Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127603
v0ICES Letters tothe editor· Thanks again, Joe Thank yo u for the Joe Scalzo article on Dick Mann (Bug Man, November 10). Joe, you wrote a book on Dick Mann's career about 20 years ago. I haven't been able to find one yet, but your story comparing his hunt for the number one plate to Ricky Graham's '93 title chase will keep me going until I do. Thanks for anything you write Qn people involved in racing; to me it's the best reading there is. If you know of -any sources of any of your earlier books, please let me know. Dennis Christie Los Angeles, CA We f orwarded your letter to Mr . Scalzo. Unf ortunately, not even he knew how to obtain one of his books as they are no longer in print. Joe suggest ed th at you try a library...Editor. Miffed hot shoe fan I want to thank ESPN for making d irt track motorcycle fans feel like secondclass citizens. ESPN 's telecast (or very partial telecas t) of Pomona ' s s eason fina le, which w as pre-empted by drag racing, was a let-d own . Do n 't those people a t ESPN kn ow wha t they're d oing? They sure can't be very organized . Do you think they w ould have pre-em p te d any other sports? Thanks a whole bunch ESPN...Not! Mike G rieff Mazon,IL Dave Despain tells us that viewers wishing to voice their displeasure should forward their complaints to: Programming Depa rtment, ESPN Plaza , Bristol , CT 06010. Despain also added that the AMA Grand National Championship Series Year End Rev iew Show will air on ESPN, Nove mber 18 at 9:30 Pacific time, and Nove mber 19 at 12:30 a.m . Eastern time...Editor. O'Show buff I first became a Johnny O'Mara fan w h ile standi ng in ankle-deep mud and watching h im win the 1980 Mid-Ohio 125cc U.S. GP as a privateer. I became a lifelong fan when he was drafted onto the underdog '81 American Motocross des Nations team that sh owed up in Lommel, Bel gium, a n d s m o k e d the sh ocked Europeans. This Sunday, I was fortunate enough to watch O'Mara race again at the Vet Wor ld Champ ionships in Perris, California . As he has throughout his career, O'Mara appeared to be enjoying h imself and racing because he loves motocross, not because of the money he could make from it. To me, Johnny 0 ' has always personified everything cool about motocross. Rich ard Johnson Manhattan Beach, CA After officially retiring from professional motocross competition at the end of tile 1990 season, the fo rmer factory Honda, Suzu ki and Kawasaki rider went on to capture the '91 N ORBA Expert National Mo untain Bike Championship as a member of Team Yeti. O'Mara joined Team Diamond Back in his rookie proseason in '92, but injuries and sickness left him 23rd at the season's end. Frustrated with his results, 0'Mara decided to return to motocross in '93 , but once again, injuries hampered his comeback. Unf ortunately for O'Mara 's fans, his '94 plans don't include motocross, as he will ret urn to the NORBA National Championship Series as a member of Team Barracuda. " I'll be contesting the ent ire National series, as well as few of the World Cup rounds," said O'Mara. "Tha t won't leave much time for racing motorcycles, but I'll probably pop up at a vet race here and there. ". . . Editor. Down and out Well, the AMA supercross sch edule has come out and once again the AMA has forgot o r totally abandoned the No rtheast. We haven't had a supercross since they killed off Foxboro and Giant Sta di u m (the Mead o w la n d s in New Jerse y...Editor). There is no excuse for running a 15race series and leaving one-fourth of the country out. If the AMA can ' t get it done, maybe someone else ca n . The Nationals and the Fall Classic are nice, but th ey ' r e no t a replacement for a supercross. A merican Motorcyclis t Assoc iation? I think the Northeast is still in Am erica. Frank Cri sol ogo Bridgewater, NJ INSIDE FEATURES DUAL SPORT Moose hunting in the Canadian Rockies Rediscovering the Sierras at the Ridge Runner 500 4 12 TEST Kawasaki's 1993 KLX650 Dual Sporter 8 MOTOCROSS Doctor D. has the cure at Vet World 24 MX Championships OFF-ROAD Summers in season at Wickenburg National Hare Scramble 26 DEPARTMENTS EVENTS .30 CALENDAR 40 RACER TEST Factory Ducati 926 Superbike 14 RESULTS RIDING IMPRESSION Suzuki's all-new '94 RF600R 20 _ WANT ADS 43 43 ON