WEST
America' 5 weekly
motorcycle newspaper
haro" Clayton, Publ;sh~
Comptrollo
Skip Johnson, Associate Publisher/
Mik~ Klin~r.
No.liomJi Saks Manager
Caroline Gcndry. Exuutive Secretary to
the Publishn-
Editorial
John Ulrich. Editor
Dale Brown, Senior Editor
Kit Palmer. Associate Editor
Rex Rc.'eSe, Feature Editor
Adverti.ing
Terry Prdu. Sales ManageT
Mike Spencer. Sales ManageT
Tim Ryan. Sales Ma'lageT
Linda 8ro\lo·n. AdveTtis;'Jg COOTdintltOT
N.IOCY Wasu~n. AdtJ(!Tti.~;'lg Editorial
As.~;stant
Kcllie True:lson.
Adv~tis;ng
Assi.fln"t
Grephic:s end Production
Lori Tyson. GTaphic A Ttist
Larry Gill. Graphic Artist
Marion Halashita. Typesettt!T
Sheila Larsen. Typesetter
Dennis Greene. Lab. Tech.
Accounting/De.. Proc_ing
Donna Bf)·an. Accounts Receivable
Coordinator
Gnl~a Repass. Assistant
Circuletion
Rheba Smith. Managt!T
Michelle Hanna. AssiSldnt
Sarah Taylor. Assistant
Debbie Walka. Assistant
Lyna Hood. Assistant
Deelar Sale. and Service
Bob Elliott. Deala Sale.f Manager
Went Ad.
Judy
Hil~nberg,
IVanl Ad Salt!s
Service and Support
Chris Ailcheson. Receptionist
Gregory Hanson. sas
We.t
2201 Cherry Ave.. Long Beach. CA
P.O. Box 198. Long Beach. CA 9OBOI0198
(213) 427-7433: L.A. Line 636-8841.
Eelt
4190 First Ave.. Tucker, GA. P.O. Box
B05. Tucker. GA 30085-0805.
(401) 934-7850.
Cycle NewsJWes' (USPS 141-340) is publisht.-d wet'klyexcepllhefirsl and lasl week
or the calendar year ror $25 peor year by
Cycle Nt.·ws. Inc.. 2201 Cht"rry Avenue.
Lon", Beach. CA 90806. Second cia.. pos·
La~t" paid at Long St.-am, GA.
POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to
CycleNew8. P.O. Box 498. ~ a-.
CA 90801-0498.
Subscriplion
One year, st."COnd class
mail. 125: IwO ye-drs. serond C'lass mail.
$45; thrt"C.· )·cars. SC'Cond clas,li mail $68; 25
Wttk5, $ 13. ForC"iJltn ral("5 available on
rt.'cJu('st.
Cyclt.· Nl· ..... s welcomes un.solicited ediloriol1 malt.'rial inciudinR slories. carloons.
pholos. elc. Such malt'rial. ir published.
bc.'C'omes Ihe exclusi\'e profX:lY or Cycle
New. Such aCa'plro matenal is ubjecllo
revision as is nl'ttSS3f)' i.n Lh~ solC" discn---lion or CydC" News. l nsolicited matcrial
..... hich is not used will be returned ir
accompanied by a 5t'1f addressed sl.lmped
envelopt'. All unsolicited maleri.11 ..... ill be
hand 1m ..... ith fl'asonable Glre. howe\'er.
C)'dt' Nt'ws assumes no ft'sponsibility ror
tht' saret)'.lossordamali';'e losuch mat(·ri;.II.
rdU.'S:
RcpriminK in
~'holC' or
p:ut onl)' by IXr·
mission or lhe publish(·r. Ad\'cnisinJ.; nut.'S
.lIld circ'uhllion inform.llion will Ix'st.'nt
ulxm !"l' Cyd. Newa. Inc. 1984.
Tr....marll Cycle N_. r8giot..... u.s.
Potent Office. All right. rourv.d.
ON THE FRONT PAGE: Kawa..ki's new KDX200 dig. its
way out of trouble. Complete
teat of the red gold medel getter begins on pege 30. Photo
by Kim W. Pelmer.
4
Counts for deputy director
I would like lO solicit support from
individuals and clubs for my nomination as the deputy direclOr of the
OU-Highway MOlOr Vehicle Recreation Division of the Department of
Parks and Recreation. It is critical
that an OHV user gets this appointment to insure that maximum progress is achieved while we are blessed
with a friendly administration.
Are you curious why the Pacific
Crest Trail was built through our
riding areas for a few hundred hikers
a year to attempt while the OHV
Statewide Trail Plan with its borderto-border trail has gone nowhere? Do
you drive too far to ride too little? Do
you want trails first and frills second
in riding areas? With $12 million of
your tax dollars at stake each year, do
you deserve someone who cares holding the purse strings?
If you answered yes lO any of these
questions, then don't delay, send a
letter supporting me to Marvin R.
Baxter, Appointments Secretary, State
Capital, Sacramento. CA 95818. Please
send me a copy if possible.
