike. Practice started at 11 :00, so he did some scurrying to get the bars and so on changed. He looked like he would qualify from the Last Chance race until he crashed." At the Lima, Ohio, Half Mile National. Team Harley road racer Gene Church rode the XR750. "We're looking into the future, further than just next year," Denzer said. "We thought it would ba good to give someone who hasn't ridden dirt track for a while a chance to see how he could do. Gene rode the bike like a road racer would, he didn't pitch it into the corners. He didn't make the program, but was excited about the ride." The mysterious illness that has caused Springer havoc over the last couple years is still with him. The last race he rode was the May short track at San Jose, where he finished second, then became ill shortly after the race. Mayba, with the numerous doctors helping the Harley teamster, the illness will be cured. The current task is to diagnose the problem; only then can something ba done. Lachien finished the first moto at Unadilla and displayed a pair of rock-battered hands. "The rocks are terrible out there, .. said Lechien, "and I kept getting a ringing noi.. in my helmet due to all of the rocks hitting it. I couldn't hear anything for a while," Honda's Danny "Magoo" Chandler made his return to racing at Unadilla after recovering from a cracked collarbone, but was still not in top form. "We thought Danny was ready," said hislUner, Eric Crippa, "but he didn't have enough energy left to finish both motos. We plan on spending a few weeks in New York riding the local tracks to get Danny into a winning groove, and will hit the Bingham ton (New York) National MXon July 22." Wheelie King Doug Domokos broke Tilson Shumate's long-distance wheelie record, going 146 miles on one wheel at Talladega International Speedway on June 27, according to his manager Jeff Immediato. Domokos made runs of 146, 143 and 139 miles during two days at the Alabama super speedway, riding an XR600 Honda four-stroke. Immecliato ..id that the run wu made just in time for inclusion in this year's edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, and that the bike will be displayed in the Guinness Museum in the Empire State Building. All runs were videotaped, and en AMA official was present, seid Immediato. The BLM has called for nominations for five spots on the California Desert District Advisory Council. The spots represent the following interest categories: elected general purpose government, renewable resources·, transponation/rights-of-way, and two public-at-large. Present Council members may be re-nominated, and the terms expire in 1987. Send nomina. tions, with biographical sketches and qualifications to the District Manager, BLM, 1695 Spruce St., Riverside, CA 92507. The deadline is July 31. California Assembly Bill 2497 passed the Senate Transportation Committee last week, and political observe,. say that the measure will pus easily after already gaining the approval of the Assembly. The measure mandates helmets for motorcycle passengers under the age of 16 and a han years, on streets and highways. Interesting side note to the above: One of our Sacramento sources quoted California Highway Patrol spokesman D.O. Helmick, testifying on the bill, as saying, "This is a legitimate first step," "this is a good first step," "this is only a first step." Interesting reaction to the above: When we contacted Helmick for confirmation, he said, "You tell (name deleted I that he's full of s·"t. What I said wils that this was a lagitimete step forward in the area of children's safety. The Patrol has no intention of pursuing helmet laws for aduh motorcycle riders. As originally introduced, this bill was far more wide-ranging. We asked that the age be lowered to 15 and a half, so that it would be limited to children as passengers, and not motorcycle riders. We also asked that it be limited to onhighway only," . . Steve Lucero, who recently qualified for the Under 21 World Speedway. Final, is returning to southern California for a visit from England, begi n-1 ning at Inland Motorcycle Speedwa)i on July 11. After winning at the Isle of Man. Team Obsolete will return to Europe for the July 14-16 round of the TT Formula Road Racing Series in Portugal. David Roper will ride a 760 Ducati in the Formula One event. J L Kerry Bryant, Rich Oliver and Wendell Phillips rode a stock Ninja tQ. lead a 1-2-3 Kawasaki sweep of the. July 8 American Federation of Motorcyclists Six-Hour Endurance race at' Riverside International Raceway. In

• Cover