v ICES Letters to the editor
0
INSIDE
u.S. GP's a bargain
FEATURES
SUPElCROSS
McGrath again at San Diego
6
Vohland stars at Barona Oaks
20
CMC Golden State Nationals
Smith, Matson score
22
GFI Winter Series North wins
Henry, Decker highlight Glen Helen
GFI Winter Series South
.23
PREVIEW
AMA National Superbike Series:
Ra ting the racers
.1 0
ICE RACE
Venegas rules in Tuscon
18
DUALSPOIIT
TESTS
Hundreds tum out for the
Hi-Desert 250 Adventure
Luca CadaIora's race-replica
Honda RS250R
1993 Yamaha FZR600R
12
24
26
DEPAKI'MENTS
MOTOCROSS
Ferry, McElroy top Florida Winter
AMA MX Series finale
at Gatorback
.16
LOCALS
27
RESULTS
33
CALENDAR
:
34
ON THE FRONT PAGE:
Italian Luca Cadalora won the 1992 250cc World Championship aboard a Honda
NSR250. Alan Cathcart rides the RS250R that's based on Cadalora's championship winner. See page 12. Photo by Patrick Gosling.
James Zack's letter (Voices, February 10
issue) regarding ticket prices for the U.S.
Grand Prix at Laguna Seca made me
smile. Those concerned about a $55
admission ticket ($45 in advance) should
look around. TravelCraft sends
Americans abroad on GP trips, either in
groups or as individuals, and we often
purchase their race tickets. Tickets elsewhere are higher, such as $75 at
Catalunya (Spanish GP) and $98 at
Hockenheim (German GP). Of course, if
you want a good seat at Hockenheim
prepare to put out $122. With the higher
expense of bringing a GP from Europe
to America, it is fantastic that they were
able to make it one of the least expensive tickets on the 1993 GP sched uIe.
bndyWarren
TravelCraft
Corte Madera, CA
Just as there's only one U.S. Grand Prix
road race, there's only one Super Buwl each
year. While it may be like cmrrparing apples
and oranges, consider that the face value of
each and troerlJ one of the l00,()(J()..plus tickets for the championship footbaU game was
$175!... Editor.
Turtles or people?
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4
~TION
Copyrishl" Cycle N..... Inc. 1993. Tnclan.uk Cydo News rqiom.d U.s. Palmi Office. All
.ts
raened..
While I was riding with my club over
the New Year's weekend, I came across
an open mine shaft - a deep one. I tried
to jump off some dirt about six feet from
the haft but something went wrong
and the bike lunged toward the hole. By
the grace of God I was able to get off the
bike just as it went down the 200-plus
foot shaft. Had there been a fence of
some kind around or something over
the hole, the bike might have stopped
before diving into oblivion. Other riders
have not been so lucky. Some guys
don't even see the shaft until they are
staring up from the bottom (or staring
down from Heaven). It seems like
everyone I talk to has heard of or knows
someone who has gone down an open
mine shaft.
No matter how glad I am to have not
gone down the shaft, an incident like
this hurts us all in the off-road community. If I complain to the BLM, they
could close that area to protect uS from
ourselves. I have talked to the BLM
ranger several times about fencing off
open shafts. The ranger was genuinely
concerned and feels that all shafts need
to be covered, but said there is not
enough money or manpower to undertake a project like that. I asked him
about Green Sticker money and he said
that kind of money is just a bout
untouchable. (Must be like the lottery
money and schools.) At this time there
are no plans to mark or fence any shafts.
Which brings us to the subject of the
turtle fences I see lining the highway in
the desert. There appears to be money to
keep these critters from death on the
road, but no cash to save human life.
What would happen if a couple of
desert tortoises fell down a mine shaft?
The Sierra Club experts would swoop in
to investigate and I am sure there would
be fences around every mine shaft from
the Colorado River to Victorville in
about two weeks. What kind of world
do we live in when turtles get better
protection than people?
Tony Tumer
Lake Forest, CA
Slow boat to.•.
According to Bob Hannah, there are
only about eight to 10 riders who are
capable of racing supercross. I've been
to races where the leader lapped almost
the entire field. I'm sure that all the
other guys would have been glad to
know that they were too old or too slow
and should have quit and done something else.
Come on, Bob, give the riders a little
credit for racing in mid-pack for money,
points and positions just as hard as the
leaders.
Is too old· and too slow the reason
you didn't make it in boat racing?
Dana Hansen
Roseburg. OR
Beat everyone
I am writing to let Joe Scalzo, who wrote
"Hanging it out superbly" (Time
Forgotten, January 20 issue), know that
that "prissy fiddle player" Jody
Nicholas not only beat me at Laconia, he
beat everyone else, including Dick
Hammer and Neil Keen.
George Roeder
Monroeville, on
Hubba, hubba
You guys aren't doing right by Team
Smitty. Team Smitty is clearly written to
be appreciated by old guys. For example, what person do you know unde
the age of 40 tha t ever uses the term
"hubba, hubba?"
The problem is that you shrink this
cartoon to the point that everything is in
microtype. Old guys can't read
microtype, even if they have bifocals.
Please give Team Smitty a little more
space and us old guys a break.
Ed Youngblood
President, AMA
Westerville, on
Although he says he's only "near 40,"
Jim Smith, the creator of Team Smitty,
admits he uses the term "hubba, hubba."
Unusual? Keep in mind that when he's not
piloting a United airliner or drawing Team
Smitty strips, Jim plays in a blues band and
goes by the name Blind Jim Smith....Editor.
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