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/127174
nian Scott. who now operates out of Findlay. Ohio. On the road racing side, Chandler will be riding Rob Muzzy-prepared Kawasaki ZX-7s in AMA Superbike and AMAlCCS Supersport competition and pos sibly a few rounds of the World Superbike Series. Kawasaki will provide Muzzy with four machines, a parts account, a box van and an undisclosed amount of money. Chandler finis hed third in the 1988 AMA Superb ike point sta ndings, riding the same Honda VFR750 on which Wayne Rainey won the '87 titl e. fiY p~p~ Wf~LfY Mu lti-time MX National Champion · Bob Hannah (Suz) won both motos in the 250cc Pro class at the January 15 Dade City round of the Florida Winter AMA Series. Keith Bowen (Suz) was second overall with a 22 performance and Mike LaRocco (Yam) was third with a 3-3 tally. Brian McElroy (Cag) topped the 125cc Pro class with a 2-1 day . LaRocco (Yam) was second with a 1-2 p erforma nc e and Jay Mann (Kaw) third with 3-5 moto finishes. Fred Andrews (Hon) turned in a 21 perform ance to top the 500cc Pro class. Jeff Frisz (Kaw) logged a 1-3 for second overall and JoJo Keller (H on ) was third witlf a 4-2 day . David Beckin gton (Hon) topped the 125cc A and 250cc A classes, and Earl May (Hon) was the overall winner in the 500cc A class. . Wprld Champion Jean-Michel Bayle (Hon) of France topped the . 250cc Pro class at the first round of Goat Breker's GFI California Winter MX Series at Perris Raceway. January 15. Jeff Stanton (Hon) was second and Johnny 'O' M ara (Suz) bagged third overall. Jeff Matiasevich (Kaw ) won both motos i n the 125cc Pro class. Ty Davis (Suz) was second overall. and Larry Ward (Hon) was third. Ron Turner (Hon) scored the overall win in the 500cc Pro class over Mike Hooker (Hon) and David Bugweath. Dan Ingram (Hon) edged out Garth Brow (Hon) for the 1989 AMA 'Invita tional Indoor Pro Ice Ra ce Series title by one point, 78 to 77, to collect $1200 from the $3000 poin t fund pos ted by American Honda. · The final round that counted in the point standings took place in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday night, J anuary 13, and Brow nearly overtook Ingram in the point standings, but fell short. Brow went on to win the non-point paying main event over Ed Morris (Hon) and Ingram. The following night, January 14, the annual series closed with a nonpo int paying round in Hamilton, On tario, Canada, and Brow was the top 'poin t scorer and winner of the main . The riders voted Dave Rabinette the series Rookie of the Year. Four-time AMA National Enduro Champion Terry Cunningham has switched te Kawasaki after campaigning Husqvarnas for eight years. Cunningham. a four-time I S D E go ld medalist. w ill be teamed w ith Larry Roeseler and the pair will compete in the AMA National Championship Enduro Series aboard Kawasaki KDX200s. Cunningham and Kurt Hough will team to ride KX250s in the AMA National Championship Hare Scrambles Series. All three Team Green ride rs w ill compete in t he ISD E Qua lifiers . Defending 'Gra nd National Cross Country champ Ed Lojak has also left Husqvarna, switching to Yamaha after a 12-year relationship with Husqvaina. Lojak will ride the new Yamaha YZ250WR in the 1989 National Championship Hare Scrambles Series and the Grand National Cross Country Championship Series. " I' ve been wanting to make a switch for the past couple of years," said Lojak, "and now with Yamaha's help I will be an official . Yamaha support rider." American Honda will be issuing a " product update;" not a recall as published elsewhere. to all purchasers of 1989 Honda CR250 and 500 motocross machines. Customers will be notif ied of the front fork update by mail. beginning February 2. and will be able to take their fork assemblies to their dealer where new damper assemblies will be installed free Df charge . All unso ld un its will receive the update prior to leaving the showroom floor. FDIIDwing research and development testing on the stock units. Honda feels that the original fork damping is too harsh for most riders. Accordin g to Honda. the new assemblies are designed to give smoother performance. 