Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Miguel DuHamel and fourth-place Daytona finisher Rich Arnaiz are close to signing a deal that will send them to England for the Mat ch Races '(th ree 20-mil e heats at both Brands Hatch and Mallory Park) on May 56. Adams made th e decision to race in England because of the cancellation of th e Ma y 19 Road At la nta AMA Na tional. Martin Adams requested to have his team in garage number 13 at Daytona International Speedway, and his request was met. On the Sunday prior to the Daytona 200, however, Rich Amaiz suffered a badl y-brok en little finger on his left hand during AMAI CCS practice. When Adams looked up to see the garage number, someone (" I think a NASCAR guy" ) had ducttaped over the number 13. Adams grabbed a ladder, climbed up and removed the duct tape. On Sunday, March 10, Adams ' two riders finished first and fourth (Miguel DuHamel and Amaiz) in the 200 and first and third (DuHamel and David Sadowski) in the 600cc Supersport class " I like garage 13," the likeable Adams said. " I don't know if there's anything to it or no t." We're willing to bet we'll know what garage to find th e Commonwealth team in come next Mar ch. Chuck Graves (Su z) won three classes during ARRA road race action at southern California's Willow Springs International Raceway on March 17. Graves topped the Formula I, Superstreet and 750cc Modified classes. WERA has added title sponsors for their F-USA and Endurance Racing Series. Interstate Batteries is now the title sponsor for the WERA F-USA Series while Performance Machine will co-sponsor the Endurance Series along with existing sponsor SBS. WERA has also announced that D&D Exhaust will be the official and only legal aftermarket exhaust system in the 1991 WERA Future Stars class. Any Two Brothers exhaust system purchased prior to March 15, however, will be eligible in the class. . , ~ Reports from Honda's final pre-Grand Prix season tests at Suzuka in japan have Rothmans Honda's Mick 000han lapping at 2 minutes, 10.08 seconds, a second under Wayne Rainey's lap record of 2:11.354 set in last year's japanese GP. Rainey, however, lapped at 2:09.58 in qualifying for last year's race. Sharp-Sampson's W"Jlco Zeelenberg was the fastest of the 250cc Honda men, clocking a 2:15.01 to lead Repsol 's Carlos Cardus (2:15.51) and Rothmans' Luca Cadal- ora (2:15.64). j acques Cornu holds th e 250cc lap record at 2:16.452. FIM pulls the plug on the 500cc class in World Chamnionshin MX racing_ Two Brothers Racing's left Farmer broke his right wrist and left collarbon e in his tu m on e crashduring the Daytona 200 on Sunday, March 10. The Floridian was running several laps down a t th e time of the cras h after p i tt ing ea rly with carbu re tion problems. uring the Spring Congress in Geneva, Switzer land, March 1-2, the FIM an nounced its decision to do awa y with the 500cc Grand Prix class in World Champ ionsh ip MX competition, effective 1993. The 1991 Wor ld Championship 500cc MX Series will be the last to use the traditiona l-format an d in 1992 the 500cc class will go through a phasing-out period. ...:. In 1992, there will still be three separate World Ch ampionsh ip C~5- - 125cc, 250cc and Open. H owever, the Open class will allow riders to compete anv, size machin e up to 500cc an d riders will have the option to change the size motorcycle they ride through out the series. Rid ers will on ly be eligible to contes t one of th e three Worl d Championship classes, and the raci ng format of all three series will remai n unchanged. In 1993, the 500cc class will be elim ina ted and th e en tire World Ch am ion ship Series restructu red. T he 125cc class will be run as an FIM junior World MX Ch ampionship for riders between the ages of 16 and 22, and the series champion will only be abl e to defend h is titl e once. T he pr emier class will be the FIM World Motocross Championship , wh ich will consist of at least 15 rounds, using a supercross -type format - three heats , two semis, a last cha nce qualifier and one 40-minute-plus-two-lap final. T he series . will be open to 250cc motorcycles on ly. " I beli eve it' s in evitable that th e 500cc class will go away, one way or another," said AMA Professional MX Man ager Roy j an son . "As far as in the U.S. , we (the AMA) are comm itted for a 500cc (Nationa l) class throu gh 1992. For 1993, it is poss ible tha t we'll go to a strictly 250cc forma t (which would eliminate the Nationa l Championship 500cc MX Series)." " I thin k the most important thi ng is that all the top riders are in one class," said five-time 500cc MX Worl d Champion Roger DeCoster, who is now a motocross consu lta nt for T eam Honda . " It doesn 't really matter if they 're on 250s or 5OOs. I also like the supercross format, becau se it wou ld help for television." D According to Fast By Ferracci 's