THE FRONT PAGE: The term "big co un try" ta kes on a whole n ew m eaning in the Ca nad ia n Rockies. We discovered that fir st-hand on a Backroads Adventure five day/night dual sp ort rid e in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. See page 4. Photo by Kit Palmer. (Inset) Check ou t page 8 for a long-term evaluation of the '93 Kawasaki KLX650 d ual spo rt machine. Photo by Kinne y Jones . Thanks, Scott I would jus t like to pub licly tha nk Scot t Summers for allowing me to be pa rt of his crew d uring the last AMA National Hare Scramb le. Sp ecia lized Bicycles is one of Sco tt's sponsors and provid es a mountain bike for him to pre-ride the race co u rse. A s an employee of Specialized, I called two weeks before the event and offered to help. Both Scott and his friend/ mechanic Fred Bramlett made me feel righ t at home, inviting me to all m ea ls, lell in g me help with wrenching on the bikes, and just hanging ou t. . Th e p rofessiona lism th ey bring to th e sport an d, of co urse, Scott's sk ill, a re jus t two of the reasons he is a sixti me Na tio n a l C hampion. There is m o re to the s por t th an just ra ci n g . Bein g mobbed by film crews and fan s a t the finish can be stressful, but Scott mad e sure tha t everyone go t the ir autographs a n d p ictures. I was ve ry impressed. Thanks, Scott an d Fred , for allowing me to be a small part of your win. Tom Hillard Morgan Hill, CA Retiring I'm writing to say that aft er 20 years of d irt track racing, I'm going to retire. I' d like to thank some people who were an important part of my racing career. I'd like to thank Ted Frost. For the past four ye a rs, Ted has been m y m a jo r sponsor and without h im I would not have been racing. I'd like to thank Carl Patrick, who for many yea rs b uilt m y motors and kept them running fast. I'd a lso like to thank Bell Helmets and Jack Jarboe for grea t paint designs; Valvoline O il , F & S H arley-D a v id s on , D' s Leathe rs, Ga r y Stulzenburg, M ik e Magoon, Bob Stump, and everyone else w ho he lped me throughou t my racing career. My fina l thanks go to my family: my wife, kids, brother, rela tives and most of all my mothe r and father, who through thick an d thin always came through for me so I could go racing. My dad stayed up ma ny lo ng n igh ts throughout the years to get the bike ready and spen t lots of hard-earned dollars so we cou ld go racing. Thank yo u all. Damn Erichse n National #68 Worthington, OH (~~j ~ r~ ~ America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Volume XXX · Sharon Oayton, President Michael Klinger, Publisher Editorial Paul Carruthers, Editor KitPalmer, Associate Editor Donn Maeda, Associate Editor Chris [onnurn, Associate Editor ScottRousseau, Assistant Editor Graphics and Production Ree Johnson, Production Supervisor Mandy Loa, Production Manager Dennis Greene, LAb. Tec h. StaceyGuest, Graphic Artist Amy Faught, GraphicArtist Administration Judy Klinger, Coordinator Peggy Rivera, Secretary to thePublisher Want Ads Kelly Branscome, Want Ad Sales Accounting/Data Processing Donna Bryan-Diamond, NR Coordinator Geneva Repass, Assistant Herlane Lewis, Credit National Headquarters 2201 Cherry Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach. CA 908OHl498 (310) 427-7433; (213) 636-8844. FAX (310) 427-6685 Advertising Terry Pratt, National Accounts Ma1/ager Mark Thome, Western Sales Manager Thomas Ganter, Western Sales Ma1/ager Forrest Hayashi, Western Sales Manager Mark Mitchell, Eastern Accou1/ts Manager Greg Mitchell, Eastern Sales Manager Rick Matheny, Eastern Sales Manager Rhonda Crawford, Western Ad Coordinator Carla Allen, Eastern Ad Coordinator Marketing & Promotion Mark Thome, Manager Dealer Sales Toni Kerr, Dealer Representatioe Circulation Rheba Smith, Ma1/ager Alma Anguiano, Pr ocessing Coordinator Pam Klein, Billing Coordinator Carol Begovic, DealerCoordinator Service and Support Chris Aitcheson, Headquarters Rrceptionis! Leonard Herring, Service and Support Eastern O ffice First Ave., Tucker, GA, 30084; mailing address P.O. Box B05, Tucker, GA ~. 4 190 (404) 934- 7850. FAX (404) 934-311 2 Cycle News (USPS141·340) is published weekly except the last twoweeks of the calendar year for $50.00 Long Beach, CA 90806. 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