Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

the year, so if you want to attend, call 714/658-RDMX, ASAP. The Central Roadracin g Association has joined a number of other road racing clubs in requiring that the fork locks be removed from all Suzuki GSX R750s and 1100s . According to the CRA Insider, one of the GSXRs thai went down during their most recent race weekend had locked forks and required three comer workers to drag it out of harm's way. They're also strongly recommending, though not requiring, that lowers or case guards be used to prevent the stock GSXR's magnesium cases from shattering during a crash and dumping large quantities of oil onto the track. Prel iminary statistics for 1987 ' show motorcycle fatalities down, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Motorcyc le fatalities totaled 3971 for 1987, as compared to 4566 for 1986. This represents a decreaSe of 14%. Fatalities rema ined about the same for passenger cars, pedestrians and mopeds, while pickup truck and van fatalities experienced a 9% increase. "We are very encouraged by this cont inued decrease in motorcycle !atalities, " seid Alan Isley, pres- ' ident of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation . " Wit h the indust ry banding together to address such issues as the un licensed rider, and with t he continued emphasis on responsible riding attitudes and rider training, we look forward to fatality reductions. " Ed Youngblood, president of the AMA, says the association's offer of $10,000 additional death and dismemberment insurance which covers members while operating or riding a motorcycle for only $6 per year might have to be dropped if more members don 't take advantage of the offer. "AMA members receive $2000 accidental death an d dismembermen t insurance as a membership benefit, but very few members have op ted for the additional insurance. I'm particularly shoc ked at ho w few professional racers have ordered the extra insura nce. The insu rance company (National T erm Life Insurance Co. of Celina, O hio) has told us they may have to drop the additional i nsurance offer if more me mbers don't take advantage of it.,,For information on the additional . insurance offer, contact the AMA, P .O. Box 6114, Westerville, O H 43081-6114. The Forest Service is looking for volunteers to joi n in a trail construction project on the Sequoia National Forest during the July 4 weekend. The project is to bu ild a connector trail between a newly constructed Green Sticker trail and a Visitor Information Center l oc at ed at Blackrock Station . Vo lunteers will meet Forest Service officials at the Blackrock Station on Saturday, July 2, at 10:30 a.m. A ll hand tools will be suppl ied; participants are requested to bring their own personal gear such as work gloves and water: To reach Blackrock Station, take U.S. 395 north to the Kennedy Meadows turnoff (approximately 20 miles north of Inyokern). up Nine Mile Canyon Road to the Station (40 m iles). For further information, contact Cannell Meadow Ranger District. P.O. Box 6, Kernville, CA 93238, 619/376-3781 . BORN: Sheelagh Ray Murphy, on June II, daughter of Wayne Murphy and Su san Ray; Murphy is the president of American Motorcycle Ren ta ls and Sa les , Inc. in Los Alamitos, Cal ifornia. . Team Wyoming (Suz) won the June 18 AMA EBC Brakes Endurance Challenge at Bryar Motorsport Park in Loudon. New Hampshi re . Second place overall went to the GTU team of Roswell Honda Racing (Hon), with HyperCycle (Suz) finishing third. CORRECTION: Con tra ry to what our report on the June 12 Peoria TT round of the AMA 600 National Championship Dirt Track Series says (see page 28), Steve Labordus was injured in a heat race crash. As we went to press, word came that Labordus faces possible removal of a toe that was surgically reattached ' following the Peoria crash. HosPITal Stop: Local Vet Master class racer Gary Wilson was injured in a crash while competing' in an Amateur Four-Wheel class race at Bakersfield Speedway in Bakersfield, California. Wilson is in a coma in the intensive care unit at Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield. Cards and letters can be sent to Wilson at his 'home address, 348 Roosevelt, Coalinga, CA 93210. CORRE~TION: In our special Senate B111 7 section last week Senator Fra n k Murkowski, who . serves on the Senate Committee Energy and Natural Resources, was . listed as representing Arkansas. Murkowski actually represents Alaska. Wayne Gardner's 1988 season is rather a reverse m irror image of 1987. Last yea r, he could do no wrong; this year it seems he can do nothing right; and in the aftermath of his race crash in the Austrian GP, he admitted: "Bang goes my chance of holding on to the title." The American Suz uki Motor Corporation -spo nsored 1988 Suzuki Na tion al Cup Road Race Series Final will be held in conjunction with the November 5-6 WE RA G ra nd National Fi n a l at Roa d Atlanta in Braselton , Georgia. Five riders in the three posted classes from each of nine , regions across the country, plus the top five National 600 Supersport riders on Katana 600s and the top five 750 Supersport riders on GSXR750s will be invited to vie for over $60,000 in contingency prizes. Team Pepsi Suzuki's test session at Rijeka in Yugoslavia prior to the A ustrian GP were cut short by ra in , but t he revis ions t o t he 500cc V-four proved to be very effective. As well as new lower exhausts. which both run out on t he right-hand side side of the bike under an arched swingarm (just like those on the Cag iva and Yamaha) , there are also new cylinders and p ist o ns. Kevin Schwantz said the ma in differ!'nce was a marked top -end Improvement. "It used to struggle to get 12.100 rpm. Now it revs freely to 12.700." What is the first thing a racer says after taking his he lmet off at the end ' of a race? Here is a selection of the top three in the 500cc class in the Austrian G P. Eddie Lawson (to crew chief Kel Carruthers): "Did you have a nice day?" Didier de Radigues (to team manager Giacomo Agostini): " I didn't fall off." Wayne Rainey (to . team manager Pau l Butler): ".