Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

For those who like to plan way, way ahead, the Cologne (West Germany) Bicycle and Motorcycle Exhibition (IFMA 1990), will take place September 19-23, 1990. Nearly 1500 companies from 36 countries exhibited their products at IFMA 1988, and 170,000 people from 77 countries attended the show. BY p~p~ Wf~LfY - World Champion Eddie Lawson (Hon) won his first 500cc Grand Prix of the season at Jerez, Spain, on April 30. Lawson topped fellow Californian Wayne Rainey (Yam) by 10.17 seconds with Scotland's Niall Mackenzie (Yam) 'finishing third. Fourth place went to Frenchman Christian Sarron (Yam) with Freddie Spencer (Yam) rounding out the top five. Texan Kevin Schwantz was leading the race by five seconds, but crashed with only five laps to go. California's Randy Mamola (Cag) dropped out of the GP on lap 18 with ignition failure. Rainey leads Lawson, 71-61, in the championship point standings with Sarron third at 47. Italian Luca Cadalora (Yam) topped defending World Champion Sito Pons (Hon) by two seconds to win the Spanish 250cc round of the World Road Racing Championship.' Spaniard Juan Garriga (Yam) was third. Pons leads the title chase by two points over Cadalora, 67-65. Ed Lojak (Yam) won round four of the AMA Wiseco/Yamaha Grand National Cross Country Championship Series in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, April 30. Second place went to Steve McSwain (Hon) while third went to Ohio rider Gary Roach (Kaw). Mark Hyde (KTM) and Kevin Brown (Hon) rounded out the top five. In the opening round of the AMA National Reliability Trials Series in Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 29-30, Larry Roeseler (Kaw) was the overall and 500cc class winner. Fritz Kadlec (Vam) took second in the 500cc class. Kurt Hough (Kaw) captured the 250cc class win over Dave Bertram (Suz), while Aaron Hough (Kaw) won the 125cc class over Terry Cunningham (Kaw). Scott Summers (Hon) topped the Open FourStroke class ahead of Kevin Hines (KTM), while Jimmy Lewis (Hon) won the Lightweight Four-Stroke division over Scott Drafa (Hon). The Human Race Team's (Yam) Kurt Hall and Andy Fenwick completed 169 laps to score their first win of the season in the WERAIEBC Brakes National Endurance Series at Gateway International Raceway in E. Sl. Louis, Illinois, on April 29. The Humans topped Royale Racing (Yam) and E&H/Solmax Racing (Suz). The victory, combined with former series point leader Team Suzuki's 35th place, gives the Humans the point lead after three rounds. 2 Road racer Doug Polen will attend the AMA National Championship Road Race at Road Atlanta on May 7, but only as a spectator. The Texan will then jet to Japan for a three-race stint over a fiveweek period. Polen says that there's a good chance of him racing in an AMA Superbike National sometime this season, but a particular race that doesn't clash with his Japanese rac;ing commitments has not yet been picked. According to Cabin Racing Team's Rick Spillman, "Bubba Shobert continues to improve, and the San Jose Medical Center's rehabilitation staff is working towards mobilization, but the doctors feel it will be several more weeks before they can begin regular physical therapy. Everyone concerned has nothing but praise for the staff at the hospital. They've gone out of their way in both their treatment of Bubba and in keeping the family completely updated on his progress." Shobert, who suffered head injuries in a postrace collision with Kevin Magee at Laguna Seca on April 16, has been removed from the intensive care unit and remains in serious condition. No phone calls or visitors are allowed and cards and letters should be sent to American Honda, 100 W. Alondra Blvd., Gardena, CA 90248. Camel Pro Seri'es comp_etitor Brian Atherton of White Pigeon, Michigan, suffered a broken leg, broken ribs and back injuries in a heat race get-off at the April 22 AMA 600 National Ha" Mile at Manzanita Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona. Atherton was released from Good Samaritan HpspitaL in Phoenix on Saturday, April 29, and flew to Michigan in a private airplane. Jerry Douglas of Chico, California, reports that thieves broke into his truck at the April 23 Hangtown National MX at Sacramento, California, and stole $2100 worth of riding equipment incluqing two custom-fitted CTI knee braces with his name molded into the carbon fiber. If you have any information that might help in recovering the stolen items, call Jerry at 916/3420485. Phil McDonald, 33, came out of retirement to team up with his brother Sam in the April 22 AM A/ CCS South Central Regional Road Race meet's 150-mile endurance road race at Hallett, Oklahoma. The McDonalds fielded a Yamaha FZR600 and started on the fifth row. They went on to lap the field and win the Yamaha Gold Cup race. Welcome back, Phil. Pie anyone lately? The AMA Membership Drive that was successfully launched at the recent Pontiac Camel Supercross Series doubleheader will continue at the May 6 Meadowlands Super-, cross in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and again' at the June 4 Oklahoma State Fairway Supercross in Oklahoma City. In addition to receiving a special limited edition AMA Camel Supercross bandana, all members who join, - renew