Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Roberts signs new U.S.GP con t trac enny Roberts (right) has signed a mu lti-year agreement with TWP/Dorna, the rights holders for the Grands Prix, to promote the U.S. GP in conjunction with SCRAMP, the owners of the Laguna Seca circuit. In a sta tement released at the Malaysian Grand Prix on April 9, Roberts said: "We knew this would be a long-term project. Last year we brought the U.S. GP back to America and got good support from the media and the fans . The next step is to build on last year's hard work and find the commercial sponsorship we need to establish our GP as America's top mo tor sport event. My company (Kenny Roberts Sports Promotion) and TWP /Dorna ar e equally committed to promoting GP motorcycle racing in the United Sta tes, and SCRAMP are right in step K with us." Richard Golding. managing director of TWP and Doma added, "We firmly believe that the FIM Road Racing World Championships is the world's most exciting motorsports series and that the excellent performance by American riders gives us a product that we can market successfully in the highly competitive U.S. sports market. We couldn' t have a better partner than Kenny Roberts. Now it is up to us to work together to realize the full potential of the United States Grand Prix:' Roberts, who pa id for the race out of his own pocket las t year, is believed to hav e lost in the area of $2 million, in large part beca use he insis ted that everything be do ne first -rate. The race was better organized tha n it had ever been, with hospitality suites overlooking pit row and tents for the teams to work out of, but it didn't attract enough corporate sponsorship, a title spons or, or enough spectators . Thi s year Robert s and TWP / Dom a plan to have someone in Monterey go after corporate sponsorship and keep the enthusiasts and general press alerted to any news coming out of the GP. Italian road racer Loris Reggia ni continues to de velop the Aprilia V-twin 400, lapping the Mugello Autodromo in Italy w ithin two seconds of the 500cc lap record. Running a second-gene ratio n motor fo r over 100 laps , Re ggi ani clocked a 1:55.9, down on the record of 1:53.829 set by Rothmans Honda's Mick Doohan in 1993, but still encourag ing for Aprilia team manager Carlo Pernat. "We are very surprised," Pernat said at the Malaysian Grand Prix, mo stl y, he sa id , because th e bike is d own on power. "We must arriv e at 130 hp . Right now we are at 115-120:' The four-eylinder race bi kes make in excess of 180 bhp . Perna t sa id he was 99% certain that the 400 would ma ke its deb u t a t th e Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on May 8. "Reggia ni wants to race in Japan, but he's crazy," Pernat said. In other Aprilia news, the Italian company is rumored to be dev elop ing a 1000 cc V-twin for release in the 1996 mod el year. According to a source close to the factory, they have had a the engine on a test bed at Rotax in Austria for the past year. They are also expec ted to follow the V-twin with a 750, four-eylind er and have a complete model line from 50cc to 1000cc wi thin four years. Jimmy Filice wasn't the only new add ition to the 250cc Grand Prix road race class (see Wind box). Team Marlboro Pileri mad e a personnel mov e at the Malaysian GP, moving Italian Giuseppe Fiorillo to the 250cc class from the 125cc ranks and replacing him with Spaniard Emili Alzamora. And Team Hernandez replaced the injured Manuel Hernandez wi th fellow Spaniard Juan Borja. The replacement is permanent. Castrol offi cia ll y a n n ou n ced at the Malays ian GP tha t it was backing the Honda World Superbike team . The team of AMA Superb ike Champion Doug Polen and New Zealander Aaron Slight will be part of a 17-man team based in Louth, near Cad well Park in England . The team will be managed by Neil Tuxworth who re-formed the Honda Britain racing operation in 1990. Technical spec-· ifications for the team 's Honda RC-45.'s claim they'll make in excess of 155 bhp with a projected top speed of over 180 mph. In addi tion to winning the AMA Superbike title last year, the 30-year-old Polen won the WSB titles in 1991 and 1992 aboard Ducatis . Slight, 28, finished third in last year 's WSB series aboard a Muzzy Kawasak i. One of th e new stops on th e Wo rl d Cha mpionship Superbike Series in 1994 is Sentul, Indonesia . Because of th e emergi ng markets in so u theast Asia, ru mo rs began to circulate tha t Sentul would make it onto the Grand Prix calendar, as well. Not so, said Paul Butler, p res ident of the In ternational Racing Teams Association (IRTA). But ler, who served as race director for an in ternational event there las t fall, said one of th e probl ems w as a la ck of seat in g. "There are two sections of gra ndstands on the front straight tha t seat about 6000 peopl e. I don 't know wha t the average monthly wage there is, bu t a ticket for the superbike race is going to cost $60: ' Butler also sa id that the track surface was coming apart, thoug h whether or n ot there a re plans fo r re-su rfa cin g before the race is unknown. The race that never was has been cancelled. A dirt track sche d uled for the nigh t before the Span ish Grand Prix at Jerez ha s been cancelled be fore it was officially announced. Ricky Graham, Jay Springsteen and Steve Morehead we re sched uled to ra ce, along with Randy Mamola and Jim my Filice. Kenn y Roberts was also pl anning to ma ke a repeat appearance in the race tha t he rode as an exhibition last year. Spar ky Edmondson had built a fleet of d irttr ackers for the race , which wa s wo n quite handily by Springsteen last year. No reason for the cancellation was given. A total of $200,000 has been obtained to help es tablish a state wide motorcycle safety training and education program in New York, accordin g to the Motorcycle Safety