Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

fiY p~p~ Wf~LfY (Continued from page 4) he hopes tp ride one more AMA National this year, he just has to find one that doesn't conflict with his schedule of Japanese National Championship F-I racing. Rick Johnson, Team Honda's 1988 Supercross and 500cc National MX Champion, says that rehabilitation of his right wrist, which he broke on March 5 during a practice session for the opening 125/250cc National MX at Gainesville, Florida, is "going real well. I'm going slowly and trying to do it right." Johnson said that the cast was recently removed from the wrist, which also sufferedligament damage, and that he's back to riding on the street and will try to ride off-road sometime this week. ''I'm not sure when I'll return to racing:' said Johnson. ''I'll try to ride the Los Angeles Supercross (June 10), buf I don't know if I'll be ready," Johnson spent some of his time off traveling to England to promote a supercross race scheduled for there in December. The final round of the AMA National Championship Road Race Series to be held October 21-22 at Moroso Mo~orsports Park in West Palm Beach, Florida, has been canceled. Race promoters decided not to proceed with the event, the first time a National was scheduled for the facility, becau e firm sponsorship had not been secured. Five events remain in the series, and an additional date is stm under negotiation. The California Desert Coalition (CDC) tells Papa that the Today Show on NBC-TV will devote a feature segment of their Thursday, May 25, morning program to a debate on Senator Alan Cranston's California Desert Protection Act. Marie Brashear, executive director of the CDC, will debate with the California senator. 58 A few issues back we told you what rock musicians the top motocrossers listen to. Who do you imagine road racer John Kocinski listens to? Tone Loc. As in rap music. Kocinski and Viceroy Yamaha teammate Kevin Atherton were heard reciting 'Funky Cold Medina' while waiting in the lunch line at the Road Atlanta National. Atherton knew all the words, but Kocinski had the moves, too. Atherton said, "I don't really like rap music; I just think that one song is funny." Papa thinks there's hope for Kevin, but John is already too far gone. Kocinski was showing off a scuff mark on the left elbow of his leathers at Road Atlanta, not from dragging it ala 250cc Grand Prix tacer Jean-Phillipe Ruggia, but from an encounter of the close kind with a racing car during open testing at Sears Point International Raceway in Sonoma, California. Apparently, The Kid stuffed the car at the entrance to the turn 11 hairpin, passing a little too closely on his way to setting an unofficial track record. A number of the riders at the Road Atlanta National were less than pleased with the quality of cornerworking, particularly Yoshimura's Scott Russell. Russell set out to have a discussion wi th the crew after falling off in the 750cc Supersport race and injuring his knee when he slid into a bike that he said had been lying there for two laps. Vance & Hines Suzuki rider David Sadowski al 0 spoke out at the riders meeting, saying that something ought to be done to improve tbe situation. Another rider who griped about the track's safety procedures was Dutchman Racing's Kevin Rentzell, who insists that the track's no-counterrace-direction am bulance ru le should be modified to exclude incidents in the turn 11 area. Rentzell cited John Kocinski's heat race crash as an example. According to Rentzell, the ruling requires the ambulance to complete a full lap of the 2.52-mile circuit to come to the ai,d of'a tlirn 11 crash victim, rather than head counter-race up the pit entrance road, a distance of just a few hundred feel. Thieves stole money and credit cards from a number of AMA road race competitors at the Road Atlanta National, entering the racers' unattended vans while they were out lapping the race track. Former National road racer Richard Chambers came to the rescue and collected over $1 000 to help the victims, including Greg Esser (who lost $1200), James Bonner, William Himmelsbach end Canadian Jon Cornwell. Though the pits were swarming with plain clothes policemen on Sunday, there were no arrests. . Chambers did say, however, that the Hall County Sherriff retrieved a bag full of 1.0. and credit cards. "Apparently Sears Roebuck credit cards were really big with the crooks," Chambers said, as none of those stolen from the riders were recovered. Canadian National Superbike Champion Rueben McMurter has been given the use of Bubba Shobert's 1988 AMA National Superbike Championship-winning Honda VFR750 Interceptor for the rest of the '89 season, and will compet~ at American races which do not conflict with the defense of his Canadian title. McMurter, who finished fifth at Road Atlanta, said that he would like to see the AMA adopt the same rules as Canada's RACE organization so he can run his Rothmansbacked Honda RC30 in the U.S. as well as in Canada. "Hopefully, the World Superbike races (in Canada and the U.S.) will go off really well, and the AMA will see the light and go with World Superbike rules," he