Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Wind (Con ti n ue d from pa ge 2) repeat not on October 9 as has been listed in the Calendar section and elsew he re . Am eri ca n Bu ilt , th e H oll ywo o d movie abo u t G P roa d raci ng th at will be released next year, has spa wned more than a cell u lo id legend. P roducer j ohn Go rdon intends to sponso r a top-level G P racing team in 1989 as a p ub lici ty veh icle fo r th e film. With team manager a n d form er race r Ch as Mort im er, he is hopin g to ge t a j apanese V-4, p robabl y a Honda , a nd has a short-lis t o f riders. One is Donn ie McLeod , w ho did ster ling serv ice o n the H onda RS triple for th e movie - a lt h o ugh his companion in th e film , Mike Baldin, is ou t, aft er falling out with the roducers over some trivia l m in ter of elayed rental cars. Other names o n he li st incl ude Ra ndy Ren fro w, Ro n Ha slam and former Worl d Chamion en d urance racer Pat ri ck Igoa of ra nee, wh ose So na uto Gau lo ises on tract h as ru n out. hen it comes to Hollywood, ruth can be stranger than fiction. In American Built, ' villain Klaus Kroetter (Mike Baldwin) sueumbs in the crucial race to an xploding seat - said to be rather n unusual problem in racing. Not o.ln Brazil attheyear-ending GP, Donnie McLeod rode his trusty RS lad in the film's bogus bodywork, n this case a modified Suzuki at. But it was an untested unit, nd it turned out that one of the ' xhausts was touching the fiberlass . "I rode for as long as I could anding on the footpegs, " said Scotsman McLeod. "Even then, my backside was getting blisters. I had to pit to put ice in my leathers." A true Scot, he then ejoined the race, ' in order to ollect his (film contract) finishing money. Randy Mamola was the h ero of the practice sessions a t th e Brazilian GP, with th e most dramatic corner slidin g a nyone had ever seen on tarmac (see p hoto on page ' 10). H e was coaxing smoke from th e sp in n in g rea r tire, and ge tting the bike dramatica lly sideways to the de ligh t of p hotograph ers, who p ositioned th emselves in suc h num bers on t he crucial corner th a t th ey obsc ured th e riders' vision, an d had to be moved away. Marn ola's former boss Ken n y Rober ts, watching from th e sidelines, was not im p ressed . " It all depends if yo u want to be on TV - for winning ra ces, or in a magazine - for getting side ways," said Robert s. The Swedish n , an annual round of the World Championship Road Race Series, is no more . In advance of any decision to be reached by the management inside racing, the Swedish authorities have decided to enforce the United Nations blacklist of sportsmen with links with South Africa. Almost all the current top GP road racers have taken part in the South African GP, and are thus on the list. Mainly, it was a cancelation of convenience - for both the FI M and IRTA (the team's association) had the Swedish race at the top of their hit-list in the attempt to reduce the number of GP races i n 1989 to a more manageable 14 (16 were ' scheduled this year, but the Argentine GP was canceled - but next year the Australian GP joins the calendar). If m y wat ch is on m y left wri st, th en Gary Sco tt must be .. . Ou r Ascot Pa rk hi story featu re in last week's n ewspa per co ntai n ed a p ho to o f G ar y Scott a nd crew. Sco tt is on th e right in th e pho to , in lea th ers. no t on th e left as the ca p tio n incorrect ly said. Civ il War buffs and cross country racers should enjoy the Oct o ber 9 Whiskey Ridge Cros s Co untry Grand Prix in Sha rpsb urg, Mary· l an d . The G unpowde r Va lley M .C .-p romoted 'A M A Di st rict 7 eve nt w ill start on a f arm directly adjacent to the historic Ant iet am National Battlefield; wh ic h w as the site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The U.S . Army's 9th Corps bivouacked on the farm prior to the battle . In addition, President Abraham Lincoln stayed in the farm's manor house when he visited the site shortly after the battle. Camping on the farm will be permitted on Saturday night, October 8, so participants can come early and see the historic sights the day before the race which will be held on a five-mile "virgin" course. For additional information, call 301 /679 -2200 