Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Danny Hamel (Kaw), the defending AMA National Hare & Hound Champion, opened the 1993 National Hare & Hound Series with an overall victory at Lucerne Valley, California, January 24. Hamel finished approximately five and a half minutes ahead of runner-up and fellow SOOcc class rider Ted Hunnicutt (Kaw). Rounding out the top five were Ty Davis (Kaw), Larry Roeseler (Kaw) and Dave Ondas (Kaw). Greg Zitterkopf (KTM) scored the 250cc class win in sixth overall, and Rex Staten (Kaw) topped the Vet class and was seventh overall. The following day, January 23, Danny Hamel and Larry Roeseler (Kaw) scored the overall and Class 22 (sqOcc) win at the SCORE Parker 400 off-road team race.in Parker, Arizona. They completed the race in four hours, 40 minutes and 12 seconds at an average speed of 61.116 mph. The runner-up team was comprised of Dan Ashcraft and David Donatoni (Hon), who crossed the finish line in 04:48:00/59.460 mph. Earning third-place honors was the winning Class 21 (2S0cc) team of Scott Morris and Craig Smith (Kaw), clocking in at 04:57:20/57.594 mph. Rounding out the top five overall were the winning Oass 30 (over 30 years of age) team of Earl Roberts and the Oass 21 team of Dan Worley, Tim Morton and John Flores (Kaw). Bob Moore (Suz) topped the 250cc Pro class at round six of the CMC Golden State Nationals South, held at Starwest Supercross Park in Moreno Valley, California, January 24. Craig Decker (Kaw) finished second, and Tommy Clowers (Yam) was third. Decker was the 125cc Pro class winner with Moore second and Tony Graves (Yam) third. Tallon Vohland (Suz) swept the 125 and 2S0cc Pro classes at round six of the CMC Golden State Nationals North, held at the Marysville E Street track in Marysville, California, January 24. Dean Matson (Kaw) and Scott Myers (Kaw) rounded out the top three in the 12Scc Pro class, while Rick Ryan (Hon) and Matson finished second and third, respectively, in the 250cc division. Jeff Curry (Kaw) won the 125cc Pro class at the fourth round of the Florida Winter AMA Series which took place at Cocoa MX Park in Cocoa Beach, January 24. Scott Sheak (Kaw) finished second, ahead of Mike Treadwell (Yam). Pat Barton (Suz) aced the 250cc Pro class, ahead of Fred Andrews (Yam) and Treadwell. Joe Bruce and Ricky Alves (Suz) paired up to become the first team to ever win two classes in a San Jose Enduro-thon. They pulled off the feat at the San Jose Fairgrounds Speedway in San Jose, California, January 24. Dublin Kawasaki/Suzuki-sponsored Bruce and Alves bested the 2S0cc race, and then rode the same Suzuki RM2S0 to the Open class win. We reported last week that Ronnie Jones will campaign the majority of the 1993 AMA Grand National Championship Series aboard Honda RS7S0s owned by George Garvis, but was negotiating with a California-based bike owner for a ride at the West Coast events. Now it's official. Jones will race a Honda RS750 for Loral Lake Racing at all of the California rounds, the Castle Rock TI in Castle Rock, Washington, and the Rocky Mountain Half Mile in Denver, Colorado. 2 The persistent rumor that Doug Chandler and Eddie Lawson would ride Fast By Ferracci Ducatis in the Daytona 200 is more than just a rumor, although it likely won't happen. "I don't think it's possible because there's not enough bikes," Eraldo Ferracci said on Wednesday, January 20. "As much as I'd love to have those two guys, I don't want to do a last-minute deal. I have gone to the guys who are building tl1e bikes before I have gone to the boss and the production hasn't started yet on the new bikes. There's no way to do it unless we didn't test. I don't want to put Chander or the other guy (Lawson) on last year's bike. I would want to do a good job, so I just don't think we can do it since we would get the bikes so late. We also can't jeopardize Chandler's GP stuff... At this point, we haven't made a decision, but it looks pretty slim. Also there would be a problem with a conflict with tires. Nothing against Michelin, but Dunlop is very important to me. I can't describe how they've helped us the past years - their tires have never let us down. But Chandler would have to use Michelins." Ferracci's team will most definitely include two-time World Superbike Champion Doug Polen and French Canadian Pascal Picotte. According to Ferracci, we may see former World Superb ike Champion Raymond Roche at Daytona, though he would be running