Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(Con ti nued from page 2) ju st abo ut win races; next year, I'll hopefull y be winning consiste nt ly. T he year after that, I sho uld be ab le to win a cha mp ions hip ." Altho ugh Quarterley ma kes it sound like a twoyear plan , he says. that there is no specified time frame: "Who kno ws? I could conti n ue racing bikes for ano ther five years." , BORN: Alex John Martin, son of . 1985 National Hare Scrambles Champion John Martin and his wife Greta, October 28, in Millville, Minnesota. Tea m Suzuki enduro rider Dave Bertram u nderwent su rgery two weeks ago for torn ligaments and separated bones in his left wrist. He is schedu led for another operation this week to have pin s inserted. " Ap parently I injured it ear lier in the year at one of the qual ifiers an d then aggravated it during the first day of the Six Days when I fell ," said Bertram . " It was funny because I just slid ou t on my right side and never let go of the handlebars wit h my left hand. I j ust can 't figure out how I hurt it so bad." Bertram, who earned a gold meda l at the West German ISDE, will be sidelined for at least eigh t weeks. Recently granted permission for SCORE Baja 1000 competitors to cross ejidos land southeast of Ensenada has resulted in a course change for the first 140 m iles of the November 8-11 race, The race, which starts in Ensenada and finishes in La Paz, will be restarted after a 31-mile parade to Ojos Negros and run south through Mike's Sky Rancho to Camalu. The parade, however, will be for the cars only; the motorcycles will start, without a parade, in Ojos Negros at 7 :30 a .m. The new section replaces a 27-mile parade to Santo Tomas on the west coast of Baja and a restart there. According . to SCOR E, the change adds plateau, mountain and meadow sections in place of beach and dirt roads alternating with the highway to the point near Camalu where both proposed courses are jo ined , The net change is an addition of 62.3 miles to the race distance, making it now approximately 1050 miles long. "It has taken a lo t of hard work by the Baja Ca liforn ia tourist bureau, by businessmen in Ensenada, by the go vernor and by indivi duals like Gui ller mo Rodriguez, who foun d this new route for us," said Sal Fish, preside nt of SCO RE Intern ational. "The new northern sectio n of the course very carefully avoids those ejidi tarios who object to the race going th rough their land." 42 Another casualty of the recent Bay Area earthquake was Larry , Huffman's SCORE Baja 1 000 radio reports that were tentatively scheduled to be broadcast on several southern California stations during the November 8-11 event, Shortly after the earthquake, Huffman found himself in front of a camera for a TV cam- paign funded by the California Jeep/Eagle dealers who are pledging a portion of the proceeds from each vehicle sold to the Red Cross Relief Fund. According to Huffman, all of the California Jeep/Eagle dealers' available advertising funds were diverted . into that broadcast schedule which runs in California through Thanksgiving. Huffman says he's talking to Budweiser in hopes of obtaining sponsorship and if that comes through live reports will air on 91X-FM in the San Diego area and on 690-AM Sports Talk Radio in most of southern California during the race. Shreveport, Lo uisiana's Trampas Parker, the 125cc MX World Champion, will return to Europe and campaign the GP series in 1990, but he will ride in the 250cc class, rather than defend his I25cc title. "I haven 't signed a con tract yet, but KTM and I have come toan agreement," said Parker, who rode for KT M in 1989. "I'm 99% sure tha t I will sign again with KTM, through Farioli (the . Italian KT M importer). Suzuki offered me a full factory 125cc ride, but I turned it down. KTM has been real good to me and you get more recognition in Europe when you ride a European bike." Parker is currently visiting his family in Lousiana bu t will soon leave for Europe to compete in four International MX events. After.that, he plans on returning to the U.S. for the hol iday season and then going back to Europe in ear ly February for the G P season. Former two-time National 125cc MX Champion Micky Dymond is left w ithout a factory ride for the 1990 MX season as Yamaha has trimmed its 1990 factory MX team down to just two riders Doug Dubach and Damon Bradshaw. " I' m not exactly sure what I'm going to do yet; I'm still negotiating with some people," said Dymond. " I hope to come up with something for the Supercross Series, but as of right now I'm not too concerned about the Nationals." Another motocrosser who didn't have his factory contract renewed is Suzuki's Eri k Kehoe. Kehoe, who finished ninth In the National Championship 125cc MX Series, is looking for a new ride for the 1990 MX and Supercross season. " I've got • a couple of things going but nothing is concrete yet," said Kehoe. Kehoe's factory Suzu ki contract officia lly runs out at the end of the year. Johnny O'Mara won't be back with Suzuki next year either, but he's s igned a one-year contract with Kawasaki to ride the 250cc Supercross and National Series as well as the 500cc Nationals. "I 'm real excited, I've already been testing and I like the bikes," the former Supercross and National 125cc champ said. "(Jeff) Ward had a lot to do with this; we've been working on it for a while. We'll be working together, like David (Bailey) and I did. We're going into the kill mode to try and get the Honda guys next year." Kawasaki team manager Roy Turner says that the 'a dd it io n of O'Mara to the team has already boosted morale, and fee ls that O'Mara and Ward will push each other's physical conditioning level to new heights. The complete Kawasaki MX team consists of O'Mara and Ward rid ing the 250/5 00cc Nationa ls an d Came l Supercross Series. Jeff Ma tiasevich in the I25cc Nationals and 250cc Supercross, and