Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Endurance Road Race Series ro und at North Carolina Motor Speedway on August 8. Team Suzuki's Mike Harth and Thomas Stevens covered 313 laps (469.5 miles) in the six-hour race . The Human Race Team (Yam) finished second, fou r laps down . Th ird went t o Team Genesis (Yam). Aust ralian Wayne Gardner (Hon) won the August 9 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp, finishing 2.2 seconds ahead of defending World Champion Eddie Lawson (Yam). Ra ndy Mamola (Yam) was third, R ob McElnea (Yam) fourth and Niall MacKenzie (Hon) fifth. Freddie Spencer (Hon) finished seventh. After 10 rounds of the l5-round World Championship Road Race Series (the Belgian GP was canceled), Gardner is on top of the 500cc point standings with 120 points, Mamola is secon d with 101 and Lawson is third with 91. Belgium's Georges Jobe (Hon) clinched the ' 8 7 500cc MX World Ch ampionship by finishing 5-4 in the August 9 Luxembourg GP at Ettelbruck. Dutchman Kees Van der Ven (KTM ) was the overall winner w ith a 1-2 mototally. With only one round to go in the series, Jobe's 304 points are good for the t itle. Kurt Nicoll (Kaw) entered the · event as the only rider who could prevent Jobe from winning the title, bu t a DNF in the first moto ended his t itle bid . Nicoll returned t o w in the sec ond moto and now has 244 points. Kurt Ljungqvist (Yam), who posted a 2 -3 is third in the po int standings with 208, and Van der Ven is fourth with 203 . Protests filed by Suzuki's Kevin Schwantz and Honda's Wayne Rainey after the August 2 Mid-Ohio Camel Pro Road Race have been denied by the AMA. Schwantz protested the lega lity of Rainey's Honda VFR750's valves; Rainey and Honda countered by protesting the legality of the rods in Schwantz's Suzuki GSX R 750. The AMA ha d both Rainey's and Schwantz's engi nes torn down and the parts were taken to a metallurgy lab in Cleveland, O hio, where they proved to be legal. Team Suzuki (Suz) won the WERAIEBC Brakes Nationa l , Team Lockhart (Suz) won the August 8 Memphis (Tennessee) Motorsports Park round of the AMAlCCS MotoWorld ' U.S. Endurance Road Race Series. Team Lock" hart's Larry Shorts and Dale Quarterley turned in 177 laps, one more than J eff Herzog and Cary Andrews of the runner-up team, High Tech Racing (Suz). Second City Racing (Suz) finished third. Mike Goodwin's Supercross, Inc . has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Mickey Thompson . Thompson and Goodwin signed a "non-compete" agreement in 1985 that rest ricts Thompson from producing any event w ith " m oving vehicles" in Anaheim. Thompson was recently given the rights to promote 'all motors port events in Anaheim Stad ium i n January, 1 9 8 8. According ·t o a Supercross, Inc . spokesperson, the Anaheim City Council will allow Goodwin to air his objections to the decision in a regular City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 11 . The same spokesperson said . " He forgot. " in answer to why Goodwin didn't use the "non -com pete" agreement w hen Thompson produced a motorsports event in A naheim Stad ium t hi s past January. Carlisle Tire & Rubber Co. will cease production of motorcycle tires and irmertubes effective August 31, according to an announcement by Carlisle President and CEO Jack L Hollis. Hollis said the decision was made following an in-depth appraisal of the entire motorcycle aftermarket and represents a further step by the company to focus its reso urces on more profitable areas of the rubber industry. "We will miss our frien ds in the mo torcycle industry and wish to assure them that Carlisle will continue to stand behind all its 'mo torcycle prod ucts which are currently in the field," said Hollis. Carlisle had manufactured motorcycle tires and tubes, including the Bartles and Jaymes pull commercial 2 MODESTO, CA, AUG . 18 Millie Roberson, consumer relations manager of Bartles and J aymes - a division of the E&J Gallo Winery, said today that a new television commercial that shows a campground setting with motorcycles and ATVs riding around Frank and Ed, the sta rs of the highly succ essful Bartles and Jaymes commercials, w ill be pu lled f rom the air Tuesday, August 11 . • Letters protesting the commercial had been sent to E&J Gallo Winery by the likes of the Motorcycle Industry Council. Contacted by Dave Ho leman, author of the Cycle News How You Can Win column and a spokesperson f or the American Coalit ion of Outdoor Recreation Publishers, on Friday, August 7 , Ms. Roberson said she would look into the matter. Ms. Roberson called Holeman back lat e Monday, August 10, and said that Gallo's advertising agency had reviewed the commercial and said they were sorry for any problems it may have caused. She said that the decision to pull the commercial came too lat e to stop it airing on Monday, but it would be pu lled by Tuesday. ' . The E&J Gallo Winery and its Bartles and James division are to be commended for their qu ick response to complaints about the commercial from the motorcycling commun ity. Send you r appreciative comments to both Mr. Ernest Gallo, Chairman of the Board, and to ·M s. M illie Roberso n. E&J Winery, P.O . -Box 1 13 0, Modesto, CA 95353. . Tour Max, Trans Max and Red Dor lines, since 1968 at its Pennsylvania facility. The company's line of ATV and industrial tires will not be affected by the move. APPOINTED : Niles Ussery, as production manager of M axima Racing Lu b ric an t s; previously Ussery was with the Husqvarna M ot orcycl e Co. for 12 years during which