Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127291
euer bikes that can stick together. But it 's getting better here. It's a lot et ter now than it was when there was iust Wayn e ( R a i n ey) and Kevin (Schwa ntz) and th en Bubba (Shobert) nd Doug (Po le n). " So it appears that Chandler will mov e on, to the Grands Prix. Surprisingl y, it won't be his fir st experience on a two -stro ke road racer. A 20-yearold Chandler rode a Honda RS500 in 1985 in selected road races. It likely won't he lp him , though. " It 's not even close to today's 500s ," he said. " I think my su perbikes are clo ser than what those bikes are." o is Charidler ready to tackle the Raineys, Schwantz' and Lawsons? "Th a t's where yo u want to be, raci ng with them," he said. " If you 're going to get any recognition then h: ii!hl " I. ~I,CIIk i J!, OFF-ROAD MADNEs ยท . rt.1. 1989RM12SK WAS $2999 NOW $2099 SAVE $900 or $265 ON & $84.88 pe r mo . 10 # 1 0 1 1 3 7 On the track.- it was Chandler who turned up the heat in m uggy Florid a. you've got to go over a n d race with those guys. " Chandler lea ves behind a n AMA Superbike Series that could prove to be even more co m peri ti ve than the just completed 1990 sea so n. "I think it will be pretty. good here next year," he sa id. "I think Randy (Re n fro w) will do pretty well again; Thomas (Stevens) a nd Jamie (James) should be right in th er e. I'm not sure about Polen - I think he might be expect ing more o u t of that bike (Du ca ri) than what they have; and Scott (R u ssell) sho u ld also go pretty good if they ca n get the new bike going good. I thi nk it sh ould be a reall y good series." With the excep tio n of Roberts, Chandler is th e o n ly U. S. ro ad ra cer with true din track ex pe r ie nce. It 's . been widel y publish ed that the cu rrent cro p of Am eri can road rac er s wh o now d omina te ro a d rac i n g worldwide ha ve vast d in track kno wled ge, yet Chandl er a nd Rob erts a re th e o n ly o nes who have won d in tr ack Natio nals. In fa ct, in 1989 Chand ler joi ned Rob erts and Dick Mann as th e only three ri ders to win in every fo rm of AMA Grand Na tional ra cing - mile, h alf mile, sh ort tr ack , TI' and road racing. Chandler is proud of his d in tra ck r o ots , and sa ys he 'll miss rubbing elbo ws with his din tracking peers . " I might be th ro u gh dirt tracking for a whil e," he sa id. " I 'll miss so me of th e peopl e, a nd I'll miss the miles. That's still the closes t, tightest racing I' ve ever done. It's thrill ing to be that tigh t with so me of the ot he r rider s." Since earning his first National C hamp ionship in September , Chandler has been spend ing his time with his family a nd hi s newest hobby, workin g on o ld cars. " I' ve really just bee n cruising and enjoying m y ti me off," he said. " I' ve been playing arou nd wi th so me o f m y cars. I've gOI th ree o ld Chevelles, and I'm j us t makin g th em run agai n . I do most of th e wo rk m yself , o the r t han the actua l. buildi ng of t he engines." Chand ler is patient, and it sho ws in his smooth, mistake-fre e riding st yle . If he indeed makes the jump to the G Ps in 1991, he will agai n be cas t in the shado ws of ot hers. They should en joy it now , because it ma y not last lo ng. ClV 19