Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

S!~B!.~~'~H~)~""~. ~ ('I') 0'\ 0'\ M ... ~ \. ... >... ~ ~ ? .... ~ ~ opening round of the AMA/CCS EBC Brakes Endurance Challenge Series at Phoenix International Raceway in Goodyear, Arizona, February 13. Two Brothers' Tommy Lynch and Rick Kirk combined to tum in 144 laps on the 1.6mile combination road course/oval circuit. Dutchman Racing (Suz) finished second with Phil Kress and Ray Yoder Jr. completing 144 laps. Defending series champion Fastline Racing (Suz) ended up third with riders Scott Zampach and Michael Barnes turning in 140 laps. The GTU win went to Southwest Motorsports (Yam) over Hornblower Racing (Hon) and Northwest Racing (Hon). Rounds three and four of the GF1 Winter Series, held February 13-14 at Perris Raceway in Perris, CA, saw Bobby Moore (Suz) top Craig Decker (Kaw) and Chris Young (Suz) in the 250cc Pro class on Saturday, while Donny Schmit (Yam) won Sunday's 250cc Pro race over Decker and Mike Chamberlain (Kaw). Decker, Chamberlain and Dana Wiggins (Hon) finished 1-2-3 in the 125cc Pro class on both days. Larry Roeseler (Kaw) topped the opening round of the AMA National Championship Enduro Series at Coalinga, California, February 14. Jeff Russell (KTM) was second and Kelby Pepper (KTM) third. Kevin Hines (Hus) and Randy Hawkins (Suz) completed the top five overall. Danny Hamel (Kaw) was the overall and Open Pro class winner at the Best In The Desert Series Hare & Hound in Jean, Nevada, February 13. Dave Ondas (Kaw) was second overall and second in the Open Pro division. Scot Harden (KTM) finished third overall and first in the Vet Pro class. Greg Zitterkopf (KTM) was the overall and Open Pro class winner at the King of the Desert Race, the opening round of the Superstition Series, at El Centro, California, February 13. Earl Roberts (Kaw) was second overall and first in the Vet Pro class. Dewey Belew finished third overall and was second in the Open Pro division. Belgian Gerald Delipine (Hon) won the 18th Le Touquet Beach Race in Le Touquet, France, February 14. Fellow countryman and 500cc MX World Champion Georges Jobe was second, and Dutchman Edwin Evertsen was third. Multi-time Supercross and National MX Champion Jeff Ward will make his stadium off-road car racing debut at the February 20 round of the Mickey Thompson Stadium Off-Road Racing Series in San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium. Ward will compete in the Stadium Superlite class, replacing Mercedes Gonzalez for the race on the Nature's Recipe team. A top salesperson at AXO Sport America, Gonzalez will miss the round because of business obligations. "I have to go to the dealer show in Cincinnati," said Gonzalez. really bummed about missing the race, but I can't afford to miss the show, ''I'm either." Dirt tracker Will Davis suffered a broken jaw in a head-on car crash in his hometown of Goldsboro, North Carolina, February 4. Davis' jaw has been wired shut and he was hospitalized for four days. "I'm on an all-liquid diet," said Davis. "I'm going to start training again iII a few days, and I don't think that this will affect me at the (Ma~ch 7) Daytona Short Track." Butch Donahue, owner of Delano Sport Center /Donahue Harley-Davidson, a Delano, Minnesota-based multi-line motorcycle dealership, phoned Papa recently to inform us that there are still a few Davey Durelle Benefit raffle tickets left. Durelle, a veteran Grand National Championship Series dirt tracker, suffered serious injuries at last year's season finale in Pomona, California, and is burdened by excessive hospital bills. The grand prize in the raffle is a new 1990 Husqvarna WXC125. Also being raffled off are a Bieffe off-road helmet and a pair of Tsubaki chains. A $20 donation is being asked for each raffle ticket. For more informa tion contact Delano Sport Center/Donahue HarleyDavidson at 800/827-2530. Don Farrow, 65, passed away on Tuesday, February 9. The son of A.D. and Lillian Farrow, he was the former owner of the family's Harley-Davidson dealership, A.D. Farrow Co. in AMA reps meet with Senator Feinstein's staff to discuss desert bill otorcyclists will get a chance to at least suggest some changes to a bill that threatens the future of off-highway recreation in the California Desert, reports the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). An aide to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, sponsor of a new version of the controversial California Desert Protection Act, has indicated that the senator is "open to making changes" to her bill to accommodate the needs of motorcyclists and others who have a stake in the future of the desert. That message was conveyed during a February 4 meeting on the bill that involved Feinstein's staff and AMA representatives Robert Rasor and Jim Bensberg. Also in attendance was California off-highway vehicle community spokesman Harry Baker. According to Rasor, AMA vice president of government relations, the senator's staff is asking the off-highway community to "prioritize and justify" specific boundary changes in the bill's wilderness area provisions. Feinstein's proposal, Senate Bill 21, would designate as wilderness and parks over seven million acres in the desert, some of which contains traditional routes of travel and trails. However, Rasor also cautioned that there is no guarantee that the senator will accept the changes and that the bill could still be approved in its present form. "What we have here is a limited opportunity to modify the bill, not rewrite it," noted Rasor. "Many of the areas contained within the legislation have a long history of off-highway vehicle use. This is a chance to work with the senator to try to preserve some of that access." . Feinstein also received an invitation from the group to tour the California Desert, but she has yet to schedule a meeting with off-highway representatives in the state. Ho~ever, plans are already underway