Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Speedway on October 21-23 will feature the Race of Champions - a slate of 23 races, spread over a three-day event which will see the crowning of 15 Expert and 15 Amateur National Champions. In addition, the Honda CBR600 and CBR900RR Challenge finals and the inaugural Harley-Davidson TwinSports World Finals are set to run on October 23. For ticket information call 904/ 253RACE. AHRMA's 1994 road racing season wraps up on October 15-16at Alabama's Talladega Gran Prix Raceway. The race will feature vintage, Sound of Singles and Battle of the Twins racing and a riders school will be held on October 14, with instruction given by Ed Bargy. For more information call 715/842-9699. According to a press release from JKD Motorsports Enterprises, Judy Kou ba Dominick has sold her interest in MileHi Motorsports to pursue the development of a motorsports promotion business which will operate under the JKD Motorsports Enterprises ba nner. As a road racing team owner, Kouba Dominick has helped the careers of Colorado racers Jo hn Hop persta d, Christian Gard ner, Dann y Walker and Don Hough. Ron and Don Hough Will continue to operate Mile-Hi Motorsports, a high-performance engine shop. For more information call 303/449-5235. After a nine-year stint at Perris Raceway, the 1994 White Bros. World Ve t Champio nsh ip s will be held at Gl en Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, on November 5-6. "We 've had nine great years at Perris Raceway, and . Goat Breker and his crew have been wonderful," said Tom White. "However, with the continued growth that this race has experienced in the last couple of years, we felt that the greater involvement of the OEM manufacturers and the television coverage that we expect this year necessitated a larger site. Glen Helen has been home to World Championship GPs and a National MX, and we're very proud to have our race there this year." The announcement of the move came o n the heels of a major expansion for the White Bros. Racing events, as 1994 saw the addition of the White Bros. East Coast Vet & 4-Stroke Championships at Lake SugarTree MX Park in Axton, Virginia, which was held on August 27-28. For more information, call 602/437-5411. Jason Fletch er, the dirt tracker who was seriously injured at the July 30 Oklahoma City Half Mile, is making good progress. According to his mother Sand y, Fletcher has been released from the intensive care, and is currently undergoing extensive physical and speech therapy at a new location. "Jason is walking now, and using his right arm again," she said. "He's using weights, trying to regain his strength. He's doing bett er than the doctors expected, and they say that he has youth on his side. He is up in spirits, and is just now able to enjoy all of the cards and letters that people have sent." Cards and letters may be sent to Fletcher, care of Gaylord Hospital, Gaylord Farm Road, Wallingford, CT 06492. Jason Fletcher's sponsor, Pat Moro ney, is organizing an auction to be held after the main event of the Springfield Mile on September 4 to help defray the Fletcher family 's mounting medical expenses. For more information or to do nate to the auction, call 800/FAST HOG. Former factory mechanic Dave Osterman phoned to inform us that he has sold his interest in the business Wide O p e n Raci n g, to his partner Ja mie Ste am s. "All functions and operations of WOR/MXA will remain business as usua l," said Osterman, who may be reached at 805/253-1721. Still smarting from the disappointment of losing his World Speedway Championship crown, " S u dd en " Sam Ermolenko saw his speedway season go from bad to worse when the 1993 World Champion was injured - again - in a British league mee ti ng on Monday, August 29.. Ermolenko broke a bone in his right hand while his Wolverhampton Wolves team was visiting Cradely Heath 's Dudley Wood Stadium. Ermolen ko was attempting to pass Cradely's Peter Nahlin when his engine cases dug into the soft track, and he was thrown into the fence . Ermolenko attempted to come back and compete in a subsequent race before realizing that he was having trouble with the hand and took another spill. "I'm sure it's broke," Ermolenko said. "I 'm going down to the local hosp ital after the meet, but I know what damage is done." It was originally thought that the former champ might be out of action for as much as four weeks, but Ermolenko's tuner Carl Blomfeldt said that Cycle News Rider of the ~ Month: Mike LaRocco e Next year, Mike LaRocco (right) will get his first chance to race with a number-one plate, as he defends his 250cc National Motocross Championship. Last season, the Team Kawasaki Rider earned the crown in the four-race 500cc series, but the demise of th at classdenied LaRocco the ~ chance to run with the prestigious plate. Dominance is the only word to accurately describe the Indiana na tive's outdoor season. Though rounds have been won by teammate Mike Kiedrowski and Yamaha privateer John Dowd, laRocco man aged to clinch the title on August 14 in Washougal, Washington - a full two rounds before the end of the season. With one race still remaining, LaRocco holds a commanding 129point lead over Dowd, despite the fact that he rarely earns the holeshot. He has won six of the 11 rounds run thus far. eJ:. 