Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

machinery and the tracks are n o t such a challenge to the riders as they were and that more riders can ride nearer the limit. Does that mean that a rider from a team with slightly superior machinery has a more significant ad vantage? Has Honda won recently because they have the best bikes or because they have. the best riders? A combination of the tw o . In th e 500cc class they h ave always boug h t the best riders in recent yea rs. At th e momen t David (T horpe) and Eric (C eboe rs) are th e two best riders, b ut they are a lso the m ost professional tea m. T h e best ri de rs h ave al ways got th e best bi kes; for su re the works H ondas give th em th at lillie advan tage, an d if th ere we re five or six riders p retty eq ua l, th en the best bi ke will w in. But I g uess that has a lways been th e case. Factories in the 80s seem to have been more ruthless in sa cking riders after one year if they have not made th e very top. T he re h a s been n o difference in alii tude rea ll y. In th e '70s a lso th ey were onl y in terested in winning, but there were more works teams around nd oft en ride rs kept co n t r ac ts beca u se there was j u st no o ne better ho was a vailable. With a doz en 'a rks riders, they had to keep th e guy who h ad fi nished second or thi rd r tak e a ga m b le o n so meone wh o ad fini shed 15th. Nowadays, wi th ' 0 few works rides, th ey ca n sack the uy who fi nished th ird an d try th e u m ber five or six. oes that put more pressure on the ' ders? or sure, b ut I thi nk tha t is right. !lever had more tha n a one-yea r ntra ct wi th Ya m aha . It is a h ard .port, an d yo u ng ri ders must ha ve he chance 10 co me u p . There is no .ncentive for th e yo ungs ter if h e hinks th at he has no chance to m ake works team when a n estab lis hed ide r h as a three-year co n tra ct. ut isn 't the fi rst year on a new bike kind of learning year? don 't th ink so . The b ikes are so imilar no wada ys, th a t th ere shou ld 01 be too much o f a problem to a ke res u ltswhe n yo u ch ange from ne marque to another, , he whole motocross scene does not eem so rich in characters nowadays, here was the flamboyant R o bert, eCoster the st ylish gentleman, the gged Mikkola, then Noyce. Malerbe and yourself. And now? nd now . Yes. T ha t' s true. Bu t if you e going 10 build up the en th u siasm n the p ub lic, the n yo u ha ve to give omethi ng back to the span. I th ink ha t was m uc h easier when we were II riding different bikes. Now it is ast H onda an d that is no t good. icoll is co m ing u p wi th Kawasaki o pe rhaps it ca n improve a lillie, ut th e sport has 10 a ppea l 10 the magina tio n o f th e people. Perha p s he you ng riders no wada ys take i t too eriously. Can you see any of th em oi ng what I did in Namur when sto p ped for a beer? It is difficult hen yo u ha ve th e pressure fro m th e actories a nd I can ' t p ut my ha nd o n y he art a n d say th at I would hav e to p pe d a nd ri sked sta lli ng the motor here in Namur if I h ad been o n a Clary co ntract w ith th e ch ampionhip at sta ke. But in th e end you m us t a t f orget that you are a hum an eing . Perhaps th ere are so me riders ho would get better results if th ey eren't quite so serious all th e time. au see it in th e riders park. The 'ho le a tmosp here is much mo re nse nowadays. you think the riders need to have eir voice heard at the fiM? ure th ey need that. that a role (o r you in the future? problem is, who would pay for ? T he FIM for sure doesn't want Competition I-----P/u~--I Husqvarna / c.aa.VA BLOWOUT SALE!! to have a nything 10 do with it , beca use th ey do n ' t want so meone telling th em what needs to be done. Bu t th e riders defi nitel y n eed a spokesman a t the ra ces to spea k with a u thori ty o n their behalf when th ere is a p robl em like th e clouds o f dust we hav e had th is year a t th e 500s. Then th ere is the So uth Am eri ca n trip for th e 250s. Pa yin g for someo ne to do that, shou ld co me from th e FIM, bu t th ey don 't want to do th at, beca use th ey don 't wa n t to encourage a nyone wh o is chi p p i ng a way at th eir little em p ires. What has gone wrong with Sw edi sh motocross? Where are the new yo u n g up and coming riders? T he trouble is that-they get spoi led riding in th e 80cc class. They a lready ha ve everything, wi th Pa pa paying th e bills. Let's face it, the bik es are so expensive nowadays th a t a kid cou ldn't a fford 10 start by himself wh en h e lea ves school. These kid s tend 10 have been spoi led, a nd they j ust are n' t p re pared for th e h ard times w hich will come whe n th ey h ave to face th e big wide world o f th e in ternationa l scene. It is a lso a bad grou nd ing for th em 10 s ta rt w i th 80c c m a chin es o n Swed ish track s. T he trac ks are g ra ded so flat in Swede n th at th ere is so lillie o p por tu n ity 10 learn good technique when they a re yo ung. Just look a t th e mot ocro ss scene now. The o n ly gu y to co me o u t o f th e 80cc yo u th raci ng in Sweden is Dick Peuersson. H e is th e o n ly o ne, a nd even ' Dick fin ds it h ard to ge t h ig h in the points at th e C Ps. Perha p s too m an y of th e yo u n g riders spend too much time p reparin g in Belgiu m at th e start of th e year. It is no good just 10 have co ndition if yo u don 't ha ve th e speed, too. For that th ey n eed to mix sa nd training with riding o n the ha rd tracks in th e sou th o f Fra n ce. T h ey have 10 learn ho w 10 rid e on a ll types o f track, a n d a lso h o w 10 set up a b ike. If yo u ca n 't set a bike up properl y, th en yo u w ill lose three or four seco n ds a la p , and that means yo u don 't quali fy. So it do esn 't m a iler how good a physica l condi tio n yo u have th en ! T he y have 10 not o n ly be fit, th ay h ave to kn o w ho w 10 find th e ri g h t racing line, ho w 10 se t u p a shock , choose the righ t ti res, that is a ll par t o f th e game. The tracks are so easy in Sweden that they don ' t learn an y of th a t, So what are your plans for the future? I ha ve no pl ans yet. I want to wait fo r severa l months a nd see what co mes u p . If I was o ffered a job a s a team ma nager, test ri der o r some thing for the fede ration, the n I wou ld be in terested, But if th ere is nothing o n offer, the n I think I'll quit the motoc ro ss scene co m p letely. \\' e j ust ha ve to wait and see. I don ' t. have to make any definite decision' until next spri ng. '. PasoseA lau urras Elefants All prices too low to print! To avoid paying any more floor plan interest, we are ready to , make you a SUPER DEALon anyof the following mode ls in stock: You won't find a better motorcycle for a better price. Call us today and SAVE BIG!! COM ING SOON 1989 125/250 WMX THERE IS A LIMITED SUPPLY SO ACT NOW. TAKING DEPOSITS SO STOP BY OR CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION. HUGE PARTS INVENTORY After you have tried the rest call us for all your parts needs. WE ARE THE SOUTHEAST'S #1 CAGIVA/DUCATI/HUSKY DEALER!! , W e have f ull Ducat i race preparati ons ava ilable from big bores to cu stom mad e pipes. We do'It all. 621 E. Bernard Avenue * Greenville, TN 37743 * (615) 638-2228 Want to go racing!? Check the Cycle News calendar section. . e P B~lC 1'~ .O. 5520 IllinOIS A: G'alifOI1l!!.?{J;12 1 ParalT1()l.1n • (213) ~ 59

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