Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Renuell, Mike Harth, the recentlyhealed Otis Lance, John Eidenberger, Scott Zampach, Keith Pinkstaff, John Hopperstad, Jeff Farmer, Mark Chin and a host of others. One factor which will enter into this year's equation is the AMA's .decision to require homolgation of carburetors and camshafts. Last year, both American Honda and Yoshimura Suzuki used trick carburetors that were reportedly valued at $20,000. Vance & Hines tried to buy a set of ·carbs from Yoshimur.a, but when that failed, they claimed them. So, too, with Ashmead, who claimed Bubba Shobert's carbs for his privateer Honda. Both machines gained instant horsepower. This year, everyone is required to use off-the-shelf components. If you can call the Ducati's Weber/Marelli fuel injection "off the shelf". . . Castrol 250cc Grand Prix Arguably the best racing on the American National circuit is·seen in the 250cc Grand Prix (formerly Formula Two) class, the only category which utilizes purpose-built racing machinery rather than modified street bikes,exclusively. Castrol has returned as the primary sponsor of the Castrol 250c<;, Grand Prix Series, and is posting a $40,000 purse to be distributed among the top 20 riders. Who'll be number one? , John Kocinski. The Kid is on a winning streak. Victories in all four of the races he's competed in thus far in '89 - 250cc GP and 600cc Supersport at Daytona, as well as the 2500c GPs at Suzuka, Japan, and Laguna Seca, California - confirm this. It would be unwise to bet against the Team Viceroy Yamaha rider earning his third consecutive. National Championship. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington. Ohio If Kocinski falters, or perhaps more likely, finds himself racing In Europe where he belongs, the racing for the lead will heat up considerably. Kocinski's teammate Thomas Stevens has yet to win a 250cc race, although he came close last year at Road America, and would like nothing better than top billing on ·the Kenny Roberts-owned squad. Nonhern Californian Richard Oliver has switched from the John Lassak-prepared Yamahas (on which he was the only rider besides Kocinski to win a race last year when Kocinski broke at Road America), and. is now riding a Yamaha backed O"l 00 O"l .-I •New Hampshire Motor.Speedway ..---Loudon. New Hampsh"e by Cagiva Grand Prix star Randy Mamola and tuned by Dan Kyle of Two Brothers. Racing fame. Oliver has the talent, the question is whether Kyle can extract horsepower comparable to the £Ieet Roberts machines. Lassak himself has switched from the Japanese Yamaha to Italian Aprilia machinery ·and is working closely with the Austrian Rotax factory (builders of the Aprilia's tandem twin motor) in an effort to gain equal footing with the Roberts dan, who are closely allied with Yamaha Motor Corporation. With the departure of Oliver, Lassak has signed a trio of talented foreigners to contest the American National Championship. Englishman Alan Carter (who at 18 was the youngest rider ever to win a Grand Prix) has renewed his contract from last year and is oined by Robbie .Peterson (who di a few rounds last year with the help of fellow South African Kork Ballington) and French Canadian Miguel DuHamel, son of the legendary Yvon. The team had teething problems at Daytona, but J' Caner still managed to finish sixth after a last-lap, off-track excursion. Also on the Lassak squad, albeit .unofficially, is southern Californian "Radical" Richard Moore, who came from behind and pulled an upset at Daytona by finishing third, well ahead of the Aprilias of his pseudo-teammates. Earlier in the season Lassak had expressed this happening as his primary worry. Sorry, John. Moore wants to race in Europe, and with new sponsorship from Italian scale model manufacturer Burago, could well be on his way to a European ride. The fact that he speaks' fluent ltalian helps. Also on Aprilias are Frank Ciampini-backed Canadians Steve Crevier and Jon Cornwell. Wildand-crazy Canuck Crevier came close a couple of times last year and is rapidly making the transition from the heavy, four-stroke Superbikes to the lightweight, two-stroke GP machines. Cornwell is a journeyman racer, having competed in dirt track and ice raang before spinning a wheel on the tarmac. Either could earn a rostrum position, but will suffer due to conflicting dates with their primary series, the RACE Canadian National Championships. Laguna Seca '87 2500c U.S. GP winner Jimmy Filice will be turning' his attention to U.S. racing now that he's put his two scheduled GPs behind him. He'll be riding a production Honda RS250 in the U.S., rather than the factory NSR250 he rode in the GPs, backed by Edwin, a Japanese blue jeans maufacturer. If he can come to grips with the production machine, he'll be a factor. There's no doubting his abilities. Hasty Racing's Doug Brauneck is an experienced veteran. He's savvy, virtually mistake-free, and is always there when it counts most - at the finish line. Last year, Brauneck finished third in the class championship, but was awarded the lion's share of the Castrol money since winner Kocinski and runner-up Stevens use PJ-l oil. Ten thousand dollars buys a lot of confidence. Many-time class champion Donnie Greene is sometimes erratic, but showed that he still has the skills necessary to post a top finish last year at two of the most technical tracks in the states, Loudon and Sears Point. He also did well at this year's season opener, finishing fourth at Daytona. Greene is returning on a McIver Racing Yamaha backed by The Survival Game, makers of Splatmaster marking pistols, the paint pellet guns used on college campuses from coast to coast. Look for the Greene machine to be decorated in outlandish Splatmaster decor. Other top privateers waiting in the wings are Daniel Coe, now on Neil Sorensen's Yamaha after a few years on Phil Schilling's Spondon Rotax; James Stephens, now on a Yamaha after fiddling with an Aprilia for ~uch of last year; Ben Williams on the ex-Thomas Stevens Yamaha; and Chris D'Alusio on a Yamaha. And lastly, two up-and-comers Team Viceroy Yamaha's teenage dirt track sensation Kevin Atherton and Randy Mamola Racing's Al Salaverria. If nothing else, these two should learn much from their moreexperienced teammates. Circle Bell Pro Twins Circle Bell is again backing both divisions of Pro Twins competition, and will be paying $15,000 to the top 10 in Grand Prix and $5000 to the top five in the Modified Production point standings. . In the GP category, class Champion Dale Quarterley will be tough to beat on the Fast by Ferracci Ducati 851. Doug Brauneck, '87 class champ, will again be trying hard on Dr. John Witmer's innovative Moto Guzzi, but he's already down in the I points after the rolling test-bed broke at Daytona. The Commonwealth . Honda won't be ridden by Paul Lewis (who last year led Daytona before breaking and finished second to Quanerley at Laguna Seca and this year finished second to Quarterley by inches at Daytona), nor by Doug Chandler (who gave the machine its first victory last year at Mid-Ohio). Instead, the RS750 dirt track motor-powered machine will be ridden at the remaining races by former Formula One champ Randy Renfrow. This is the only machine currently capable of running with the Ducati 851s and the lone Guzzi, and with Renfrow's skillful riding, should be a f9rce to be reckoned with. We'll have to wait and see if Renfrow can overcome his zero points status. Former class champ Jimmy Adamo showed renewed vigor, and plenty of horsepower, at Daytona this past March when he finished 5

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