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/127128
ARAISCORES FIRST AND SE.COND ROUND KNOCKOUTS! W ith all the w inning Jeff has done so far this year he ca n afford a few luxuries. lik e his new 4WD truck. air or something," he adds laughing. The 125cc Nationals, he feels, is a whole other story. "Outdoors there's a lot of competition. (George) Holland, (Erik ) Kehoe, (Donny ) Schmit , (L a rry) Brooks, there's a bunch of fast guys - out there. I hope that by the end of the year I ca n maybe bui ld up enough speed to run wi th Holland and Kehoe (the top finishers in the first and second l25cc Na tionals). Only time will tell. " And J eff Matiasevich has p lenty of time. He won't be 19 unt il Apri l 26 and he feels he is set to enter the race for number one at what he ho pes is just the righ t time. " I th ink I' m coming in at the right time. I' m young, and in a couple of years J ohnson and Ward wi ll be th in king about retiring, " Matiasevich says wi th a big smile o n his face. " They'll sti ll go fast, but hopefu ll y I'll fall int o a pocket where some new riders wi ll be a t the top, to fit in when the old guys will be go ing out." " Being young takes the p ressure off," he says. " I do n't have a ny resp onsibilit ies righ t now, I live a t home and proba bly will for a wh ile beca use it's free. There's no conflict with my parents, a nd it 's nice u p here, I like it, it's quiet ," he says while lou nging on the deck of his parents' hillside home in La H ab ra Heights, Ca lifornia. He looks out over Orange County towards the Pacific Ocean and points ou t Catalin a Island, barely visi ble through th e smog, and adds, " On a clear day yo u can see the sailboats in th e water." J eff enjoys soine quiet time to himself. One of his favori te t hi ngs to do to get away from raci ng is fish . " I ca n forget a bou t everyt hing in life, it 's quiet a nd I ca n spen d some time alone ." . He also likes to play go lf occasiona lly, J et Ski and surf. "Some times I li ke to do nothing wh en I have some time off," he' adds. " I' Il just go la y on th e beach and just sort of forge t racing. I also like to go places and see d ifferent th ings." His o nly responsibil ity is win ning races for Ka wasa ki, and he trea ts i t as a full -time job. He completed h ig h school. by passing th e G ED exam, which gives him the equivalent of a dipl oma. "To me, racing's a job, j ust like you ha ve to ,?O to work every day. I made a choice and quit school to race mo torcycles, and now this is my job. "Sometimes it can get bori n g, but those are th e times I thi nl( to myself, do I wa nt to ' get better , do I wa nt to ma ke it a t this, or do I wan t to be average? "I do n 't wa nt to be average, I wa nt to be the best." • Round One World 500cc Road Racing Championship Suzuka, Japan WINNER: Kevin Schwantz 0 Round Two AMA 125cc Motocross National Championship Sacramento, California WINNER: Erik Kehoe 3rd PLACE: Ronnie Tichenor 4th PLACE: Donny Schmit ARAI IS WHAT THE WINNERS WEAR! 0 I. For an Arai Literature/Decal Pak. including our latest brochure, send $1 .00 in cash or stamps ($2.00 outside U.S.) to: Arai Helmets, Ltd., Dept. 10, P.O. Box 421, Tenafly, NJ 07670. o =5II)AN'S OUR HONDA/YAMAHA o or ANNOUNCING .. CRASH PARTS PROGRAMI Need any of those easily damaged items such as fairings. windscreens, handlebars. instruments. items eas ily damaged by crashing? Just like our famous RACERS SUPPORT DISCOUNT PROGRAM. we enter your name and address into our computer and give you a bu ilt in discount on these items when ordering . YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BE A RACER TO JOIN . But, if you do race , you 'll really app reciate th is program! As Tennessee's largest Honda & Yamaha dealer we have a large O.E.M. parts inventory and fast, friendly service! 0 0 DAYTONA TIME IS RIDING TIME! We Are Celebrating With Great Prices On Tires .C ' 0 .leNEUN !JIIIU6ESTUIIE l~ i METZE~~ .: 0 ". o Tennessee's Largest Honda/Yamaha,Dealer ~AN'S HONDA YAIIIAHA ORDER TOLL FREE ' . ~'Y YOKOHAMA - MoIOl' CyCle Tires INSTANT SERVICE! In Tennessee: In Cant . U.s. : (800) 342-1618 (800) 251-0600 ~ .D UN.LO.P UPS Service Daily =,i.. Sorry, No C.O.D.s . ~ , 1 ~ ;' _ \. . . . } l_ J