Eraldo Ferracci, the problem Dou g Polen's Ducati encountered with th e chain jumping off the sprocket on the opening lap of the Daytona 200 st emmed from a combination of things. " It wasn 't the chain, and it wasn't the sprocket, it was just a combination, " Ferracci said. "I think the new harder rubber damper we used on the sprocket was too rigid and also the new clutch grabbed too hard. At Daytona you have to have the chain adjusted real loose because the suspension collapses so much on the banking. You have to make it soit has no play, but doesn't bind with the suspension collapsed." According to Ferracci, the Ducati was fitted with a harder com-. pound rubber on the sprocket damper because of a problem the bike had last year with th e rubber coming apart. on' WERA ha s added a race at Moroso Motorsports Park in Florida to its 1991 Pro Series schedule: The event will 'take place on September 20-22. Two-time World Speedway Champion Bruce Penhall will be inducted into the Orange County (Californ ia) Sports Hall of Fam e on October 29. Penhall, who won his speed way titl es in 1981 and 1982, is a native of Anaheim , California, The 33-year-old will be inducted along with baseball 's Bobby Knoop, football 's Pat Mdnally, high jumper Dwight Stones and softball player Shirley Top ley. Australian road racer Kevin Magee ma y only race in a single Grand Prix in 1991. It now ap pears that the March 24 opening round of the 500cc World Championship Road Race Series in Suzuka, japan, will be Magee's only race for the Lu cky Strike Suzuki team. Magee, who was seriously injured in last April 's U.S. GP, passed all FIM medi cal examinations over the winter and received clearance to race again. Suzuki, however, signed Belgian Didier de Radigues to a contract in the off-season, and told Magee he had to come up with a sponsor in order to continue beyond the japanese GP. Magee's manager David Earle has so far secured some support from an Australian television station, Channel Nine, but more financial support is needed. ' Australian road racer Daryl Beattie won the opening -round of the 1991 All-japan Formula One Championshi p on March 3 in Suzuka, japan. The factory Honda rider qualified on the pole and then won th e race by seven seconds. Beatti e will ride a Honda NSR500 at the opening round of th e World Championship Road Ra ce Series at Suzuka on March 24. Kayo Corporation, the importers of Yokohama motorcycle tires and EK enuma cha in, has posted over $215,000 in contingency money for the AMA National Championship Road Race Series. Yokoh ama users are eligible to collect up to $5000 for winning a 600 or 750cc Supersport race, and $1000 for GTO Endurance and th e Superbike class. EK en uma will pay $200 to win Reportedly, 1990 World Superbike Champion Raymond Roche will ride a factory 500cc Cagiva V-four alongside Eddie Lawson and Alexandre Barros in at least two GPs in 1991. Roche is expected to contest the Ital ian round at Misano on May 19 and the French round at Paul Ricard on july 21. either GTO or GTU endurance classes, and both Supersport classes. APPOINTED: Miller's Motorcycles of San Luis Obispo , Cal ifornia, by H onda /Montesa S.A. of Spa in as th e distrib u tor for Moruesa Cota T ria ls bikes for sta tes west of the Mississipp i R iver. Co sm opol itan Mo to rs o f Hatb oro , Pennsylvan ia, will continue to service deal ers east of th e Mississippi. Bim Miller, son of owner Bob Mill er, will manage the Mont esa distribution . FORMED: ' C lyde Ear l Vinta ge Videos, a firm that sells motor cyclin g videos, by Clyde Earl, who is no lon ger affi lia ted with Earl Mark Prod uctions. For a free cata log or more in forma tion, ca ll o r write Cl yde Earl Vi ntage Videos, 10619 Felton Ave., Inglewood , CA 90304, 213/677-5865. MOVED: European Cycle Specia lties, to 13851 A Better Way, #D, Garden Grove, CA 92643,714/53 0-2711. MOVED: Work s Connection, to 7850 Leo na Way, Rosevill e, CA 95661, 916/ 791-1989. ~------------~---------------------------------------~------------- ------- SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM Name _ Address _ City Order Date State pp o This is a renewal o Pl ease bill me _ '. c=:= n Bill 3 payme n ts of $11.67 o Enclosed is m y ch eck or m oney orde r Charge m y 0 Visa 0 Mastercard Signature _ _ Me/Visa # Please start my subscription to Cycle News: n Every week for one year (50 issues) for $35.00 (can be billed 3 momhly pa ymen ts) o Every week for two years (100 issues) for $65.00 o Six months second class (25 issues) for $18.00 One l'=(!>O issuo). 2nd class Canada or Mexico and all 1 Fin. c1ass and airmail ""es available upon requ est, ~ I' other lo reign cou nrri.. S75,OO (U,S, funds), _ Exp iration Dat e "T" Send to: _ Cycle News, Inc., P.O. Box 498, L ong Beach , CA 9080 1-0498 213/427_7433 . 3

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