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/127697
' ... ..IN EWIND . ' I ·TH Jimmy Gaddis (Kaw) won three of the four Pro main events when round three of the AMA National Arenacr oss Series visited the Rockford Metrocenter in Rockford; Illinois, on December 2-3. Gaddis scored the 125ccmain over Billy Whitley (Ka w ) an d Chad Pederson (Hon) on Friday, while Grayson Goodman (Hon) edged Cliff Palmer (Hon) and Chad Pederson (Hon) in the 250cc main . On Saturday, Gaddis topped both classes, topping Jeromy Buehl (Suz) and Goodman. Gaddis scored the 250cc victory over Brian Deegan (Hon) and Pederson. . With his three victories in Rockford, Jimmy Gaddis has opened up a narrow lead in the AMA National Arenacross Series points standings. With three of the 12 scheduled rounds completed, Gaddis leads Chad Pederson, 209-188. Cliff Palmer and Jeromy Buehl are tied for third place with 170. Jeff Curry sits in fifth place with 156. Muzzy Kawasaki's Scott Russell emerged from the three-day Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway on December 1-3 as the fastest of the superbike riders. The Georgian's best was a one-minute, 50.62-second lap around the 3.56-miIe race track, and he was able to string together numerous laps in the 1:50 range. Russell 's new teammate Anthony Gobert was second quickest in what was his maiden trip to Daytona; the young Australian lapped at 1:51.9. Team Yamaha 's Colin Edwards II clicked off a 1:52.11; Vance & Hines Yamaha's Jamie James and Tom Kipp were next with a 1:52.23and a 1:52.51, respectively; Muzzy Kawasaki's Pascal Picotte turned a 1:52.9 lap in his first outing on the Kawasaki; and Smokin" Joe's Honda 's Miguel DuHamel lapped at 1:53.6 on the team 's Honda RC45. The test was a success, according to Dunlop's Jim Allen: '~ We were trying to get distance on the tires going race distances on race compounds. We're really quite pleased. I could see several compounds with more grip than last year that looked raceable. We'll marry race compounds to race construction and we 'll ha ve a product that we can win the 200 with. We have a baseline tire that 's better than what the top guys raced on last year." Dunlop had 10 people on hand for the test, with three engineers making the tri p from England and another coming from Japan. Missing from the Dunlop tire tests was the Fast By Ferracci Ducati team. The Eraldo Ferracci-owned squad will use Michelin tires in 1995,following the lead of the Ducati World Superbike team, Michelin will run a separate test at Daytona International Speedway later in the month. Former Daytona 200 winner David Sadowski spent a good portion of the final dayof the Dunlop tire test having a test session of his own on the Harley-Davidson VRl000 superbike. "I'm looking for ' a job, obviously:' Sadowski said at the end of the session. "We still have plan B, bu t I would like to scrap that and get in here with these guys at Harl ey. I came to ride the bike and see if I'm compatible with the Harley folks. I think I am . and Steve Scheibe (Harley's team man ager) sa id it was a positi ve day. I got down to a 1:53.84. I think that' s quite an a ccom p lis h m ent in 40 lap s. " Doug Chand ler w as schedu led to test th e VRI 000 on Monday, December 5 with Jimmy Filice set to ride the bike on Tuesday, December 6. The Arai Twin 50s have been taken off the Daytona sched ule for 1995. Instead of the two qualifiers, which are usually held on the Thursd ay prior to the big race, the front row will be locked in via regu lar timed qualifying on Thursday, March 9. The rest of the qualifying positions will be decided d uring qualifying on Friday, March 10. Cash awa rds will be given to the four men on the front row with the pole sitter ,also earn ing himself a Rolex Daytona wristwatch. With more and more motocross teams purchasing 18-wheelers and cab-over trucks, the originator of the concept has reportedly decided to up grade th eir transporter. Sources say that Team Kawasaki is in the process of putting together a brand-new semi truck, which will more closely fit their requirements. If the rumor is true, road rac e squad Team Muzzy will likely receive the old truck, which was introduced in 1991. Racer Productions ha s announced the 1995 Grand National Cross Country Series. The 13-round circuit is as follows: March 7 - Ocala, Florida; March 26 - Charlotte, North Carolina ; April 9 Hurricane Mills, Tennessee; April 30 Brownsville, Pennsylvania; May 21 Boyers, Pennsylvania; Jun e 4 - Cadiz, Ohio; June 18 - Elizabeth, West Virginia; August 27 - Millfield, Ohio; September 17 - Fairmont, West Virginia; October 1 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; October 15 Mount Morris, Pennsylvania; October 29 - Crawford sville, Indiana. Scott Plessinger will defend his Grand National Cross Country title. World wheelie record holder Doug Domokos will perform live at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show on December 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The show will also feature 1972 Daytona 200 w inner Don Emde and Danny "Magoo" Chandler in the Larry Huffman-hosted "Legends of Motorcycling." Autographed pictures of the "legends " will be available and film clips of those same racers will be shown. Bridgestone announced recently that . they will be a major tire supplier to Triumph motorcycles in 1995. The Daytona 900 and Daytona 1200 models will be equipped with the Bridgestone Battlemax BT50. "We are very happy to be part of Triumph's return to the U.S. market:' Bridgestone's Bob Gr ah am said . ' It's official. According to the FIM, the United States round of the World Championsh ip Road Race Series will be held at Road America . Th e newest 1995 events calendar lists th e U.S. GP as being held on August 6 at the race track in Elkhart Lak e, Wisconsin . Th e FIM also announced a site for its previously . undecided September 17 Grand Pri x Rio de [aniero, Brazil; both circuits are . still subject to homologation. The offical calendar is as follows: March 26 - Eastern Creek, Au st ralia; April 2 - Sh ah Alam, Mala ysia ; Ap ril 23 - Suzuka , Japa n; Ma y 7 - Jerez, Spain; May 21 Nu rburgring, German y; June 11 Mugello, Ilaly;June 24 - Assen, Holland; July 9 - Le Mans, France; July 23 - Donington Park, England; August 6 - Road America, Wisconsin; August 20 - Brno, Czechoslovakia; Sept ember 17 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Septemb er 24 - Buen os Aires, Argentina; October 8 - Catalun ya, Spain . The Sidecar World Championship will consist of seven roun ds, held in conjunc- Zitterkopf Best of the Desert ' eam KTM's Greg Zitterkop f (right) was crowned th e Open class cha m p io n of the Silver State Desert Championship Series at the final round in Laughlin, Nevada, December 3. Kawasaki 's National Hare & Hound Champion Danny Hamel won the race, which was billed as the United States Hare Scrambles. Zitterkopf was second on a 620 LC4, followed by Team Kawasaki 's Ty Davis and KTM rider Jim Gray. KTM press relations manager Scot Harden was fifth overall, and first in the 30+ Pro division. Other cham pions included Destry Abbot in the 250cc class, Hard en in the.30+ Pro category and Steve Pitts in the 38+ division. Also of note was 16-year-old Nick Pearson, who placed an impressive seventh overall on a clapped-out KTM 250. KTM was impressed enough that the y signed the youngster to a two-year deal. T tion with the Grands Pr ix at Nurburgring, Mug ello, Assen , Le Mans, Donington Park, Bmo and Catalunya. Bob Dron , cre a to r of the Heritage Ro ya le a nd Royale II (two custom Harley-Davidsons), has sold the motorcycles to Teddy Wibowo in Jakarta, Indonesia. The two Harleys will be on permanent display along with 60 other rare, vintage and historical motorcycles. The AMA has released the 14-event National Hillclimb Championship calendar. The series gets underway on May 21 with the Goshen Iron Horseman in Middlebury, Indiana, and concludes with the October 8 running of the Dayton Motorcycle Club meet in Dayton, Ohio. The 12 other events are as follows: June 4 - Iefferson, Pennsylvania; June 11 - Freemansburg, Pennsylvania; June 18 Avoca, New York; July 22 - Marquette, Michigan; July 29 - Haydenville, Ohio; August 6 - Jefferso n, Pennsylvania; August 13 - Danville, West Virginia; August 27 - Monson, Massachussetts; September 10 - Freemansburg, Pennsylvania; September 17 - Middlebury, Indiana; September 24 - Jefferson, Pennsylvania; September 30 - Asheville, North Carolina. The August 6 meet is the trad itonal All-Star Invitational Hillclimb put on by the White Rose Motorcycle Club, Championship Cup Series has announced its 1995schedule of road racing activity. The 6().race schedule covers eight CCS regions from coast to coast and 11 calendar months. The schedule opens at Daytona International Speedway on March 3-4 and concludes at the same facility on October 21-22. Former female dirt tracker Tammy Kirk won the Snowball Derby All-Pro Series ca r race in Pensacola, Florid a, o n December 3. Kirk qualified 10th and wa s running third when the two cars a he ad of h er sp un out on th e front straig ht. It was Kirk's first-ever victory in an AIl-Pro stock car. Donnie "Holeshot" Hansen will be condu cting three motocross schools in conjunction with th e CMC Golden Stat e Na tiona ls which begin in Janua ry-.The schools will be held at Sunrise Valley Raceway on Janua ry 6-7 and 20-21, and at Los Angeles County Raceway on January 16-17. For more information call 916/755-2799. Three-ti me Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen and Larry Pegram will square off in a H arley-Dav idso n vs . Honda grudge match intermission race during the December 12 round of the AMA Indoor Ice Race National Championship Series, held at the Ohio State . Fairgrounds Coliseum. For more information call 614/594-MOTO. Star Racing ha s announced that the y will be back for another season of Pro Stock motorcycle drag racing in 1995. Star Racing owners George and Jackie Bryce will field a Suzuki GSXR for twotime NHRA Champion John Myers at NHRA and AMA ProStar events. The tearn is actively seeking a new sponsor to replace The Wax Shop, which is not returning for next year. Myers and his teammate Jim Bernard finished second and third, respectively, in the NHRA Winston Championship in 1994. "It's full speed ahead for Star Racing in 1995:' George Bryce said. "We had five great years with The Wax Shop, and developed an excellent relationship. But as a business owner, I know that change is constant. I'm looking forward to forming new marketing partnerships next year." Jim Hurkman of North County Yamaha is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in a strin g of multiple break-ins at the Escondido, California, dealership. "The shop and the race support van have been broken into numerous times:' said Hurkman. "The thieves steal only high-end helmets, Fox riding gear and YZI25 and 250 parts." If you hav e any information, .ca1l619/ 432-9501. The AGV Department of Racer Support is currently accepting applications for the 1995 racing season. The program is de signed to he lp racers with their needs for helmets, leathers, boots and gloves, and is open to licensed racers who plan to participate in motorsports competition in ' 95. For more information call 301/695-5430. Harleys on Rod eo Dr ive ? Some 1600 Harl ey-Da vid son owners pa rt icipated in the Happy Harley DayslRejoice on Rodeo Christmas p arad e 'a n d bike sllow held on the exclusive shopping ro w in Beve rl y H ills, California, on Sunday, Decemb er 6, accord ing to the Los Angeles Time s. It was hoped that the even t, wh ich wa s held in conjunction wi th Los Angeles Harley-Davidson and Perman ent Ch arit ies, would raise approximately $50,000 for Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a program for child ren with cancer. An es timated 30,000 p eople attended the event. .