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/127150
- - consisting of 13 laps and the second 1 2, because the fuel tanks on the 6005 won 't carry enough gas for 25 miles of high-speed mile oval racing. Chris Carr (H-D), who had already clinched the 600 _ National t itle, suffered a flat tire in t he first leg and lost eight laps. Carr started at the back of the f ield in the second leg and then mixed it up w ith the leaders, which angered them. Carr finished 14th. Denmark's Erik Gunderson topped fellow Dane Hans Nielsen in a runoff race to win the World Championship Individual Speedway title-at Vojens, Denmark, September 3. Gunderson and defending World Champion Nielsen finished the regular program tied with 14 points ' each and then Gunderson, on the way to his third Individual World Championship, led all the way in the run-off race. Yet another Dane, Jan Pedersen finished third with 13 points. Californian Sam Ermolenko was fourth with 12 points. Errnolenko won three of his five heat races but was defeated by Gunderson and then Nielsen in the other two. Michigan 's Kevin Atherton (W-R ) won the September 3 AMA 600 National Dirt Track Series round which was run on the m ile oval at the Illino is State Fairgrounds in Springfield. Dan Ing ram (Hon) was second and Steve Morehead (H-D) took third . The 25-lap final was run in two legs, the first Joel Green, 26, of Salinas, California, died of massive head injuries suffered in a crash at the September 3 Springfield Mile 600 National. Green went down on the main straight in a semi-final race and was . hit by another rider. Finland's Pekka Vehkonen (Cag) won the rain-soaked Gutenburg S uperc ross held in Gu tenburg, Sweden on September 2 . Sweden's Peter Hansson (KTM) and Le if Nick lasson (Ho n ) were second and third , re spe cti vely, and Rick Ryan (Suz) was t he top American in fourth , w ith Canada's Ross Pederson (S uz) fin ishi ng f ifth . Other Americans a t the event included J im Holley (Ya m), who finished ninth, Broc Glover (Ya m ) in 12th, and Don ny Schmit (Suz) and Micky Dymond (Yam) who both fa iled to qualify for the main . Jeff Leisk (Hon). the Australian who has competed in the U.S . for several seasons, finished eighth. Although three-time AMA Grand National Champion Bu bba Shobert's meeting with Honda on August 24 hasn 't yet produced a _ contract, the Texan an d the Japanese manufacturer did swap proposals for the 1989 racing season. "They proposed a deal and we proposed something back," Shobert said on Wednesday, August 31, from his Indianapolis, Indiana, racing headquarters. "So we will be getting back together. In the meantime, I've been talking to Pepsi Suzuki; they are waiting to see what (Kevin) Schwantz is going to do. The only pressure is that Honda would probably like to announce their racing team at their dealer convention (in Las Vegas, September 13-16)." Harley-Davidson 's new watercooled racing engine w ill displace 1000cc. and use an undisclosed number of valves per cylinder. That much was revealed by H-D's Bob Conway at an AMA Dirt Track Advisory Board meeting. Plans call for an in itial run of 200 engines to be used for road racing, but there is the possibility it could be down-sized for d irt track racing . Conway a lso said HarleyDavidson is bui lding an updated XR750 dirt track engine with a stronger bottom end, a new head and general strengthening and updating. Harley will be homologat ing the new XR750 motor and expects it to sell for a reasonable price. Harley-Davidson e ng ine w izard Jerry Branch is known to be working on Harley's new motor, and recently told a Cycle News re po rt e r that the engine is an overhead cam configuration with five valves' per cylinder and an e lectronic engine management system. Other than that, Branch wouldn 't comment on the motor, and would not permit any photographs to be taken. Elsewhere in this section you'll find a tentative, repeat tentative, 1989 AMA National Championship MX and Supercross Series schedule plus firm G P dates. The GP dates are fixed by the FIM; the National da tes are not all confirmed at this time. The missing 500cc National dates should be filled in by midSeptember, according to the AMA. The 1989 ATKs a re now available and feature several improvements over last ye ar's models. The 250 and 406 models feature a new, chromemoly steel swingarm that is both stronger