Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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a .GOA·T BREKER Welcomes GFI's B CALIFORNIA WINTER SERIES ~ 1988 MX des Nations Videos by Professor Bailey Covering the 1988 Motocross des Nations race in France was no easy task. T he La Versenne circuit in Villars So us Ecot was long and often snaked out of sight sin ce th ere wasn't a single vantage point which offered a view of the ent ire tra ck . Add nearly 40 ,000 spectators lining th e fences o n both sides of th e course a nd it was nearly impossibl e to see much more ac tion than what took p lace right in front of you. Gary Bailey covered th e event with his video camera, and hi s Motocross des Nations tape reflects so me of th e problem s of co vering the race. The program gets a good start with th e pla yin g of our National Anthem and th e int rodu cti on o f ' R o n Lechien , R ick j ohnson 'a nd j eff Ward, the winnin g Ameri can team. But then th e enormi ty of th e race becomes clear a nd th e program bogs dow n as Bail ey follows each of the th ree mOlOS. Port io ns of nea rly every lap follow the progress of each moto a nd the Am erica n team, a nd after a whi le it get s boring. Ba il ey does a ll the filmin g himself , so the viewer on ly gets to see limited ac tio n from one point of th e track. And in so me instances th at point is a di stance from th e race act io n. so th e rid ers are a lmost lost in the surro undings. Bailey narrates the ac tio n in a monotone voice whi ch doesn 't add any exci tement , although he does do an exce llent job explaining all th e race s tra te g ies involved. The exci tement of the Fren ch an nou ncer ca n be hea rd in the background. One a n noyi ng poi nt is Ba i ley's m ispro no un cia tio n of Du tchm a n j ohn Van den Berk's name; Bailey continually calls h im Van der Beck. Mixed with the race coverage are interviews wi th the American riders and even flashbacks to previous American victories in the MX des Nations. Bailey's video needs to be spiced up with more enthusiastic narration or a m usical soundtrack, so me dramatic slow-motion scenes and some footage concentrating on just one section of the track to make it more enjoyable to watch. .Although it may not be the most exciting coverage of the Motocross des Nations, it does do a thorough job of showing you the event and diehard fans will surely enjoy it. And given th e circumstances Bailey had to work with, he did a remarkable job to come up with the footage. The tape is available for $39.95, pl us $3.00 shipping, from Videos by Pro f. Bail ey, P.O . Box 130, Axton, VA 24054-0 130, 703/650-3030. Perris Raceway JAN 15 * Glen Helen FEB 5 * Perris Raceway FEB 19 * FREE GFI January Membership * 100% Pro Pay Back *$5,000 in Prizes & Trophies * Over 25 Class * JAN 15 Series Opens With: * Vet Holeshot Prizes * "Supermoutb" LARRY HUFFMAN-Announcing * KCAL DJs and Prizes Sign-up 7 a.m. Practice 8 a.m. ENTRY FEES Pros $25 Mail $35 Post Amateur $20 Post (Pre-enter w ith a friend: $10 eac h rider) " T WO ENTRIES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE" Amateurs: Pre-Enter with a friend and race for half price! Goat Brings You " Christmas in January " Goat says: " Ho Ho Ho" For Series Information Mail Self-Addressed. nvelope to: Stamped E GFI Racing P.O. Box 20336 Riverside, CA 925 16 QUESTIONS? (714) 788·5853 Thank.s To: iiiiil ~em: KCAL FM ~ ~ Fantasy Muffler TEBROS Nate Rauba 41