Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

·V Letters to the editor 0ICES INSIDE Speed's the th ing FEATURES PREVIEW Glen Helen U.S. 500cc MXGrand Prix MOTOCROSS Bayle, laRocco blast to Minnesota wins :~ 6 Martens stormsthe Citadel at Belgian 500cc Grand Prix 16 INTERVIEW Motocrosser Georges [obe 18 U.S. 500cc MX GP promoter Yvonne Baumann . .- .34 DIRT TRACK Jones smokes'em at Rapid City Half Mile 20 ENDURANCEROAD RACING Team Suzuki scores at Brainerd Endurance 10 '. . 28 id-Ohio Dutchman endures M ROAD RACING Polen tops Italian World Superbike GP 14 DEPARTMENTS LOCAL RACING Schwantz steals British GP victory 30 .36 22 26 Peterson capturesBrainerd F-USA win ~AR WANT ADS •• . •• . .•.. ••. •. ••••• ~ . 50 RESULTS 62 44 ON THE FRONT PAGE: After a successful debut in 1990, the World Cha mpionship 500cc MX Series will return to Glen Helen OHV Park in San Bernadi no, CA, for the Shoei Helmets Un ited States Grand Prix , Augu st 24-25. For a preview of the upcoming races, see page 16. Photos by Kinney Jones . America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Volum e XXVIII Michael Klinger, Pu bl ish er Caroline Gen dry , Ex ecutive Secretary to th e Pu blis her Editorial J ack Mangus, Associate Pu blish er! Ed itor Kit Pal mer, Associate Edi to r Paul Ca rruthe rs. Associate Edi tor Nate Rauba. Associate Editor Ken Faught, Assis tant Edi tor Do n n Maeda . Assistant Edi tor Edwina Mangu s, Calendar Editor Graphics and Prod uction Ree Johnson, Produ ction Supervisor Man dy Lao, Production Manager Dennis G reene, L ab . Tech. Stacey Guest, Graphic Artist Amy H arris, G rap hic Artist Carolyn Branham , Typesetter Circulation Rh eba Sm ith, Ma nager Sarah Taylor, Billing Coordi nat or Alma Angu-iano, Processing Coo rdi nator Ga brielle G illi am. Processing Assistant Debbi e Well er , Dealer Coordinato r Want Ads Linda Von de Veld, Want A d Sales Na tio nal H eadq uaners 2201 Cherry Ave.. Long Beach, CA90806. P.O. Box 498, Long Be ach, CA90801 ·0498 (213) 427-7433; 213/636·8844. FAX (213) 427-6685 Advertising Terry Pratt. N atio na l Accounts M ana ger Mark Thom e, Western Sa les Ma nager Ron Davidson. W estern Sales M an ager T ho mas R. Oon ter. Wes tern Sales Manager Mark Mitch ell , Eastern Accounts Ma nager Greg Mit chell , Eastern Sales Manager R ick Ma th en y, Eastern Sales M anager J oan Bell, Western Ad Coo rdinator Car la Borden Allen, Eastern Ad Coordinator Dealer Sales Ste ve Gotos ki . Dealer R epresen tative Marketing 8: Promotion Mark Tho me, Manager Accounti ng /Data Processing Donna Bryan -D ia mond, A I R Coo rdi na tor Ge neva Rep ass. Assistant H erlane Lewis, Credit Service and Support Chris Ait ch eson, H eadquarters R eception ist Leo nard H erring. Service and Support Tu cker, GA 30085·080 5. (404) 934·7850. FAX (404) 934-3112 the 4 The next Sierra Club? Would you bel ieve that yet another group of ni twits has decided to solve th e world 's problems by getting rid of motorcycles? The Association of Fores t Service Em p loyees for Environ me ntal Ethics (AFS EEE) was founded to ad dress the proble ms o f clear cutting in our Na tional Forests. But recent court decisions ha ve solved th is prob lem. Will they dis ba nd? Hell , no, they are looki ng for new wo rlds to conquer (and new ways to generate revenue). This is the next Sierra Club in the making, a nd any motorcyclist who thought th is group was o n the right track had better be a ware that they ha ve just derailed. The latest issue of the AFSEEE Activist states, "The Los P ad r es Na tional Forest is extremely vul nerable to overuse a nd devastatio n by offroad