Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eIN THE WIND e B Papa Wealey y Ted Hunnicutt (Kaw) was the overa ll win ner at ro und two of the AMA N atio na l C h a m p ionsh i p H a re & H ound Series h eld in R idg ecrest , Californ ia, February 10. D on Griewe (ATK) fin ished second overall and Chris Crandall (ATK) was third. J a s o n Langford (Yam) topped both th e 125 and 250cc classes at the San Francisco Budweiser Arenacross in the Cow Pal ace, o n Friday night, February 9. The following night saw Dennis Hawthorne (Kaw) top both classes. The Arena cros s, which was run in conju nctio n with the San Francisco International Motorcycle Show, drew 7000 lans Friday night and 12,000 Saturday night. Sunday's amateur event drew a record turnout of 358 riders who raced in front of 3000 fans . More than 55,000 attended the weekend's show. French Superbikers Champion Stephane Chambon won an experimental dirt track race held on a 50-yard ova l track inside a bullring in Barcelona, Spain, on February 9. Chambon topped Spanish road racer Alberto Puig and Spanish enduro ace Jordi Arcarons in the race held i n the Barcelona Monumental Bullring. . Americans John Kocinski and Eddie Lawson finished fourth and sixth, respectively, aft er mak ing th e ma in even t via a promoter's option. Reportedly, Kocinski crashed hard in his heat race, but was unhurt. Road racer Kevin Sch wantz returned from his pre-season test sessions in Au stralia on Saturday, February 2 with reports that he will be using Dunlop tires on his Suzuki RGv500 during the 199 1 Grand Prix season. Schwantz tested with Lucky Strike Suzuki teammates Didier de Radigues and Kevin Magee, along with 250cc Suzuki campaigner Martin Wimmer. De Radigu es crashed at the Eastern Creek circuit in Australia, breaking a bone in his hand that will keep him ou t of action for some three weeks. Magee, meanwhi le, is returning to racing after serious head injuries suffered at the U.S . GP last April. "The new bike is good," Schwantz said from h is Austin, Texas, hom e. "It doesn't want to shake and hinge like it did last year." '1\lthou gh Schwantz reported tha t T eam Marlboro Roberts Yamaha will also be usin g Dunlop rubber in 1991, team owner Kenny Roberts says a decision has yet to be mad e. " T here' s been no decision o n tires yet;" Roberts said on February 7. " We tested both brands in Austral ia, althoug h we used 99-percent Dunlop because th ere were o nly two Michelins to test. A decision will be made in the next three weeks. 2 Rober ts also reports that there's no news to report o n a spo nsor for 1990 AMA Superbike Nati onal Cha mpion Doug Chandle r. Ch andler rode a 1991 Yam ah a YZR500 a lo ng with Rob erts' Marlbo ro-backed team of Worl d Ch am pio ns Wayne Ra in ey an d J ohn Kocinski d ur ing th eir recent tests in Australia. " He 'll be ridi ng a 500. but for who and what ... 'What color hi s leathers will be, we don 't kno w yet. T he war has kind of put th in gs in a tailsp in ." Robert s, who was sched uled to ven ture to Eu rope for meetings o n Feb ru ary 8, wa s impress ed with Chandler's ridin g in Australi a: " He rode very good; I was surprised. He did very. very well. You don 't expec t anybo dy to go out and set the wo rld on fire the firs t time out, but he did well. " The fastest of the T eam Marlb or o. " Roberts riders in Eastern Creek was W ayn e Raine y a t 1:32.4. J oh n K ocinski sto pped the clock a t 1:32.9 and Chandler did a 1:33.6. "T hose thIngs (500s) are so coo l," Cha nd ler said after th e test. " T hey slide so good; they're smooth and predictable and they wh eelie everywhere." Although no announcem ent has been made, it is expected that J immy Filice will join the Wayne Raineyo wned 250cc road race team that will campaign the WERA Pro Series. Filice will ride a 1991 Yamaha TZ250 a long with Kenny Roberts, J r. Two-time Grand Nat ion al Ch ampion Ri ck y Graham will aga in campaig n Eaken/ S ponseller Racing Hondas in the Camel Pro Series. Graham, th e series cha mp in 1982 and 1985, suffered a broken arm a t the San J ose Mile last September, but is full y recovered from that injury. The Cal ifornian had a soso season last yea r. with hi s ·best performances being a pair of fourth pl ace fin ishes wh ich he logged at the . Ind y Mile and the fall Springfield Mile. The team is actively looking for