a team outside of Ferracci's squad. Ferracci also said that Baldassarre Monti will be at Daytona, also on a Ducati. While it is already a well-known fact that the FIM is de-emphasizing the 500cc class in MX GP competition, there has been little talk of doing the same for the World Championship Enduro Series and the ISDE - until now. At the recent FIM Congress in Columbus, Ohio, the decision was made to reduce the number of classes in FIM-sanctioned enduro competitions by two. While the fourstroke divisions (3S0cc and SOOcc) will remain the same, starting in 1994, twostrokes will have only two classes to compete in - 125cc and under and 175cc and above. In the past, two-strokes have been split into 80cc, 12Scc, 2S0cc and SOOcc divisions. The decision to eliminate the 80cc class no doubt comes about because of a decreasing number of participants in past years. Though Larry Roeseler rode a Kawasaki KX80 in the 1989 German Six Days, Americans rarely compete in the class, and will not be greatly effected (except for the subsequent increase in the sizes of the remaining classes). While the SOOcc class has had fairly healthy entry lists of late, few riders actually compete on Open-class bikes, instead opting to campaign easierto-handle 3005, 350s or sightly bored-out 2S0s. Another probable factor in the decision was the fact that ecological concerns have placed more emphasis on the four-strokes. American competition will not be directly affected in 1993, but the AMA will utilize the new class format for the 1994 National Championship Reliability Trials Series. The Tulsa Six Days will be the first to run under the new forma t. AMA Superbike National Champion Scott Russell was among the many road racers taking part in a Dunlop tire testing session at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California, on Monday, January 25. Russell was joined at the test by Muzzy Kawasaki's Miguel DuHamel, as well as Vance & Hines Yamaha's Jamie James and Colin Edwards II, Two Brothers Racing's Rick Kirk and Tommy Lynch, Camel Honda's Mike Smith and Tom Kipp and Otsuka Electronics' Jimmy Filice. "Everything is going in the right direction," Russell said in regard to the test. According to Rob Muzzy, his U.S.-based AMA National Championship Road Race team will be run by England's Martin Carney. Carney, who most recently worked at Kawasaki's Irvine, California, headquarters, will manage the team of Miguel DuHamel and Takahiro Sohwa. The Los Anciones M.e. says the Tecate 250K Enduro will run as scheduled on March 13, despite recent rains and flooding in Baja California, Mexico. The club was forced to reroute sections of the course (and even the road into the pit area), but don't expect the trail to be any easier. The drawing for start numbers will be held on February 14. For more information, call 619/279-5068. Spanish 250cc road racer Carlos Cardus still doesn't have a sponsor for the 1993 250cc World Championship" though he still has access to two Honda NSR250s, . according to sources in Europe. Cardus isn't the only Spaniard who has fallen upon hard times. Juan Garriga, who last year rode a Ducados-backed Yamaha YZRSOO to a seventh place finish in the 500cc World Championship, has lost his Ducados sponsorship and will race BMW touring cars in '93. Spaniard Alberto Puig, who will ride a Honda NSR250 in Sito Pons' team in the 2SOcc World Championship, suffered a , broken hand in a motocross riding accident recently. The injury is not expected to hamper his GP efforts and he is currently testing along with other Honda riders in Australia. Speaking of those Honda"tests, SOOcc World Championship runner-up Michael Doohan was forced to miss the two-day test at Phillip Island after undergoing an operation to have the plate removed from the leg he broke at t!le Dutch GP in June of 1992. Doohan's teammate Daryle Beattie put in 90 laps on the new Rothmans Honda NSRSOO. "Everything went really well, although there is still a lot of work to do before the first Grand Prix of the year," Beattie said. "It was my first ride on the new bike and I think we were all pleased with the results. I'm really looking forward to my first full season of Grand Prix racing and I think it will be an advantage that I've ridden the first three venues in this year's calendar. It will be tougher when I get to Europe, but I will be looking to be consistent throughout the season." The Rothmans Honda 2S0cc team of Massamiliano Biaggi