vehicles . .. O fficia ls tu rn a bl in d eye to the ever-growing network of ORV trails which devastate the landsca pe .. . O RVs seem to have ta ken over th e desert on th e east sid e of the Forest, already fragile d ue to years of over-graz ing." This issu e also touts S21, th e bill to creat e a mo nument to the biggest thief in the Sen a te, and says nothing ab out th e a h ern a tive bills th at offer protection to areas that need it without closing th e desert to all but a privileged few. Of course, AFSEEE wi ll accept your don ati ons; $500 will make you a patro n. Wh o get s th e $500 is wh at I wo u ld like to know . Do we need legis la tion to contro l th ese environ mental scam artis ts? Robert G . H uenem an n La H onda, CA Cheers for AMI This is a lett er th at is lo ng overdue, not o n ly from ine, but from dozens of rid ers, mechanics, ra ce teams and even th e AMA and th eir officials. It is in regard to · the American Motorcycle Institu te (AM I) of Daytona Beach , Florida, and their staff and students, withou t whom many o f the com pe titors at Daytona Cycle Week migh t not hav e even made th eir starting grids. With such things at .....o ur .disposal as 24·hou r ga ra ge and work space, tools, an d trained instructors to lend a hand and give 'advice, th ey made it poss ib for many of us to get . out there a race. As for th e others who were pat ien skilled a nd I ucky enough to make the races, the y had the benefit of corne workers and flagmensupplied by AM So, our heartfelt thanks go out AMI President Lamar Williams, he instructor and race director Bru Bra h ms, a nd Ron Rigby, along wit the rest o f the staff and students at AM Keep up the good .work. The sport road raci ng and the mo torcycle in du try in general needs a nd th anks yo for all your support. Stars of the future Regardin g the coverage of the rece AMA Am a teu r National Cha mpio ship Dirt T ra ck Finals th a t appear in your July 31 issue: It's ti me for a real race fans to get out a nd see t next Ken n y Rob ert s, ' Wayne Rain and Eddie Lawson . I' m referri ng to amateur d irt track racers. T hey ran in age fro m six to 15 and they' dreaming of beco min g the 500cc ro race World Champion . I have su pported this group of ki for two years and each year spectate a t the event are mos tly fami ly membe and fr iends of the competitors. Whe are the fans? As a ma teur cha mp Nfcky Hayd told Gra nd Nati o nal Champion Sco Parker a t the Lima Half Mile ro u of the Camel Pro Series, "We co me an support you a ll th e time." Parker sai " I rea lly appreciate yo ur support." . which Nicky replied, " How co me yo never come see.us race?" So, next year mark yo ur calendar a get to Illinois to see these great kid Man , are th ey ever fast or I am getti slow er. Of all the sponsor ships we' involved wi th, thi s is the most rewar in g by far . G ary L. Hildre R acingMa n ag Kiwi Helme Buffalo Grove, I While many of th em may be dream in of becom in g th e next road race Wor Champion , Gary, I'll bel a lot of the have their eyes set on the Camel P Series / Grand Nationa l Charnpio ship number one p late . . . Editor. Le tters to the editor sho u ld be sent to: Vo ic Cycle News, P.O . Box 498, Long Beach , 90801-0498. Published leuers do no t necessa ily reflect th e positio n of Cycle News, In Letters sh ould not exceed 200 words and a lett ers ar e su bject to editin g. Eastern Office 4190 First Ave.