sponsors for their 1991 effort. Interested parties should call Mik e Sponseller at 301/662-0264. As previously reported in thi s sectio n, Yokohama will not be returning as the name-in-title sponsor of the AMA/ CCS 600 and 750cc Supersport Road Race Series, but the tire ma nu facturer will cont inue to support both Supersport classes and o ther classes of AMA roa d raci ng via a rider contingency progra m for Supersport, EBC Brak es Endurance. Superbike, 250 G P and Circle Bell P ro Twins racing. A championship bonus of $25.000 and per event winner bonuses of $5000 for both classes of Supersport are included in tha t package. As we reported last week , S te ve Morehead won th e Febru ary 2, Barcelona In doo r Short Track race (see coverage in this issue). O ur front page star of the week was very impressed wit h the show the Spaniards pu t on. " The track was equal to anyth ing we ever rode o n at the Astrodome ," said Moreh ead . No ted American dirt track constructor Haro ld Murrell talked to the Spa n ish promoter and track builder via phone prior to th e even t. Murrell 's advi ce was obviously spot o n. Morehead al so noted, "T here was one thi ng th e spectators did that I've never seen before - the y did the wave around the track and actuall y foll owed the leader, me , with it l" Erik Kehoe (H on ) won th e 125cc Pro class at the final round of the CMC Golden State MX Nationals held at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernadino, California, February 10. Mike Healey . (KT M) earned the 250 and 500cc honors and Broc Glover (H on) topped the Vet Pro cla ss. Sio City Cycles of San Luis O bispo, California , will ho st their 9th Annual Open House on Friday, February 15, two days before the o pen ing round of the AMA National Championship Enduro Series at Clearcreek. Kawasaki team riders Larry Roeseler and Kurt Hough will be on hand to sign autographs and give away door prizes. The open house gets underway at 6 p .m. For more information, call 805/541 -1741. Rodney Smith (Suz) wrapped up the 125cc P ro class championship at the final round of the CMC Golden State MX Nationals. Willie Surratt (Ho n ) secured th e 250cc Pro class crown, but was edged out of the 500cc Pro class ch a m p io n sh ip b y Mike Healey (KT M). Dave Coupe (Hon ) won th e Vet Pro class championship. T here's been a date change for the Camel Motorcycle Grand Prix of Miami, the sixth round of the AMA National Championship Road Race Series . Origi na lly sched uled for J u ly 20·2 1, the Miami Mo to rsp o r tspromo ted event that's run o n the streets of Miam i, Flor ida , will take place a week ear lier, on J u ly 13-14. Quiz time answer: Last week we asked you to na me the two rid ers who have won three straight AMA 250cc MX Na tio na l Championships. Gary Jones was the first to pu ll off th e hat trick, winning hi s first 250cc titl e in 1972 riding Yarnah as and backin g that up with two more titles in '73 and '74 aboard Hondas. The following three years, 1975-'77, saw Suzuki-mounted T ony DiStefano emf the season as cha mp. Quiz time: Jeff Ward cu rre nt ly shares the record for two consecu tive AMA 500cc MX Nat ion al Ch ampionship titl es with two o ther riders. Nam e them. Workers a t th e H a rl ey-D a vid son assembly plant in York, Pen nsylvan ia, went on s trike o n Mon da y, February 4. T h e wor kers , memb ers o f th e Intern at ion al Associat ion of Machi nists and ' Aerospace Workers, voted 1245 to 65 to go o n str ike after ta lks between th e un ion a nd co m pa ny rep resentat ives brok e off two da ys ea rl ier. Negot iat io ns o n a three-year co ntract to re p la ce th e fo ur -year cont rac t that ended over the weekend bro ught disagreem en t o n wages; the em ployees rig ht to refuse to wor k overt ime, and the restora tion of a costof-living in crease. T he negot iat ions began i n No vemb er: Ne arl y .1000 wor kers pi cketed the plant o n Monday. It was the first stri ke a t the York p lant since 1969. I In anticipatio n of the arrival of spring and the promise of a new riding season, the Motorcycle Heritage Museum in W<;sterville , Ohio, will be openi ng its doors on weekends from the first weekend in Mar ch through the end of October. Saturday hours will .be 10 a.m. to 4 p .rn. , Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. This will extend visitation opportunities