Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Cycle News 1984 12 05

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126798

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 1 of 31

"We don't intend to compete for Camel Pro Series points in road racing for our dirt track championship eHort in 1985," said Honda's Gary Mathers. BY p~p~ Wf~LfY ing. out.ide of Jay Springsteen'. ride. for the Harley-David.on factory in 1983 and the effort. of Bubba Shobert. Ricky Graham and Doug Chandl.r on Honda factory bikes this year. A poll of dirt track promoters is being taken to decide on a proposal to cut out the semi-finals in Nationals. If the change goes into effect the program in all but short track Nationals would consist of four heats and a Last Chance Qualifier. Heats would transfer three riders each - four at mile Nationals - with the LCQ transferring two riders for 14-and-18 rider fields, respectively. Short track programs of six heats would transfer two riders from each and two from the LCQ. American Jimmy Ellis won the 600cc Australian National Championship on a YZ490 Yamaha. Going into the final round of the series in Broadford. Australia. three riders had a shot at the crown Ellis and Australians Jeff Leisk and Vaughan Style. Leisk, known as Mr. Motocross in Australia. had the best chance to win it. but a broken rear wheel bearing on his '85 water-cooled CR500R Honda stopped him. Vaughan led most of the first mota before Ellis caught up and passed him for the lead and eventual win. In the second mota. Leisk had nothing to lose and went all-out to win. while Ellis rode conservatively, finishing second and winning the title. Leisk captured the 250CC National Championship, while Glen Bell won the 126cc title. "It hasn't hit me yet... · said Ellis. "When I see the number one on my bike I'll probably go 'Wow. I did itl' because I've never had a number one. I've been two. three. four. five. six and seven in America. but I've never been number one where I've been able to use a number one plate." 2 The hottest item to come from the recent AMA profes.ional rule. board meeting i. the .plitting of the AMA Grand National Champion.hip into two separate divi.ion. - dirt track and road race in 1986. Each divi.ion will crown their own Grand National Champion. A .plit of the serie. ha. been telked about for a number of years. but until now ha. not had the backing needed for the change. In recent seeson•• few riders - e.pecially privateers -have added road race points to their dirt track telly to better their championship stand- In other bu.in•••• a proposal to reinstate a claiming rul. in dirt track wa. voted down. Work i. . being done on developing a set of rule. to limit the co.t of dirt track equipment . . . Th. di.placement for four-stroke. in .hort track and TT remain. at 500 and 600cc, respectiv.ly ... Riders will now draw for their time trial po.ition. : .. Th.re will be no alt.rnate riders for the semis (depending on the semi rule chang.) or Last Chance Qualifier ... If a National is .topped. a minimum of five laps must be run on the re.tart regardIe.. of the number of laps run before the rac. wa. stopped. There will be a format change for Formula One in 1985. The top 25 from timed practice sessions will go to the National. The Consolation race will now be run before the National with the winner transferring to the National. The promoter sti 11 has the option of adding up to five addi tional riders to the field although this is not mandatory. The minimum field for a Formula One National will be 26 riders with the maximum at 31. Honda ha. mad. a number of cuts throughout their racing program. for 1986. In dirt track. it will be Camel Pro Series Champion Ricky Graham and Bubba Shobert .pearheading the factory effort. Doug Chandler. on a bik./parts/money program in 1984. ha. been dropped. Dirt track mechanic. Denni. Jon•• and Dave Hubinsky did not have their contraets renewed. G_ Romero r.mains a. the t.am manag.r. Unlike the 1984 Camel Pro Series title chase, there will be no forays into Formula One by Graham or Shobert in search.of additional points. stitution, which says a person must "be let alone with regard to matters which may be injurious to himself but present no threat of danger to others. " Honda did not ren.w Mik. Baldwin's contract and ha.dropped it. Formula One program to concentrate sol.ly on th.ir Superbike effort with serie. champion Fred Merk.1. Udo Giet! continu.. as team manager with Mik. Velasco and Merlyn Plumlee as Merk.l·s mechanies. Phil McDonald. Mike Baldwin'. mechanic in Formula One until the program wa. cut. remains with Honda to work in their RS600 and