Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Superbikes {C(JIII/IIIIN{ fro III !)(/,f!;e 12) ....... Cl<":I ~ v .D o ....l' U o 26 spoken with to contend that their future plans would revolve more around private teams and dealer racing efforts. Has anyone asked HarleyDavidson if they will be participating in this year's Daytona 200? Enough said! But look to the largest level of factory participation since the la te '60's in 1986. "Let me say how lucky I was to have the opportunity to watch Kenny, Freddie, Eddie and Randy at Daytona, Laguna Seca, the Match Races, and three Grands Prix this year, and congratulations to Eddie Lawson, the new 500cc World Champion, and Randy Mamola on his incredible performance in the 500cc GP series after missing several of the opening rounds. "But regarding Eddie Lawson's comments denouncing the Superbike 200 at Daytona, as a man who works for Yamaha, he is technically not in a . position to say that he will not race the world's most famous motorcycle race, the D.aytona 200. Furthermore, as an individual who owes his opportunity to compete in the 500cc Grand Prix class to the reputation he made winning two Superbike championships in America, he sounds pretty ungrateful. Eddie also has a ven narrow perspective of American racing since he lfft for Europe. He has only competed at Daytona and Laguna Seca, and only at Laguna Seca when he was allowed to by Yamaha. "Did Eddie Lawson say that he wouldn't compete in 1986? And statements made by Jim Doyle, Randy Mamola's manager, that changing the 200 miler format to Superbike would set racing back 20 years, might be very prophetic. Twenty years ago we hav~ five factories racing, because our formula was based on the AMA Class C rule that all legal racing' equipment should be 'commerciaIry available.' All Daytona's decision to make the 200 miler a Superbike race really is a re-affirmation of the founding principles of AMA racing's Class C formula. "In 'meetings that my associates and I have had with riders in England, France, Germany and Sweden, we have found them very enthusiastic. Since the demise of the Formula 750 class some years ago, there has not been a universally-accepted series on a world-wide basis outside the Grand Prix Series. The competitors we've spoken with feel that the AMA's successful Superbike format has the greatest chance of receiving uni",ersal acceptance <\nd having a long life as a series, As to the promoters in Europe and other parts of the world, they have shown tremendous interest, 'and after our meetings with the FIM at the Fall Congress, we feel that with the HM's approval, we will be able to announce a series for 1985 at the most prestigious motorcycle racing facilities in the world, "With the guidance of Ed Youngblood and Neville Goss (Vice President of the FIM representing the ACU of England), and other FIM members in Italy, France, Germany, Holland and Scandinavia, as well as an encouraging letter from Luigi Brennie (President of the FIM's Road RacingCommission), we feel 'that we can obtain the necessary FIM support. I would like to make it understood, however, that it is the normal procedure of the FIM to take up matters such as our proposed series in their Spring Congress, and finalize these recommendations in-their fall meeting. Because we didn't conceive this idea until after the spring meeting, we've got our work cut out for us. But, in spite of what appears to be a difficult task, our reception to date has been positive enough that we are going to go for it in Munich. "If you look at the grass roots - I mean the AFM, WERA, ARRA, AAMRR, etc. - you can see that there is no more Grand Prix twocycle racing in America like there was in the 1970s. Including six new RS Hondas, and the bi-annual participation of two unobtainable Yamahas, there are only 17 two-cycle machines somewhat-actively campaigned on the AMA circuit. Unless more namufacturers than Honda support this class, and support it with machines that are affordable, logic must dictate Superbike's total 'domination of the sport. However, on the positive side, Kenny Roberts made an appearance at this year's Mid-Ohio road race and stated to a select group of l'or.mula One competitors and ownc;rs there that although he didn't have a firm plan, he was going to make his best effort to enhance the status of the current American Formula One class. "We chose 750cc because although the 1000cc machines are actually the largest volume sellers, the 750cc machines are the true sports performance bikes of motorcycling. When the AMA changed to this format two years ago, Freddie Spencer and Mike Baldwin shattered almost every lap record previously set by the 1000s. A 750's weight, balance and handling characteristics, coupled with its lower horsepower, can produce a high level of competition at safer, lo}\'er speeds. "The final reason is that the FIM has two other classes, endurance and Formula One TT, which also operate on a 750cc formula, thereby increasing potential equipment and partici pants. "Some. people are worried what will happen to the people who bought the new Honda RS machines if more events in America start featuring Superbikes, but let's look at Daytona, People seem to overlook the fact that altholJgh Formula One is no long Sunday's feature race, it hadn't been eliminated. And the $45,000 purse is still the highest in the entire AMA Formula One road race schedule. As for those individuals who purchased RS500s, there's no question that their current status would seem somewhat precarious. At any rate, my organization is not involved in anything other than promoting an international Superbike series, and if people participating in Formula One want answers