Founda tion. State Sena tor Owen H. Johnson secured a $100,000 app ropriation in the 1994-'95 Sta te Operations Budg et to hel p implement th e program. Another $100,000 will come from a Na tional Highway Traffic Safety Administra tion 402 Fund grant. Ac co rd ing to Se n a to r Johnson, the $100,000 from the state budget will be administered by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles. The Motorcycle Association of New York State, a nonprofit organization, will be the recipient of the federal grant money, and will use the fu nd s to. es tab lish a viable sta te rider- traini ng program, according to association president Mike Melis. Idaho Governor Cecil D. Andrus sig ned legislation on March 30 establishing a sep arate license classification and learner's permit for motorcyclists as well as a sta te-funded p rogram for motorcycle rider education. Previously, Idaho was the only sta te that did not h ave a law requ iring a separate endorsement to operate a motorcycle. Th e new bill includes a grandfather clause allowing current motorcyclists to obtain the endorsement by taking only the writ ten test , while those under 21 will hav e two years to do so . The bill also made Idaho the 43rd state to adopt a legislated motorcycle safety program. The p rogram will be administered by th e Depa rtme n t of Education and is ent ire ly self-fu nded by motorcyclists. The program will receive $13.50 from each moto rcycle license and permit fee, generating approxim ate ly $200 ,000 annually. CHANGED:'The phone number of helmet pa inters Gerard Design East. The new nu mber is 904/375-0921 and the fax number is 904/336-6553. AUTO GRAPH SIGNING:At HarleyDavidson of Sacramento in Sacramento, California, April 22 from 5:00 p .m. to 7:00 p.rn, Team Harley-Davidson riders Scott Parker and Chris Carr, as well as H-D of Sacramento's own Aaron Hill, are scheduled to appear. For more information call 916/929-4680. AUTOG RAPH SIGNING: At Honda/ Kawasaki of Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana, May 14 from 12:00-2 p.rn. :00 Malcolm Smith is scheduled to appear. Smith will also participate in a May 15, d ua l sport ride. For more information, call 812/339..Q199. AUTO G RAPH S I GN ING : At The Hitching Post in St. Paul, Minnesota, April 16 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Team Suzuki members Ezra Lusk, Jimmy Button, Brian Swink and Phil Lawrence are scheduled to appear. For more information, call 612/645-4629. STO LEN: a 1994 Honda CR500 VIN #JH2PE0202RM300164, Engine #5300151, from a garage in Culver City, California, on Sunday, April 3. Anyone with information leading to the whereabouts of the bike should contact Scott Huber at 310/643-9140. A reward is being offered. AUTO GR APH SIGNING: At Rapid Sport Center in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, April 15 from 6:00 p.m. un til closing. Team Honda ride rs Jer em y McGrath, Jeff Stanton, Dou g H enry and Steve Lamson are scheduled to appear. CHANGED: The AMA headquar ters hotel for th e Red Bud, Mic h igan, National MX '0 0. July 3. The new hotel is Benton Harbor, Michiga n's Carlton Lodge. For m o re in fo r ma tio n ; call 616/925-3000. 0\' C.E. Altman 1937-1994 O ne of the foun di ng members of PACE Enter ta inment Corpo ration , C.E. Al tma n, died Thursday, April 7, in Houston, Texas at the ag e of 56. Altman, who w as Chairman of PACE Motorsports, joined the compa ny at its inceptio n in 1966 and was chiefly responsible for the compa ny's development of in doo r m o to rsports ev en ts, a uniquely Ame rica n ge nre of en tertainmen t tha t includes motorcycle motorsports, tractor pu lls, mon ster trucks and other motorized thrill shows. Altman died after a long bou t with leukemia. Altman originally started with PACE in 1966 as its director of sales for the num erous trade and consumer shows produced at the Hous ton Astrohall. His respons ibilities soon include d deve lopi ng an enter ta inment option for the Houston Ast rodom e during the off-season. Taking adva ntage of the climate-controlled environment of the Astrod ome, Altman was promo ted to president of a newly formed subsidiary, PACE Stadium Events, responsible for presenting major arena and stadi um sporting events. • "He was part of that founding group of energetic, young entrepreneurs that helped d rive a fledgling sta rt-up in to wha t has grown to be an intern ational entert ainment company," said Allen J. Beckez.Chairman of PACE Entertainment Corporation. "His influence and gentle spi rit will be greatly missed: ' An endowment is being set up by PACE Entertainment Corporation in the name of C.E. Altman to recogn ize excellence in the field of motorsports . Under Altma n's lead ership, PACE Stad ium Events evolved into PACE Motorsports and expanded its operation throu ghout the U.S. and eventually abroad. PACE Motorsports was responsible for bringing American motorsp orts to the Japa nese with two highl y successful events at the Tokyo Dome in 1990 and 1991. Industry peers credi t Altman with expa nding the ap peal of motorsports events, in parti cular stadium motorcycle racin g, where he is known as one of the pioneers of motocross. His staging of international motorsp orts events is recognized as push ing the sport beyond its American roots into an entertainment form that captures the interest of fans worldwide. . In a fitting tribute to C.E. Altman, a mome nt of silence was held at the April 9 Pontiac Silverdome d uring the 10th round of the AMA Camel Supercross Series. . Altman was born in Huntsville, Texas, and attended Sam Houston State University. He is survived by his daughter Karen Dawn Tannehill and grandson Zacheriah. Alt. man 's family is asking that donations be given to your local chapter of the Leukemia Society of America. .... \.; 0.. -< 3

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