Jeff Emig, who will ride the 125cc Nation als and 125cc Western Regio na l Supercros s Series. Emig will .ride 250cc Supercross events in Eastern Regional events. Although Ron Lechien is s idelined with a broken femur suffered at an October 1 125/500cc National, he could return to the Kawasaki team in 1990. "If Ron can come back and ride the 500cc Nationals, Kawasaki intends to support him," said Kawasaki race team manager Roy Turner. The 500cc Nationals begin August 12 in Washougal, Washington. Buddy Antunez and J immy Gaddis are the only Suzuki riders officially signed, and they will ride the 125cc Nationals and Western Regional Supercross Series. Ron Tichenor will likely return to the Suzuki team for another season in the 250cc Supercross and Na tion al wars, and it appears he will be joined by Guy Cooper, Mike LaRocco and Larry Ward. Denny Stephenson recent ly appeared in a promotional photo shoot on 1990 Suzuki machinery and will most likely compete for Suzuki in the 125cc Nationals and Eastern Regional Supercross Series. For 1990 Yamaha has expanded its National Motocross Contingency program to include the 125cc Eastern and Western Regional Supercross Series by posting $136,000 . Payout per event will be $5000 for first place, $2500 for second, $1000 for third, $600 for fourth and $200 fo rfifth. It now appears certai n that Suzuki's GP road race effort will pick u p Lucky Strike sponsorship for 1990. With Kenny Roberts' team switching to Marlboro backing for next year, Lucky Strike was a natural for Suzuki, because they were reportedly not ab le to obtain enough spo nsorship money from P ep si. Kevin Schwantz is curren tly in J apan to both test and negotiate his contract for 1990, and it is now likely that he will be joined on the Lucky Strike Suzuki team by former Team Roberts rider Kevin Magee. T he Australian rider bounced back from the inj uries suffered in his post-race collision with Bubb a Sho bert at the U.S. GP to finish fifth in '89 500cc World Championship. ACQUIRED : Sport Optics, manufacturer of Smith ' goggles, by Smith Sport Optics, lnc., a new company formed by management and led by Gus Verge. Major shareholders include Verge, Jon T. Me lin, Trinity Ventures, Ltd., and E. William Scott; the entire management team will remain in place with Verge, who has been president of the o riginal company since 1985, serving as president and a director of Smith Sport Optics; the new company will take over the Ketchum, Idaho, headquarters and production facilities occupied by the original company. Dunl op will provide tire sales and fitting service a t the Flori da Mini Olympics at Gatorback MX Park in Gainesville, November 20-26. The BSA Owners Club will host the All British Swap Meet in Canoga Park, California, on Sunday, November 12, from 8 a .m. to 2 p.m. On ly British and European motorcycles and parts will be allowed on the premises which are located at National Papers, 7870 Deering Avenue in Canoga Park. The swap meet is free to both sellers and buyers. For more info rma t io n, call 213/320-7756. A new date has been announced for the snowed-out, October 28, Reddi ng, California, National Enduro. It will now be held on November 19, but only as an AMA District 36 points-paying event. For more information, call 916/221-6612. A revised supercross format was revealed at an AMA MX Advisory Board meeting on November 2 . The new format will featu re three 250cc heats instead of four, with the top five finishers going directly to the main. If 44 or les s riders enter the event, only two heats will be run with the top six transferring to the main. There will still be tWo semis and a last chance qualifier which will advance riders to the main event, as well as a 125cc program consisting of two heats, a last chance qua lifier and the main event. A residency ru le for AMA 125cc Eas tern and Western Region a l Supercross Series riders was a lso introduced at the Advisory Board meeti ng. T he ru le states that riders residi ng west of the Rocky Mountains mu st ride the Western Regional Series, an d riders who live east of the Mississippi River must ride the Eastern Regional Series. Riders who have an address between the Mississippi and the Rockies can choose to ride either series. The 1990 U.S. 500cc MX Grand Prix will be held at Glen Helen OHV Park in San Bernardino, California, on August 26. Fivet ime 500cc World Champion Roger DeCoster will promote the event. Because of the date awarded by the FIM for the U.S. GP , two 125/500cc Nationals have been rescheduled . The Millville (Minnesota) National, originally scheduled fo r the U.S. GP date, will now run on August 19, while the Washougal (Washington ) Wash ington National will take place on August 12. Former Cycle News editor Todd Rafferty gave Papa a call to inv ite him and ot her end uro riders to ride the Central Coast Motorcycle Association's 3rd Annual Leapin' Lizard Enduroon Sunday, November 12, in Balli nger Canyon whic h is near New Cuya ma, Californ ia. For more information, call 805/549-0494 or 5436723. Twenty-seven Camel Pro Series d irt track racers earned cash awards from the R.J. Reynolds Camel brand during the '89 season. Lead ing the list is Camel Pro Series champ Scott Parker who went to the ba nk with $157,500 of the $400,000 paid out by Camel. Pa rker rece ived a $100,000 bonus for winning the championship, plus $57,500 in purse awards from Camel Challenge events. Second-ranked both in Camel Pro points and in Camel Challenge earnings was Parker's Harley-Davidson teammate Chris Carr who picked up a $30,000 bonus for his ranking in the final point standings and $41,500 in Camel Challenge races for a total of $71 ,500. Third on the list is Steve Morehead who finished fourth in the point standings wh ich earned him $15,000 and he added $27,500 in earnings from Camel Challenge races for a total of $42,500,

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