Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eGUEST EDITORIAL eI By Henny Ray Abrams ci T'"""'l ..p .... Cij ~ ~ n reporting on the 250 GP race at the inaugural AMA National Championship Road Race Series meet at Phoenix International Raceway I found myself somewhat confused by a disturbing turn of events. During Sunday morning's practice a number of riders discovered the unsettling truth about the danger of that otherwise splendid facility. The banked oval turns three and four, dangerous enough in the best conditions to warrant serious consideration, turned somewhat lethal when wet. Riders tiptoed around, aware that at racing speeds they would have little warning and less margin of safety before careening into wet hay bales, or worse, the unprotected concrete wall on turn three's entrance. Sensing the severity of this situation, some of the 250cc riders, after having huddled privately, got together and took their concerns to the AMA referee, who, they had hoped would relay those concerns to the highest authorities. Following that, they took a grid sheet through the paddock and asked anyone who agreed with them that the track was unsafe to race on in the rain to sign by their name. If the riders who made the original decision were asked, they would point out that, given their experience, they thought that racing in such conditions was nothing but dangerous. And they were right, of course, though it would take a crash on the very first lap of the Harley-Davidson Twin Sports race for the AMA to come to the same conclusion these racers had reached hours earlier. But a curious thing happened late on Sunday afternoon. The riders most responsible for educating their peers were, in their own words, "called on the carpet. Made to feel like an amateur." And for what? What these riders did was fulfill their contract with humanity. They knew nothing good could come out of an alleged race. They knew people would get hurt, machinery would be destroyed, and the fans, what few braved the elements, would be turned off in their first exposure to the sport we all cherish. Yes, the AMA sold the promoter a package, but it didn't include hourly helicopter rides for the injured, though it may have seemed that way at times. And the package included riders racing, not trying not to hurt themselves or be hurt by others. No one can blame the promoter for this flaw. From all aspects, he could not have been more responsive or accommodating and the AMA would do well to find more like him to promote their races. While waiting to see a movie in a Phoenix theatre I was pleasantly surprised to see the screen filled with an ad for the race, something I've never seen before anywhere in the world. Following the race he was ecstatic with the photo finish that Doug Polen and Pascal Picotte and Scott Russell provided and gave every indication that he could not stage another motorcycle race soon enough. But the track is simply not safe, wet or dry, and if there is any question about that you need only ask Donald Jacks, who blew an engine and hit the unprotected wall headfirst at well over 100 mph, "just" breaking an arm, or Larry Pegram, who fell in Jacks' oil shattering a femur and jeopardizing his dirt track season, or Kel Davidson, who escaped mostly unscathed. Jimmy Filice watched the crash at trac1

• Cover