Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

jump over the locker room at the end of the field . That creativity pales in comparison to the typical National track however. Much like baseball stadi u ms - which have foul terri tories of varying dimensions and outfields of varying lengths each National motocross takes on the personality of whichever particular track it happens to be held at Whether it's the deep sand of Southwick, the hardpacked soil of Mt. Morris or the loam of Washougal, motocross courses put s u p e r cr o ss tracks to shame w he n it comes to originality. Each outdoor track is as different from the others on the circuit, as the actual areas in which they are held. This variety provides a grea ter all- number-one requirement for a National. When you see a rider pass out at the end of a 35-minute-lo ng moto, you can pre tty much rest assured that his endurance has been suitably tested . Outdoor ra ces provide more of a challenge not only for the rider, but also for his mechanic. Because supercrosses are so similar, the bikes aren't much different from race to race. The tuners I've spoken with say it is much more critical to arrive at the proper bike set-up for a ' National. The suspension must be able to absorb everything from crusher landings off of monster jumps, to high-speed compress ion hits from ru ts and rocks, while the mot or sho ul d be capable of p ulling the bike and rider through d eep d oes have its stro ng points. Though I'm so metime s tempted to p u t d own th e lights, Dia mond -Vision screens, fire works and te levision cameras of the sport, I must admit that deep inside, I actually like the spectacle. After all, it's nice to see that kind of hooplah mad e over the sport I love. I also like being able to go to a race with family and friends who aren' t mo torcycle fans , and who probab ly would no longer be fami!y and friends if' forced to sit in a du sty field all day in the ho t summer sun. I like the fact that supe rcrosses are held on Saturdays, and am not so enthusiastic about Na tionals being held on Sundays. I think it's nice that t he Supercross Series includes p rovid e so me specific examples. Tak e the tracks on which the two forms of the spo rt are played out on. The supercross promoters do what they can to provid e exciting cou rses, and I must admit that watching Jeremy McGrath do a nac-nac over a sky-scr aping tripl e is impressive, but if you've seen one supercross you've p ret ty much see n them all. Because of the venues in whi ch they're built, su percross tracks tend to be very similar . Each track bu ilder is sta rting off wi th a completely flat foot ball field, so no matter how m uch imagination they use, they all end up wit h pretty much th e same thing. This year, the most originality was shown by the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Gro up, when they built a around test of who is the better motorcycle ri der. The eve ntual champion may not be the fastest on every type of track, but he will be the best all-around racer. I also prefer the surroundings of a National to those of a s upercross. I admit that it is usually more comfortable to sit in the safety of a clean, sterile sta d ium sea t, than the dirt and grime of an outdoor race, bu t I like wat ching the racers compete aga inst the backdrop of nature. This is especially true on wooded tracks like Millville and Washougal. Something abo ut a pit area in a stadium pa rkin g lot doesn't seem quite right. Ge nerally, out door tracks demand more conditioning from the rider. Where timing an d finesse are priorities in a stadium, p h ysica l fitness is the sand, and still lett in g the rear wheel hook up on a hard -packed off-camber . And sometimes, the bike mus t be able to do all of this on the same track! I' ve go t nothing agains t su pe rcross fa ns (af ter all, I'm on e of th em), but there's no denying that the typ ical spectator at a National is a little more hardcore. Stadiums a re grea t in th at they expose the sport to people who otherwise might no t attend a motorcycle race, but it's still nice to go to a National and see motorhomes and campers pa rked at the course fo r the who le wee ke n d. Many of these guys ride the