Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Australian Wayne Gardner (Hon) " won the June 7 Austrian GP's 500cc road race at Salzburgring, beating Randy. Mamola (Yam) by 2.5 s~onds. Niall Mackenzie (Hon) was third, Ron Haslam (Hon) fourth, and Rob McElnea (Yam) fifth. Defending champ Eddie Lawson (Yam) dropped out of the race on the third lap with ignition problems. After five rounds of the 16-round World Championship Road Race Series, Gardner is on top in the point standings with 58 points, Mamola is second with 44, Haslam third with 40 and Lawson fourth with 39. Anton Mang (Hon) won his third straight 250cc GP, topping Loris Reggiani (Apr) and Reinhold Roth (Hon) in Austria. Mang leads the 250cc point standings over Roth, 48 to 45. Fausto Gresini (Gar) topped the 125cc GP at Salzburgring. Gresini has won every 125cc GP run so far this year. Team Suzuki's Mike. Harth and Pete Carroll (Suz) won the fifth round of the WERA/EBC Brakes National Endurance Series, a six-hour road race held a't Oklahoma's Hallett Motor Racing Circuit. Team Suzuki led from tart-to-finisb and finished three laps up on Human Race Team (Yam), Genesis Racing (Yam) finisbed'third in tbe June 6 event. Texas Senate BiR 144, a bill that would have required all motorcyclists to wear helmets, died when the state legislature adjourned on June 1. SB-144 was sponsored by Sanator Ted Lyon (D-Rockwall) and it came very close to becoming law after it passed through the full Senate and through the House Transportation Committee. Jim Bensberg, AMA legislative affairs specialist for government relations, testified in favor of adult voluntary helmet use at both the Senate and House hearings. While in Texas, Bensberg also worked closely with other concerned motorcycling organizations such as ABATE of Texas and the Texas Motorcycle Riders Association. Texas is one of 15 states to have introduced legislation this year in an effort to mandate helmet laws. With a motorcycling population in excess of 276,000, Texas ranks second to California in the number of registered motorcycles. Speedway stars Shawn Moran, Kelly Moran, Sam Ermolenko, Lance King and Rick Miller will return to southern California from England, where they have been competing in British Speedway League races, to take part in the Nissan American Speedway Final at Long Beacb Veterans Stadium on June 13. The event is a qualifier for the World Championship Individual Finals which will take place in Amsterdam, Holland, on September 5-6. Four-time National Enduro Champion Terry Cunningham, 28, is well on his way to. recovery at his Athens. Ohio, home after breaking his leg during the National enduro in Roselawn, Indiana, May 10. "The leg is coming along real good," said Cunningham in a recent telephone conversation.' "It's just healing and getting stronger every day. It's the same leg I broke at the IS DE in Wales a few years ago, and the doctor said it will be late August, early September before I'll be able to ride a motorcycle again. I'm just bummed because I can't defend my title this year, but next year I plan on coming back stronger than ever," Kurt Hough (Hon) edged Kevin Hines (KTM) by six points to capture the overall victory at tbe third round of the AMA ISDE Reliability Qualifier Series in Rose City, Michigan, June 6-7. Rounding out the top six overall positions were Husqvarna riders Ed Lojak, Dave Bertram, Fred Hoess and Jeff Russell. RESIGNED: Fran Kuhn from Dirt Bike magazine to accept the position of assistant editor with Super Motocross magazine, a new title offered by Petersen Publishing. HIRED: Bill Wolf as Yamaha Motor Corporation's assistant sales promotions manager in Cypress, California; Wolf is a former editorial' assistant for Cycle Guide magazine. BORN: Kyle Dain Gingerelli to Cycle Guide magazine's sport editor Dain Gingerelli and his wife Donna on May 27. ' Injured multi-time National Motocross Champion Broc Glover has been riding a bicycle after being fitted wi th a special cast on the leg he broke March 22 at the Hangtown National, but will not see action on the race' track in 1987. "I've been able to ride my bicycle with the special cast, and I've been doing that a lot," Glover, who broke the tibia in his right leg, said. "Otber tban that I haven't been too mobile. It's been a pain in the butt, but now I've got a cast that I can take off for showers and to stand on it a little. This year's gone, but I'm going to come back and try and go for it next year." Larry Roeaeler and Ted Hunnicutt (Kaw) won the 14th Annual SCORE Baja International, held June 5-7 in Baja California, Mexico, after time-adjusted winners Dan Ashcraft and Randy Morales, riding for Team Honda, were diqualified for reportedly switching motorcycles at some point during the race. Second overall, first 250, _nt to Scott Morris and Daryl Folks (Hus) of Las Vegas, Neveda. Third was claimed by Todd McKay. Dan Smith (Hus) was teamed with Don Griewe and was high in the running - in the top three consistently - until they blew a rod about two-thirds of the way through the race. The June 21 Flemington, New Jersey, AMA Regional Half Mile has been rescheduled to Saturday afternoon, October 24, according to AMA Dirt Track Manager J.B. Norris. The date was changed 'so the Regional dirt track wouldn't conflict with the AMA/Carnel Pro Series Road Race at Loudon, New Hampshire. Norris said 16- and 17-year old licensed riders will be allowed to race at Flemington, but 16- and 17-year-old mechanics will not be allowed in the pits due to New Jersey state law. Scott Zampach (Suz) took the victory in the Michigan Gran Prix at the WERA road race held in