Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Cycle News 1994 02 02

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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Bob Moore (Yam) won both the 125 and , 250cc Pro classes during round three of the GFI Winter Series at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, January 23. Moore took the overall win in the 125cc Pro class over Mike Chamberlain (Kaw) and Chris Young (Suz). In the 250cc Pro class, Moore topped the standings followed by Rick Ryan (Yam) and Lance Smail (Hon) . Italian Edi Ori oli (Cag) scored the overall win at the Paris-Dakar-Paris Rally, which ended on Sunday, Jan ua ry 16. Spaniard Jordi Arcarons (Cag) finished second, just a minute and 34 seconds off the pace. It was the smallest margin of victory ever recorded for the event. Italians Fabrizio Meoni (Hon) and Angelo 'CavandoIIi (KTM) were third and fourth, respectively, with Frenchman P. Sirbyjol (Cag) completing the top five. Danny Hamel and Ty Davis combined efforts to win the SCORE Parker 400 offroad race in Arizona, January 22. The Kawasaki KX500-mounted duo finished approximately 13 minutes' ahead of the runner-up, one-man team of Dan Ashcraft, who piloted a Honda CRSOO. John Flores, Tim Morton, Bren t Blount and Brian Schm uckl e teamed up to finish third overall, as well as third in the 500cc class and first place in the 250cc class. The four-mart team juggled riding stints aboard a Honda CR500 and a CR250. Fourth overall wen t to the Kawasaki KLX650R four-stroke team of Larry Roeseler and T ed Hunnicu tt, while rounding out the top five was the Kawasaki KX500 duo of Paul Krause and Ted Hunnicutt. The day after winning the Parker 400, Danny Ha mel (Kaw) scored the overall win at the opening round of the AMA National Championship Hare & Hound Series in Lucerne Valley, California, January 23. Hamel, the three-time champ, crossed the finish lin e approximately three and a half minutes ahead of teammate Ty Davis (Kaw) . Finishing third overall was Dan Richards on (Hon), with Pau l Krause (Kaw) and Jeff Capt (Hon) rounding out the top five. Jeff Cu rry (Kaw) and Ti m Ferry (Hon) scored the 125 and 250cc Pro class wins, respectively, at the third round of the Florida Winter AMA Motocross Series in Dad e City, Florida, January 22-23 . Curry finished ahead of Kevin Windham (Kaw), Ca rl Vailla nco u rt (Suz), Barry Ca rs ten (Suz) and Craig Noack (Suz) in the 125cc cla ss, while Ferry, who also competed in the AMA Supercross Series round in Houston, Texas, on Saturday night, bested John Dowd (Yam), Curry, Vaillancourt, and Cross Country National Champion Fred And rews (Yam) in the 250cc d ivision. Ala n An d reu (Yam) finished ahead of [ole Keller (Yam) to win the Vet Pro class. Greg Zitterkopf (KTM) recorded the overall and Open Pro class wins in the first round of the Best in the Desert Series at the Peppermill Grand Prix in Mesquite, Nevada, January 22. Runnerup Destry Ab bott (KTM) topped the 250cc Pro class; Kelby Pepper (KTM) finished third overall and second 250, while Bryan Folks (KTM) finished fourth overall and third 250. Filling out the top five was Vet Pro winner Scot Harden (KTM). Winner Zitterkopf also competed in the opening round of the National Hare & Hound Series the following day and finished eighth. Three-time AMA National Hare & California riders influence bud et ro osal alifornia off-road enthusiasts have helped preserve more than $12.million for '~e sta te's Off-Highway Vehicle Fund, the largest self-funded motonzed recreation program in the country, according to the AMA. California Governor Pete Wilson had included a provision in his budget proposal for the next fiscal year that threatened to take over $17 million from the off-highway fund, popularly known as the Green Sticker program. That plan, suppo~te~ by the state's Resource Agency, wo uld ha ve diverted the money to offset deficits mother areas of state government. . . But the AMA has learned that Wilson's budget proposal has been revised. While off-highway money is still threatened, the extent of that threat has been reduced. The Green Sticker program gets its money entirely from registration and fuel fees paid by off-highway vehicle enthusiasts in the ~tate. The law ~t establis~ed the program stipulates that the money be used exclusively for motonzed recreation projects that benefit the people who pay it. But in the last decade, the state has taken more than $50 million from the fund and applied it to totally unrelated programs. The lates t planned diversion of funds would have added $17 million to that total. But as a result of the quick action by off-highway groups, all but $4.5 million in Greo;n Sticker funds has been restored in the governor's budget proposal. The governor still plans to divert the $4.5 million to other state programs, perhaps in the form ~f a .Io:m. However, the remaining $12 million has been saved for its intended use: maintaining and expanding motorized recreation opportunities on California lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM. The effort to convince the governor to revise his budget was led by the Off-Road Vehicle Legislative Coalition, made up of various off-road groups including the AMA (1:. and its District 36 and 37 affiliates; the California Off-.Road Vehicle As~!ation; the 0\ California Four-Wheel Drive Association; and_the ~ DI~go Off-Road C~q,?n', d I { ~ ~':S:alifo~'~ j:>,ud~t problems have taken ~~(.~911. R.n, !l!f~high~ay,er;tt~\!S!~S~ ~ver N .,tke ie~rs/' txlJ9-rAM.J1. Iegislariveaffairs spec@lsf(.~e, ,I,.t,U:I.~q¥,i,st. 'p y enJ,that track >. .';ltC9rH, ifs 9~!:' that.~J!., curren; situation faCWg, lhl1.GE~ SycJeer!p.