he served as national service manager and was also manager of Husky's off-road race t eam. HosPITal STOP: Brian Kendrick, an amateur motocrosser from Martinsville, Virginia, suffered head injuries at Lake Sugar Tree in Axton, Virginia, on July 11. He is in the intensive care unit at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, -North Carlina, and is still listed in critical condition. A fund has been established in Brian's name to assist his family with his medical expenses. Cards, letters and donations may be sent to him in care of Pat Houser, Secretary, AMA District 29 MX Comm ittee, .I310 Miramont Dr., Durham, NC 27712. Ward Robinson, the promoter of the September 13 Motocross des Nations, tells us he 's received word f rom Belgium that the Belgian team at Unadilla will consist of newly crowned 500cc World Champion Georges Jobe, 250cc World Champion Eric Geboers and former 125cc World Champion M arc Velkeneers. "I .do n 't think American ri ders will be too pleased w ith that news," said Robinson . Indeed , this year's Belgian team m ust certainly be regarded as a powerhouse. Robinson also tells us that tickets are still ava ilable for the Motocross des Nations and are available at Ticketron lTeletron facil ities in New Eng land, Northeast states and Mid-Atlantic states. For more information and mail order tickets, write: UVSC, Box 5 119, Edmeston, NY 13335, 607 /9658784. If you' ll be flying to New York State for the Motocross des Nations, check o ut special discount air fares being offered by American Air Lines. Ca ll 800/433·1790 and ask for Star Record #S64816. Motel information is available by calling Theresa at 607/3343238. Defending 500cc World Champion Edd ie Lawson hit t he nai l on the head pr ior t o the A ugust 2 British Grand Prix when asked about Freddie Spencer. Lawson pooh -poo hed id eas that Spencer's slow practice t imes in dicat ed a loss o f form . "Of course he ca n still race w ith us, " he said . " You don't forget how to ride . I predict Freddie w ill race . with us for a while, bu t when he f inds out how much faster Randy, Wayne and I have gotten w hi le he 's been away . . . then there'll be some problem and he'll stop. " His predict io n was spot -on . Earl Smith of the American Road Racing Association (ARRA) has announced that beginning in 1988, Novice class riders wi ll be limited to machines displacing 600cc or less. Smith stated that the reason for this is that the majority of Novice riders who have been seriously inj ured have been on larger capacity machines. He reasons that the slower speeds and lighter weigh t of the smaller bikes will be easier for less-experienced riders to handle. S7 sponsor Alan Cranston ( Ca liforn ia) and fellow U.S . Sen tor Pete W ilson (D-Californi reportedly have told the Publi La nds S ubcommittee of th Senate Energy and Natur Resources Committee that pub!" hearings are not needed in Cal fornia on C ranston's propose 1 987 California Desert Protectio Act. Du ring hearings held July 2 in Wash ington D .C ., Chairma Da le Bumpers (D-Arkansas) ind cated the panel m ig ht hold pub.. hearings in Californ ia but no su hearings have been schedul "We're moving slowly an methodically on this," a subco mittee spokesman sa id. S authored by the Sierra Club a introd uced by Cranston, woul close most of the California de to off-road riding. Letters urgi the subcommittee to condu hea rings in California should sent to The Honorable Dal Bumpers, Chairman, Public Land Subcommittee, Energy and Na u ra l Resources Committe Dirksen Senate Office Buildin Washington D.C. 20510-6175. The U.S. Senate Subcommittee 0 Surface Transportation will n schedule hearings on Senate Bi 1536, the proposed 1987 Motorcy Safety Act introduced by Senat John C. Danforth (R-Missouri until sometime after the Augu congressional recess. S1536 woul put performance limits on supe bikes, including limits on powe acceleration and top speed. A U.S. Senate bill which woul require motorcycles to meet same exhaust emission standa as automobiles is scheduled f consideration by the Senat Environment and Public Wo Committee on September 15-1 The measure, S 1351, propo several amendments to the Clea A ir Act, incl uding an amendme which mandates a reduction in th levels of pollutants for light d vehicles, including motorcycl The proposal has the potential cripple an already declinin motorcycle market. No publi input will be taken during th working meeting, but letters protest may be sent to: Th Honorable Quentin Burd ic Chairman, Environment & Publi Works Committee, Dirkso Senate Office Building, Washin ton, D.C. 20510-6175. Yamaha's Jeff . Leisk crashed an broke his collarbone during the fi 125cc National MX moto in Tro Ohio, August 8. 'Leisk is fourth i the I 25cc AMA National Champio ship MX point standings and wi miss the final 125cc National i Millville, Minnesota, August 2 Rumors had it that Leisk, who hai from Australia. was going tCT co pete for the Australian team at th Motocross des Nations in Unadill New York, September 13. Auburn Speedway Fairground w ill be t he site for a class vintag short track in Auburn, Cal iforni August 28. Only flat trac motorcycles w ithout brakes wi be allowed to enter. For mo inf orm ation, contact Jack Hurs 916/432-1440. Team Green's Larry Roeseler und went orthroscopic surgery for to ligaments in his left knee, August "I don't feel good," said Roesele "It's the same knee I've hurt befor 1was out practicing and I didn't ev ( Co n tin ued to page 16

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