Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

appea rs to be the man Toni Mang has settled on to begin his career in team management) a nd Spa niard Dani Arnatriain now have their chances to im press, though I reckon both are dea d lucky to find the mselves where they are, and have a lo t to do to prove to me that they should be given such a prized ride over other more deserving candidates. Since you ask , U.S. GP win ner Jimmy Filice wou ld be on e, leading '88 priva teer Don nie McLeod another, Spanish starlet Alberto P u ig a third, not to me ntion Stefano Caracchi, Maurizio Vitali and impressive German TZR p'rivateer Hans Becker. The fact that FIlice especially won 't be contesting the GPs in 1989 is especially hard to fathom. Against these Ho nda hordes it looks as if there' ll bejust three works Yama has, with Garriga on the Ducados bi ke supported by th e remarkablyinconsistent Luca Cadalora and JeanPh ill ip pe R ugg ia .on Marlboro and . tech European racer wh ich has proved a long time in the making. Bu t with men like Antonio Cobas a nd former Ossa engineer Eduardo Giro beh ind it, this mu st be taken very serious ly - especially now that Alex Criville, runner-up in the SOcc cha mpionshi p last year before hi s acrim on iou s spl it from the work s Derbi . team after refusi ng to foll ow team orders, is set 10 ride the bik e, wi th former Europea n champ Xavier Cardelus as a l ik el y bac kup . Spain's flourishing motorcycle scene is bringing forth a host of talented youngsters. and the emer~ence of the first 100% Spanish -built 250 m a cou p le of decades, backed up by the p rom ise of a 250 Derbi twin for Aspar to rid e in 1990, will give added impetus to the cou ntry's rise to prominence as the.maj or European force in motorcycle racmg, Talking of whi ch , the scene is set for a nother titan ic stru ggle for supremacy between Spain and J apan, Derbi and Honda, in the ' l 25cc class next season. Last year saw the first season of the sing le-cylinder 125cc class and proved the FIM was 100%right to introduce it, with clo se exci ting raci ng and a wide variety of the 12 pairs of customer bikes that the Ita lia n factory have bui lt for this season . Pa lazzese has tremendous but so far u ntapped talent, disguised by the shod dy standard of the bikes he 's mostly raced in the past five years , while Wimm er for me still has what it takes to be a World Champion - even if Yamah a doesn 't th ink so. Both can cau se ma jor u psets on their Ap'rilias this year, wh ile de Radigues will certai n ly be a major player . in the facto ry GP stakes. With so many works or semi -wor ks bik es in the 250cc class now , the true privateer or small factory will find it especially diffi cult to make a mark any more. even riders with true gr it lik e Jean Francois Balde, Manfred Herweh or any of the younger riders mentioned previously. The days of the Rotax tandemtwin as an effective World Ch ampionsh ip tool look to be ov er, though Maurizio Vitali on th e int er esting Gazzaniga-Rotax may score a few points, and some of Aprilia 's many cli ents for their Reggia ni Rotax replicas cou ld also. But th e most interesting new development o n the horizon is the advent of the JJ-Cobas V-twin from Barcelona, a high- of marques and design s on the gri d even if production Hondas predictably dominate num er ica ll y. A stan dard RSI 25R is even less like ly to cut it in '89, with one of the ultra-expensive works kits req uired at the very least. or best of all a full works bike such as H RC have promoised for Ezio Gianola and Hans Spaa n , second and third in the title last ye ar. How tricked out these will really be has yet to be seen. but for sure Honda underestima ted Derbi's potential to scale up their 80cc titl e-holder successfu lly last season, and they surel y won 't make the same mistake again. Derbi knows this, and are working hard on their new bike. with a reed-valve