track themselves on ama te ur d a y, the n stay to wa tch their heroes do battle on Sunday. While my heart may lie with National MX, I have to admit that supercross ro u n ds in both hot and cold locales (tho ugh you can't tell the d ifference in the domed s tad iu ms), a nd I' m a little d iscou raged that nearly every Nati onal MX is held in plus-80-degree temperatures . Again, I feel that variety imp roves the spor t, and would like to see a few cooler races on the ou tdoo r circu it. I guess wha t it comes down to is that the s p ort need s b oth branch es . Motocross may have more sou l, but I su ppose a little spirit never hu rt anyo ne either. My personal p refere nce may lie wi th the outdoor series, bu t even I love a tten di ng a good sta diu m race. Of course if you really want to talk abo ut soul, nothing beats a nice, long National Ha re Scrambles. But I su ppose that's a top ic for ano ther column. (X 25 YEARS AGO••.August 19, 1969 list of riders chosen to represent the USA in the West German International Six Days Enduro. The Vase"A" squad consis ted of Dave Ekins, Charles Ho cki e, Malcolm Smith and LeRoy Win te rs , while the Vase B team included Dave Mungenast, Mike Patrick, John Penton a nd John Taylor. Though the article ' admitted that the 20-man team was very strong, it pointed out the need for a better system of choosing the members. Penthouse Pet Debbie Zullo after topping the Houston, Texas, 500cc National MX; and Bruce Springsteen waving the checkered flag in victory at the Peoria, Illinois TT...Larry Roeseler compe ted as a part of a four-man team, and won the Bol d 'Herbe 24-hour off-road race in Mon the li e, Fr ance... A rather longhaired, scruffy look ing Bruce Ogilvie was fea tu re d in a sto ry on the Sha mrocks Dual European Scrambles in Frem on t, Cali forni a. O gilv ie a nd Bo b Balentine split wins in the Heavyweight Expe rt division ...A on e-page en try ad ran for the 21st Annual Dirt Diggers Pioneer Town Grand Prix . Entries were $15...Another ad was run for a Liquid Ene rgy System by Carrera - a che st moun ted precursor of the back-mounted drinking sys tems of tod ay. 5Y EARSAGO •..August 9,1989 love the AMA National Mo tocross Series. Oh, I know, it may take a back seat to the Supercross Series in terms of money and exposure, bu t the outdoor circuit has a much stronger attraction for me. Supercross has spirit, but motocross is blessed with soul. (This is actually a variation on a theory preached by an editor a t the personal wa tercraft magazine which shares our . offices, and wiII p robably earn me ' at least as much grief at the hands of my co-workers as it has him.) What do I mean when I sa y tha t motocross has soul? Perha ps it's best to I he "Road Test Issue" sported a color cover photo of Paul Hunt, Dave Ekins and Jack Krisman trail-riding three trick new Krismandesigned Baja 100s .. . Among th e bikes road tested were the Yamaha 100,Jawa 90, Sachs 125 Enduro, Bultaco She rpa S 125, Zund app KS100 Scra mbler, Yamaha 350 5-Po rt , Ho nda 350 Super Sport , Greeves 250 and 380cc G riffons, Trium p h Trophy 250, a '5 1 Harley-Davidson chop per and a d esertmodified Yamah a OTt-B. We also ran a "first look" at the 1970 lineup of HarleyDavidson motorcycles. Price for a brandnew Sportster? "Abo ut $2000." Even a loaded Electra Glide cost only $2400...The T 15 YEARSA O G ...August 15, 1979 everal winners were featured on the cover of iss ue number 31, including Kenny Roberts winning the Laguna Seca, California, World Championship Road Race; Rex Sta ten chatting with S 1 and y Hawkins graced the cover, on his way to a w in at the Pol e Pen National Enduro in Goodman, Missouri. Yam ah a-m oun ted Jeff Russell was the runner-up...Other cover photos included Tyson Vohland d icing with Jim Holley at the Los Angeles MTEG Ultracross - which Vohland won - and an action shot of the Buell RR1200...Dave Th orpe was victorious at the Farleigh Castle, England, 500cc MX GP...A hop -up a rticle showe d how to tum your stock 1989Suzuki RMl 25 into a fire- b reathing FMF-ki tte d bike...Mike Barnes captured a win in the GTU class at the Moro so Roa d Race in Wes t Palm Beach, Florida. (X R

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