Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Wind (Con tin ue d from page 3) MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRYS CflANGE Hired J ack R . L ove as Western Reg io n Manager for Carl isle Mo to rcycle T ire and Tube Divisio n : Love will provide a liason between Carlise di stributors a nd the co mpa ny's headquarters . Hired R i c k K i nn a m a n as Ad mi ni strat ive Assis ta nt a nd Sa les Ma nager of th e Ar izon a Desert R acing Asso ciati o n: Kinna man was formerl y w ith Cou n ty Cycle in Phoen ix, Ar izo na. Hired Bill G rah a m as F iel d Engineer of the Arizona Desert Racin g Associa tio n . Hired Gary Martin as Comptrolle r o f th e Arizona Desert Ra cing Assoc ia tio n . Qui t Da ryl Dra ke as Mot o rspo r ts Edi to r of Spor tsweek. USA; Dra ke wi ll co n ti nue 10 conrribure to Cycle News, and freela nce Irom P hoen ix, Arizona. M OVedMarushin Helmets, to 407 H owell Wa y, Ed monds, Washington 98020: the ph o ne nu m ber remains 206177 1-2115. Born To Kawasa ki Mot ors Corp. District Ma nager T on y Mosel y a nd h is wi fe Lu , Mat th ew Ll oyd o n J an ua ry 12. Born T o AMA Nat iona l roa d racer a nd dirt tr acker J imm y Filice a nd h is wi fe J a mi e, Justin Lou is o n December 22. Promoted St eve Sea rcey, of Wh ite Bros., to Director o f Wh ite Po wer R acing USA : Searcey wa s formerl y servi ce manager for Wh ite Bros., an d will n ow be in ch arge o f a ll sa les a nd service of Whi te Po wer Su sp ension shocks a nd forks. Promoted Do n Anderson , of Whi te Bro s., to Se rvice Ma nger: An derso n wi ll be in cha rge o f a ll service _ for p roducti on -based ma ch in es. AMA alters dirt track rules By Farren W illiams LO NG BEACH. CA ., JAN 2 Rule changes ap proved by th e AMA for Ca mel Pro a nd nonNational dirt track racing wen t into effect New Year's Da y, bu t 20 pose few ra dica l cha nges for th e 1986 competitio n season . In 1987, ho wever, the AM A wi ll insti tute changes that AMA Vice Presiden t o f Pro fessional Competi tion Bill Amick says should make professional dirt track racing both less expensive and more competitive. Max im u m engine displacement fo r .. . ... ,. .. ... .. .. - shor t track racing in 1986 will rem ain 500ce. In all o ther forms o f p rofessio na l d in track co m petitio n, traditional750cc four-st roke twin s will be a llowed, as wi ll single-cyl inder, fourstroke motorcycles u p to 600ec. Sin g lecylinde r 660cc motorcycles a lso may be raced, bu t engine a ir inta ke restr iction will be req uired. T he AMA will a llo w the co nti nued use o f two-stro ke, single-cyli nde r engines during 1986, but wi ll ba n th e use o f two -stroke po werp lan ts beginning in 1987. Also in 1987, n ew disp lacement rules will a llow 600cc, single-cy lin de r, fourstroke engi nes to be used in sho rt tra ck raci ng. T he main rea son for altering disp lacement rules a nd eliminati ng twostroke engi nes is to provide a mo re eco nomica l pro gra m for co mpeti tors without aff ect ing th e ca li ber o f professional raci ng, accordi ng to Am ick. " T he p rod uct is th e raci ng, not th e technol ogy," he said. " Tradi tio na lly ;" dirt tra ck is a four-stroke for m o f racing - it a lways h as been . We're tryin g to sim p lify th e eq uipme nt fo rmu la. Wherever a rider goes, he wants to be co m pe ti tive . T o do th at n ow . h e needs fo ur bikes. We're try i ng to sim p lify th at where a g uy ca n tak e two m ot orcycles and race a ll yea r lon g. U p to the Expert level, a ri der sho u ld be abl e to ride o ne mot orcycle - a 600 - a nd race a ll yea r lo n g. We'r e looking for a simp ler, clea ner formu la wi tho u t h urti ng too many people." . Expert class air inta ke res trictio n on single-cyli nder engines larger th an 600ec, pro bably through th e man da tory use o f 38m m carb u retors, is ai me d primari ly at the 660cc H onda a nd 660cc Wood- Rotax . T his rule was designed to elim ina te the horse power ad vantage larger singles have over approved 600cc models, but st ill g ives com p et itors th e o p tion o f usi ng the bigger engine. In addi tio n, th e AMA is exp lo ri ng th e poss ibi lity o f a llo wing sleeve -u p kits for 55Os and s leevedown kits fo r 660s. " With a p p ro ved kits, yo u cou ld tak e wh at yo u' re r u nni ng n ow a n d tu rn it into a 600," Am ick sai d . The AMA 's new rules will not sim p lify th e eq u ipment formula u sed in professio na l d in track rac ing , accord i ng to Ron Wood , o f Ron Wood Racing , Costa Mesa , Ca lifo rnia. " I don 