Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

ing at other sites to continue our racing. including one in Irwindale that we'd like to make clear is not part of the proposed Los Angeles Raiders (NFL football team) stadium." O"l 00 O"l ..... BY P41P4I Wf~LfY Just moments before this issue was to go to press on Monday, March 27, we received word from the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) that Senator Orin Hatch (R-Utah) is preparing a bill that would require mandatory health insurance for aU motorcycle operators. Rob Rasor, head of the AMA's Government Relations Department, said, "I view this as a potentially devastating blow to the motorcycle marketplace because of the potential costs of such insurance. The relatively small population of motorcycle operators combined with high costs associated with rider injury could make the costs of such insurance astronomical." Upon hearing of Hatch's intentions, Rasor contacted his office and was referred to Edwin Froelich, M.C., a staff member to the Labor and Human Resources Committee in the U.S. Senate (Hatch is the ranking minority member of that committee). Rasor said Froelich was "instantly argumentative, at timt:s approaching hostile. He characterized 'the issue' as being 60% of uncompensated health care costs coming from two sources: pregnancies and motorcycle accidents ... The reoccurring theme of our conversation dealt with 'The Fundamental Principle' that 'society shouldn't pick up the costs,' 'society subsidizes the riding of motorcycles,' and 'society shouldn't bear the costs, the individual should bear the cost.' When I inquired about his source oC statistics and information he cited the Center for Disease Control and 'confidential sources in the insurance community.' " The AMA has' also learned that Senator John H. Chafee(R-Rhode Island). ranking minority member of the U.S. Senate's Committee on Environment and Public Works. is set to introduce a bill that would call for mandatory helmet use nationwide. In a letter to Rasor. dated March 14. Chafee said. "As medical costs have skyrocketed and more and niore of the costs of medical care are being borne by the taxpayer. it is no longer just a matter of personal preference whether or not to wear a safety belt or a motorcycle helmet. It is a matter that affects everyone ... I intend to introduce legislation which will require all states to pass safety belt and motorcycle helmet laws or lose up to 10% of their Federal-aid highway constru~ion funds. " 2 'Kevin Schwantz {Suz) beat Wayne Rainey (Yam) by less than half a , second in an exciting opening round of the World Championship Road Race Series at Suzuka, Japan, March 26, as a crowd of over 80,000 watched. The win was Schwantz's second straight in the Japanese GP. Third place went to defending 500cc World Champion Eddie Lawson (Hon) with former World Champion Wayrie Gardner (Hon) and Kevin Magee (Yarn) rounding out the top five. Bubba Shobert (Hon) finished llth with Freddie Spencer (Yarn) 14th and Randy Mamola (Cag) 16th. Texan Doug Polen (Suz) completed 17 laps of the 22-lap GP before retiring with front brake troubles. John Kocinski (Yam) topped defending World Champion Sito Pons (Hon) by one second in the 250cc Japanese Grand Prix. Third" place went to Luca Cadalora (Yam) with Toshihiko Honma (Yam) and Jean-Philippa Ruggia (Yam) rounding out the top five. Jimmy Filice (Hon) finished 11th and Andy Leisner (Hon) failed to . qualify for the GP. Fabrizio Pirovano (Yam) and John Carlo Falappa (Bim) split wins at the opening round of the World Superbike Road Race Series at Donington Park in England, March 27. fn the first leg, Pirovano topped Roger Burnett (Hon) and Terry Rymer (Yam) with Fred Merkel (Hon) finishing fourth. The second leg saw Falappa beat Rymer and Burnett to the hne; Merkel finished sixth. Rymer and Burnett with 32 points each lead the poirtt standings with Merkel third at 23. In its March 23 issue. Old Car Weekly reports that Ascot ,Park in Gardena. California. will be forced to close when its lease on the property expires at the end of 1990. According to the report. the racing facility's operators. Agajanian Enterprises. originally formed by J.C. Agajanian and now headed by his three sons. tried to buy the property and/or renew the lease but the predicted increase in revenue expected to be generated by a new tenant made the costs unaffordable. Andrex Development Co. will take over the lease on the 40-acre site and the firm has begun studying options on what to build on the site; office buildings and retail stores are being considered. The land is reportedly valued at $500.000 per acre with the race track on it and that would increase to over $1 million per acre if office buildings were erected on the property. Ben Foote. Ascot's public relations director. said. "While there's always a possibility the lease could be extended after 1990 - perhaps on a year-to-year b~sis. the report (in Old Car Weekly) is accurate. We are look- Brian Bonesteel of Saugerties, New York, has established himself as the early favorite to win 1989 AMA Camel Pro Series Rookie of the Year honors. The 19-year-old dirt tracker finished seventh in the March II Camel Pro season opener at the Daytona National Short Track and was the only rider eligible for Rookie of the Year honors in the main event. Under a newly-revamped Rookie of the Year program, Camel Pro Series