Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Cycle News 1993 10 06

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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New Zealander Aaron Slight (Kaw) and Ita lian G iancarlo Falappa (Due) split race wins in the 11th round of the World Champ ionship Superbike Series in Monza, Italy, September 26. Slight beat his teammate Scott Russell (Kaw) and Fabrizio Pirovano (Yam) in the first leg, with Falappa topp ing Slight and . Pirovano in the second race. Russell, who turned in a 2-5 tally, continues to lead Carl Fogarty (Due) in the champions h ip poin t standings, 321.5-312.5. Fogarty finished the day w ith two fourth-place finishes . Ted Wilkins (Rtx) and Lou Gerencer Jr. (H-D) earned wins in the 540 and 800cc classes, respectively, at the White Rose M.e. National Championship Hillclimb in Jefferson, Pennsylv an ia, September 26. Paul Pinsonnault (H on) was the runner-up in the 540cc class, with Steve D resser (Suz) , Scott Evere tt (Tri) and Ernie Pellin (Hon) completing the top five. In the 800cc di vision, Tom Reiser (H-D), was second ahead of Tim Frazi er (BSA) , Greg Williams (Hon) and Glendal Petty Jr. (Tri). With one round rema ining in the points races, Pinsonnault leads Everett b y three points in the 540cc class, and Rei ser lead s Gerencer Jr. by three points in the 800cc d ivision. Mike LaRocco (Kaw) and Barry Carsten (Suz) were the big winners at the opening round of the AMA Dirt Shirts Fall C lassic Motocross Series at Red Bud Track 'N' Trail in Buchanan, Michigan, Sep tem be r 26. LaRocco, who recently ea rned th e AMA 500cc Nationa l MX Champ ionship title , won both 250 /0pen class moto s, while Todd DeHoop (Hon) finish ed second overall with 3-2 moto fin ishes. Rounding out the top five were Greg Bowen (Yam), David Gaylord (Kaw) a nd Carsten. Carst en cam e back and won the 125cc class via 2-1 moto finishes. Gaylord finishe d seco nd overall with 3-2 scores, and DeHoop, Anthony Pocorobba (Suz) an d John Kitsch (Suz) filled the top five. 2 . Rothmans Honda 's Mick Doohan was released from a San Fran cisco hospital on Friday, September 24, a week after corrective surgery on his right leg. Since the operation, an extern al fixation of carbon fiber and metal has been fitt ed to Doohan's leg between the knee and foot. The sm all bone in the back of his leg had to be re-broken and three rings were fitted between the knee and ankle. They a re connected by a series of rods and clamps and Doohan tightens the clamps o ne-q ua r te r turn, four times a day, straightening his leg by a millimeter every day. "The bottom ring, on his ankle, is out of line," Doohan's crew chief Jeremy Burgess sa id at the FIM Grand Prix a t [arama on Sep tember 26. "The purpose is to align the third ring to the other two that are straight. He'll be X-r ayed every 10 days and he's no t putting any st ress on th e bone." It is e xpected that Doohan's leg will be straightened within a month. Until the leg is straight, his doctors don't want him putting any weight on it. "My doctor s have informed me that the operation was a success and I'm not feeling any pain," Doohan sa id. " A t first I thought I might need a bone graft, but that wasn 't necessary. The tibia and fibula of the leg were cut to allow the leg to be straightened and lengthened. I expect to be discharged from the hospi tal next week and then I'll be staying here for another couple of mo nths for follow-up treatment. " Doohan will be staying in the Bay Area while rehabilitating his leg. "It could take up to three months," Burgess said. "If he could make a mid-December test it will be all right. We do n't want to take any short cuts this time." An expedited recuperation from the injury Doohan originally s uffered in last June's Dutch TT h as been bla m ed fo r the bowing o f Doohan's leg . The right shoulder that Doohan broke at th e U.S. GP will not need surgery. J Asked at the F1M Grand Prix what his plans are for 1994, Cag iva ' s Joh n Kocinski said: "Right now, I'm not sure. I'm thinking about the race tomorrow. I'll just let Dave Stevenson (Kocinski's manager) take care of every thi ng and see what he br ings me." At one time during the weekend th e possibility of Kocinski tes ting the Ma rlboro Ho nd a Pons NSR500 e xis te d, but it was squashed afte r the