during normal working hours. The AFM road ra ce sch ed u led for O ctober I a t Arizona 's Fireb ird Racewa y h as been ca nce led. MARRIED : California Vintage Racing Group (CVRG) secretary Patty Hammond to Cycle News contributor Mike Green on September 17 in Dublin, Cal ifornia. Fo llowi ng the rain -ou t o f th e September 17 fin al ro u nd of th e AMA Ea stern Regi onal Dirt T ra ck Ser ies a t H agerstown, Maryland, th e AM A an nou nce d that Dan In gram ca ptured th e Expert Eastern Regi onal . titl e, Kevin Atherton th e junior title, a n d Bri an T illson th e P ro -A m cro wn . Expressions of sympathy can be sent to Wendy Green, the wife of dirt track racer Joel Green who lost his life at the September 4 Springfield Mile, at 684 San Juan Grade Rd., Salinas, CA 93906. ENGAGED: Bryar H o lcom b, president of Ro ko Sports In c. of Carn a - . rillo , California , has anno unced h is e ngageme n t to ' joyce Baker o f Can yon Couniry, California. The form er mot ocross star asked th e big quest ion a t su nset o n a Santa Barba ra bea ch . The wedding date is a year o fr. Dunlop, Gear Racewear, PJ1 and Scott have announced they'll sponsor special events - radio controlled car races, tug-o-war, horseshoe and volleyball tournaments - at the Thanksgiving Day weekend's Florida Winter Nationals/Mini Olympics. Entries for the special events will be taken at the Winter Nationals. The U tah Sport Bik e Association (USBA) will co nclude its '88 race season with a four-hour endurance rac e at Wen dover, Utah, O cto ber 2. T h e race will offe r a guaranteed minim um p urse of $900 for th e to p three fin is hers in bo th GTO a n d G T U ($500 for first, $300 for second, a nd $ 100 fo r third ). T he p u rse is bein g p ro vided b y Wen dover USA a nd severa l local cas inos and ho tels. Add itional money will be added to th e purse from entry fees a fter a total of 10 teams are entered. Sprint races are schedu led fo r O ctober I. For race information, call US BA's ho tl in e, 8011582-1175, and leave a message. For lodging information, ca ll Wen dover USA a t 702/ 664-3414. George Adams, long -tim e spon sor of Sonny Burres and m any other racers, recently un derwent heart surgery at a Port la n d , Oregon , hospital. After so m e complications. Adams is fee li ng better and hopes to go home soo n. Card s and letters can be sent to. 8865 Tiffany Ct. , Clackamas. O R 97015 . Kawa saki T eam G reen will o nce aga in be offeri ng pi t su p port for-a ll Ka wasa ki -mo u nt ed o ff-road racer s co mpe ting in the CO RE Baj a 1000. H o wever, this year th ere wi ll be th e following requirem ents : a ll ent ra nts m ust have their entry in to SCO R E by O ctob er 14 a n d all fuel will a n d m ust be provided by T eam Green . Fu el will be Trick rac ing gas a n d Kawasak i ra cing oi l, mixed 32: 1. Entrants will be responsib le for fuel co sts on ly. For more in formatio n, co nta ct Kawasaki of Riverside (Ca liforn ia ) a t 714/ 683-8839 or Kawasa ki Team Green a t 714/770-0400. . The second installment of a series of articles on the conversion of a Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster i n t o a road racer has been unavoidably delayed. The bike's owner, Cliff Carr, tells us that the engine has been breathed on by engine wizard Jerry Branch and Rob North is now hard at work on the chassis. Am erica n H onda will dedicate its n ew Ri d er Edu cat ion Center In Colton, California, on O ctober II. Acco rdi ng to H onda , the R id er Ed uca tion Center is."the fir st -of -itski n d n a tionw ide. T he fa cili ty tS ded icated to p ro vid in g m otorcyle, motor scooter a nd AT V rider ed uca tio n a nd tra in in g to th e public. It 's th e fir st m otorcycle industry effor t to build a n a ll-incl us ive tra in ing facil it y - a range fo r p racti ci ng riding skills , a library for study in g in structional m at erials a nd safety tips, a n d a center for receiving training a n d certi fica tio n by th e Motorcycle Safet y Foundation a nd th e Speci alty Vehicl e I n s t i tu te of America . Law en forcem en t and government agencies will a lso use the facility." CORRECTION: The correct phone number for Enzo Racing, the suspension setup company operated by Ross Maeda, is 714 / 839-8741. Numbers