~~i!1Jl ,s:pu~d bea I-< .l o~,\yqr~. ~q~;sJ,I;e ~e ,lo.lJlake sure it doesp. ! IHpp.~ 'I!1:~~er ag~: 6 i l/'ln iti ""J : ca ".J' Wilson's budget proposal now goes before the California Legislature for fu;rther consideration. The AMA urges California mo torcyclists to write to Governor Wilson, .0 asking him to oppose all plans to divert Green Sticker money for use in other areas of the state budget. Address all letters to the Honorable Pete Wilson, Governor, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814, or call 916/445-2841 to express your concerns about this issue. C ~ ~ 2 & 2 I Graham to race Smokin' Joe's Honda RC30 in Da tona 200 efending Grand National Champion Ricky Graham (right) has reached an agreement with Smokin' Joe's Racing to compete in the March 13 Daytona 200, held at Daytona Internatio nal Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Although team riders Kevin Magee and Mike Smith will ride Honda's all-new Honda RC45, Graham will be aboard one of the Honda RC30s ,that Smith rode last season. He will, however, compete in similar Smokin Joe's Racing livery and the bike will be painted in the purple and yellow featured on the other bikes. Mike Hale is the fourth member of the team, the Texan will ride a Honda CBR600 in the AMA/CCS 600ccSupersport class. According to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Senior Operations Manager Curtis Gray, additional , funding for Graham's one-race effort will come from American Honda and Daytona International Speedway's [im France. "We' re excited for Ricky," said Gray. ,"In the past, we've always liked to do what we could to help dirt trackers make the transition to road racing ." According to Honda's motorcycle press department manager Jim Bates: "It's too early to say whether this will lead to further involvement from Honda: but we wanted to help Ricky try his han d at road racing. After doing so well all on his own last year, Honda felt compelled to lend a hand. After seeing what a comeback he is capable of, I wouldn't be surprised to see him do quite well." Graham, 34, is no older than many of road racing's top rider - but at the same time he's mu ch older than most beginning road racers . Still, Graham feels that his chance of making a successful transition are better now than they would have been 10 years ago. "This is an open door because of the accomplishments that I achieved last year, and I'm more excited than I've ever been about anything," said Graham. "I don't expect to set the world on fire whatsoever, and I'm not gonna try to. My goal is to get out there and gain some exposure by turning in a good, solid ride. Before last year I was never comfortable road racing because I was always used to being one of the fast guys on the dirt. I talked to Wayne Rainey the other day, and he said that I should concentrate on learning the fundamentals and no t worry about being the fastest guy. Hopefully, this will lead to some thing bigger and better." D 'H ollnd Champion Da n ny H am el was officially named the 1993 AMA Amateu r Athlete of the Ye ar during an award ceremony honoring Hamel, held on the start line at the opening round of the National Championship Hare & Hound Series in Lucerne Valley, Californ ia , January 23. Roger Ansel of the AMA officially awarded the plaque to Hamel, who won every round of the AMA National Championship Hare & Hound Series last year, as well as just about every other off-road event he competed in, including the SCORE Baja 500 and 1000 races. The award came as a surprise to Hamel: "This is really neat it's a big deal," said Hamel. Five-time National Hare & Hound Champion Dan Smith and Hamel are the only off-road riders who have won the award. wrenches and pouring gasoline instead of racing at the first National Hare & Hound event of the year. Roeseler has decided no t to race in the National Hare & Hound Series and will instead hel p out in the Kawasaki Team Green pits. "There's rio point in me doing it (racing the series)," said Roeseler. "But I still want to be a part of it by working in the pits and helping Danny (Hamel) and Ty (Davis):' Canadian road racer Jon Cornwell will again compete in the AMA 250cc Grand Prix class this seaso n, though he will do so on his 1993-model Yamaha TZ25O. "I didn't buy a new TZ, I'm just going to update the old one," Cornwell said. Cornwell also plans to race in the AMA/CCS 6lJOcc Supersport Series, riding a Honda CBR600 in the opening round at Daytona before switching to Yamaha's new YZF600 for the following races. "It's a real competitive class," Cornwell said of the 6lJOcc division. "It'll be interesting, but I know it won't be easy to compete with the factories:' It is also likely that Cornwell will team with Owe n Weichel on a 4&6 Racing CBR600 in the AMA/CCS GTU Endurance Series. Dan Ashcraft has parted company with Team Honda's off-road racing team . Ashcraft was formerly one of the facto"rys team riders who compe ted on Honda's infamous, highly modified but seemingly undependable XR628-kitted four-stroke in the SCORE off-road series. A long string of mechanically related DNFs was one of the driving forces that led to Ashcraft's decision to vacate the team. At the recent SCORE Park er 400 race, Ashcraft competed on a Road racer Nancy Delgado will be a borrowed Honda CR500 and finished featured guest on the Vicki! show that second overall, while the factory's will air on NBC on February 4 (check XR628 race/development bike failed to local listings for air time). Delgad o was fini sh th e event due to a transmission part of a three,person panel as the Vicki , failUft!!'/.I ~ve had a lot o'f di~ap'p6,n~, Lawrence-heated show focused on 'lrnetit'Ilt 't¥.e ]

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