Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

0 ~ ~ z -. « :I: > 0 z « u > '" en o o l- :I: e, l!':l 00 ~ ....... ~ (,,0 ....... l-t V ..0 0 .... U 0 Christian plows through the deep cushion at San Bernardino. 32 la yin g m y b ik e down p rett y qui ck a nd th at is probabl y pan of it . If a guy is ou t of co ntro l in fro nt o f me so metime s I will reall y lag back un less I ge t a bi g hole to go through. The 1985 season has seen the circuit expand from three to five tracks. How healthy is this for the sport and ca n it thrive with this many nights of racing? I thi n k it has helped the sport a lot. It 's h elping m ore peopl e across th e sta te see was speed wa y is. T he o n ly thi ng I ca n see tha t h urts it going five n ights a week is th a t a lot o f the riders break a bike or get hun beca use th ere is so m u ch ra cin g going on . Kell y Moran proba bly h as the worst in jury record . I reall y feel so rry for Kell y bein g o ff so lo ng especiall y beca use he loves speedway racing so m uch . Early in th e season yo u were burned out; now tha t it 's going yo u ar e reall y enjoying yourself, Why were yo u burned out early? I don' t kn ow whv I wa s burned o u t a t th e stan o f th e 'yea r, but I reall y was . I think wha t h a ppen ed was the season crep t up on me a lot soo ner th anI expected a nd I just flat wasn ' t ready for it a t the begi n ni ng of th e year. I j us t wasn 't ready for the five ni ght s a n d it was j ust kind o f h ar d o n me a t first. No w that I've kind o f go lien my ro ut ine down bet ter, it's a lot eas ier fo r m e. Do you like racing five nights a week better than two nights? Yea h, I do . T he o n ly th ing I wish is th a t we would race five nights in a ro w an d get two n igh ts o ff. I ca n ' t p lan a va ca tion o r I ca n't g o a ny wh ere o vernigh t because I don ' t h ave two days o ff in a row. The points race is so close I do n 't dare tak e a da y o ff. What is the future of speedway in southern California? What about in America? I th ink it 'll sta y just the wa y it is. I d o n ' t th ink i t is goi ng to spread across th e n at ion like we a ll wa nt it to , or it wo u ld've hap pened by n ow . Obviously n ob od y kn ow s j ust what it's going to tak e to ma ke it grow n at ion all y. I th in k wh a t m ight happen is th at Carl sbad will gro w as far as th at ar ea is co nce rned . I kn ow Asco t is go ing to grow. I th ink th e exis ti ng tracks will ma ybe ge t bigger , but as far a gro wing ac ross the nation, I ca n ' t see it happening . How much longer do yo u plan on racing? As long as I keep ha vin g top sp onsors like STP and my a li itude is as good as it is now, I will keep raci ng. I think I ca n eas ily race a no ther 10 yea rs. Speedway isn ' t as physicall y demanding as a lot o f o the r sports. A lot of it is just m ental an d keeping th e bike a nd every th ing in sha pe . I'm do in g a ll m y ow n engi n e work a nd everyth ing o n m y bik es th is year. I'm to tall y independent fro m anyo ne else now a nd I reall y li ke that. Let's sa y it is 10 years down the road. Will you stay in th e sport after you retire? Mo re than likely. That 's rea lly a tough question because I don ' t know wha t's down th e roa d . I ca n ' t pred ict the fu ture. I know I' ll probably be in so me son of racing th e rest of m y life. I kn ow a lo t about spee dway now . I would lik e to mavbe d o so me e n gines, or maybe sponsor so me riders. T he re a re a ll kind s o f p hases th at I co u ld be in . How did you get the ni ckname "Crazy?" Obviousl y yo u are one of the sensible riders on the circu it and far from cra zy. T ha t started wh en I was in rno tocro ss, before I even sta rted sp eed way. I had the name Crazy - I was j ust ove r my h ead . Wh en I go t in to speedwa y, th e a n n o u nce r was Br u ce Young, wh o is at H i-Po in t Produ cts ri gh t now . H e h ad been arou ndmotocro ss a lo t so h e knew tha t th ey ca lled m e Cr az y Chri stian. It just kind of followed an d h as staye d with m e ev er since. I think i t j us t goes good with m y nam e. I' m cena in ly no t crazy a ny more. The 1985 season is enterin g th e home str etch and it seems as tho ugh Alan Christian is on a roll. C ons ist en c y is th e n am e o f th e ga me. If I don 't win a ny more ma in s th e rest of th e year, I ha ve still had an excelle n t yea r. I' m very happy with th e wa y things ha ve go ne . Rig h t now I think I'm riding j ust as well as I ever h ave. I j ust want to m ak e as ma n y mai ns as I ca n through out th e rest of th e seaso n and fi nish a h ea d in poi nt s, As fa r as being o n a ro ll , I'm not on a ro ll at the m om ent, I'm j ust really co nsistent . You already sta ted that yo u r main goal is to win in points. In earl y October, the U.S. National will take place at Costa Mesa. The way you are riding now you have to be considered one of , if not the, favorit e. Is this the yea r Alan Christian becomes U.S. National Speedway Champion? Is th i s m y year? H ow d o yo u a n swer a question lik e th at ? I certa inl y hope so. Th is will be m y ninth co nse cu tive Na tiona l an d a ll I ca n say is th a t I'm go ing to go out th ere a nd h opefull y have m y bike in 110% sha pe. I'm going to rid e my very best a nd if i t h a ppens, it h appen s. If it doesn 't, there' s alwa ys next year. • Mercedes Gonzales (above) w on the 1 2 5 an d 250cc Pro t it les riding with a broken foot. (Below) S ue Fish (Vam) ro de to two second-place finishes. Coors Light Women's National Motocross Chamll.ionshill.: Gonzales injured, • wins anyway By Cand y Han d ADELANTO, CALI F., SE PT . 29 Mercedes Gonzales overcame a broken foot to win the 125cc and 250cc Pro titles and become overall champion at the Coors Light Women's National Motocross Championships a t Sunrise Cycle Park . To win Gonzal es a nd h er Kawa.' . saki had to beat Su e FIsh a nd her Yamaha , a nd th e two mel in bo th 125cc and 250cc motos. Conzales rode three motos after break ing h er foot, a~d di dn 't fin d out it was br.o.ken u n til a fter th e race.. I h e batt le for th e I25c<: tttl e began in the [irs t mot o with Gonza les. spon sored bv Tea m Gree n / H i· Po intl Scott /Di\l C / Ma xi m a / D u n lop / Shoe-i/ Enzo Racing , tak ing :111 _1~l rl y

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