were transposed in the phone number we listed for Enzo Racing in answer to a letter writer in our last issue. Fren chman Thierry Michaud rode hi s Fantic to a co m m an din g win in th e final ro u n d of th e World Championsh ip Observ ed T rials Series in Po land, September I I, to win th e series ti tle. Mich aud to p ped runner u p Donato Miglio (Fan ) o f Italy, 55 to 8 1. Finishing third in Pol and with a score o f 83 was defending World Champion Spaniard j ordi T arres (Bet). The win by Michaud and third p la ce fini sh by Tarres gave the Fre nchma n th e title wi th the final point sta nd in gs read in g Mich a ud 202, Tarres 197. Miglio fi n ished th e season in thi rd with a to tal o f 169 poi nts. The Great American Motorcycle &. 'A TV Shows will continue under that banner during the 1988-89 show season, but each individual show will be named for the market it serves, with the word "international" added, as in Atlahta International Motorcycle Show. And it's Atlanta that will host the first of seven shows at the World Congress Center, December 9 1 1 . Also scheduled are shows in Washington , DC, J anuary 6 -8; St. Lou is , Ja n uary 1 3- 15; San Francisco, January 27-2 9 ; Chicago, Feb ruary 24-26; and Philadelphia, March 3 -5 . Also receiv i n ~ a na me cha nge ar e the Edgell Exposi tio ns -produced Mo to r- 00 cycle & ATV Ex pos wh ich in 1988- 00 . 89 wi ll be ca lled Po wer ports Expos. O"'l T he Pow er Spo rts Expos wi ll ta ke ,.....; pl a ce in Ana h eim , Cali fo rnia , Decem ber 2-4; Bosto n , Massachusetts, j a nua ry 6-8; Dayto na Beach , Florida , Mar ch 9- 11; a nd Houston , T exas, March 17-19. " T he moto rcycle ind ustry is cha nging a nd the' sho ws need to grow and cha n ge with th e industry ," sa id Carla Rose, vice p reside nt for Edgell Expositions . " Mo torcycle manu facturers, d istributors a nd dea lers a re expa n ding th eir inventories to include n ot o n ly motorcycles but al so water cr aft, ATVs , scooters a nd more. " Starting slots for the October 16 50cc True Grits Road Reliability Run in Suches, Georgia, are still open . The "world's biggest little run" is limited to 50cc bikes, and in the past has drawn the likes of Bob Hannah, Gary Bailey and John Penton, not to mention TV stars Dave Despa in and Larry Ma iers, to the north Georgia mountains. Despite the fact that promoter Ben Cheatwood te lls us starting slots are ava ilable, the event is advertised as being " by invitation only. " So, how do you get invited? Call Bob Lenk at 404/ 963-5477 and give him one good reason why you should be. The Ama teur and Pro -Am ha lf mi le races at th e Delaw ar e S ta te Fairgrou nds in Harrin g ton were rai ned ou t o n September 25. T hey've been resch ed u led an d will tak e p lace o n O ctob er 2. Motorcycle Mechanics Inst it ut e' s Phoenix, Arizona, and Orlando, Florida, schools will serve as Yamaha's exclusive technical schools for motorcycle technicians and dealer training . Yamaha is the first Japanese-based motorcycle manufacturer to engage an outside firm for dealer training. Dennis Hendrix, service training manager for Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S .A., said , "Our dealer network wants higher-trained technicians. The technology of today's vehicles has grown so much over the last 10 years that untrained mechanics just can't keep up. Our dealers are looking for factory-trained technicians who can do it all." Hendrix said that Yamaha currently trains around 1300 people annually in its four regional schools but additional facilities were needed to best serve the company's deale' network. "Let's face it, ,. said Hendrix. "It's hard for any motorcycle manufacturer to increase its .in-house training programs when sales are down industry-wide. We've got an excellent relationship with MMI, so utilizing their professional staff and facilities was a logical step for us ... We're looking at MMI as if it were another Yamaha training facility. The curriculum in their Yamaha programs is identical to our inhouse programs - first rate. ,. Former O kl ah om a footba ll star j oe Don Looney, 45, died in a Sep tember 24 street bike accid en t in Texas. Looney p layed briefly in the NFL. 37

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