rookie points are awarded to all eligible riders who compete in main events or Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) races at the 17 rounds of the Camel Pro Series. Riders who have scored Camel Pro points prior to the '89 season are ineligible for the program which will award the Rookie of the Year a $5000 bonus from R.J. Reynolds. Runner-up honors carry with them a $1500 bonus and third will pay $1000. In addition to Bonesteel. four other riders scored Camel Pro Rookie of the Year points at Daytona by competing in the LCa. Canadian Jean Bourret picked up nine points by finishing second in the LCa. Californian Dan McDonnell six points with a fifth place finish. Illinois rider Erick Gruber five points for sixth. and New York's Craig Estelle two points for finishing ninth. Bonesteel received 20 points for his main event performance. Scott USA, the sport goggles and glasses manufacturer, is sponsoring the Scott USA Bike Cam, a miniature point-of-view camera that will provide viewers a racer's eye view of the track at three Supercross events to be telecast on ESPN. The Scott USA Bike Cam is helmet-mounted. It has already been used during practice in the taping of the Anaheim and San Diego rounds of the Camel Supercross Series and will be used at the June 10 Los Angeles Supercross. Bill Neill. 50. suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday. March 16. in Suwanee. Georgia. In the sixties. Neill was a sales manager for Yankee (the Ossa importer) in Schenectady. New York. and in the mid-70's he worked for Yamaha in both Georgia and California. He then formed WenJam Design. a firm specializing in leather goods. which he operated in Georgia until the mid-80·s. A memorial service was held in Lawrenceville. Georgia. on Sun~ day. March 19. Neill is' survived by his mother Helen Holzhauser. two brothers and a sister. Godspeed. Billy. ANNOUNCED: Wright Publication's decision to cease publication of ATV Sports magazirte with the April issue which is now being shipped; originally called 3Wheeling, the magazine was launched in 1980. CANCELED: The AFM South road race scheduled for April 9 at Firebird Raceway in Chandler. Arizona. due to a conflicting drag racing event at the facility that weekend; the May 27-2$ AFM South event is still sat to run at Firebird; for more information. elllI AFM at 213/326-5679 or 415/327-0908. Although multi-time National and Supercross Champion Rick Johnson is out of action with a wrist injury, he will hit the track again next week. No, not on a motorcycle, but in a go-kart. Johnson says he'll do that to help kill some of the time he's off his motorcycle. First Johnson will spend some time relaxing at the Colorado River and "towing some friends around water skiing." Johnson says that he will attend some (Continued to page 46/ FI M reaffirms '89 World Superbike Series WESTERVILLE, OH, MAR. 24 In a special meeting held in Geneva, Swiuerland, the federation lnternationale Motocycliste ,(FJM) reaffirmed the 1989 World Superbike Series and its North American rounds at Canada's Mosport Park and America's Brainerd International Raceway. The meetings were held in response to the recent withdrawal of New Zealand's Sports Marketing Company (SMC) from its role as coordinator of international marketing, merchandisin~ and television coverage for the senes. After its meetings, the Management Council of the FIM issued the following statement: On the occasion of today's extraordinary meeting in Geneva, the Management Council of the FlM took the following decisions as a result of SMC's announced withdrawal from the World Superbike Series: 1) To continue the 1989 World Superbike Championship; 2) To allow organize:rs to cancel their event counting toward this championship, until April 15, without penalty; 3) FlM agrees to pay the riders' travel expenses to and from the first round of the series at England's Donington Park on March 27; 4) For .1989, the advertising and merchandising rights for each round will be transferred to the organizers or federations concerned; 5) A working group shall be commissioned by the FlM Management Council to find a solution within one month that will guarantee the payment of riders' travel expenses and provide for distribution of television signals for the 1989 World Superbike Series. This working group shall include FlM Road Race Commission President Josef Zegwaard of Holland; Road Race Commission Vice Presidents Gerald Marshall of Canada and Adrien Veys of Belgium; and FlM Vice President Ed Youngblood of the United States. The North American rounds of the 1989 World Superbike Series are scheduled June 4 at Mosporl Park and June II at Minnesota's Brainerd International Raceway. Planning for both events is at an advanced stage. The withdrawal of SMC is an inconvenience to the race organizers, to the FIM and to FIM affiliates in the U.S. and Canada. But after consultation with the FIM and the race organizers, an AMA spokesman said today that the World Superbike Series' first visit to North America is on for June of this year. The Canadian and U.S. races will be rounds five and six of a 13-event series that will end in mid-October with back-to-back events in Australia and New Zealand. Races prior to the North American rounds are scheduled March 27' in England, April 30 in Hungary, May 14 in Brazil and May 21 in Argentina. •

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