Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Georges Jobe (Hon) took sole possession of the point standings lead by winning both motos of the May " 31 German GP, the sixth round of the World Championship 500cc MX Series, at Reutingen, West Germany. Jobe and defending champ David .Thorpe (Hon) entered. the event ~ied for the points lead WIth 115 pomts ·each. Thorpe had a 4-2 day, good for second overall, and now trails Jobe in the point standings, 155,to 145. Heinz Kinigadner (KTM) fmished third overall with 7-3 moto finishes. Rob Andrews (Hon) was fourth overall with a 2-9 tally and Kees Van der Ven (KTM) finished fifth overaJl with an 8-4 performance. Van der Ven is third in the point standings with 130 points. Junior clasa dirt tracker Bryan Villella. who has a commanding lead in the AMA Junior National Championship Dirt Track Series point standings. has run afoul of errors in print as far as his sponsors go. His tuner. Mike Camphouse. says Villella is sponsored by "Ron Wood. MC Racing. Tsubaki. Shoei. Cam-2. Hog Wash. and Phil's Cycle Shop of Pontiac. Michigan." Over 88,000 race fans attended the May 29-30 Montreal Supercross doubleheader in Canada. Alan King (Suz) won Friday night's race with Ross Pederson (Yam) second and Andy Stacey (Hon) third. Pederson was the winner Saturday night with Alan Dyck (Yam) second and King third. Jimmie Darrell Lynch. 38. of Bakersfield, California. suffered fatal injuries in an accident that occurred while he was riding a bicycle on May 23. Lynch. an offroad race competitor. is survived by his wife Elizabeth and daughter Trista. Godspeed. Jimmie. Classes for the remaining American Historic Racing Motorcycle Associ- ation (AHRMA) Historic Cup Series races may be altered to swt track length and track density, according to regulations released by AHRMA. Because AHRMA's race time is short at the six Camel Pro road race meets, . some classes may not be run at aIL In particular, at Loudon there will only be two races: in the feature race, classes run will include the Premier 500, Lightweight I, Lightweight 2, and Sportsman 500. In the other race, classes will include Formula 750 Four-Stroke, Sportsman 650 and 750, and Two-Stroke Grand Prix (250cc only). For more information, contact AHRMA at 419/253-4442. Grand National Champion Bubba Shobert showed up for the May 30 Louisville Half Mile. famous for it·s face-shield destroying limestone spray. with a push-button solution to the roosterteil problem. Mounted on Shobert's Bell Helmet was a modified Clear Rhea Mud Eater. an automatic tearoff device designed for use by sprint car drivers. The Mud Eater contained the. equivalant of 100 tearoffs in a single film strip. which rotated from housings on the right side of the helmet to the left side of the champ's heed gear whenever Shobert pushed a button on his handlebars. The unit. which operates off three nine-volt batteries. is made by Clear Rhea Manufacturing of Eminence. Indiana. Clear Rhea owner Rex Rhea said he will expand into the motorcycle market with his lightweight automatic tearoff machine if there is enough demand. Rhea may be contacted at 317/528-2224. The new Cagiva 500cc V-four Grand Prix bike madejts debut at the Italian GP on May 24 with Raymond Roche riding it'1o a respectable ninth place. The new Cagiva sports a.Vamaha DeIta-box:like frame, ~nd a Vamaha VZR500-like compact. twin-crank V-four englna. The englna has been made more compact by reducing the Vee angle. in turn a benet'lt which accrues from the replacement of Dell 'Orto carburetors ~h Mikunis. The major frame development is minor; the rear suspension linkage is now above the awingarm. allowing the lower exhausts a cleaner exit. vthile at the same time improving ground clearence. . The High Sierra M.e. will host an observed trials at Donner Ski Ranch near Truckee. California, on June 28. "We're inviting enduro riders to' come out and give trials a shot. We'll have special enduro class sections we're sure they'll enjoy tackling," said Tim Walker. All regular trials classes will run as well as the special Enduro class. For more information, call 702/831-0472. Dave Osterman, Cagiva North America's MX team manager. will tie the knot with Debbie Robinson of Augora, California, on June 13. AB36, Assemblyman Richard Floyd's (D-Gardena) measure which would r~uire mandatory h~met u~ while nding a motorcycle 10 Cahfornia, was approved by the state assembly June I, but may be reconsidered later this week. After the assembly voted 41-29 to approve the measure, AB36-opponent, Assemblyman Gil Fer$uson (R-Newport Beach), immediately asked that the bill be reconsidered. The assembly will vote June 4 on whether or not they will poll themselves a second time on AB36 or send it directly to the state senate. In Illinois, HB2, a mandatory helmet use bill sponsored by Representative John Cullerton (D-Chicago), was withdrawn from House of Representatives consideration when Cullerton realized it probably would not