't see eye-to-eye with all of their rule changes," Wood sai d . " If yo u ta lk to Ami ck , he'll p aint a pretty picture, bu t th eir bu cket has a lo t o f hol es in it. H is j us tification (fo r restri cting 660cc singles) doesn 't mak e sense. We devel oped th at engine to race agains t 750s o n th e half mil e. We're a lread y giving th em 90ce. Our bi ke will p rod uce 67 ho rsepower, a nd th e H onda (750cc twin ) will pu t o u t 90 - an d the y're restri cti ng us - th at doesn 't mak e sen se. " I th ink i t' s due to th e fact that we h ave some potential ," Wood sa id. " We won fo ur reg ional ha lf m ile races last year. Now that th ey've restr icted the bike, it wo n ' t go so fast, a nd we won 't have as much o f a cha nc e to win a ha lf mi le wi th it. I do n 't thi nk th a t's ri g ht. If yo u ca n run a 750 twi n , w hy can' t yo u ru n a sma ller-d isp laceme n t, lo wer-h orsepo wer single?" In the J unior class, open ings in car bureto r restricrors for 750cc tw ins wi ll be increased to 28.5 m m, up fro m 1985's 27m m req u irement. T he increase was approved to a llow restricted twi n-cyli nder mot orcycles the opportuni ty to co mpete more effectivel y with 500ec singles, withou t gi ving the tw ins an un d ue adva ntage. T h e res rri cror ru le wi ll be su bject 10 AMA review a nd cha nge. Since professio na l Ju nior and Ex pe r t classes wi ll ha ve ide ntical equipme nt rules, beg inn ing in 1987, 1986 is th e fin a l yea r Junior :"" ., ~ ~ rr ... class, 750ec twins will be restricted. That's another sore point with Wood. " In 1987, th ey're n ot going to restrict th e 750s in th e Junior class that's stup id ," he said. " My id ea would be 10 restrict 750s in both th e J un ior a nd Expert classes in 1987, so yo u co ul d r u n a si ngle-cy li n der aga i nst the twi ns o n a co m pe titive basis. " T he co st o f raci ng th ese da ys is to ta lly p roh ib it ive ," Wood sai d . " T hat' s why th e AMA is losin g (professi o na l d irt track ) riders. If yo u want to win th e nu mber o ne p la te, yo u have to have two 750s, a TT bike, an d a bi ke for sh o rt track . I don ' t ca re what th ey sa y, yo u have to have two (sma ller) bikes - o ne set u p fo r TT an d o ne set u p for short tra ck . It 's a ltogeth er differen t. So me g uys will try to run o ne bike in bo th, but th ey'll be o u t of th e hunt. " If you ' re go ing fo r th e number o ne p la te, yo u need two H onda s, a t 18,000 a p iece, or two H arleys a t S12,000 ap iece, plus short track an d TT bi kes," sa id Wood. " Wi th a ll th e spares, it tot al s in the neighborhood o f S50,O OOto $60,000, a nd yo u need a semi truck to tra n sport a ll tha t stu f£. T h at's what 's killi ng th e spo n; nobod y can a ffo rd it. We've had a definile de crease in riders, If it co nt in ues, th ere won 't be a nv riders left - we've got to chan ge the prog ram. " Evervo ne savs I'm biased , because I sell si rig le-cylmder engines;' Wood co nti n ued. "T'rn not bi ased : I' m looking a t i t wi th o pe n eyes. T h e o n ly g uys o p posed to it a re guys wh o hav e investmen ts in 750s. If yo u took a p oll toda y, m y g ue ss wou ld bea 75%25% vote to go wit h big bo re, single cylinders ." All fo ur-stroke en gines raced on Am erican d in tra cks in 1986 will be li mi ted to four va lves per cylinde r (two in ta ke a nd two ex ha ust). Desp ite talk earlier th is year of ba n n ing wa ter -coo led p ow erp la ru s, liq u i.tcooled engines will be allowed thi s season , su bject to AMA a pproval. Nineteen -in ch wh eels, front and rear, fitted o n ly with a p proved tires, will be required a t all N ati onal events. Tires a llowed will include DOTa p p ro ved 4.00-19 Carlisle a nd Pirelli universal s. Tires .Iro rn oth er manufacturers ma y be a llo wed , pending a p prova l by th e AMA before the beginning of th e 1986 season . All tire manufacturers ma y su bmi t one front a nd one rear tire for u se iii Nati onal even ts, as long as th ey are DOTap p ro ved and a vaila ble for road u se th rough normal co m me rci a l cha n nels. In non-National races, any DOTapproved tires made for road use and available commerciall y will be al lowed, a s will a ny tire cu rrent ly or previously approved by th e AMA. Pract ice sess io ns at a ll National events in 1986 will be limited to two sessi o ns per rider. An y compet itor ca ug h t vio la ting this new rule will lose o ne qualifying a tte mpt during time trials, a nd will be forced to sta n hi s h eat ra ce from th e penalty