engine rather than the tri ckier-to-ride valv er of 'S8, plus a lightweight carbon fiber chassis as a possible option. World Champion Jorge Ma rtinez 'Apar' and his great nval Gianola are sure to be the main protagnoists for the title, in a repeat of the Pons-Garriga standoff: Gianola so obviously looks like he's trying IOI% to win , while Aspar mak es it look .so easy, leading many to claim that he only wins because the Derbi (Continued to page 56) No pre-entry for Area Qualifiers HONDA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSH IP TRACKS NORTHEAST AREA QUALIFIERS Apr . ' -2 PO TO MA C M X, Buddll Creek, MD . • • .• •• •(30 1) 47!t-2000 Apr . 22·23 Apt . 29 ·30 STE EL CITY . Delmont. PA Ma y 13-U May 20 ·21 Jun . 3 -4 Jun.17 .18 (30415 94·1157 BRO ME·TIOGA. Bing h a mPlo n. NY FROZEN OCEAN MX. Auburn , NY ROC KY AIOOE, Im pe rla l, PA (601) 648 ·4997 . .p t S) 78ot·5466 (4' 2) 19&166 7 HI O[WA r M X. Shippensburg. P/4, . . ••••. (717) 423-6653 NORTHEAST YOUTH REGIONAL MID-A TLANllC. AQU4I co. MD • • . • • ••. . . (301 )~2525 s NORTHEAST AMATEUR REGIONAL Ju n. 24·25 Randy Mamola ApI. Ga uloises tackle, respectively. Cadalora is a real enigma, a guy wh o one day can zoo m o ff uncha llenged and lead from start to fin ish, yet the next race be to tally blown off and incapable of stayi ng on the pace, Brilliant bu t erratic, as they say - a description which also suits Ru ggia , the first man in G P racing to need elbow pads, and not j ust because he crashes a loti Either of these two can wi n a race or more if their heart's in it on the day, but no way a titl e. Yama ha 's commitment to win ni ng back the 250cc crown has to be question ed if this is a ll the su pport they're pr epared to give Ga rriga. If they really wanted to win the 250cc title aga in , they' d give John Kocinski a wor ks bike an d get Kenny Roberts to run it for h im wi th no worries about finding the budget from Lucky Strike. Given the importance of the 250cc street class in Japan, ever more close ly derived from the GP racers, I' m amazed they didn't do so. Kocinski apparently joining Filice on the G P sideli nes in 'S9 is another big disappointment. For sure , the guy is a World Champion in the making, so set him on a works 250, show h im the Hondas and let him at 'em , for goodness sakes . . . I In recent years. the 250cc title has been a straight fight between Yama ha and Honda , but this year there's a third force, • and a very pot ent on e too - Aprilia. The Ita lian factory is in year tree of their fiveyear racing plan , with year five a full on attack on the 500cc class in 1991 , with their own V-four - a fact which helps explain their on the face of it surprising decision to sign 500cc Marl boro Yamaha refugee Didier de Radiq ues to a th reeyear contract, the first of wh ich will see him raci ng the works Aprilia V-twin th is season in the 250cc class. I adm it 'to wondering if Didier had ever sat on the Aprilia before he sig ned when I heard abo u t it, and if there was a get-out clause if he proved physicall y una ble to fit on such a sm a ll, lo w ma chine as th e Reggi ani-developed AFI VI .However, early testin g appea rs to have gone well , a nd since the lanky Belgian was a real po wer in the 250/35Occ classes before he swi tched to 5OOs, may be he can recaptur e some of that form . More interes ting in a way though is the new s that Martin Wimmer a nd ' apparently Ivan Pal azzese will have works-supported Aprilia ,V-twi ns, some THE CHAL LENGER. Hom er C,l y. PA • .• • . (412) 72&~9A SOUTHEAST AREA QUALIFiERS 1-2 SANDHILL IIX. Chest erl ~d . SC (803) 623-2036 VICTORY SPORTS, Bk)unl ... IJe, 1 N . . . • • . (6151323-$49 7 , "...8·9 Apr . 15·16 EC H QN ECE E IIX. M acon. GA _ •••••.••• . (813) 822-8929 Apr. 22·23 OEVILS RIDGE. SaniO rd . Ne . . • ..... . • .. (919) 716-2" 2 SIIE. Diltwyn. VA • • • • •• •• • • •••• •• ••• 1 8041983·22 42 ~8.' Ma y 13·'4 (8 1~1 822-8929 CATOR8AC K. Ga ine svill e. Fl SOUTHEAST AMATEUR REGIONAL Ju n. 17·18 LAKESUGARTREE. Axton . VA ••..