beyond the year- round weekd ay ho urs of 9 a.m , 'to 4:30 p.m. Two new exhibits, "50 Years of th e Dayton a 200" a nd " T he Fabulous Fours," will debut in mid-summer. Th e Daytona International Motorcycle Show will again be held in a special displ ay area in the Speedway's Hospital ity Vill age. directl y beh ind th e main grandstands , March 7· 10. There's no adm ission charge for th e sho w whi ch is o pen from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. dail y, Thursday, Mar ch 7, through Saturday. March 9. Show ho urs o n Su nday, March 10, wi ll be fro m 9 a.m. to I p.m, T he 11 th A n nua l Daytona Concours d 'Ele ganc e vintage mo torcycle meet will tak e pl ace o n Friday, March 8, of Camel Motor cycle Week. T he AHRMA-condu cted meet will take p lace in a spec ia l area loca ted o n the infi eld gro unds of the Speedway and p ublic viewing will begin at noon. T here are 16 catego ries of ent ries , includi ng histori c, specia l inte rest, antiq ue. competition and unrestor ed, T he j udg ing of the mach in es and trophy presentation will tak e place at mid-aftern oon. In commemora tion of the 50th runnin g of the Daytona 200, a number o f vintage road racing machines are expected to be displayed. The Victory at Daytona Radio Show, spo nso red in part by Bri dgestone, will be broadcasted live from 6 p.m . to 7:30 p .m.• Monday. March 4, through Saturday. March 9, on News T alk 1150 WNDB nightly d uring Camel Motorcycle Week. T he show, which tak es p lace at the Volusia Mall (across the street from Daytona International Speedway) Monday through Thursday, will be hosted by Ben Cheatwood and Dave Laing and is open to the p ub lic. The Friday and Sat urday shows will be a t the Municipal Stadium in conjunction wit h the 600 National and Camel Pro Series short trac k races. In addi tion to the Victory at Daytona sho w, News T alk 11 50 WNDB will carry live broadcasts of - severa l Camel Motorcycle Week races, as well as rider profiles and race week updates. Brit Chris Carter will o nce again host a radio show at Daytona 's Days In n Central. The show will also be aired o n WNDB , starting at 9 p.m. each even ing of Camel Motorcycle Week. AH RMA invites its mem bers to shake off those winter cobwebs with a preDaytona practice session for vintage road racers on Friday, March I, at Alabama's Talladega Gran Prix Ra ceway. The cost for a full day of ridi ng is $75 if received by AH RMA by Friday, February 22, and $100 if paid at the track . Call AH RMA at 715/842-9699 for more information. Beg in n i ng Fr ida y. Ma rc h 29 , the weekly speedway races at Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California, will be broadcast live on K-Orange 1190, o ne of -Orange County 's lea d i n g AM radi o sta tio n s. Twen ty-seven broadcasts will ro undo ut the season which runs through Sep tember 27. The broad cast will be two hours in length, ai ri ng from 8:30 p. m, to 10:30 p .m. Veteran sports anno u ncer Bruce Flanders will call the live action , alo ng wit h Terry Clanton. An AMA-sanctioned poker run will be run duri ng Dayto na 's Camel Motorcycle Week and the promoter, L·A P ro mo tions, says it'll offer a $1500 purse with th e "purse ' subject to number of qualified ent ra n ts, o therwise 50%pa yback. " The event will take pl ace on Tuesday. March 5, and start at th e Lillie T om oka Yacht Clu b. The pre-entry fee is $20 for ages 16-6 \ , and 15 for ages 61 and over. For more information , call 614/383-3887. Two-rime NHRA Win ston Pro Stock Champion Dave Schultz has joined forces with Vance & Hines for the 1991 drag race season. Vance & Hines and Schu ltz form a formidable team , having wo n a com bined total of four NHRA Pro Stock titl es and scored 31 NHRA Nati on al vi cto r ies. " I' ve a lways had a good relationship with Vance & Hin es," said Schu ltz. " In fact, the first four-stroke eng ine I ever had was from their work shop. Last year, I was a cus tomer and partially sponsored by them and now I'm representing them on the track. It 's very mu ch an hon or to be pa rt of the team." T he NHRA seaso n gets underway for the new team and o ther motorcycle co m p eti to rs a t H ousto n Ra ceway Park, March 1-3, a nd Sch ultz will begi n the season campai gni ng hi s \990 Kawasaki ZX·to-based drag bike. Ai

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