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/126928
The U.S. team of David Bailey, Rick Johnson and Johnny O'Mara com· - : pletely dominated the Motocross des Nations in Maggiora, Italy, on September 21. The American squad came .t:J away with the overall team win beating Great Britain, 4-11. Third place ..... went to host-country Italy with. 13 U points. Individually, the American Honda riders won all three classes with Bailey taking the 500cc class, Johnson the 25Occ, and O'Mara the 125cc division of the thrc;e moto format. t o o Fred Eiker, aboard a John Pleyer Replica Norton, was the overall winner in the motorcycle division of the September 20 La Carrera II road race that ran from San Felipe to Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico. Elker averaged 111.19 mph in th~ 125-mile race. Kevin Erion (Cag) w8lsecond at an average speed of 109.71, while Motorcyclist rmlgazine's: Nick len81Kh (H-D) was third overall at 102.04. Former Grand NIItiomII Ch8mpiona Mark Brelsford and Gary Nixon finished in a tie in the Kew8l8ki 250 Ninja cleaa, averaging 86.76. Bob "Bullet" Anderson, 46, of Tahoe City, California, suffered fatal injuri.. when he crashed 10 mil.. from the finish line. Movie producer (Smokey and the Bandit) Hal Needhem averaged 142.41 mph in his Skoal Bandit Grand National stock car to win the car division. American Honda is having a predealer convention release of many of its 1987 off-road and dual-purpose motorcycles, including the XR600, XR250, XR200, XRIOO, XL600, XL250, CR500, CR250, CR125, CRSO and TR200 FatCat. These models should be available soon at Honda dealers across the nation.' . • Ha.PITal STOP: Jim Doyle, road racer Randy MemoIa's manager, recently underwent surgery to repeir a broken right arm suffered in a solo motorcycle accident that occured in mid-August in the Skyline Hills near Sen Jose, California. Doyle reportedly went over the handlebars when a rider on a Harley-Davidson slid out in front of him and Doyle couldn't avoid a collision. Doyle suffered multiple breaks in his right arm, including a right wrist that W8I fractured in eight pieces. Carda end letters may be sent to Doyle at 2095 Portola Rd., Woodside, California 94062. Steve Wise will bring his series of MX schools to Missouri and Oklahoma in October. Wise will be at Possum Hollow Race Track in Springfield, Missouri, October 3-4, and will conduct classes at the AlJen'Ranch Race Track in Tulsa, Oklahoma, October II. While in Tulsa, Wise will speak to area high school students on his racing career and on his involvement with Christianity. For more information, call 512/687-8986 or 816/5820244. , 2 Jerry Griffith, engine builder for Freddie SpencerISuperTrapp's 1>oug Chandler, told Chandler before the September 14 Sen JOI8 Mile that he would have to win the race if he wented to . . Griffith in his pita at the Ascot Ha" Mile on September 20 and at the Sacramento Mile on September 27. Cundler not only claimed victory in San Jose - forcing Griffith to make the trip to southem California (not one of his favorite piecesI' - but also won at Ascot. Griffith apent the 1985 I88IOn on the road with Chandler, but elected to atey at home in Oakdale, California, for the 1986 schedule, building Chendler's enginea in his personal shop, then shipping the engines to Chendler as needs dicteted. Uving up to his promise, Griffith will be on hand at Sacramento to watch Chandler's attempt to claim his third National win in a row. HosPITal STOP: Tim Skov, the Junior rider who received a broken collarbone, broken pelvis and broken wrist during a crash in the second Junior heat race at the September 14 San Jose Mile, also suffered a broken neck that reportedly went undetected until after he was released from San Jose's Santa Teresa Hospital. After Skov was released, he was on his way home, riding in the back of his mother's station wagon, when he began losing consciousness. Skov's mother took him to nearby Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa, where he was admitted with an apparent broken neck. A spokesman for Memorial said Monday that Skov was in satisfactory condition, awaiting surgery. "Everything looks good for him," the spokesman said. Cards and letters may be sent to Skov, clo Memorial Hospital, P.O. Box 522, Santa Rosa, California 95402. According to AI Baker, Johnny O'Mara's manager, the O'Show's win in the 125cc cIeaa etthe Motocroll des Netiona in Italy on September 21 W8I his lest on a fectory Honda. Although he couldn't discla.eany inforrnation on O'Mara's new ride for 1987, Baker did ..y thet preas inforrnation along with pictures wiD be released shortly. Sources tell us O'Mara will ride for Suzuki in '87. The annual AMA Professional Awards Banquet will take place on Friday evening, November 7, on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The event, which honors champions in all divisions of AMA Pro racing, wil'l be co-hosted by Larry Maiers of USA Network's MotoWorld and Dave Despain of WTBS·TV's Motorweek Illustrated. The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company will be a maJor sponsor oftheevem. The event is open to the public and tickets will entitle the holders to attend a complimentary cocktail hour at6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. Awardspresentationsarescheduled