Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eIN THE WIND ~ B Craig Decker (Kaw) was the 12Scc Pro class winner at the GFI Winter Series North/South Showdown at Perris Raceway in Perris, Califoritia, March 1314. Mike Chamberlain (Kaw) was second and Dana Wiggins (Hon) ended up third overall. Chamberlain topped the 250cc Pro class, followed by Brian Manley (Suz) and Buddy Antunez (Hon). Larry Roeseler (Kaw) scored the overall win at the Tecate 250K Enduro in' Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, March 13. Danny Hamel (Kaw) and Ty Davis (Kaw) finished second and third overall, respectively. Jeff Russell (KTM) and Josh Chandler (Hon) completed the top five positions. South African Greg Albertyn (Hon) posted 4-1-1 moto scores for the overall win at the opening round of the World Championship 250cc MX Series in Del Lago, Italy. Belgian Stefan Everts (Suz) was second, and Americans Donny Schmit (Yam) and Trampas Parker (KTM) were third and fourth, respectively. Brit Rob Herring (Hon) rounded out the top five. American Tallon Vohland qualified despite having chipped a bone in his shoulder from a crash at an international race two weeks earlier, but he was too sore to compete, according to brother Tyson Vohland. A check of "The Daytona 200: The History of America's Premier Motorcycle Race," the magnificent book by 1972 Daytona 200 winner Don Emde, reveals that when Eddie Lawson, Scott Russell and Miguel DuHamel appeared in winner's circle following this year's Daytona 200, it was the first time in the 52 runnings of the Daytona 200 that the top three finishers were also previous winners of the eyent. Lawson • previously won in 1986, Russell last year, and DuHamel in '91. John Long, who finished 21st in this year's Daytona 200, leads the list of active· riders in total Daytona 200 miles. An updating of figures in Emde's book shows Long has covered 2225 racing miles in 17 appearances, beginning in 1974. The all-time Daytona 200 mileage leader is Warren Sherwood with 3187 miles. Sherwood rode BSAs in 22 Daytona 200 races, starting on the beach course in 1950 and riding his last 200 at the Speedway in 1971. Long moved past 1967 winner Gary Nixon (2109 miles/16 races) into fifth place on the all-time mileage list Earl Widman (2640/19) is second, 1970-71 winner Dick Mann (2457/18) is third, and 1961-64-65 winner Roger Reiman (2327/16) is fourth. Long, who hails from Miami, Florida, has called his racing team - appropriately - Longevity Racing since he began road racing over 20 seasons ago. Note to Eddie Lawson, who asked the AMA to let him ride with the number 7, the same number he competed with in his final season of Grand Prix racing last year. This is the first time a bike carrying the #7 has won the Daytona 200. Lawson's win in 1986 came on a Yamaha carrying #4. Yamaha, via Lawson's victory, moves into a tie with Harley-Davidson for the most Daytona 200 wins by a maI1ufacturer. Each has 16 with Harley rider Cal Rayborn notching the Milwaukee marque's last win in 1969. 2 For those of you who plan ahead, here's some info on the 1994 Daytona Camel Motorcycle Week. The 53rd running of the Daytona 200 by Arai will take place on Sunday, March 13. As has become tradition, the Daytona Supercross by Honda will take place the day before the 200, on Saturday, March 12, and the Grand National Dirt Track Series Short Track runs Saturday evening at Municipal Stadium. The Arai Twin 50 qualifying road races take place on Thursday, March 10. A district judge awarded motocrosser Willie Surratt $3.9 million after hearing his breach of contract suit against former employer American Suzuki. The trial in North Orange County District Court in Fullerton, California, concluded on Friday, March 5. According to a family spokesman, when Surratt won the AMA Western Region 125cc Supercross Championship in 1987, Suzuki tried to reduce the bonus for 'winning the title from the $30,000 stipulated in Surratt's contract to $15,000. Surratt balked at their offer and Suzuki paid the full amount due. In his suit, Surratt claimed that after he received the bonus, Suzuki failed to honor the remaining 18 months of his two-year contract. An American Suzuki spokesman said the company will appeal. Mike Hale, the dirt tracker and parttime road racer who won the March 7 Harley-Davidson Twin Sports final at Daytona International Speedway, will compete in the April 17 Laguna Seca 250cc Grand Prix aboard a Team Hall n' Still Yamaha TZ250. "They are a firstrate team and the bike looks really clean:' said Hale, whose dirt track and 883 effort is backed by Bartels' HarleyDavidson. "After Daytona, I'm really starting to see a future for myself in road racing. I want to further my experience and this looks like a good chance to do so." Okay, all you