Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ . . eBig changes for theSupercross Series 1989 Supercross preview . W 8 hat a difference a year ma kes. Just 12 mo nt hs ago the sport of supercross looked a ll bu t doo med. Pro moters were constantly lashing at each other like cats, there were ridicu lo us conf licts in schedu ling that lasted well int o the seaso n, purse money was em barrassingly low, the riders were mad and the fans were confused. Bu t the good news is that that was last year. Realizing that somethi ng had to be done to revive supercross, to give this 15-year-old sport a new lease on life, the promoters retracted their claws and decided to unite and work tog ether rather than fight each other to destruction and take the sport down with them. The resu lts ar e already paying 0[£. Thanks to the efforts of supercross promoters SupezSports, SRO/Pace and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG), and the AMA, supercross in 1989 is bursting with life like it never has before. We see new sponsors, bigger purses, a larger co nti n gen cy fund, a 13-week n ati onal tel evision ser i es, an expa nded supercros s schedule and happier riders. And happy rid ers means happy pr omotors, and happy promoters means that potential sponsors won't be scared away fro m supercross a major problem that's been facing supercross over the years. Enter th e R.j. Reynolds Tobacco USA Company. R.j. Reynolds has taken over the reins in sponsoring this year's AMAI Camel Supercross Series. Camel is pos ting a $125,000 rider point fund for th e 1989 series that will see the series champion take $50,000 to the bank. Plu s another $25,000 will be awarded at the series finale, J une 10 at the Los An geles Memoria l Co liseum, to th e top rider in the 125cc class, determined by what will be called a Ca mel Shoot-Out. However, the exac t details, such as qual ificatio n, for the Ca mel Shoot-Out is still to be determined. T he Adolp h Coors Company, which has sponsored supercross since 1986, is still a supporter in '89. Coors Extra Gold, in fact , will be the event sponsor for 14 stops on the 15-event Camel Supercross tour, as well as sponsoring 14 Coors Extra Gold Super Challenge events of its ow n coinciding with the Camel Supercross Series events. Details of just what the Coors Extra Gold Super Challenge will con sist of are undetermined and won 't- be made official until January 26. Probably the biggest shot in the arm for supercross ever will happen in '89 as well. Pro mo ters SRO/Pace, SuperSports, Inc. and MTEG are investing over $400,000 in television programing. The Seals Communications Corporation, producers of MotoWorld which is telecast on The Nashville Network (T N N) as part of TNN's "Sports Sunday"1ineup, will produce a 13-week nati onal televi sio n series on the 1989 AMAICamel Supercross Series. The sho ws, hosted by MotoWorld 's Larry Mai ers, are scheduled to begin airing on ESPN in April an d will run in prime time if not pre-empted by other programming. The power of television could rocket the sport of supercross into big league sta tus . As SupezSports' Bill West puts it, "No major sport has ever made it without TV. " With the promoto rs, sponsors and the AMA pullin g together as a team, we should see some of the best supercross racing ever as a resu lt. T here's more th an just a champion ship at stake now. T here 's a health y po t of gold at th e end of the ra inbow, no t to mention an average $5000 check for win ning each event. Even the last place finisher in the each final will pocket around a grand. The com bined grand total for all 15events equa ls $518 ,000 in prize mo ney. . And now there's even national recognition to think about with heavy TV coverage. With fame comes fortu ne, so th ey say - another incentive for the racers . There are 15 events on this year 's schedule, three more than in 1988. The series opener takes p lace in Anaheim, California, January 28, at Anaheim Stadium. Then it 's 0[£ to a doubleheader in Seattle, Washington's Kingdome , February 4-5. Ro und four returns to California to San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium, February . II. Fo llowing the San Diego event, the racers head across th e country to Miami, Florida, February 18. The race will be held for th e first time at the new Joe Robbie Stadium. From Miami it's 0[£ to Atlanta, Georgia, February 25, at the Fulton County Stadium. It 's been two years since a supercross was held in Atlanta. Two weeks later, on March II , racers will be tested on what many rid ers will say is the toughest course on th e circuit - Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona, Florida. Ho usto n, Texas, will host the next round inside the Astrodome, March 18, which will be followed by the Tampa Bay, Florida, su percross in T ampa Stadium, March 25, and By Kit Palmer and Nate Rauba then to Dallas, Texas, April I, for the Texas Stadi um event, located just ou tsid e Dall as in Irvin g. Then there's another doubleheader, this time in the Silverdo me in Pontiac, Michigan, Apri l 15-16. Three weeks later it's 0[£ to New J ersey for the Meadowl ands Supercro ss in E. Rutherford. June 3 will see th e series move to O klaho ma City, Oklahoma, at the O klahoma City Fairgrounds. The final race of the series will be held in Los Angeles, Ca lifornia, June 10 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The racing format at each event wi ll be similar to last year's. There will be three 250cc heat races (some times four heats, dependi ng o n rider turnout), two semis, one Last Chance Qualifier, and a 20-lap main event fielding 21 riders. New this year is that the Last Chance Qualifier will offer a $2950 purse spread out among the top 10 fini shers. The firs t p lace finisher in the LCQ will take home $350. In addition, there will be a 125cc program that will also have heat races, a Last Chance Qualifier and a 12-lap main event. The defending Supercross Champion, Team Honda's Rick " R.j." Johnson, has to be the favorite to repeat as champion, but the big guns are pointed directly at him. '''R ick Johnson - he's beatable, he's definitely bea rable," says Team Suzu ki 's Johnny O' Mara, who , along wi th every supercross fan across the country, saw J oh nson take the 1988 Supercross Series by sto rm. Johnson, the factory Honda ace from EI Cajon,California, captured nine main event wins out of 12 tries. And for th e secon d time in his career, J oh n so n captured th e Supercross Series title. But desp ite his impres-

• Cover