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/127649
·.S P R R SS.. · CamelSupercross Series Season P UECO review ,. ' . - . " I UU . By Chris Jonnum 16 on 't you wis h you were a factory supercross rider? The gl0';Y' the riches, the flying around the nation - it would all be you rs, If only ~ou could secu re tha t elusive factory ride. It does sound great, but racing the Camel Supercro ss Series is no bowl of cherries. Imagine yourself lining up in Or lando, Florida, for round one's main event. You'v e finall y signed your first factory con tract, and your off-season "vacation" consisted of a numbin g succession of da ys spe nt testing at so~e no t-so-picturesque southern California test course. You hope the .s uspe~lOn settings you've come up with work well in th~ real wo rld ?f stad ium racIng; otherwise, you'll have to somehow squeeze In mo re testi ng b~tween now and next weekend, when you' ll be halfway acro ss the country In Hou ston , Texas. . As the star ter raises the 3O-second board, you attempt to clear your mind, but you can't help b ut feel the press ure on .your shoulders: Your empl?yer hi red you to win, and no matter how ex te,:slv~ you r education, h,ow refined yo ur social skills, or how strong your dedication , yo u know you II get your wal king pap ers if you don't per form. At best, you can exp.ect your professio nal career to las t 15 yea rs, and there's not mu ch of a re tirement plan for . . . . ex-supercross racers. The rid ers may no t appreciate It, b ut that mten~lty IS wha t m~kes su~er cro ss so appeali ng to the fans. The act.ion .and exciteme nt of sta.dlUm racIng are unrivaled in any othe r spo rt, which IS why we keep comIng back for more. So check out the series schedule, and mark you r hometown rou nd on th e cale nd a r. And whe n th e tim e comes, be sure to tak e th e fami ly and friends to check ou t the gr eates t show on earth. But try to enjoy .that s~ow wi tho ut wishing you were one of the performers - after all, you Just nu ght ~ ~ t~w~~ ~ w ill·be the last y~ar th~~ the R.J-,Reynoids Tobacco ·CqmpanYputs up the ·money to 'be . the title sponsor for the stadium circuit: In ~therwords, there wil! be no "Camel" preceeding the . · words "SupercrossSeries" in 1995. More Imp.ortantly, th<;re wIII 'ben~ $100~OOO check to the. series winner.rat least not with Smokirr'jce's signature on It. The AMA IS hopmgthat·someone elSe win step up to theplate in '95: Mostexpect Coors Lig~t to stayInvolved wi th thei r'event .-This P~;~ are t~~ bi~ ch~:ng~·f~;the:'~4~~~on~ ..' . :. . . • .... .. ... . : : . . .. . .:. ; ': . . . . . - There will be no double-headers in '94. In the past, when ven ues were more difficult for the · fledgling series to attain, several .cities (including Houston, Seattle 'and Pontiac) hosted.tw'o ·. · rou nds over asingle weekend, P6ntiac.~as the l ast holdou t, b.ut.only 0flerace (!~un.d .l0) w ill .bc :. . :. . . . " : held iri the SilverdorrtetJUs·year< . - One new .round joins.the series; taking the place of Pontiac's 'secondnigh t. For th e fIrst . time·ever, Minneapolis" Metrodornewill host a .supercross, fill ing a Midwestern ,:, id .in the o . . ., :. :.:' : : > ' :.; : .' . ". :.":.: . : . .schedule. - Last yea r. rthere "';'ere l 6 ~OIinds in the serio:s; this year t~ere a~e15. That',~b,ecause U~7re ·will be no race in Los Angeles. Ironically, the CO!ISeuIIl round .is con sid ered .the . grandad dy of · supercross, asIt hosted thefirs t-ever " rea l" stad iu m rac~.ba ck in 1972 (th e S!-,p.e;b.o,,:l of Mo tocross) . .Yes, a "supercross't.w asheld a few months earlieron Daytona .Sp e, d way 5 infield , . e bu t L.A. had the first raceina s tadi um. Southern.<:;alifom ianswill·stillha,,·e.r.aces at Arja~eirn . . and San Diego, aridhard-core fans canmake t~e dri ve to San Jose and Las'Vegas , ~ . . .. . . . .. . .. . . - Seattle residents will have to wait·a little longer tha n usualtoattend .the Kingdorne .tace. : .The Washi ngt on rou nd has trad ition ally beertheld early in the season ; in la te Ianuary (Jr . early FebruaryThis year; however; it will be. on May7 , Also; the Mickey Thompson E':'tertaIm~t . . .. . . . .' ' .. G rouphas taken over promotionofthe eve nt from SRO/ Pace. . . ..