pass. Cullerton sent the measure back to the Judiciary Committee (or "interim study." .That action p'robably will keep the bill alive until the legislature reconvenes in January. In the state of Washington, HIH6l, which originally called for mandatory helmet use by all riders, was amended to cover only those riders age 18 and under. The bill was signed into law May 18 and will become effective July 25. Oregon's pro~sed mandatory helmet use bill, HB2581, recently was amended to place the issue before the public in the form of a referendum vote. Oregon voters are scheduled to consider the measure during the May, 1988 primary. Oregon's law currently requires helmet use only for riders under age 18. U.S. Senator Alan Cranston (DCA) recendy sent a letter to the 19 members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, urging his colleagues to support S.7. Ahhough opponents hold that Crenston's controversial Desert Protection Act would shut down most of the California desert.to off-road riding. Cranston claimed in his letter that S.7 would leave adequate acreage available for OHV use. "Surely 770.000 acres - an area the size of Rhode Island - plus 15.000 miles of unmaintained dirt routes. should be enough to satisfy any reasonable ORV user." Cranston said. The public lands subcommittee of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee is expected to conduct a hearing on S.7 sometime in late June. Vance & Hines' Dennis Smith will be on hand with Pirelli tires at the July 11-12 Laguna Seca round of the AMA Road Race Series in Monterey, California. Smith will have tires for Honda's CB600 Hurricanes' and Yamaha's FZ600 motorcycles used in the Supersports race. The DOTapproved Pirellis have been used by Richard Moore in his recent two wins in the 600cc Stock Production class at Willow Springs International Raceway lD Rosamond, California. Three-time World Champion Kenny Roberts was besieged both in the pits and on the track when he ran a single practice session at the Italian Grand Prix on May 21. Reportedly. riders tried to follow him after he passed for a quick riding lesson from Roberts. "I didn't go out to prove I can still go faster than the other guys,,. Roberts said. "We have tire tasting to do. and Randy (Mamola) needs to concentrate on preparing for the race. I was looking for information on some new sidewall , constructions. which Dunlop needs for the next generation tire. It was kinda neat. but I'd have been happier if I could have seen where I was going. It takes time to edjust your brain and your eyes to 185 mph. At first I couldn't see the brake markers." Roberts' practice times would have put him 13th on the Grand Prix starting grid. The former dirt track and road race champ has no plans on racing. although he may continue to test his Team Lucky Stnlte Roberts Vamahas. AMAICamel Pro Series Superbike Champion Fred Merkel was on hand for the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on May 24. Merkel rode in, and won, a support race prior to the GP on his Honda VFR Superbike. Former World Champion Marco LucchinelIi's eight-valve Ducati was also on hand for the race, but the machine blew up on the warm-up lap. The NMA Western Qualifier, originally scheduled for June 7 at Los Angeles County Raceway in Palmdale. California. has been moved to Barona Oaks in Ramona, Califomia. and the race date has been changed to June 6. An clasaes will be raced. including mini clasaes. The race was moved due to insurance problems that prohibited riders under 12 years of age from competing at L.A. County Raceway. Steven Holt, the author of "Life's a Bitch and Then You Die" and AFM/ AMA Number 58, was recently injured in a street accident when a motorist made an illegal left hand turn in front of him. Holt suffered a broken rib, separated rib cage, three fractured ribs, two fractured wrists, five compressed/fractured vertebrae and a separated shoulder. Holt is recovering and says he will be at the AFM road races serving as a tum marshall and tech inspector. Drag racer Terry Vance escaped serious injury when he crashed his Pro Stock Suzuki at the NHRA Cajun Nationals in Baton Rouge. Louisiana. on May 31. Vance received a bruised right hip and shoulder in the accident. "I was pretty lucky." Vance said on Monday. June 1. "Vou don't realize how fast you're going until you hit the pavement. 'It (rolling down the drag strip) felt like I was in a dryer." The Pro Stock class was won by Rick Stetson (Suz) with a run of 8.175-S8Conds at 160.45 mph. IMRA drag racing action from Maple Grove. Pennsylvania, on May 30-31 saw Elmer Trett taking the Top Fuel win with a run of 7.29seconds at 195.65 mph. Trett debuted his new Elmer Trett Special. featuring a hand-built-by-Trett powerplant. Bob Spina (H-D) won the Pro Fuel class, John Philips (Suz) won the Funny Bike class, Bob Carpenter (Suz) took the Pro Stock win and Wess Nice (Suz) won the Continued to a e 4

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