races ended. "I don't want to know anything until afte r the last GP , is what John told me," Stevenson said. "He honestly doesn' t know anything. I h ave a menu with three options to choose ' fro m and he won't see them until after the GP. After the race we'll talk seriously for the first time. I expect to have an answer in the next two weeks." Ca giva had said they'd like an an swer w ithin 10 days. Stevenson said tha t Cag iva was one of the options, though he wouldn't name the other two. "Cagiva is ve ry happy. There's a good relationsh ip there. But I wouldn't be doing m y job if I d idn't look el sewhere." Kocins ki has be en offered a ride on one of the works HB Honda NSR250s, but Stevenson said, "Joh n told me not even to look at the 250 deals. Not after the bad experience he had this year in the 250 class." World Champion Kevin Schwantz will attend the 500cc race at Sugo, Japan the second weekend in Octob er , though only as a spectator. On October 5 he will .enter a Los Angeles hospital for surgery to correct the carpal tunnel synd rome in hi s right hand. H e has had a si m ila r operation on his left hand, though it was done with a speedy return to the track in mind. This operation, thou gh similar, allows for a more extended con valescence. Following th e ope ra tion he will leave for Sugo, then will visit the Suzuki factory in Hammamatsu follow ing the race . Kenny Roberts Jr. was a specta tor a t the FIM Grand Prix in [ararna, but he'll be busy the followin g weekend. On Saturday he'll take part in a round of the Ducados Open on the Catalunya circu it near Barcelona, th en ra ce in the Superpres tigio on the sa me tr ack on Sunday. After Barcelon a, there are two rounds rema ining in the Ducados Open series and Roberts Jr. currently lies second behind Spaniard Luis D' Antin. As for what h e' ll be doing n e xt yea r, Roberts said, "I think GP's. That stuff's always up in the air. For me, just looking at it, this has been a pretty we ird year for everybody. I just want to ride GPs and try to win races. I shou ld know something in a coupl e of w eeks ." Rumors of Yamaha pulling ou t of the 250 class have spawned an other class of rumors linking Roberts Jr. with various other teams, including Telkor, which would switch back to Aprilia if Yamaha pulled out, and Pileri Honda. Among the riders Roberts Jr. w ill face in the Superprestigio is [arama 500cc GP winner Alex Barros. The Brazilian, who raced 250s for a number of years befor e moving up to the 500cc clas s in 1990, will race the Lucky Strike Suzuki for the first time. Recently cr o w n ed Grand National Champion Ricky Graham will compete in the October 6-7 AMA /CCS Race of Bradshaw calls it q_ui_ts--,----------_ r _ eam Yamaha motocross rider Damon Bradshaw (right) has .announced that he will stop racing motorcycles for an indefinite period of time. Bradshaw was hired by the Yamaha factory in 1989 following a stellar amateur career. The 16-yearold Bradshaw imme diately won the 125cc Eastern Regional Supercross Championship, but it was the on ly major title that he would win. Bradshaw held the 1992 Camel Supercross Series points lead heading into the final round at the Los Angeles Co liseum , but faltered there and finished fifth, hand ing the championship to Honda's Jeff Stanton. Still, Bradshaw signed a five-year contract reported ly worth more than $2 million after the '92 season. This year, amid rumors that he was being adversely affected by everything from a knee injury, to personal troubles, the Mooresville, North Carolina, resident had a disappointing year. The 21-year-old wo n only two Camel Supercross rounds and one National MX in '93, and finished fourth and nin th in the two series, respectively . In a press release issued by Yamaha, Bradshaw said that for personal reasons.he can no longer give 110% of his effort to racing, and to give anything less would cheat his fans and sponsors. " I'll be back when I feel I can earn my paycheck and no t one second before," Bradshaw said in the release. "I kno w this is the toughest decision of Damon's life," said Yamaha race team manager Keith McCarty. "I have always had a lot of admiration for Damon, bu t I really respect the way he faced his feelings and did what he thought was best. We will miss his dynamic personality around the pits and his presence on