and lig hte r than the a luminum un it it replaces, new suspension damping valving. easy chain adjustment using t he ATK's Chain Torque Eliminator system, redesigned counters haft. disc brake, new plastic and color scheme, and new porting a nd pipe. Suggested retail prices are $3940 for the 250 and $3980 on the 406 . ATK' also has a 604cc four-stroke model that comes with either kick or.electric starting and featu res a re des ig ned gas tank and the new countershaft d isc brake. Mike Sixbery's sponsors for the SCORE Off-Road World Championships were not fully listed in our coverage of the event in the August 31 iss ue of Cycle News. and he would like to thank Thousand Oaks Yamaha and Jeff Har riot for his bike, parts and help. Sixbery won the Class 30 race at southern California's Riverside International Raceway. ship Trial des Nations in Czechoslovakia on September 18. Betamounted Ryan Young , Andy Saurn and Fantic-mounted Mark Manniko will be the team members. They'll also compete in the final round of the World Championship Observed Trials Series in Poland on September 11. A team support fund has been established to assist the team's expenses. Persons interested in purchasing support it e m s or donating to the team effort should contact: NATC Rider Support Fund, c /o Marilyn Wicker, Rt. 14, Box 85B, Cookeville, TN 38501 o r contact the AMA Amateur Activit ies Department at 614/ 891-2425. Sponsors of the U.S. Tr ia l des Natio ns team are Cosmoplitan Motors (importers of Beta), Fantic Motors, DynaTour (Nola n helmets), and Coors. Southern Cycle Racing (SCR) will host the World Series of Motorcycle Drag Racing on September 24-25 at North Carolina's Rockingham International Raceway. The event will feature the World Top Fuel Nitro Challenge and SCR says competitors from Australia, Europe and Scandanavia will compete against the top American riders including Elmer ยท Trett, Mike Malone, Larry McBride and Jamie Morocco. Fuel HarleyDavidsons and the entire slate of SCR classes will also run. For more information, call 919/697-7690. Long -time Cycle News contributor Derryl Anderson is walking tall these days. Ryan Anderson, Derryl's son, recently won the 80cc Grand National Championship in the AMA Amateur/Youth Dirt Track National Championships in the Pacific Northwest. Ryan is sponsored by Longview Honda, Electro-la_ill, Blenzall, Daeco, Columbia Motorcycles and Hallman USA. Congrats, Andersons. Hills Ferry Raceway in Newman, California, will be holding nonsanctioned night motocross races beginning September 7. For the first event, five-foot trophies are promised to the winners in every class. In addition, "100 percent" trophies will be given to everybody who competes, and the first 50 sign-ups will receive free Hills Ferry T-shirts. For more information, contact 209/862-3453, -209/ 578-3108 or 209/524-1432. . Our coverage of the August 14 Road Atlanta National meeting contained an error. Paul Bray, 600cc Supersport winner. was quoted as saying he switched to Michelin Hi-Sport tires for t he race, arid then we listed Dunlop as a sponsor. Bray's sponsors should have read Walt Schaefer/ Michelin /Cycle Nuts & Bolts/ Doug Kidd /Fox/Shoei/Z Force Machine. Bray had listed Dunlop as a sponsor on the entry list; thus the confusion . AMA staff members are working on a plan which would put the 12fastest non-qualifying Junior class riders at a 600 National Championship Dirt Track event in a " B" main. This follows the expression of concern by members of the AMA Dirt Track Advisory Board ' that Junior class riders are finding it difficult competing against Expert class riders at 600 Nationals. Also being looked into is a proposal that wou ld allow the attaching of body panels to each side of dirt track bikes, allowing riders more room to advertise their sponsors. The AMA is exploring the impact on safety, cost and aerodynamic advantages. AMA National Championship MX m inimum purses will be raised from $22,000 to $25,000 for 1989, with $15,000 going to the 250/500cc class and $ 10,000 to the 125cc c lass. The AMA has named the fo urrider team which will represent the U.S. in the Wo rld Champion- In ISDE competition in Mende, France, the Italian team led the (Continued on page 41) The phone number for the Russ Darnell Motocross Schoo l that appeared in a recent Wind item was incorrect. The correct number is 714/ 658-RDMX.