2 AMA sets up racing subsidiar . . he AMA Board of Trustees has announced plans for the association to move forward with the implementation of a subsidiary corporation intended to further develop professional motorcycle racing events and series. The for-profit corpo ration, which will be solely owned by the AMA, will begin operations by January of 1995 and will be licensed to manage all professional racing properties administered by the AMA Sports Marketing Department. The new corporation was named Paradama during its deve lopmental stages . The name is based on the root word "paradigm," which suggests a model, benchmark or visionary entity for the AMA, according to the AMA. Essentially, the formation of Paradama would allow the AMA to venture into a facility and promote its own events . "Paradama will never be seen in the field," Tom Mueller, the AMA's vice president of sports marketing said. "It's an agency and the public will never see it. The banners at the races will still be AMA banners. We would like to look at venturing into events, but our ultimate goal is not to take over all our events . This is a slow startu p - it's not some big takeover plan. The events we have now are all doing fine." "Developing professional motorcycle racing through Paradama is based on a totally new way for the AMA to look at its professional racing properties," AMA President Ed Youngblood said. "Sports Marketing activity will no longer be trea ted simply as a department within the AMA. The new corporation's management will be mandated to focus on a single task, and that will be to achieve a new level of professionalism. Through that process, we intend to nurture the much higher level of commercial support and media attention that we believe motorcycle racing deserves. We want to achieve greater profitability for all our constituents, including riders, teams and pro- T moters." The Paradama concept has been under development by the AMA Board of Trustees since Augu st of 1993, according to the AMA. There were two key purposes behind the establishment of the AMA subsidiary: to take advantage of promotional opportunities that can strengthen the AMA's championship series that have not been possible under the AMA's non-profit status; and to assemble a board of directors consisting of specialists in media, entertainment, promotion and sports marketing. Under the new structure, all sports marketing and professional racing activity of the AMA will be governed by a new board which will operate independently from the AMA's Board of Trustees. "The other positive side of this equation is that the AMA Board of Trustees will be free to focus its attention on the needs of a growing member-service division that faces greater challenges as it seeks to pursue, promote and protect the interests of all American motorcyclists," Youngb lood said . Ermolenko may return much sooner. "I spoke to Sam on the phone while he was at the stadium," Blomfeld t said. "He said that the hand was pretty swollen, but he may try to ride in Sweden this week ." Though it is uncertain exactly how long Ermolenko will be out, the Team USA captain said tha t he is determined to be fit for the World Team Cup in Brokstedt, Germany, on September 18 where he will attempt to gui de Team USA to its third-straight World Team Cup victory. "We (America) are the de fending champions," Ermolenko said. "It's the only thing left for us to win this year." Russ Wagema n's Pi t Pro will be on hand at both the Northern and Southern California rounds of the CMC Trans Cal Series, which recently got underway. Pit Pro will offer mechanical services, as well as a complete line of Pro Circuit products, tires, fuel and riding accessories. For more information call 805/255-5101. As usual, Rid e to Win will be assisting the U.S. World Trophy and Junior teams at the ISDE. This year, the fund will also support three "high-power" club teams. Among the productsponsorsfor the top U.S. squads are Cellular One, Metzeler, F&L, Arai, Bel-Rayand RK. According to the AMA, Senator Orri n Hatch (R-Utah) retracted an earlier statement he had made that had angered many motorcyclists across the nation . Discussing his opposition to the Crime bill. on Nationa l Public Radio's Morning Edition, the Senator was quoted as saying, "...If you came from Utah, or some rural areas, and you met the people there, they're terrified with the upswing of gangs and motorcycle gangs and other types of people that are roughing up communities. The thing that keeps them free is the fact that those motorcycle gangs know that they have guns, and they're not going to put up with it." Senator Hatch, who has a record of supporting legislation that is favorable to motorcyclists, corrected his statement after being contacted by representatives of ABATE of Utah, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, and the AMA . On August 25, the Senator entered a statement in to the Congressional Record applauding the efforts made by motorcyclists to promote safety and support charitable organizations in his sta te and nationwide. "They (motorcyclists) are not the stereotype bikers from Marlon Brando 's 'Wild Ones: and yet, I feel I might have perpetuated that stereotype when I mentioned, earlier this week, that criminal motorcycle gangs might have wanted to terrorize Utah communities...there was no intention for me to infer anything about our Utah clubs, or any other law-abiding motorcycle clubs. These men and women are, for the most part, good citizens of the state of Utah. They work hard in their communities." On Trac Events called to let us -know their September 17-18 round of the CMC -Trans Cal Series will feature a slightly different sche d u l e th an the other rounds. The event, which will be held at the Salinas Fairgrounds in Salinas, California, wilI see amateur racers competing on Saturday, with practice starting . at 8:30 a.m. On Sunday, 125 and 250cc Pros will split a $10,000 p urse, with practice starting at 11:00 a.rn. For more information, call 702/267-4392

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