'I?ree-time World Champion Freddie Spencer had his first ride on a Marlboro Yamaha on J anuary 14-15 in Jerez, Spain. The Shreveport, Louisiana, resident rode a 1988 Yamaha YZR500 in preparation for .the team's first full -blown test on '89 equipment to be held at Australia's Phillip Island later this month. Doug Chandler. who f i n ished third in t he 1988 Camel Pro Series beh ind Bubba Shobert and Scott Parke r. will race a Hank Scottprepared. Bob Donabedian owned Honda in Camel Pro m ile and selected half m ile dirt t rack events this 'season, "We' re near finalizing sponsors." said SCDtt. the winner of 17 Grand National C hampionsh ip r ac es be tween 1974 and 1984. " Kal-Gard is already beh ind us and w e should be able t o announce other spo nso rs in the v ery near future . Doug 's a charger and I'm 10Dking forward to working w ith him ." Donabedian. owner and operator of a bumper business in Garden Grove. California. f unds the bike. but it ' s "prepared. transported and cared for" by fDrmer Califor- Effective J anuary 15. motorcyclists in Massachusetts were hit for substantially increased fees to operate a motorcycle. The fees increased to: $35 for a four-year driver's license. up from $25. plus an additional $12 for a motorcycle endorsement. where previously there had been no fee; $50 for a vehicle t itle. up from $15; $60 for a two-yea r motorcycle registration as opposed to only $40 for a two-yea r automobile registratio n. Not only is this the second major increase of motorcycle related fees in as m any years. but none of t he m oni es of this most recent increase will make their way into the state's motorcycle '. safety fund . Last year. motorcycle inspection fees were raised from $4 to $15. a 275% inc rease. while automobile in spection fees were only raised by 50%. from $10 to $15. This lat est increase was set by the state's Administration and Finance Executive Office and not the state Legislature. The AMA's Government Relations Department has contacted all members of the state Senate in an effort to remedy the situation. Massachusetts motorcyclists can voice their opposition to th is latest fee increase. and at the same t ime request that money b, the state's motorcycle .... by writing Edward Lb Secretary. Admi nistration Finance Executive Office. Stbo House. Room 373. Boston. MA 02133. San Dimas, California-based FBN Racing Team, Lightweight Superbike class ru n ner-up in the WERA Western Regional Endurance Road Race Championshi ps last year, will move up to the Heavyweight Produ ction class this season with a 1989 Yamaha FZRIOO . Mark Leuzinger, O Ron Joyner and Jason Pridmore will return as the Yamaha of Covina (Californ ia)/White Bros./Lockhart Raci ng /Yokohama-sponsore d team 's riders. . Papa hears there's" good chance that Dave Despain. host of the MotorWeek Illustrated television show. will announce all 17 Camel Pro Series dirt t rack races this season. Papa .,hopes that rumor t urns out to be fact because he fe els Despain has no equal when it comes t o announcing dirt track rac in g . Racing stars celebrating January birthdays include four-time Camel Pro Champion Bubba Shobert who'll turn 27 on 'January 29, twotime Grand National Champion Gary Nixon 48 on January 25, twotime Grand National Champion Randy Goss 33 on January 12, 1975 Grand National Champion Gary Scott 37 on January 19, 1969 250cc World Champion road racer Kel Carruthers 51 on January 3, former U.S. National Champion road racer Mike Baldwin 34 on January 15, road racer Dale Quarterley 28 on January 25, arid former nationally-ranked motocrosser Rex Staten 34 on January 22. Happy birthday to you , happy birthday to you. (Con tin ued to page 2) The all -new Municipal Stadium j ust west of DaYtona Beach. Florida. w ill be the site of Florida's first-ever AMA Grand National Champion race. a Ca'!!el Pro Series short track round which w ill take place Dn Saturday mght. Marc h 11 . Df Camel Speedweek. D irt t rack action at Daytona w ill get underway w ith three half mile races at Vo lusia Speedway in Barberville. starting Friday. March 3. w ith the $6055 AMI Half Mile. a round of the AMA Eastern Regional Championship Series. at Volusia County Speedway in Barberville; continue w ith the $6055 Robison Harley Half Mile. another Regional ChampiDnship race . on Saturday. March 4 ; and the $8700 15th Annual Daytona-Busch Half Mile. also a Regional Championship race . on Sunday. March 5. Action t hen swings over to the 1 0 .0 0 0 seat Municipa l Stadium with a $6000 Pro -Am and Jun i~r Reg iC?nal Championship Short Track Wednesday night. March 8 ; c~ntmues WIth the $9000 AMA Eastern Regional Short Track Thursday mght. March 9 ; the $1 1.000 Budweiser 600 National Short Track Friday night. March 10; and finally the $30.000 Camel PrD race on Saturday. Marc.h 11 . Vo lusla County Speedway w ill be paved im mediat ely f ollow ing the first three events of the $98.310 15th An nual Budweiser -W iseco D irt Track Series.