the race track." Bradshaw 's first 250cc supercross win came at Anaheim Stadium in January of 1990, and he went on to amass 19 wins throughout his five-year professional career. He won a record nin e supercross rounds in '92, a mark that was broken just one year later by Honda's Jeremy McGrath: Bradshaw also won five 125cc National MX rounds and five 250cc rounds throughout his career. Bradshaw 's departure frees up at least one slot and a sub stantial amount of mone y on the Yamaha squad, as '92 125cc National MX Champion [effErnig is the only team rider with another year left on his contract and Doug Dubach is not expected to be resigned. Most of the top riders have already signed deals, but 500cc National Champion Mike laRocco, a member of Team Kawasaki in '93, is still available. A former Team Yamah a rid er, laRocco would be an obvious rider for Yamaha to pursue, but most believe that laRocco will renew his contract with Kawasaki. McCarty also said that Yamaha is looking at various possibilities and will announce the 1994 team at a later date. Champions at Daytona International Sp eed way, ab o ard a Two Br others Racing Ho nd a CBR600. "I'm planning on a tta cki ng th at race with the same in tensity that I carried throughout the Grand National Championship Series," said Graham. "I've always wished that I had tr ied road racing earlier in my career w he n I had the chance, and I don't want to pass it up again." Graham al so hinted .that his ride a t Daytona could be a preview of things to come in 1994. "With the absence of series sponsorship in dirt track and the lack of a major sponsor for our race team, there's not much to be had on the dirt anymore ," Graham said. "It would be hard for me to ge t as pumped next year to race dirt track again unless a big sponsor came along." When asked what number he will pick for th e 1994 AMA Grand National Championsh ip Series now that he has surrendered the right to carry the number one plate to Ri cky G ra ham, Team Harley-Davidson's Ch ris Carr sm iled, crossed his arms and replied, "I'm no t sayin', The series isn 't over yet and it's n ot time to decide that. Everyone expects me to pick number four because ' that was my rookie number, but I might jus t su rp rise everyone and grab another." Dallas Half Mile winner Will D a v is announced that there will be an addition to the A&R Racing tea m in 1994. "My wife Rhonda and I are expecting a baby in the early part of June," said Davis at the September 24 Sacramento Mile. "We wer e getting ready to pla n it ou t, but this is a bit of a surprise." When asked if he thought fatherhood might slow him d own , Davis chuckled and said, "Heck no, becau se now I'll have to feed it!" After 19 years on the AMA Grand National Championship Series circuit, Tex an Terry Po ovey has d ecided to hang up his leathers. "After Pomona, that's it," said Poovey at the Sacramento Mile. "It 's become so much work for so ,little money lately, and I feel tha t it 's time to spend some time with my family." Speaking o f retirement, three-t ime Grand National Champion and 4D-time National winner Jay S p r ings teen announced that he will not retire for at least one more season. "Bill Bartels and I are supposed to have a meeting after Pomona," said Springsteen. "Hell, I'm still having a blas t, and I don't see any reason to hang it up yet." Race p romoter C h ri s Aga j a nian reports tha t the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California, will host a round of the AMA Grand National Championship Series in 1994 . "We tried to get a National in ther e th is year, but things fell through for a number of reasons," said Agajanian at the Sacramento Mile. "Then a few weeks ago, t h e fairgro unds contacted me again and said that they wanted to host a race next year." According to Agajanian, the D el Mar Mile will be he ld October 16, in conjunction with the October 15 Concours d'Elegance Motorcycle Show. "I was a bit nervous about promoting the race, but being paired up with the motorcycle show will help with the sp ecta tor turnout," Agajanian said. Before the start of the Sacramento Mile race program, recently crowned Grand National Champ ion Ric k y G r a h a m appeared much more re la xed and a t ease than he ha d prior to clinching the

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