Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

OHV funds in k!wardy~>--ain W _ hile California Governor Pete Wilson is usually considered to be an ally of the state's off-road community, it would be hard to tell that by looking at the nearly $10 million in proposed "transfers" from off-highway vehicle (OHV) funds to non-0HV use, which Wilson has approved for the 1993/'94 fiscal year. Legislators routinely rob money from both the OHV "Green Sticker" fund, which receives its money exclusively from California off-roaders, and from the OHV portion of the motor vehicle fuel account, which gets its cash from a percentage of total fuel sales in the state. During his campaign, Wilson promised to stop the practice of stealing from OHV accounts once elected', and while he lived up to his word at first by vetoing an $8 million proposal in '90/'91, he has since approved several "chapters" which allow the transfer of funds to other programs. Included in the proposa1s for '93/'94 are the transfer of $8.9 million from the OHV fund and over $2.5 million from two different areas of the OHV fund, both to go to the state park and recreation fund. Well over $37 million has already been stolen from the OHV fund since '82/'83, bringing the total of actual and proposed transfers to more than $47 million. Readers should contact Wilson to express opposition to the proposal Send letters to Governor Pete Wilson at the Governor's Office, 1st Floor, State Capital Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814, or call 916/445-2864. Wilson can be faxed at 916/445-4633. It is also recommended that you make your feelings known to your state senator and assemblyman. ing permits. One would think there'd be a reduced fee for the minimal space a bike plus its operator .and perhaps passenger would take up compared with a motorhome. And to think people blame motorcyclists for slaughtering desert tortoises! On May 7, the BLM arrested 40-year-old Sao Pet of Tacoma, Washington, and a citizen of Cambodia, along with five other people, just south of Barstow, California, for the illegal possession of nine desert tortoises. Pet indicated that the tortoises were to be consumed as part of a wedding ceremony. "We recognize that other cultures have different customs and practices, but the Bureau will aggressively pursue any taking of desert tortoises," said California Desert District Manager Henri Bisson, "and prosecute violators to the maximum extent that the law will allow!" Each misdemeanor/felony violation Pet can be prosecuted for (violation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and possible violation of the Lacey Act of 1981 - illegal interstate transport of an endangered species) carries a maximum fine of $100,000 and/or up to one year in jail. Remember Mike Goodwin, the "father" of supercross? Well, the AMA's American Motorcyclist magazine's June issue reports that the AMA board of trustees held an interim meeting via phone conference on March 25 and one of the items discussed was a letter dated March 15 that the association received from Goodwin. In the letter, Goodwin said he intended to apply for supercross sanctions in 1994. The board moved that Goodwin be notified that his letter had been brought to their attention and that they had referred it to legal counsel, and that he was advised to have no further contact with the AMA, itS trustees, officers, or employees except in writing through the association's legal c9unsel. The interim meeting's decision was backed up by the full board at its May 78 meeting in Portland, Oregon. The minutes of that meeting state, "Given the prior business dealings between Mr. Goodwin and the AMA which resulted in litigation... the AMA will not sanction any event promoted by Mike Goodwin, or any business entity in which Mr. Goodwin is in any way associated." Since the unsolved murder of rival promoter Mickey Thompson in March of 1988, Goodwin has for the most part remained out of the public's eye. Also revealed in the minutes of the May 7-8"AMA Board of Trustees meeting which we received on Tuesday, June 1, is the news that the association is form- ing a for-profit subsidiary corporation for the purpose of promoting professional races. The minutes say that the subsidiary corporation's sole shareholder will be the AMA. "The corporation will be run by a separa te board," said AMA President Ed Youngblood, who also said the corporation's main emphasis will be in the field of road racing. The AMA had retained legal counsel Russ Deane, who had assisted other motorsports organiza tions on the creation of for-profit corporations, to determine the feasibility of creating such a subsidiary of the AMA. Wilson Springer, 76, a well-known and . well-liked motorsports journalist in southern California during the halfway mark era of this century, passed away in Medford, Oregon, in mid-April. During the week following open heart surgery he suffered several strokes and never recovered. Springer was equally talented as a writer, photographer and artist. (The logo used for the Cata1ina Grand Prix was Wilson's work.) His writings for the Los Angeles Herald-Express were widely read. Following his retirement from the newspaper he' went to work for Webco, the popular motorcycle accessory firm. A move to Oregon ended that c;,areer. However, he still stayed in touch with his many motorcycling friends, and usually attended the Trailblazers Banquet as well as the annual Portland get-together for veteran motorcyclists. He is survived by his wife Alice, son Ralph and daughters Lea and Kathy. Those wishing to financially remember him may make a donation to Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, 3101 S.W. Sam Jackson Rd., Portland, OR 97201. The Springer Family address is 2901 Tahitian Ave., Medford, OR 97504. Godspeed, Wilson. Geoff Aaron, the New England Trials Champion and #2 rider in National competition, will compete in four World Championship rounds this summer. Aaron, whowill be competing aboard a factory Beta, will contest the Italian, Spanish, French and Andorran rounds out of his base in Marseilles, France. "The Europeans are far ahead of us in riding technique," Aaron said. "America is very isolated from the World Championship trials scene and the only way to improve is to go to Europe like (former World Champion) Bernie Schreiber did and ride with the best. Even though I'll miss two Nationals, I think what I learn riding these World rounds will allow me to