said. McMurter also expressed desire to do well at the Canadian round of the series at Mosport Park, near Toronto, Ontario, June 4. ''I'm Canadian, I have the track record, and I want to win there," he said. World Champion Fred Merkel is among the early entrants for the Honda World Classic, the U.S. round of the World Championship Road Race Series that will take place at Minnesota's Brainerd International Raceway, June 11. The list also includes Italy's Fabrizio Pirovano, who finished second to Merkel in the "88 point standings, and last year's number 3 and number 4 point standing finishers - David Tadozzi of Italy and Stephane Mertens of Belgium. The pre-entry list, as of May 3, totaled 36 riders - 19 from the U.S., five from Italy, four from England, three from Canada, two from Belgium, and one each from Chile, Sweden and Finland. The Carsbad vs. Perris Saturgay MX Challenge resumes on May 20 when the third round of the four-race series takes place at southern California's Carlsbad Raceway. Currently, the Perris team leads the series. The final tound will take place at Perris Raceway on May 27. C-Racing returns to Rosamond, California's Willow Springs Raceway on August 27 and again on November 12. C-Racing offers street riders a chance to run against the clock on the 10-turn, one-mire The Streets of Willow Springs course which is adjacent to the regular Willow track. Par· ticipants will have two timed sessions, about five laps each, and lap time sheets will be provided for each rider to verify his/her performance. The $35 fee gets you, as Keith Code.of the California Superbike School puts it, "A 10-mile road with 100 turns and no cars or cops, for 35 cents a turn'" Participants must be 18 or older and protective riding apparel is required. Bikes do not have to be safety wired, but must be in good condition with plenty of rubber. For more information, call 213/484-9323. The May 21 San Jose Mile round of the Camel Pro Series will be attended by some famous names from the pasl. On hand for the 34th running of the race at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds will be the likes of Joe Leonard, who won the first-ever San Jose Mile in 1957, Everett Brashear, who won the '58 event, and Skip Aksland, who won in '77. In addition, Jim Filice, who won the '83 San Jose Mile and is now road racing full time, will be at the race along with 1969 Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill. Lawwill never won the San Jose Mile but he has tuned bikes that have won the event five urnes, Inc u Ing e Former National motocross, dirt track and road race star Steve Wise is starting a network of weekly private motocross lessons at Mosier Valley, Burleson, Wolf Creek and possibly other motocross facilities in the north Dallas, Texas area~ For more information, call 214/276-5331. Southern California pro motocrosser Jeff Barbacovi, son of California Racing Club's Jack Barbacovi, suffered a crushed vertebra in a May 14 crash while competing at L.A. County Raceway in Palmdale, California. Fortunately there appears to be no permanent damage. Cards and letters can be sent to 37045 Ran Dr., Palmdale, CA 93550. JR Productions of Orlando, Florida, is producing an instructional video to help riders make the transition from street riding to road racing. The producer is requesting that road racing clubs/ organizations send information such as race schedules, sanctioning information, rules, etc. to JR Productions, Box 607261, Orlando, FL 32860. Companies offering road race contingency awards are also encouraged to send information about their programs to the producer. If you're planning on competing in or spectating at the May 21 White Bros World 4-Stroke Championships at southern California's Perris Raceway, be advised that the complete TT Scrambles pro~am will run first and then, after an mterrnission that will feature the Vintage Bike' Show judging, the MX portion of the program will be held on a smoother track. As the promoter's press release puts it: "MX-only entries can sleep inI" Northern California off-road riders have a new place to ride at Nor·Cal Ranch, located at 17001 Midway Road, Route 5, near Tracy, California. The facility is currently negotiating with the city of Tracy to have organized races and events, and is currently running open practice on the motocross course Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m .. For more information, contact NorCal Ranch at 415/447·4610. BORN: Amanda Ann Liberty, daughter of Ross Liberty, owner of Factory Pipe Products, and his wife Cheryl, on May 10 in Ukiah, California. Montana governor Stan Stephens, recently signed into law a bill which will establish a state motorcycle safety training program funded by motorcycle registration and course fees. The program establishes minimum safety training standards including instruction, courses and instructor certification and must be besed 0 national standards set by th Motorcycle Safety Foundation 0 similar organization recognized b the superintendent of publi instruction. The Motorcycle Safety Foundatio recently announced its 1988 a

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