Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Defending World Champion Eddie Lawson (Yam) won the Au~st 2 British Grand Prix at DonlDgton Park. Lawson finished 4.6 seconds in front of runner-up Wayne Gardner (Hon) in the 500cc race. Randy Mamola (Yam) was third, Christian Sarron (Yam) fourth, and Neil Mackenzie (Hon) fifth. Freddie Spencer (Hon) returned to action but completed only two laps of the race before retiring. Gardner leads the point standings with 105 points, Mamola is second with 91, and Lawson third with 79. 'Former 250cc MX Champion Heinz Kinigadner (KTM) wu the overall winner of the August 2 Belgium 500cc MX Grend Prix at Namur vie a fourth in the first moto and a win in the second moto. Kurt Nicoll (Kaw) was second overell with a 3-3 telly. while Kees Van der Yen (KTM) wes third overell with a 5-2 day. Georges. Jobe leads the point standings over Nicoll. 280 to 224. . The AMA has announced the selection of the 1987 International Six Days Enduro Trophy Team and Junior World Team riders who will represent the U.S. at the 62nd ISDE in Poland, September 21-26. The Trophy Team nrembers are: Mark Hyde of Columbus, Ohio, riding a 125cc Husqvarna; Larry Roeseler of Bloomington, California, on a 250cc Kawasaki; Jeff Fredette of South Chicago Heights, Illinois, on a 250cc Kawasaki; David Bertram of Benicia, California, on a 500cc Husqvarna; Kevin Hines of Weston, Massachusetts, on a 500cc KTM; and Drew Smith of Great Meadows, New Jersey, on a four-stroke 350cc Honda. The Junior World Team mnsists of Randy Hawkin$. of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, on a 125~c Husqvarna; Jeff Russell of Chauncy, Ohio, on a 500cc Husqvarna; Kurt Hough of Indianapolis, Indiana, on a 250cc Honda; and Fred Hoess of Stanhope, New Jersey, on a 250cc Husqvarna. Rounding out the 25man American team and riding on club teams are John Haaker, Aaron Hough and Ed Marchini riding for the Merced Dirt Riders M.e.; Bob Bean, Ed Lojak and Jeff Irwin riding for the JB Racing Club; Donnie Simone, Grant Palenske and Shaun Scarlett riding for the Checkpoint M.e.; John Nielsen, William Burgener and Fritz Kadlec riding for the Mt. Baker M.e.; and David Burke Jr., Reed Bright and Todd Harris riding for the Lubbock Trail Riders. This year's IS DE team effort will be dedicated to the memory of Dick Phares, the long-time off-road coordinator for. Husqvarna and the Trophy Team manager for the past three years. Phares died of cancer July 20. People wishing to support the USA Team may purcl\ase ISDE souvenir items through the AMAI ISDE Support Fund, Box 6114, Westerville, OH 43081-6114. The AMA also nemed the four riders who will represent the U.S. in the '87 Tn... des Nations in Finlend on September 20. The Americen Teem will consist of Ryan Young csf Wifliamsport. Penn"""'nie. riding a BetlI; Kip Webb of Watsonville. C8lifomia. riding a Merlin; Ron Commo Jr. of North Ferrisburg. Vermont. riding a BetlI; and Mark Manniko of Evergreen. Colorado. on a Fantic. A teem support fund has been esteblished to auist with the teem members' expenses. Persons interested in purchasing Hannah, Johnson and Ward to represent U.S. in Motocross des Nations 2 WHITNEY POINT. NY, AUG. 2 . Attendees at the August 2 AMA National Championship MX at the Broome-TIOga facility in New York Stete were the first to heer the news that .Bob Hannah. Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward would represent the U.S. in the September 13 Motocross des Nations at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin. New York. As it stands now. Hannah will ride a 125cc Suzuki. Johnson a 250ce Honda. and Ward a 500cc Kawesaki in the U.S. teem's quest for a seventh straight victory in the World Championship teem event. Named as alternates for the teem were defending 125cc National Champion Micky Dymond, Ron Lechien and Johnny O·Mara. Alternates are named because of the possibility of injury preventing one or more of the selected riders from competing. Dymond. the defending 125cc National Champion, wes upset over the announcement. "I've worked my butt off and had hoped to be part of the teem. I don't have any more to say because my comments might get me in trouble." Hannah, a multi-time National Champion. could be called the people's choice. Letter campaigns to both this publication and the AMA called for his selection. The selection of Johnson came as no surprise to anyone. The southern California Honda rider has already won the 1987 250cc National Championship and is well ahead in the 500cc National point mndings. Ward was also an odds-on favorite to be named to the team. The Team Kawasaki rider is the 1987 Supercross Champion. David Bailey, the 1986 500ce National Champion who was paralyzed in a practice accident at the beginning of the year, was named team captein. Multi-time World Champion Roger DeCoster will serve as team manager. According to Unadilla's Jill Robinson, a list of the many nations who will field teems and the individual riders who will compete wiU be released by August 18. . support items or donating to the teem effort should contact: NATC Rider Support Fund. c/o Marilyn Wicker. Box 85B. Rt. 14. Cookeville. TN 38501. or contact the AMA Ameteur Activities Department at 614/891-2425. Sponsors of the U.S. Trial des Nations Tum are Cosmopolitan Motors. importers of Beta; TMI, importers of Fantic; Torr Motos. importers of Merlin; DynaTour (Nolan Helmets) and Kal-Gard. Gary