to a question such as this, they should talk to Kenny Roberts, who stated he wants to enhance lthe Formula One. "The only current Formula One machines are the $26,000 RS Hondas, and a simple cost comparison will show anY0'.1e that Superbikes are" in fact, cheaper to purchase, and probably equal to maintain. Fact: The Honda RS500 chassis sells for $4700plus. Fact: The current Honda Interceptor chassis sells for $530. Fact: The RS500 crankshaft is $1700-plus. Fact: The Honda Interceptor crankshaft is just over $1200. The comparisons go on and on. Let's look at the purchase price: The Honda RS500 reportedly sells for $26,000 in the U.S. A Honda Interceptor sells for less than $5,000. A Honda Interceptor racing engine from HRC (Honda Racing Company) sells for between $9-10,000. For an additional $5,000, forks, brakes, suspensions and wheels can be easil y purchased for the Intercepto.r. Therefore, your basic Interceptor costs about $20,000, which is $6,000 less than the RS Honda. And the replacement parts, as reported, cost considerably less for the Superbike. "The story that Superbikes are more expensive than Formula One bikes is based on the TZ750 which hasn't been in production in five or six years. And last but not least, how many exhaust pipe sponsors are available for a two-cycle G.P. machine? Aren't all the other aftermarket companies involved in the high-performance street bike market? The bottom line is the Superbikes are cheaper to buy, the replacement parts less expensive, and there's more grassroots sponsorship available from the aftermarket and dealer network. "Since 1980 when I retired, and when Kenny Roberts retired this year, a whole generation of American racers have done likewise. The other key factor is that the limited number of top riders weI' have now are split between Formula One and Superbike, and therefore neither class has a strong field. It is really ironic that for the last several years the four fastest men in the world are Americans who rarely make more than two appearances a year in America. "And what about statements inside Yamaha regarding their complete withdrawal from U.S. road racing and their lack of interest in Super- bike? Whose statements inside Yamaha are we talking about? The only official Yamaha entries have been at Daytona and Laguna Seca for the past 'five or six years. Yamaha hasn't really participated in the Grand National road race series in all that time. As for Yamaha's interest in Superbike racing, I think people have been premature in assessing the situation, and as everybody knows about racing, October, November and December are the months when everybody talks, negotiates and postures. Yamaha's racing manager, Kenny Clark, is very experienced in the politics of motorcycle racing in America, and will do what is best for his company. When he makes a public statement that Yamaha has totally withdrawn from American road racing and won't participate in Superbike then it will be a fact. He hasn't done tharyeL "One of the main goals that Chris Carter and' I have is to package our series for distribution all over the world, and in my case, specifically the U.S. We feel that by acquiring the foreign video coverage that's produced by national networks, we'll be able to offer the American broadcasters an eight- to l5-r,ace television series. So ' our plan is to definitely increase the coverage of motorcycle road racing, both in America and abroad. It must be realized, however, that this aspect of the project is tied in on the same growth curve as the series, that is to say it should take three to five yearsw produce the best results in both exposure and revenue. "The rules that we compiled while researching this project tn Europe differ from the AMA's current rulebook in four basic areas: I. machine weight - we wish to increase the weight of water-cooled, multi-cylinders; 2. use of exotic materials in the engine - the international supplements request the banning of titanium for connecting rods and valves; 3. homologation of machines - the ' number of units built to qualify has been set at 2,000 units for Japanese multi- and twin-cylinder manufacturer's, 500 units produced for any other multi-cylinder manufacturer, and 50 units produced for any twincylinder manufacturer; 4. homologation of engine modifications, such as . clutch and cam drive mechanism, is based on units produced and availability. "Thanks to the efforts of Wayne Moulton of the AMA, he has pro, posed new rules for the 1985 AMA Superbike season that should allow Americans the option of adapting their AMA-approved' equipment to any international rules similar to the ones we have proposed. "M.C.C. and Associates feels very confident that as our series grows we will attract the top competitors and produce a high standard of competition.. Because' we're an exclusively four-stroke series, we will not conflict with the 500cc GP series, and if we are able to be granted FIM world championship status, the winners of the International Superbike Masters Series will be the best four-stroke riders in the world. "Superbikes will go 200 miles at Daytona - in fact, there were Superbikes which finished the 1984 Daytona 200 miler. And the mystique and challenge of the Daytona 200 will always test the longevity of engines, tires arid riders alike. How many Daytona 200s has Freddie Spencer won? How many for Eddie Lawson? And how many years did it take Kenny Roberts to win the ones he's won? No matter what the bikes are, the 1985 Dayrona 200 mile Superbike Classic will go down in the record books as the 44th running of America's and the world's most, famous motorcycle road race."

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