JERRY COUNTS
22101 Covello
Canoga Park, A 91303
818/348-8381
Open letter to AMA
On behalf of all concerned many
thanks for your efforts in putting on
the second segment of the Pocono
National. Although I was unable to
attend, other Team Obsolete members
reported that in general things went
very smoothly.
However, you may not be aware
that just before the 5:00 p.m. departure time there was some rather
heavy-handed behavior by Pocono
Raceway personnel. While our team
was busy completing the loading of
the truck they were threatened with
"eviction by lOW truck. " Then the
tow truck arrived. Names, rank and
serial numbers of rider and support
crew were demanded. Thinly veiled
intimations of doom were in the air.
Ultimately our truck did escape the
wrath of the hook at 5:00 p.m.
While our team may be guilty of
failing lO timely commence loading
(apparently a felony at Pocono
Raceway on that day) there was
clearly nothing they could do at 4:45
p.m. except lO continue to load at full
speed.
Gestapo ta tics have no place at an
AMA-sanctioned event. Riders and
crew deserve and are entitled lO be
treated with respect. When a breach
occurs we look to our AMA lO take
appropriate corrective action.
ROBERT T. [ANNUCCI
Team Obsolete
Brooklyn, NY
In favor of drugs
I am responding to Keith Code's
diatribe on drugs and racing for one
essential reason. That is that moral
supremacism in a free society is both
unacceptable and dangerous. Notonly
is drug use not a black and white
issue, Code's qualifications on the
subjea are questionable.
I recently graduated from the Uni·
versity of California at Santa Cruz
with a B.A. in psychology. I studied
drug use patterns extensivel y, as well
as philosophy, law, and sociology as
related to drug useage. I also come
from a generation with a vast quantity of experience with drugs. and I
have seen very few drug casualties. I
am about to undertake the study of
law in earnest. So much for my qualifications to discuss the subject. For
the record. I am also a reasonably fast
racer, though I would not call myself
an "expert" as Mr. Code might justifiably do.
The list of individuals who have
made major scientific or cultural contributions to our society while addicted to or under the influence of
drugs is astonishing. Dr. William
Halstadt, one of the founders of john
Hopkins Medical School and considered "the father of modern surgery"
was a lifelong heroin addict. His
major contribution was the discovery
of local anaesthesia ... which he discovered and applied to surgery after
partying on the new drug "cocaine."
He lived to a ripe old age and practiced medicine successfully right up
to the end. That there are certain "top
riders" who use drugs merely proves
that it is possible to use them and be
successful.
In fact, Harry Anslinger, the Commissioner of the old Federal Bureau
of arcotics, noted that congressmen,
doctors, lawyers, bankers, pharmacists and others all seem to be able lO
function competently in-.their professions for years on end while their
drug addictions remained unexposed.
Countless unheralded studies (read
"unpopular studies") show that
drugs, even addicting ones, do not
intrinsically lead one to destroy one's
own life. What studies do show is
that approximately lO% ofthe people
who experiment with any given drug
end up allowing the drug to disrupt
their lives. This figure is relatively
static, spanning drugs like coffee,
alcohol, cocaine and heroin.
That is unless, of course, one counts
legal disruptions ... With legal disruptions, the effect on the individuals of
our society's laws are far more consistently destructive. For the addict
especially, but to the habitue' and
recreational user too, high drug
prices resulting from law enforcement policies force the turn to crime
or dealing. And even if not forced
into crime, a simple bust for possession will clearly do more to destroy
an individual's potential to lead a
productive life than the effects drugs
are likel y to have.
The same evidence that shows that
we can SlOre toxins in our fat is an
argument for the concept that the
joint you smoke or the beer you drink
on Tuesday won't effect your riding
on Sunday. All that is required is that
one physically stresses one's body a
couple of times during the days in
between, and one will metabolize
available fat and cleanse the blood of
any toxins that are likely to be released.
In fact, this conseq uence of exercising is the reason why we feel so good
after a good work out.
The difference then between the
good guy and the bad guy has more to
do with staying in shape, and using
drugs (and, for that matter, food) in
moderation and at sensible times.
Like not directly on or before race day.
The individual who has a drug
problem is just an individual with a
problem. The drug itself is not responsible.
Let it also be known that many of
us AFM'ers race just for the fun of it.
It is not the focus of our lives as it is
for the extreme Mr. Code. I agree only
that it is appropriate to give up drugs
before and on race day. So let's get the
drugs out of racing. But let's get the
moralizing out of racing tool
LARRY JENSEN
AFM #803
Los Gatos, CA
1. It's more than an issue of "moralizing" when drug users are ramming
other riders on the racetraclt. - Colk's
article was motivated by a rider smolt.·
ing dope in the pits before a race and
the editor's introduction to Colk's
article was motivated by a single
loaded drug user ramming into one
rider at Riverside, crashing another
half dozen (in one turn) at Willow,
and following up by selling cocaine
in the pits; 2. More individuals have
made major scientific or cultural contributions to our society while not
addicted to drugs - drug addicts contributing to the good of society are
aberrations; 3. The best riders don't
do drugs and those who do drugs will
never be the best ... Editor.
Published letter. do not
necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Inc. Send
letter. to Voices, Box 49B.
Long Beach. CA 90801.