• T uc ker, GA. 30084; ma ili ng address P.O . Box 805. . Cycle News (USPS 141·340) is publ ished weekly except the last two weeks of the calendar year for $50.00 per year by Cycle News, Inc., 2201 Cherry Avenu e, Lon g Beach , CA 90806. Second class postage paid at Long Beach , CA. Canada Post Int ernati onal Publi cations Mai l #546615. POSTMASTER: Send addresschaoges to CycleNews, P,O. Box 498,Long Beach,CA 90801-0498. To determine the expiration date o( your subscriptio n, check th e four numbers on the first line of your add ress la bel. T he first two di gits indicate the last issu e number you'll receive a nd the last two characters indicate the yea r of th e last iss ue. Subscrip tio n rat es: Ra tes fo r the United States a nd its possessions fo r one year, (50 issues), $50.00; two years (100 issues), $95.00; six months, (25 issu es), $26.00; trial su b (15 issues) , $19.00. Ca na da and Foreign , o ne year (50 issues), $90.00; two years (100 issues), $175.00; six months (25 issues) , J45. oo; trial su b (15 issues), $38.00. Cycle News welcomes u nso lici ted ed ito ri a l ma teria l in cl uding stories, cartoo ns, p hotos, etc. Suc h ma teria l, if p ub lishe d, becomes the excl usive property of Cycle News. Suc h accepted mat eri al is subject to revi sion as is necessar y in th e sal e di scr etion of Cycle New s. Unso licited materi al wh ich is not used will be retu rn ed if acco mpanied by a self add ressed stamped en velope. All un sol icited materia l will be handled wi th reason able care; how ever, Cycle Ne ws assumes no responsibility fo r safety, loss or da mage to such materi al. Reprinting in who le or part o n ly by permissio n o f th e publish er. Advertising rat es a nd circulatio n in forma tio n will be sent u pon req ues t. See S.R. D.S. W/Bn'A VI n In repl y to Mr. Ro ger Slater 's attack o n two-stroke GP road racing (Vo ices, July 31 issue), it's gre at minds like his th at changed Daytona from an awesome spectacle into a droning NASBIKE snoozer. . . Real racing motorcycles go fas tl Stephen Men del Frankli n Park, IL AUDITED ' CIRCULA TION Copyright8 Cycle News, Inc. 1991. TrademarkCycle News registered U.S, Paten, Office. All rights reserved. IN THE WIND ByPapa Wealey Continued from page 3 obliged to take part in th e gruelling endu rance race in J a pan in the middle of the GP seaso n. " I like th e resu lt, but I ha ted every minute of every lap I was out there," said Doo ha n , who loo ked particularly jaded by th e race a n d the attendant jet-lag fat igue. Ga rdne r was pl eased with his longa wa ited win in a race to which th e J a panese factories acco rd grea t importa nce , but said ; " I think it 's tim e tha t the Ja panese factories decided on the ir priori ties, because it's a major interru ption in th e GP season ." Yama ha 's and Suzuki's stars were th is year spared th e Suzuka ordeal, with the excep tio n of Doug Chandler and Niall Mackenzie , also (by coincid en ce ) m aking h is GP ret urn a t Donington, and just de lighted to ba ck on fas t wheels . Mack enzie British G P rid e was on Cha ndler sp are Yamaha, run without maj sponsorship out of the Team Marlbor Robert s truck. "I don't know if I'll able to rid e in a ny more European G P because they want me to rac e a fou stroke in Japan, but they did tal k abo a possib le rid e in th e Malaysi an G P, said th e 30-year-o ld Scot, wh o w dropped by Suzuki aft er fin ishin fourth o verall in las t year 's Worl Ch ampionship. There was an ex tra pair of hands i th e Lucky Strike Suzuki pit- opera tin a set o f on-board computer dia nostics th at had Kevin Schwan grin n ing a nd th e mechanics tu rn e into keen co nvert s. The last maj team to dabble wi th th is so rt eq uipment, Suzuki has been ab le t - - - - -- Con tinued on page 4

• Cover