or extend their memberships at the races will automatically be entered in a drawing for prizes donated by the event promoter, SRO/Pace Motorsports, and Camel Supercross contingency sponsors, and will receive a free program. Among the prizes up for grabs at the Meadowlands event are two tickets' per winner (four winners/eight tickets total) to concerts by Bon Jovi, Who, and Rolling Stones at any location or date on their '89 national tours and to a New York Giants football game, a Sc;ott Mountain Bike, autographed racing jerseys, a Bell Moto 5 helmet, and AMA Racing insignia products. Stop by the AMA booth and by joining, renewing or extending your membership, you'll be entered in the drawing, and get a free race program and Camel Supercross bandana. What a deal! ENGAGED: Sondra Peters, daughter of Continental Motosport Club (CMC) president Stu Peters, to Keith Hoag of Innovation Sports; wedding to take place in Long Beach, California, on April 28, 1990. Circle June 4 on your calendar for on that Sunday The Nashville Network (TNN) will telecast the January 29 Carlsbad, California, round of the recent CMC/Dodge Trucks Golden State Motocross Nationals. The Diamond P Sports/CMC-produced 90minute show will air three times Qn June 4 on American Sports Calvacade at 12 noon, 4 and 9 p.m. (Pacific time). BORN: Dominick Andrew Vandenberg, son of Dirk Vandenberg, manager of the motorcycle product evaluation department at American Honda, and his wife Donna, senior research specialist at Honda R&D North America, on April 25 in southern California. If you joined the likes of Malcolm Forbes and his Capitalist Tools in attending the April 23 Raceway Park MX at Englishtown, New Jersey, and were disappointed in not seeing Bob "Hurricane" Hannah compete as we reported in this section he would, we apologize. Raceway Park's Ken Landerman says the item in issue #16 was incorrect and Hannah was not scheduled to appear. According to Landerman, Hannah will race at Raceway Park, along with Suzuki teammate Ron Tichenor, at the 4th Annual Suzuki-sponsored New Jersey State MX Championships, June 24-25. PURCHASED: Zero Gravity, manufacturer of sport bike windscreens that was formerly operated by Robert Sander, by Katherine Miller and Glenn Cook who have been operating the business since January of this year; 21601 Vanowen St., Suite 201, Canoga Park, CA 91301, 818/8832761, Fax 818/883-3308. Off-road legend Malcolm Smith recently returned from Sweden where he tested a Husaberg prototype four-stroke off-road machine. According to Smith, three engine and chassis engineer~ from the old Husqvarna factory in Sweden, which was bought out by Cagiva seve.ral years ago, have produced 10 prototypes of the liquid-cooled, 500cc hand-built machines, and they are gearing up to produce a small volume of the bikes to be available sometime later this year. The nationally syndicated Ann Landers col umn that appeared in the Friday, April 28, edition of the Los Angeles Times was devoted to letters from readers who were responding to a Landers column that told about 'an 18-year-old boy's parents changing their minds about buying him a motorcycle for a birthday present after reading about a young man_ who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. Landers had also gotten into the controversial field of mandatory helmet laws. "I haven't seen such angry .mail since a Michigan paper printed a typo in a recipe for pound cake and batter was running over all the ovens in Detroit, Flint, Bay City and Muskegon," said Landers about the response to her "motorcycle" column. One of the letter writers responding to Ms. Lander's column was publishing tycoon and avid motorcyclist Malcolm Forbes. The leader of the Capitalist Tools said, "Motorcyclists who don't wear helmets are not using their heads. The exhilarating feeling of wind in the feee doesn't compensate for, the pain and tragedy of a cracked skull. Should helmet wearing be mandated by law? No. Millions of people get colds and sometimes they die from flu, pleurisy, and pneumonia, contracted when they stayed out in the wet or the cold with too little clothing. Should the law mandate what should be worn at certain temperatures and precipitations in an effort to save those losses and lives? On a motorcycle, it is common sense that preserves the life of the rider and no law is able to mandate that." 'If you plan on being in southern California for the annual May 5 Cinco De Mayo festivies, may we recommend that you join Papa and the rest of the folks from Cycle News who will be TGIFin~ it at Orange County Fairgrounds m Costa Mesa. We'll be there to watch the speedway races, browse through the swap meet, check out the entries in the People's Choice Custom Motorcycle Show, and squeeze in a little Cinco De Mayo partying. Besides being Cinco De Mayo, it's Cycle News Night! According to a Sears Point International Raceway newsletter dated April 26, there' will be an AMA National road race at the northern California facility on August 11-13, contrary to the rumor"mill. HIRED: Raleigh Pribanich as Director of Marketing, as well as head of the Sports Marketing Team, at Sears Point International Raceway. Pribanich was previously employed in (Continued to page 50)

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