amateur motocrossers who've been sitting on "The Hill" at Unadilla Valley'Sports Center all these years, wishing you could roost around that magnificent track, your \ime has come! Unadilla will host two full days of amateur racing on July 9-10, prior to the fifth round of the AMA National Championship 125/250cc MX Series round on Sunday, July 11. That's all we know at this point, but the folks at the New Berlin, New York, track say "additional details will be forthcoming." Thomas Montano of Berkeley, California, will compete at the Isle of Man this summer. The 30-year-old rider who is a carpenter by trade has entered the TT Formula 1 and Senior races and the Supersport 600 race on a Yamaha. He made his debut in the TT last year and finished 25th in the Supersport 600 race at an average speed of 102.62 mph with a lap at over 105. His ambition for this year is to place in the top 10 in the Supersport 600 race and to lap at 115 mph in the Senior race. The 1993 White Bros. World 4-Stroke TT Scrambles & MX Championships will be held May 1-2 at southern California's Perris Raceway. Professional racing will be conducted on Sunday for a cash purse estimated at over $2500. New this year will be a special race on Saturday for fonr-stroke flat track bikes eqUipped with "Class C" tires, plus a Vintage Iron-sponsored vintage bike show. Overnight camping at the track will be available Friday and Saturday nights. For more information, contact White Bros. at 714/692-3404. Prospective spo~rs should contact Hal Sanguinetti at 602/437-5411. Cycle News Associate Editor Paul Carruthers will sell his set of Wayne Rainey leathers that the three-time World Champion wore when he was a How the Da lona 200 was lost ere's a case of a picture truly painting 1000 words. Muzzy Kawasaki's Scott Russell (1) led going into the chicane on the final lap of the Daytona 200 on March 7, but he encountered Chuck Graves (110) at an inopportune time. All this allowed four-time World Champion Eddie Lawson to gain ground and pass the suddenly blocked Russell on the exit to the banking, giving Lawson his second Daytona 200 victory. H member of Team Honda in 1986, with proceeds going to the widow and children of road racer Jimmy Adamo, who was killed in the Daytona 200 on March 7. When told of the idea, Rainey said he'd throw in a set of the lea thers he wore to victory in last year's 500cc World Championship Road Race Series. The leathers will be sold as a set to the highest bidder in a silent auction. To place your bid for the collector's items, call Carruthers at 310/427-7433. Dual Sporter Magazine is the title of a new bi-monthly publication that will be produced by Team Dual Dogs, the southern California-based promoters of dual sport rides. The magazine will be available free at selected dealers and dual sport events nationwide. For more information, contact Damon Powell at 818/701-1913. Jay Milligan, who many will recall as the promoter of Grand Na tional and 600 National Championshi17 dirt track races at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg, New York, tells Papa that he'll be hosting an AMA-sanctioned amateur/pro MX at the facility on Saturday, August 21. "It will take place during the fair, so we expect a big crowd," Milligan said. "We'll run the amateur classes during the day, then prep the track and run the pro class motos in the evening." Tentative plans c.all for $10,000 to be up for gra bs in the pro ranks, $5000 in the 125cc class and $5000 in the 250cc division. Stay tuned. Ooops! Apologies to George Waller Jr., who after finishing an impressive third overall in round two of the AMA National Championship Enduro Series at Maxeys, Georgia, on February 21, was looking forward to our coverage. Not! What he ended up seeing with the report was a picture of Allen Gravitt although the photo caption said it was Waller. The Kawasaki Team Green rider from Pleasant Grove, Alabama, is also sponsored by Malcolm Smith Racing, Spectro, rco, Smith Goggles, Tsubaki, Renthal, Bieffe and "last but certainly not least" George Waller Sr. Suzuki's Mike Webb tells uS that besides winning the Vet A class, he finished seventh overall in the Alligator Enduro at Daytona. The unofficial results we ran with our coverage didn't show Webb in the top 10. " I called the club and they said I finished seventh overall. That gives Suzuki five of the top 10," Webb said. His being scored as seventh overall drops Team Suzuki motocrosser Guy Cooper, who rode an electric-start DR250S, to eighth. The Daytona Dirt Riders, hosts of the annual Alligator Enduro, say official results won't be available for "several weeks." The 2nd Annual Damon Bradshaw Mother's Day MX for MDA will take place on Sunday, May 9, at Motocross of

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