come back stronger than ever." In addition to the support he receives from Beta, Aaron is sponsored by Cosmopolitan Motors, Rising Sun Imports, Gaerne, Michelin, Cycle Service Center/Power-Perfect Exhaust, The Tryals Shoppe, Spectro and Sinisalo. A reception honoring Pat Owens, a former Triumph factory race team mechanic, and Peter Halt, who are both running for seats on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees, is being held Saturday, June 5, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Silver Star Service in Monterey Park, California. If you're a resident of Los Angeles County, don't forget to vote on June 8. For more information, call 213/225-1687. CMC announced that their fall race series will fea ture a different twist this year, and will be dubbed the 5th Annual CMC Manufacturers/Aftermarket/Dealers Challenge. The tworace series will start November 21 at Sunrise Valley Raceway in Adelanto, California, and will give riders a chance to join forces and race as members of eight-man teams under the banner of a manufacturer, aftermarket company or dealership. CMC has developed a lengthy list of rules regarding the skill levels of the riders who may comprise the team and a cash purse, team trophies and medals will be awarded to the top teams. Team applications are now being accepted. For more information and to obtain a set of rules, call CMC at 619/246-7262. According to his father, Colin Edwards will likely ride the new Yamaha YZF750SP at the June 13 AMA National Championship Road Race round at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Edwards recently completed a two-day test of the Vance & Hines prepared Yamaha at Willow Springs in southern California, and Colin Edwards Sr. reports good results. So far both Edwards and his Vance & Hines teammate Jamie James have used the tried and tested Yamaha aWOl Superbikes at the first four rounds of the series. Edwards Sr. also wanted to start a new Cycle News subscription to a different addresss - it seems his sons "steal" his other issue before he gets a chance to read it. The Honda XR250L has been selected as the official motorcycle for the first expedition of the soon-to-be-chosen Marlboro Adventure Team. The team will cover 600 miles in 11 days by way of motorcycles, four-wheel drive cars, horses and white water rafts in Colorado and Utah in September. Since November 1992, adult smokers have been entering a national "Make The Team" contest conducted by Marlboro. The wins by Team Yamaha riders Damon Bradshaw and Jeff Emig at the AMA National MX in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, marked the first time since 1979 that the manufacturer has won both the 125 and 250cc classes at a National MX. That year, Bob Hannah topped the 250cc division at Herman, Nebraska, while Broe Glover was the winner in the 125cc class. In 1983, Yamaha won both the 125 and 500cc divisions at Lake Whitney, Texas, with Glover winning the 500cc class and Ron Leehien doing likewise in the 125cc division. Yamaha team manager Keith McCarty wasn't on hand at Mt. Morris to enjoy the success of his riders. After spending his Memorial Day weekends at High Point Raceway for the past 10 years, McCarty opted to take the weekend off and spend some "quality time" with his family. Acting in McCarty's place was motorsports racing division manager Larry Griffis. If you were on hand at Mt. Morris and enjoyed the singing of the national anthem before the race, thank the singer, Marcia Boyesen. Marcia is the wife of none other than Eyvand Boyesen, owner of Boyesen Reeds. Team Noleen was a no-show at Mt. Morris, with both Larry Brooks and Shaun Kalos sitting the round out. Though team personnel were not available for comment, rumor has it that cost was the reason for the squad's absence. The eastern event was preceded by and will be followed by Camel Supercross rounds in California. Shortly before the start of the first 125cc moto at Mt. Morris, Cycle Nl!Ws contributor Davey Coombs made a prediction: "Jeff Emig's going to run away with it today," said Coombs, whose father Dave Coombs Sr. promoted the race. "He does good on hard-packed tracks with lots of off-cambers." Coombs proved to be spot-on, as Emig holeshot both motos and won by substantial margins. Yamaha and Kawasaki were both trying out prototype aftermarket parts for the first time at the Mt. Morris MX National. Team Yamaha's bikes sported DeVol-manufactured aluminum suspension linkage components with different leverage ratios than stock, while Ryan Hughes' factory KXI25 featured a solidmounted (non-floating) front brake disc, maEie by Braking. Former National Enduro Champion Kevin Hines (Hus) scored the overall win at the Mauna Kea 200 Enduro held on Hawaii, May 30-31. Second overall went to Phil Oveland (Hus), while multi-time Mauna Kea 200 winner Steve Zoll (Kaw) and Steve Trinies (KTM) rounded out the top four. Hines also won the event last year. More than 110 riders turned out for the 200-mile enduro which began and ended in Hilo. CORRECTION: The Georgia Recreational Trail Riders-hosted trail ride that is being held in conjunction with the 10th Annual Ride for Kids in Atlanta will take place on June 5, not in July as previously reported. CORRECTION: Kawasaki's Mike Kiedrowski, Mike LaRocco, Mike Craig and Ryan Hughes will not be present for autograph signing at Desert Honda Suzuki in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, June 11 as we previously reported. However, Suzuki's Phil Lawrence, Damon Huffman, Jimmy Button and Jeff Matiasevich will. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Dublin Kawasaki and Suzuki in Dublin, California, in addition to previously announced Bob Hannah and Team Suzuki riders, Team Kawasaki's Mike Kiedrowski, Mike LaRocco, ¥ike Craig and Ryan Hughes plus announcer Larry Maiers, on Friday, June 4, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Info: 800/750-4135 or 510/8294466. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING At Freedom Suzuki/Yamaha in Concord, New Hampshire, Team Vance & Hines/Yamaha ride,rs Jamie James, Colin Edwards and Jamie Bowman, on Friday, June 18, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Info: 603/225-2779. HIRED: Mike Alexander by A.H. McLaughlin's Four Strokes Only, the Hollywood, California, off-road and dual-sport motorcycle accessory shop. Alexander will head the suspension and service departments. tN 3

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