••• : . '. (703) 650-3030 SOUTHEAST YOUTH REGIONAL J un . 2' ·25 GATORBACK. Gaine SV le , FL ••••••••• , . (8 13) 822-8929 Il Apr . 22-23 Apr . 29 MORELAND MX. Stan to n. MI .(5 11) 235-41~ GLASS CfTY, Detl .a. OH ••. .•• _... . • .. . . (' 19) 825- 1647 M ay 6 ·7 AM. MOTORSPORTS . Nlt w Plymo uth . OH . (6 " 1596·205 7 MIDWAY MX. Mit ch ell . IN (812)849-2402 MID EAST AREA QUALIFIERS May 13·14 May 20·21 RED BUD . Buchan an , M l . ' . • . . • . • • • • • •. (616) 695-6405 MiD EAST AMATEUR REGIONAL J un . 17-18 KNO BBY HillS, Hor t onVIl le . IN •.••• , .•• (311) 75fl.6 200 Jun . 2' ·25 C.O.C.R•• S ug a r Gro ve. OH . MID EAST YOUTH REGIONAL . . •...... . (614) 687·5902 NORTH CENTRA L AREA QUAL iFIERS Apr. 23 Apr . ;?g.JO MX PARENTS. Columbia . MO , . • . • • • . . • . (314) '74-2444 MOTOSPORTS, Byron , l L •..•. . _. • . . (8 15) 234·2271 ~ -2 1 W. KENTUCKY TRAil RIDERS . Ca dIZ, KY . (502) 522-6389 May NORTH CENTRAL YOUTH REGIONAL J un . t1 ·18 MX PA RENTS , Columbia . MO . . ...•... (314) 474·244. NORTH CEN.TRAL AMAT EUR REGIONA L J un , 2" ·2!l U NCOlN TRAil. Cas!y,IL ...•• . ... (211) 932 ·2041 SOUTH CENTRAL AREA QUALIFIERS SWA N MX. l ylet' , TX . . .•.. . .•.••..• _ .. (2 1 ~1 882. 179' Apr . 9 Apr . 16 MO TOR CYCLE RACEWAY . Bla nchard . OK (4051 0485-2"' 5 Apr . 23 ROLLIN G H ILL S, McCo mb . MS • M ey 7 GOO D n MES . San Anton IO. TX . .15(4 ) 664""'297 ~... ., . (5 121674·9422 SOUTH CENTRAL YOUTH/AMATEUR REGiONAL M ey 27-28 GOOD n MES . san AnlonlO. TX • . .•• , ••. . 1 12) 674-9422 5 WEST CENTRAL AREA QUALIAERS Apr. 29-30 HOT SPRINGS RACEWAY, Ogdon, UT.. . . IS01) 825-12:JO May 20 ·2 1 CARBON EMER Y. Pric., UT ~"~~"''' a '''!' ~_~IIIIIIIII~IIII~~~IIIIIIII~'' CLASSES : You may enter tot al o f 4 classes at th e Area and Re- YOUTH/ AMATEUR C/WOMEN gi onal levels. but mu st choose only 2 cl ass es to ride at Naf 'onal 14. • 51 Stoc k Auto (4-8) Final. 15. • 65 Stock (7-11) 16. • 85 Stock (7·11) For 2·Day Area Ouali f iers : . Saturd ay c lasses/ [l Sund ay classes 17. • 85 Stock (12·13) AMATEUR A & B/PLUS 25/SENIOR 18. 0 85 Mod . (9·13) 9. [l Open A 5. • 250 A Sto c k 1. • 125 A Stock 19. • 85 Stoc k (14· 15) 2. [l 125 A Mod . 6. 0 250 A Mod . 10. n Open B/C 20. 085 Mod . (14· 15) 7. • 250 B Sto ck 3. • 125 B Stock 11. [l Plus 25 21. • 125 Sto ck (12-15)' 8. n 250 B Mod . 4. n 125 B Mod . 12. [1 SR Plu s 30 13. [l SR Plus 40 22. • 125 Mod . (12·15)' 23. • 125 C Nov ice Stoc k 1988 AMA & NMA N.lIon.1 rid.r. pl.clng in top 5 of B or i n24. [1 125 C No.vlc e Mod . termedl.t. cl ••••• rid. A cl •••••. Any C rlder who qu.Ulled to 25. • 250 C Nov ice Stoc k rl d•• t th.1988 N.lIon.1 Fin.' mu.' rl d. B. Riders mu.' rlde In the 26. 0 250 C Novice Mod . hlghe.t r.nked cl ••• (A, B or C) th.t ' h. y currently rld. In 'h.lr .r••_ Pro·Am riders qu.lllying for Pro·N.tlon.1 or Super27. • Wom en (85· 125cc)' e lllChldn Supw..... cro•• IIn.I, mu.' rld. A Modilled. . . • . . . . . (80 1)637·1849 WEST CENTRAL YOUTH/AMATEUR REGIONAL J U I. ' ·2 FLY BY NIGH T. Rock S prmgs, WY (J0 7) 8 75·9308 NORTHWEST AREA QUALIFIERS Ap r. 8 Apr. 9 WOODLAND M X. Wooc:lla nd . WA •• •• . • • .(5031667-5701 ALIANY sx, A lbany. OR • •• • ••. . • •.. . . .(5031928·.... 74 Ap t , 23 CLARKS8RANCH. Rosen bur g. WA Apr. 30 THURSTON OR.W McClea ry . WA •..••.• . (206; .. 35-9782 . (5031673-1671 NORTHWEST YOUTH/AMATEUR REGIONAl M ay 29 WASH OUGA L Ml, Washougal, WA (503) 673-1671 SOUTHW EST AREA QUALIFIERS Apr . 2 Ap r. 9 CANYON RACEWAY , Phoen i l., AZ (602) 258-7223 THRASHERLAND PK , Phoenl l., AZ • •... •. (602) 660-0853 SOUTHWEST YOUTH/AMATEUR REGIONAL M ay 7 BL YTKE IIX. Blythe, CA . •• • . . • ••. . • •• •. (619 1922-3322 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL Ioc.r Aug , 8 ·12 LORETTA L YN N RANCH. H. Mill s. TN . . . . (.'91.78-5386 -

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