Christopher, president of the Lansing (Michigan) M.C., called to correct an item we ran last week in which a representative of New Jersey's Meteor M.C: said the annual Jack Pine Enduro had been sponsored by "many different clubs" over its long history. The August 9 Jack Pine Enduro will mark the 615t consecutive year that the event has been put on by the Lansing M.C., according to Christopher. An American speedway team captained by Bobby Schwartz defeeted a teem of foreign riders led by World Champion Hans Nielsen in the two-match Budweiser American Cup Challenge at Ascot Park on July 30 and August 1. The opening meet took place on the "short" course at . Ascot's South Bay Stedium and the Americans won. 62 to 46. Saturday night's action took pIac:e at Ascot's he" mile ovel and the World Teem won, 93-67. But the overell victory belonged to the Americans by a score of 149 to 139. Complete coverage next week. Ed Lojak (Hus) won the August 2 Millville, Minnesota, round of the AMA National Championship Hare Scrambles Series. Lojak finished 44 seconds ahead of runner-up John Martin (C-A). Martin, who returned to action after being sidelined with a broken leg, was riding a preproduction 250cc Can-Am that featured a disc brake mounted on its countershaft. Tony Hendon (C-A) finished third. Kevin Rentzell. Jim Tribou and Dean Swims rode the Kayo Racing Suzuki to victory in the August 1 Mid-Ohio round of the AMA/ CCS MotoWorld U.S. Endurence Road Race Series. Dutchman Racing (Suzl finished Second. one lap down. and Hyper Cycle (Suz) finished third. Californian motocrosser Willy Simons won both the 125 and 250cc classes at the 15th Annual Florenzia Classic motocross in Guatamala City, Guatamala, on July 26. Simons (Hon) topped Keith O'Neal (Suz) and Juan Meyer (Hon) in the 125cc class and later beat Jim Holley (Yam). and Costa Rica's Adrian Roberts (Yam). Over 40,000 fans watched the Marlboro/Pepsi-sponsored event that was featured live on local televison. • Cagiva's Raymond Roche did not compete in the British Grend Prix at Donington Park on August 2 because he wes involved in an automobile accident on Thursday, July 30 in England. The Frenchman was involved in a head-on collision only ODe mile from the Donington Park circuit. and suffered facial injuries and two broken fingers. Dirt tracker Chad Felicio of Salinas, California, needs a ride for .the remaining seven races or the 1987 AMA Grand National Championship Dirt Track Series. Potential sponsors may contact Felicio at !l17/ 271-1204. . Desert recer Mike Sixbery was injured during a recent De Diggers Hare Scrambles in s0uthern California when he lostcontrol of his motorycle over a jump. about a quarter-mile from the finish of the rece. Sixberry suffered a dislocated left hip. shattered pelvi.. broken right hand and freetured right wrist. C8 and Letters may be sent to Sixbery at home. 4030 Adam Road. Semi Valley. CA 93063. NAMED: Don P. Morrissey, as chairman and chief executive officer of Maserati Automobiles, Inc. and vice president of the parent company, De Tomaso Industries, Inc.; Morrissey, a senior Chrysler executive, will be responsible for the import and U.S. distribution of Maseratis and Benelli and Moto Guzzi motorcycles. As of July 11. eight of the reces which award KK Aftermarket Race Teem recers money have been run. Four of the events were road race. and four were dirt track events. One road rece and five dirt track .events remain on the KK contingency program schedule. plus five dirt.track events that will also see the top KK Junior pocket bucks. The top finishing KK Aftermarket Race Teem rider gets $2000 for a road rece. $1500 for an Expert dirt treck.. and $500 for a Junior dirt treck. The KK Expert rider with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the '87 KK Champion and will receive a guafllnteed amount of at lea.t $2500. With a total of $28,500 up for grabs, Dan Chivington has already gone to the bank with $6000 this season. Larry Shorts ha. eemed $2000. and Steve Morehead. Hank Scott. Don Estep. Doug Davis' and Junior Bryan Vinella have eech pocketed $1500. KK's progrem is still open to other riders who want to participate. For details. cal Gary Scott at 615/562-9817, Kawasaki's Team Green will conduct a fishing tournament August 12-14 at the AMA Amateur/ Youth National Championship MX Finals at Loretta Lynn's Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Complete rules will be' available at the Team Green Information Center which will be open for entries and weighing of fish from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Wednesd;ly through Thursday. If you thought Honda had buried future V-4 models with the releese of the in-line Hurricanes, you better think again. Rider. a Japanese magazine. features the new Honda VFR750 V-4 Honda in its September issue. Another four-stroke Honda endurance road racer? When was the lest time you saw a competition bike sporting turn signals? The VFR750 will obviously be releesed on the Japanese market this fall, but will it hit American shores? Based on the RVF endurance road racer currently being campaigned in Europe, the VFR750 features a single-side swingarm, four-valve per cylinder water-cooled engine. and twin radiators. Will we see the VFR750 in the U.S.? Don't hold your bf8ath. C. John Ellis of Kenosha, Wisconsin, was killed in a street bike accident (Continued to page /2)

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