and Tadayuki Okada tested the new Honda NSR250s along with Italian's Loris Capirossi and Doriano Romboni and Spaniard Alberto Puig. The Honda team is scheduled to test at Eastern Creek, the site of the March 28 season opening Australian GP, the week of January 25. Former World and National MX and SX Champion Jean-Michel Bayle was a recent visitor to Kenny Roberts' northern California ranch. Bayle, who has switched to road racing and will ride in this year's 250cc World Championship aboard a Chesterfield-backed Aprilia, spent some time riding Honda XR100s on Roberts' dirt track, along with threetime World Champion Wayne Rainey. Scotland's Niall Mackenzie will ride for Bob MacLean's Valvoline Yamaha team in the '93 SOOcc World Championship. Mackenzie, who finished 11th in last year's championship aboard a Sonauto Yamaha YZRSOO, will be aboard a '93 ROC Yamaha. MacLean is still interested in selling his '92 ROC Yamaha and also indicated that he would be willing to setup a one-time lease on the bike for a potential American wild-<:ard entry for the United States Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, scheduled for September 12. The Anaheim Supercross on January 23 was declared an "extra-national" event by the AMA, which meant that foreign competitors got the chance to compete with a temporary AMA license. No less than 22 foreigners were on the entry lists for the 125 and 2S0cc classes, and the countries represented were Canada (two riders), Japan (12 riders), South Africa (one rider), France (four riders), Mexico (one rider), Englan'd (one rider) and Sweden (one rider). Among the mOEt notable foreigners were French 125cc National Champion Mickael Pichon (Hon) who finished seventh in the 125cc main, Mexican National Champion Pedro Gonzalez (Kaw) who finished eighth in the 12Scc class, and Swede Mats Nilsson (Kaw), who contested both the 125 and 250cc classes, but failed to make either main. Promoters felt the idea was successful enough that tkley are planning to designate the next two rounds in Seattle and San Diego as "extra-nationals" as well. Jimmy Button (Suz), who is currently running ninth in the 12Scc Eastern Regional Supercross Series, was on hand at Anaheim to try his hand in the 250cc division. Button failed to make the main event, but said that he wasn't worried about his result. "I haven't ridden a.250 in about three months, but it's good practice," said Button. "1 didn't ride this whole week, because I crashed in the main at Houston and got a concussion. I went over this big triple, and my grip came off in the air..1 know I'm the fastest guy in the East, and I think I can win the championship." Jeremy McGrath scored the first Camel Supercross win of his career at Anaheim Stadium, the same site where Damon Bradshaw got his first-ever win in 1990. Other riders to score their series debut wins at "The Big A" include Gaylon Mosier in 1978, Kent Howerton in '79, Donnie Hansen in '82, David Bailey in '83 and Johnny O'Mara in '84. Interestingly enough, no rider has won more than twice at Anaheim. Team Noleen's Larry Brooks competed at Anaheim, but was suffering from an injured knee and finished last in the main event. "1 twisted my leg at the Birmingham (England) Supercross during the off-season, and it's hurt ever since," said Brooks. "I just got it operated on, but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. In fact, I think it's worse now than it was before the sux:gery." Ryan Hughes, Team Kawasaki's newest factory member, was spectating at Anaheim, waiting for the leg he broke in an off-season crash to heal. "1 wanted to make round one, but it hasn't been healing as fast as I hoped," said Hughes. "1 think I'll be ready for San Diego (February 6)." Another rider in the ranks of the walking wounded was Team Yamaha's Doug Dubach, who was sporting a Yamaha-purple cast on his ankle, and plans to return to action at the opening round of the AMA National Championship 125/250cc MX Series in Gainesville, Florida, February 28. Team Splitfire/Hot Wheels/Pro Circuit Kawasaki member Jamie Dobb is recovering from surgery on his wrist, and hopes to be ready to race at round two of the National MX Series in Southwick, Massachusetts, May 2. With three rounds of the Camel Supercross Series complete, the Coors Light Silver Bullet Showdown bonus prize money has yet to be collected. At each round, the winner of the fastest

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