Grattan, Michigan. June 7. Jim Knipp (Yam) and Boonie Knott (Hon) filled out the top three. Fritz Kling (Hon) topped the C Production field while Gary Gibson (Hon) and Jim Still (Hon) ware second and third, respectively, Road racer Gary Goodfellow will test Yo himura Suzuki Superbikes in Japan later this month; the New Zealand native, who now lives in Canada. impressed many wi.th his performances at the Transatlantic Match Races in England. AVAILABLE: Jim Cooke is seeking an opportunity in the motorcycle industry after leaving Kawasaki; Cooke started with Kawasaki in 1972 as a motocrosser. and after injuries curtailed his racing career, he became a full time Kawasaki employee in 1975; Cooke most recently served as product test manager of Kawasaki's R8ID department; write Cooke at P.O. Box 1196, Gualala, CA95446. APPOINTED: George W. Danke, as general manager of Tony D Motocross Schools; offices relocated to 428 W. Maple St., Hazleton, PA 18201, 717/454-1973. HIRED: Tom Tucker, 41, as road racing coordinator of Daytona International Speedway's public relations department; Tucker is _II known in motorcycle road racing circles as the manager of the Daytona-based Super Team that has included Ricky Graham, Jay Springsteen, Lance Jones and Jim Filice as members; Tucker most recendy headed up Tom Tucker 81 Associates, a motorsports public relations, marketing and promotion company. ' Shawn and Kelly Moran scored a victory for America in one of two semi-final rounds held on Julie 7 which qualified teams for the June 28 World Championship Pairs Speedway Final in Poland. The Morans scored 49 points (Shawn had 26, Kelly 23) to top Kelvin Tatum and Simon Wigg of England who tallied 40 points. The Australian team finished third with 38 points and the Italians were second with 36 'points in the meet at Norden, West Germany. The other semi-final, which was held in Poland, was won by Denmark with New Zealand, Poland and Finland finishing 2-34. Those eight teams will compete in the Final in Poland. Two-time Grand National Champion Ricky Graham of Salinas, California. recently moved from one side of town to the other, and was surprised to see a motorcycle with prc'rT ional number plates zipping round his new rural neighborhood. Upon investigation, Graham discovered that his new neighbor was none other than Junior dirt tracker Jon Nunez. Graham immediately took Nunez under his wing and began giving the Junior rider personal riding tips from one of professional dirt track's all-time greats. The instruction from his new neighbor/riding buddy seems to have paid off for Nunez. He finished second in the Junior National at the June 6 Hinsdale TT, and in the winner's circle said, "I'd like to thank Ricky Graham for giving me some pointers." White Brothers will have their box van at the annual Mammoth Mountain Motocross from June 24-28 and will be offering riders assistance with suspension set-up. Broome-Tioga MX facility coowner Mario Masciarelli was killed Wednesday, June 3 when the bulldozer he was driving rolled over on him. Masciarelli is survived by his wife Laura and two sons, Mario and Anthony. Cards and letters can be sent to the family at 11 Second Street, Binghampton, NY 13903. Broome-Tioga is the site of the August 3 125/500cc MX National and track offic;ials say that track operation will continue as normal. _ Assembly okays California Helmet bill By Farren Williams SACRAMENTO, CA, JUNE 3 California assemblymen voted 41-29 June 1 to approve a mandatory helmet law in California, and reaffirmed that decision two days later with a 42-26 vote that sent the measure to the state senate. AB36, introduced early this year by Assemblyman Richard Floyd (DGardena), was considered a second time by the assembly only because staunch AB36 opponent Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) missed the first vote due to a plane delay. The late £light prevented Ferguson from speaking against mandatory helmet use during the floor debate. The vote marked the first time a mandatory helmet bill has been approved by either house of the California Assembl}\ although legislators have proposed such measures for 26 years. Floyd'~ bill squeaked through the state's 8O-member lower house, barely winning a majority. AB36 now goes to the Senate Transportation Committee where it will be heard June 30, at I:30 p.m. Floyd contends that a helmet law would save California taxpayers $65 million a year in medical costs, willc/1 be claims the state must pay to treat injured motorcyclists. During debate, Floyd said his measure would reduce California's "high level" of motorcycle-related deaths and injuries. AB36 opponents hold that the proposed law is a governmental intrusion into individual freedom. Ferguson said that motorcyclists have the right to ride without helmets as long as they place only themselves at risk. "God - not government - gave us the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Ferguson said. "l£ someone's going to pursue happiness without a helmet on, and he breaks his head, I don't see wbat busi ness it is of government." Assemblyman Larry Stirling (RLa Mesa), said during the floor debate that Floyd's measure is tantamount to, "government by Nanny, where we. try to tell everybody what's righ t and safe for them." Assemblywoman Dorris Allen (RGarden Grove), who sponsored California's helmet law which requires all motorcycle riders under age 15~ to wear helmets, said the state pays the hospital bills for many victims of motorycle accidents, therefore the state, "should have some say as to how to minimize the danger involved." _

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