line, regardless o f hi s qualifying position. In addi tio n , ra ce reg istration will close a t II :00 a.m ., for da y races, an d a t 5:00 p .rn ., for night ra ces. Late riders will be a llowed to regi ster if th ere is time for th em to run one practice session . The policy o f using tires or co ne s to widen th e racing groove a t National events will be di scontinued for sa fety reasons. The policy was ch anged aft er ri ders com p la ine d to the Dirt Track Ad visory Board th at co nes o n th e race tra ck a re dangerous. T hey didn 't like the idea o f acci de ntl y kicking tires or hav in g £l yin g co nes h it th em in th e chest while slidi ng into corners at 110 mph . " At a few race trac ks we had so me cl ose ca lls," Am ick p ointed ••~~t. : '~.'~o, th e .r!dc.:r~ .a~!ee.d. ~~ two practice sessions. If we use the co n we'd hav e to give th em three." Th AMA current ly is lookin g for alte nat e ways to widen th e g roo ve, acco r i ng to Am ick. " Yo u m igh t co me i th e m orni ng of the ra ce, or ma ybe rh day before , a nd run a co u p le o f supe m odifieds arou nd the track, 100 lap o r so; those th i ngs la y down a lo t 0 rubber," he suggested . In o rder to ac h ieve a smooth tra nsi tion fro m a ma teu r to professiona co m pe ti to n, th e AM A will merge th P ro No vice a nd P ro-Am din trac class es in 1986. An y rider wh o h ol ds 1985 P ro No vice licen se will be gov emed under th e same ru les a nd ad va ncernen t system as last yea r, wh il a ll new riders w ill ra ce under revis P ro -Am ru les. T he format is design to a llow yo u ng riders a cha nce t exp lo re th e p ossibi lity of a p rofes sio nal career withou t riski ng am a teur stat us. T he AMA h opes th e for m a t w ill provide a n a tt ractive, lowcos t p romot ional oppo rt un ity for promoters a nd clu bs. At P ro -Am p ro fessional sa nct io n s, racers may co m pe te o n an y fourstroke, sing le-cylin der m ot orcycle up to 500cc (ma xim u m di spl acem ent will be in creased to 504cc in 1987). At P roAm amateur races, classes will in clude 0-250cc two-stroke, single cylin der: 0500cc fou r-st roke, si ngl e-cy linder (a ga in, wi th a n increas e to 504cc n ext yea r): a nd 525-750cc four-stroke sing le or twin. Under the new system, th ere wi ll be no manda torv adva ncem ent from th e P ro- Am di ,:isio n to th e Jun ior class: T o ea rn J u ni o r ra n king , a rider must accumu la te a mini m um o f 80 advancement points, be a t leas t 17 yea rs o ld . a nd have o ne year of P roAm experience. Adv a ncem ent poi nt s wi ll be pai d in a ll heat races, semis a nd main events. Fo r points ta bu lation, Ex p erts wi ll not be co u nted i n scor ing. Riders must be a t least 15 yea rs old to co m pete in Pr o -Am ama teu r even ts an d 16 yea rs o ld to r u n professi o nal races. The licen se fee, wh ich includes AMA membership, is $40 per year. One-day Pro-Am licenses will be av ailable a t ea ch race (fo r a $5 fee). but no points will be awarded to oneday license holders. Wood a lso is cri tica l of the AMA's new Pro-Am class merger. " Last yea r we had only 191 Novice ra cers , total , o n th e Nattonal level ," he said . " At Ascot (Par k in south ern Californ ia ) a few years back , we used to have 10 to 12 h eat ra ces, with 10 to 12 riders in eac h h eat - th ere were 120 Novice riders a t Ascot every Frida y ni ght. " T h is yea r, th ey've tak en -th e Novices a nd mo ved th em back to semipro,"Wood said. "Whatthey'redoing is shovi ng th em under th e ca rpet because th ey want to have nothing to do with th em . What a re th ey going to do wh en th ey have o n ly 191 Juniors?' I don 't get a straigh t a ns we r (from th e AMA ) o n th at question. " A lot of Juniors this seaso n have enough points to transfer to Expert, but th ey aren't transferring," Wood claimed. " T he kids are too sm art, They're intell igent enough to know th ey ca n ' t a ffo n a 750. They kn ow th ey can't a ffo rd to maintain the eq uip me nt, a nd th ey can't afford to trav el. " T he AMA shou ld be working more on th e gra ss roots level to get kids interested a nd involved," said Wo od . "I don 't see a program in th at a rea. My suggestio n would be to have several em p lo yees o f the AMA go to severa l areas o f th e Uni ted Stat es a nd find mo re race tracks, an d find m ore promoters . T hey shou ld ge t cl u bs a n d deal ers in local a reas to participat e. T hey sho u ld ru n so me races, i.nstead of lett ing i! di e." _

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