Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

.-< G<") >- :§, ~y P~P~ Wf~LfY Jeff Hicks rode this production 1986 Honda CR250R motocrosser at the 8uchanan (M ichigan) National MX. The bike was released to Hicks by Honda's R&D department. While there are no sweeping changes, the CR250R 's engine has undergone major revisions; the ATAC system, which was formerly attached to the exhaust system just below the exhaust port, has been rep laced by a more conventional power valve set-up: similar to that in use on the Suzuki RM250. The rumored rear disc brake apparently was just that - rumored . Hicks went 9-7 on the day to earn seventh overall. Californian Donnie Cantaloupi, who has been living in Ita ly and racing the 250cc GPs under an Italian license, made the trip back 10 the U.S. for the July 14 Unadilla 250cc GP. Cantaloupi, racing with support from Husqvarna Italy. had engine seizure problems at Unadilla which left him with a pair of DNFs. ''I'm pretty much healed up from my wrist injury," said Cantaloupi, who sustained the injury early in the season, "a n d I have been doing pretty well in the Ita lian Championships. I'm currently second in their supercross point standings, third in the 250cc standings and fifth in the 5OOs. I'll be riding the rest of the 250cc GPs in Europe this year." A Japanese manufacturer of racecars will enter a new racebike w ith a carbon-fiber chassis in the Suzuka Eight-hour. The machine, built by employees of Dome Co. as an after-hours project, combines a carbonfiber-reinforced-plastic chassis with a Honda CBX750 engine and has a claimed dry weight of 328 pounds. The frame itself, which has aluminumalloy bosses built in to accept engine mount bolts and the swingarm pivot, is said to weigh 14.3 pounds without the swingarm and without a bolt-on rear section used to support the seat. A combination bodywork/fairing completely encloses the engine and splits vertically to allow removal ; ducts direct cooling air into and out of the fairing. The bike. named the Black Buffalo, will be ridden at Suzuka by Englishman Mat Ox ley and Swede Vesa Kultalahti, who finished second in the 1984 LeMans 24-hour endurance race . A United Press International report says Harley-Davidson is looking for a site outside of Wisconsin on which to build a plant to manufacture the three-wheeled TriHawk. According to the report, Harley-Davidson's chief financial officer Richard Teerlink says the company has been getting little investment capital and aid from the Wisconsin state government. The third a nnual Northwest MOIOcross Pi cnic will be he ld o n Saturday, J uly 27 at the Washougal National Motocross track in Washougal, Washington; for more information ca ll Sandy Oster at 206/927-3445 or Pam Kuebler at 2061735-1672. There was no speedway last Friday, July 19 at Costa Mesa because of the Orange County Fair, but Costa Mesa will hold fan appreciation night on Friday, July 26. The evening will feature Doug Domokos, the Wheelie King, on both his three-wheeler and motorcycle. 2 Suzuki will be in full force at the Ponca City and Loretta Lynn motocross races on August 4-11 and August 14-17. A Suzuki truck and display tent will be on hand featuring the 1986 Suzuki RM80, RM125 and RM250. Team Suzuki riders George Holland, Erik Ke - hoe, M ike Healey and Bobby Moore will also be in attendance to sign autographs while technicians and mechanics w ill he lp Suzuki riders entered in t he events w ith a l imited amount of spare parts be ing available fo r emergency repairs. The CZ Owners Club is sponsoring the California Vintage MOIOCTOSS Championships at Perris Raceway on Saturday, August 3. The races wil l be open 10 a ll pre-1977 bikes with both Stock and Modified class in addition 10 a class for non-unit construction bikes . For more information ca ll the CZ Clu b at818/917-6 171 or S.M.X. OI l 714/831-3482. Georgs Kolesnikovs, the President of Great American, lne., a company that puts on motorcycle and ATV shows and races throughout the country, has become the sev - enth skipper to sign up for the BOC Challenge 1986-1987 Singlehanded Race Around the World. Kolesnikovs has an $800,000 bud get for the building of the boat "Great American " and expenses for the race . He is also seeking sponsorship with the entry level for corporate sponsorship starting at $975. The race starts in Newport, Rhode Island on August 30, 1986. Eddie Day, winner of the 1957 Greenhorn Enduro, and familiar figure at the Mint 400 and Baja races , recently succumbed 10 cancer at age 58. Services will be held Ju ly 26 at 1:00 pm, at th e Ca lvary Evange lical Lutheran Church, 19554 Callaway, Canyon Country, California. The dates of this year's major international motorcycle shows are as follows: Paris, France, October 3-9; Tokyo, Japan, November 111; Milan, Italy, November 2027. A tight race points race in the AMA / Insport Su percross Series got even tighter as a result of an AMA appeal board meeting held on June 26. The board met to consider a protest filed by Team Yama ha's Broc G lover fol lo win g the April 20 H ousto n Supercross. Durin that race, H o n d a ' s David Ba iley ran off the course and re-entered the track several feet away. Glover protested, citing AMA rules which require riders to re-enter the race track at the same point they left it. Glover's protest was denied, but . his subsequent appeal of the decision was upheld. As a result, Bailey drops from sixth 10 ninth in the Houston results and loses three series points. Bu t the most important effect of the appeal board's decision was moving Honda's Ron Lechien from ninth to seventh in the HOUSlOn results for a net ga in of two series points. Lechien now trails Kawasaki's Jeff Ward and Yamaha's Glover by just two points heading into the fina l ro und which will be hel d in Pa sad en a , Califo rn ia 's Rose Bowl on August 17. Fo u r riders remain in contention for the AMA/Insport Tou r Champio nshi p; Ward and G lover each have 211, Lechien has 209 and Yamaha 's R ick J oh nso n has 201. Iron Pony Racing is now offering a 10 percent discount on its parts and accessories to AMA members

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