RS260 production road rac.r sal.. program. Another motocross champ turned Six Day rider? The word from Britain is that 19B1 250cc World MX Champion Neil Hudson has expressed interest in qualifying for a spot on the British team at the '85 ISDE in Spain. While rumors have it that johnny O'Mara is having negotiations with Kawasaki, Gary Mathers tells us that O'Mara is contracted with- Honda through the 1985 season. One thing that is certain is the fate of Danny "Magoo" Chandler; he's been dropped from Honda's team for '85. Honda's effort in '85 will see David Bailey, Bob Hannah, Ron Lechien and O'Mara (barring his rumored move to Kawasaki) on the roster; Dave Arnold will continue as MX team manager. No decisions on class designations have been made. The date for the 1985 International Six Days Enduro IISDE) has been set; it will run September 30October 6 in Alp, Spain. Probably the biggest question mark in the MX world is over the head of Mark Bam.tt. "Th. Bomber·... contract with Suzuki expira. at the .nd of '84. and Barnett has told us "he is still uncertain of his plan. for '85." Th. rumor mill has it that Kawauki h.. expressed interest in Barnett. Moto&oss events at Argyll Park in Dixon, California are now CMC sanctioned; more information is available by calling 916/678-3592. The Bureau of Land Manag.ment (BLM), U.S. For.st S.rvic. and California D.partment of Parks and R.cr.ation will.har. booth 423 at the Gr.at American Motorcycle Show in Los Ang.l.s, California. on D.c.mb.r 7-9. Th.y will have brochures on piaca. to ride, plu. have .xhibits showing how Gr••n Stickie monies have b••n r.c.ntly put to us•. Dates and places for the '85 CMC Golden State Series (California): january 5-6, Lake Madera; 12-13, Sand Hill Ranch; 19-20, Sunrise Valley Cycle Park; 26-27, Marysville; February 2-3, to be announced; 10 (sportsman only), Carl bad Raceway; 16-17, Hollister Hills and 23-24, Lake Madera. More Gold.n State Serie. note.: Newly-crown.d 260cc World Champion Heinz Kinigadner (Au.tria) will ride most of the serie. on a work. KTM 260 along with KTM .upport rider. Harry Everts (Balgium). who will be competing in the 126cc Pro clan. Las Vegas District judge Donald Mosley declared Nevada's mandatory helmet law unconstitutional and overturned the conviction of Samuel Marber, who was cited and convicted of riding his motorcycle without a helmet. The Las Vegas district attorney's office is expected to appeal Mosley's decision to the Nevada State Supreme Coun. Mosley made his decision after hearing arguments from Marber's attorney that the law violated his client's rights under the Ninth Amendment to the U.S. Con- WITHOUT RIDES: For '85, Belgian Andre Vromans.. dropped from Honda's GP MX effort, and Dutchman Gert-jan Van Doorn, after his sponsor, Dutch Suzuki importer Nimag, folded. Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. will bring in 10 1985 TZ250s. The latest version of the popular Formula II race bike still has an across-the-frame parallel twin two-stroke engine, but with crankcase reed-valve induction and flat-slide electronic powervalves in the exhaust. Mikuni 36mm carbs with powerjets and a I7-inch front wheel are standard and the new bike has a claimed dry weight of 233 pounds (4.4 pounds lighter than the 1984 model). The bike will be sold with a spares kit (but without a fairing) and may be ordered through Yamaha dealers; dealers should contact Yamaha Racing Manager Ken Clark to orde.r. Han. Kinig.dner, old.r brother of '84 260CC World MX Champion Heinz Kinigedner. crashed during a MX in hi. native Austria recently and .ustained injuri•• to hi••pine whieh left him paralyzed from the wai.t down. Han. 8Iso competed in the 260CC GP. in recent year•. On the trial scene, Frenchman Phillipe Berlatier, who finished fourth in the World Championship Observed Trials Series in '84 on an Italjet, has signed with the Italian Aprilia factory. The new Aprilias are expected to have Rotax engines. (Contil/ued to page 30) M?JO~~ UANGES Sold Hester Communications, publishers of Motorcycle DealerNews and Motorcycle DealerNews Merchandiser and promoter of Motorcycle DealerNews Expos, to Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Inc., a.NewYorkbased publisher of trade magazines. Appointed Vice President, Marketing, Harley-Davidson's Trihawk Division, Clyde Denzer; formerly Harley-Davidson's General Sales Manager, with additional duties directing the company's motorcycle racing. Appointed Vice President. Domestic Motorcycle Marketing for Harley-David on MOlor Co.. jim Paterson; formerly Vice President. Controller.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's - Cycle News 1984 12 05