to begin immediately following dinner. Reservations must be submitted to the AMA no later than October 24 (no tickets will be sold at the door). Ticket reservations may be made by sending a check for $30 per person to: AMA Professional Awards Banquet, c/o Pat McCoy, P.O. Box 6114, Westerville, OH 43081-6114. MOVED: Bill Wagner's Northwest Sleeve and Engine Works, to 150 B N.E. Victory, Gresham, OR 97030, 503/666-8430, to accomodate more equipment, including a new dyno service. The 1986-87 AMAIUSHRA/Worid Sports Arenacross Championship Series has been designated as a 125cc series. More than 40 events are already scheduled with a doubleheader taking place in Philadelphia's Spectrum on October 3-4. BMW AG has announced the availability of the HPN R80G/S Paris-Da~r Replica. BMW commissioned HP Motorradtechnik GmbH of Seiberadorf, West Germany, to develop the bike which will sell for approximately DMaOOO (approximately .14,000). Features include a reinforced frame, additional oil pump, Marzocchi front fork, White Power rear g81 shock, lengthened awingerm, longer drive shaft, 11.88 gallon main fuel tank and 3.96 gallon auxiliary tank, Brembo front disc brake, and headlight fairing with BMW K100 windscreen. BMW will also offer a bonus system for the '87 Peris-Dakar Rally. DM5000 (approximately .2500) will 90 to all privateer BMW riders who finish the rally, and DM10,ooo (approximately .5000) to a BMW rider if he wins the Marathon c.... (beat privateer on a production motorcycle). For info contact: HBN Motorredtech., Hofrnarkatreaae1, 8347 Seiberadorf, West Germany. Yamaha rider Bader Manneh and Honda pilots Jeff Leiak and Brien Manley were the 126, 250 and 500cc Pro clall winners in round three of the CMC Dodge Dakota Trans-Cal MX Series which took piece at Huron Raceway in Huron, California, September 21. Manneh went 3-1 to beIIt WiI;Jie Surrett (Hon) and Kyle Lewis (Hon), while Leiak swept both 260cc motoa elePMd time record of 6.98 seconds, backed up with a 7.01 run, at the Dragbike Top Fuel race held in conjunction with the IHRA U.S. National at 8ristol, Tenne_, September 21-22. Miller W8I defeated by Elmer Trett (Kew) in the final. Trett's winning time wes 7.17 seconds; Miller'slosing time _s7.27. overTom~yWatta(Kew)andDoug Stunt man Brett Smn, 26, brother of former Camel Pro Series road racer Gregg Smrz, was killed Sunday, September 21, when he jumped from the seventh floor of a downtown Los Angeles building and missed an air bag that was to have cushioned his fall. Gregg was on the scene filming the stunts for promotional purposes. Brett's twin brother, Brian, had successfully completed the stunt prior to his brother's fatal jump. Dubech (Yam). Manley tailed a 21 score in the 600s, beating Watts and Willy Simons (Hon). Jimmy Gaddis (Suz) won both 80cc Expert motos, while Billy Groui (Yam) claimed the Vet Pro clall win. According to a front page story in the Sacramento (California) Bee, the fed· ·eral Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has found "reasonable cause" to conclude that California State Parks and Recreation Director William Briner and his chief deputy "forced the department's highest ranking black employee to leave her job by harassing her over her race and sex." Governor George Deukmejien's chiefof staff has ordered a fuU report on the matter and beyond that refused to comment further, or to issue any indication of support for Briner. Off-road group leaders are assessing the situation and there is speculation that if Briner is forced to resign, a shakeup of other appointed officials in thedepartrnent may occur. Off-roaders find it ironic that Briner may now be removed for being "insensitive" to minoritIes, as that was the reason Briner gave for removing former deputy director and longtime "biker advocate" Russ Sanford from the OHV Deputy slot just over two ye'lrs ago. Sanford was removed for penning a letter which referred to an avowed homosexual motorcycle club as a "homosexual motorcycle club." Although the letter was never even sent, department employees worked the Xerox overtime circulating copies of the draft letter and demanding he be fired. Mark Miller of KiNimmee, Floride, rode his KewueIci-poweNd Top Fuel drag bike to a new Top Fuel According to Joel Breault of Amer-ican Honde's Hondeline acce~ ries division, they will soon be offering wide-ratio transmission kits and AC generator (lighting) kits for 1985-87 Honda CR500a andCR260s. Husky-mourued Randy Hawkins beat National Enduro Champion Terry Cunningham (Hus) by six points, 106-112, in the Caney Creek National Enduro in New Waverly, Texas, Sep' tember 21. Third place went to Kevin Hines (KTM) with 113, while Gary John ton (Hus) finished fourth. They were the only riders who didn't hour out due to rain which made the long and very tight AA and A class sections much more difficult than the organ· izing club, Trail Riders of Houston, had planned for the 18th running of the event which was a National for the first time. Friday, October 3, is the date for the last regular season speedway rae.. at Coate Me.., California's Orange County Fairgrounds. That's when the Great· Speedway Reunion, featuring speedway aters of the pest such as Bruce Penhelland BiD Cody, tak.. piece. The Coors U.S. Nationals will be held at Coate Me.. on October 11. •