for hearings on the desert bill in the Senate Energy and NaturaLResources Committee. M 2 Garri ato ride Ducati su erbike S paniard Juan Garriga, seventh in the 1992 World Championship 500cc Road Race Series and the top-placed European rider in the FIM's premier Grand Prix class for the last three years, looks certain to'join Stephane Mertens as factory rider for Ducati in the 1993 World Championship Superbike Series. Garriga would replace World Champion Doug Polen, who will contest the AMA National Championship Superbike Series this year. Spanish Ducati importer Ricardo Fargas, an exDucati rider from the '60s who managed Garriga in his first World Championship year on a 250cc JJ Kobas in 1985, was ·contacted by Claudio Castiglioni, who was seeking a rider to replace Polen. It was Fargas who encouraged the Castiglioni brothers to hire Garriga as a factory 500cc Cagiva rider in 1986. "There are still some sponsorship deals to be closed," said Fargas. "But the combination of Garriga and Ducati is perfect and I'm sure the Castiglioni brothers know it." Garriga very nearly defeated Honda's Sito Pons in the 1988 250cc World Championship and was offered a factory Honda for '89, but turned it down to continue with Yamaha. Garriga was to regret that decision when his '89 Yamaha proved less competitive than the previous year's machine. Pons won his second 250cc title and went on to 500cc GP racing. Garriga, who was heavily sponsored by the Spanish tobacco firm Ducados, followed Pons to the 500cc class, with his best result coming after three seasons with a third-place -in last year's British GP at Donington Park. Garriga, though, was dropped by Ducados at the end of the year in spite of having been guaranteed factory Yamaha machinery for this year. When Garriga's personal manager flew.to Italy to attempt to pull together an Aprilia-Martini deal for a return to the 250cc GP class, Garriga angrily fired the man who had been with him since 1987 and is said to have shouted: "Garriga never goes back. If he can't go up, he goes out." Known as the"Archangel" in the Italian press because of his gaunt features, the 29year-old Barcelona native won several Spanish National Superbike Championships on Ducati and Suzuki, but was best known for his performances on big Ducati V-twins in the 24 Hours of Montjuic. Garriga, since being dropped by Ducados, has not appeared in public or made a single statement to the press. Even IRTA, the International Racing Teams Association, was unable to reach him to determine whether he would be returning to the World Championships. Columbus, Ohio. Farrow had been fighting cancer. He's survived by his wife Dorothy, son Bob, daughter panna, and sister Jane Langley. Funeral services were held in Kirkersville, Ohio. The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has announced which rounds of the AMA Grand National Championship Series will include the $10,000 Camel Challenge dash-for-eash races. The sixman, five-lap races will be held at the following rounds: Daytona Short Track, March 6; San Jose Mile, April 25; Sacramento Mile, May 1; Pomona Half Mile, May 8; Springfield Mile, May 30; Oklahoma City Half Mile, July 1; Peoria TT, August 8; Springfield Mile, September 5; Sacramento Mile, October 2; Pomona Half Mile, October 9. In addition to the preceding 10 races, the Camel brand will be the event sponsor a t the July 3 Michigan Half Mile, the July 17-18 Syracuse Twin Miles, the August 11 . Rapid City Half Mile and the August 21 Indianapolis Mile, but no Camel Challenge races will be held at those venues. AMA Superbike National Champion Scott Russell was impressive in his Australian testing debut at Phillip. Island recently. Russell and his Muzzy Kawasaki circulated over a second under the superbike lap record at the track near Melbourne. Russell and his teammate Aaron Slight turned nearly identical lap times at one-minute, 36.8seconds. "The bike's really good," Russell said prior to leaving for Phoenix International Raceway, the site of the opening round of the AMA National Championship Road Race Series on Tuesday, February 9. "I'm ready to go." Russell and Slight will contest the World Championship Superbike Series on Muzzy Kawasakis while Muzzy's stateside team will con- sist of Miguel DuHamel and Takahiro Sohwa. For those aspiring to road race in Spain, here's the schedule for the 1993 Spanish Ducados Open Series: February 28 Albacete; March 7 - Catalunya; April 2~ - Calafat; June 6 - Jarama; September 26Calafat; October 10 - Jarama; October 31 - Jerez; November 14 - to be announced. Thus far, Kenny Roberts Jr. is the only American slated to compete in the series. Ron & Brian's Suzuki, a Pro-Level dealer located in Waukegan, lIlinois, wilr field a motocross race tea~ with additional support from Splitfire and Peak Antifreeze: Brian Battaglia, 24, of Grayslake, Illinois, will contest the AMA Nation~l Championship 250cc MX Series and a rider to be named will compete in the 125cc Nationals. The shop also has some backing available for a few amateur riders. For more information, call 708-623-2004. On the heels of last week's announcement of the sale of ATK Motorcycles by Ken Wilkes to Dan and.Frank White comes word from Wilkes that he'll stay in the motorcycle business. "I will continue to produce motorcycles and sell parts for ATKs, Wilkes said. "I am applying to the state (California) for a new name and will advise you of it as soon as it is approved." The Whites of Salt Lake City, Utah, have renamed the ATK firm ATK America. Wilkes continued, "I have a limited number of ATK parts in stock now. I still own the CNC machines that we make many of the ATK parts on and I will have our shelves replenished soon. The foreign suppliers are shipping parts to us by air, and they will be here within two weeks. By mid-March, I should be able to supply most ATK parts. I intend by mid- I

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