&%$ , we got lucky." Vintage Racers of Old Motor-. cycles (VROOM) in association with CVRG will present the 11th Annual Laguna Seca Vintage GP '. at the Monterey, Californ ia, facility on Saturday, July 9 . in conjunction w ith the weekend's AMA National road race program. Two races consisting of competitors in two classes in each will be run. For discounted passes, call Mike Lewis at 818/363-0734. Racers seeking information should contact M ike Green at 415/829-6091. Vintage racers can register at the track entrance on Friday, July 8, or Saturday before 11 a.m. America n Suzuki wi ll again be supporting the Speedway America television series on ESPN. The Ascot speed way race programs include a .. 'SIx-race Suzuki 500cc QuadRacer series and will get underway on Thursday, J une 30, at Ascot Park's South Bay Sta dium in Gardena California. Dates fo r the telecas~ have n o t been set. For more information, contact America n Suzuki at 714/996-7040, ext. 263. . The AMA 's tire-claiming rule for Supersport road racing was put into effect for the June 18-19 National at Loudon, New Hampshire~s Bryar Motorsports Park . David Sadowski's Dunlop K591s were claimed for the $75 fee by Mike Harth after Sadowski won the 750cc Supersport race on Saturday. Sadowski changed his rear tire after the red flag was brought out three laps into the race. Donnie Greene won the California Superbike School Challenge race hel d Saturday afternoon, June 18 at Lo u do n . G reen e top ped Da le Quarterley and Randy Renfrow to win the ul tra -close race. All riders were mo unted on Keith Co de's . Kawasaki Ninja 6OOs. . Jimmy Fil ice and Bubba Shobert will likely be teammates on an HRC/RS TaichiiNumber Magazine-backed Honda RVF750 in the July 31 Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance Race in Suzuka City, Japan. Although, Filice has inked the deal for the Suzuka ' race, Shobert has yet to sign. "I 've spoken with Bob (Donabedian) and Hank (Scott) about not being ab le to do the DuQuoin Mile (beCause of the Suzuka race) ," said Filice. " I still hope to do the rest of the Camel Pro Series, but ~h e road r aci ng w ill take precedence. RS Taichi will be sponsoring my efforts on the road racing circuits here in 't he States. A lso , Shoei Helmets and Tsubaki Cha in have been long-standing sponsors and with the help of Gill Martin and Bel-Ray, I want to be able to give a better account at Road America and Laguna Seca." When asked if anything had developed as far as a GP ride for next year, Filice said, "Since the Laguna GP I've had a few calls, but nothing solid for a 1989 G P ride, but I ho pe to get something going during the Suzuka even t. I've been real lu cky since I had that chance (at Laguna Seca) and j ust do n't want to ufset the apple cart in building mysel up for some thi ng that may no t happen. There are lots of great riders out there and I hope to get my chance to compete because that is what I would really' like to be - World Champi on." Malcolm Forbes: "To live your life in the fear of losing it is to lose the point of lif e. " Team Mar lboro Yamaha and Team Gauloise tried new Ohlins inverted forks during practice for the Austrian Grand Prix on June 12. They were pronounced as being promising. WRITW AROUND i Life and Liberty, both I Three motorcycle ri der s lose their lives every day on the streets of Cal ifornia. Does this death toll have to continue unabated? Don 't we need all the live, . healthy motor bikers we can get? I . hav e come to hate the way we abuse the word "safety." There is no thing safe here, only relative degrees of risk. We will never eliminate motorcycle accidents entirely, I unless we eliminate motorcycli ng l entirely, which I would oppose wit h j all my heart. I There is, however, a category of accident-prone motorcycle riders who account for more than 60% of the actual victims. These are the motorcyclists who ride the streets without any motorcycle operator's license. Over the years, concerned motorcycle enthusiasts and the industry have set up rider training programs that are fun and really do teach the essential survival skills of motorcycle riding. They even provide the bike. Begi n nin g next year, young riders in Cal iforn ia will have to pass such a course before they can get a mo torcycle operator's licen se. Bu t if m ore than half of th e crashers decide to ride wi thout a pro per driver's license, wh at's to prevent them? They can still buy a motorcycle, license it for the street, and hor.e that they don't !let caught. Jus t Iike they are doi n g now. Recently the police did a ra ndom check of 100 motorcyclists rid ing on the street. Not one possessed a valid motorcycle opera tor's license! It would be too much to ask the motorcycle dealers to demand proof that a customer is a competent rider before selli ng him a motorcycle. You don't have to be a certified pilot to buy an airplane or have a driver's license to purchase a car. No, the job is one where the state can be of real service to its motorcycle riding citizens: What if the Departme nt of Motor Vehicles required you to have a valid motorcycle operator's ' license when you purchase or renew your motorcycle license plate? You can't get far without a current license plate. Unlike a driver' s license, it shows. It would cost the DMV some computer time .to search thei r files and match the operator's license number with the license plate, bu t that is a price that taxpayers might willingly bear in view of the pay off. It would work no hardsh ip that I can imagine on the citizens. Learn ers cou ld be issued a special "L" plate like they do in England. I' d like to ask the readers what you thi nk of this idea, or any ideas you might have. If you have any thoughts on the matter, pl ease write to me in care of Cycle News (P.O. Box 498, Long Beach , CA 90801-6114). Chuck Clayton

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