Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

·'INTHE PADDo.CK'' , ,B Michael Scott ' y t last, something is different in Grand Prix racing. After two full years of waning confid ence, one simp le change has had the effect renew ing the spirit of hope. It may t be enough to save the day , but the hole feeling abou t the traditional pinacle of bike racing has changed, and at is an important first step in regaing forward momentum. This may seem a lot of responsibility heap on what appears a relatively ino r development - the introduction of ' new 600cc four-stroke series, rather um sily named Thu nd erbikes. But at as t one other person sees it as someing mor e th an a sma ll be ginning. one other than the boss of the World uperbi ke Series, Maurizio Flarn mi ni, as d ubb ed the birth of Thunderbikes an act of wa r." The new class may just be a stroke of enius. Born out of increasingly desp erte meetings between IRTA and Dorna , arching for a solution to the erosion of ectator interest, it bears the hallmark fa stop-gapIdea that turned out to be r better than its creators imagined. The notion began in a desire to help u t beleaguered promoters, especially key countries like Britain and Gerany, wh er e crowds have slumped in ce the IRTA/Dorna/Eccles tone GP ijack of 1992. Thund erb ikes, schedled to r un afte r the la st GP of the fternoon (the 125), extends a race-da y rogram to offer more for the spectao rs . Since th e class is planned for at ea st half local entries, it gives home ans so mething ex tra to .cheer fo r in igh-Ievel p ro d uction-based elbowbbing racing . ' Thunderb ikes also fulfill a number of ther va luab le fun ction s: rebu ild ing ridges between GPs and gr ass -roots racing; giving back to national dealers and riders a lost·link with their national GPs; and provid ing a buffer zone for wannabe GP riders, both at the begi nning and end of their careers. In th is wa y, they address many w eaknesses. Th ey also look like h av in g a good chance of success. What is a Thunderbike? Rather than th e Harleys, Du ca tis an d Bri tt en s imp lied by the name , the class is based around 600cc four -strokes like those in the F1M's "Supersport" European championship, as well as a many second-lev el (sub-Superbike) national titles around the world. The reliance of this popular and relatively cheap category on revhappy fou r-cylinder Japanese road bikes suggests the name Screamingbike might be more apt. The regulations of the new class are , still being drafted, but the basic format is set tled . Ma chines are p roduct ion based in frame and engine, using 600cc fours or 750cc twins. Silhoue tte bod ywork is allowed, but modifications are strictl y limited, and the st rip pe d-o ut sports bikes will run on trea de d road tires, w h ich sho uld ens ure n ot only close racing, but also plenty of wobbling and sliding around. Good both for spectators and riders. These machines will contest a championship, status again not yet certain, at all the European GPs and possibly Japan and the U.S., with a core of 15 permanent riders (all IRTA members as wi th , GP teams), the rest of the grid to comprise local entries, with a category for "invitation" riders, so that a ride r who does well in his national race can try his luck elsewhere, too. / The whole enterprise is backed by a $1 million prize fund, which whil e not hu ge is certainly respectable, given the expected mod est cos t involved . One estima te comes from instant enth usias t Wileo Zeelenberg , a former 250cc GP winner who raced a works NSR250 on a shoestring budget last year . Wileo computes the cos t of a one- rid er NSR250 team at almost $1 mill ion , compared with less than $400,000 for a twa-rider Thunderbike team. Zeelenberg is just one fan of the class, and the Dutchman intends to run Austra lian Fred Bayen s (second in the '94 Europ ean Championship in the similar Super sport 600 class) as a team mate. Another who intends to ride is former Aprilia works rider Pier-Francesco Chili, a lso a former GP winner. These two alone will ensure a high standard of racing. These relative old -timers also illus trate one unexpected aspect. Th un derbikes provide a place for former works stars who have slipped off the ladder, so that they can be on hand and available at short not ice to take over an inju red GP regular's slot. Previo usly such men wo uld either have gone to Superb ikes, or have been ha n gin g aro u nd ina dispirited way getti ng out of practice and out of touch . The same holds ·tr ue of riders at the other end of their careers. Already we have seen bright sparks like Troy Corser, new fellow-Australian Anth ony Gobert, and rising American Colin Edwards II, move directl y into World Superbikes, where they may easily stay. Now young hopefuls have a series where they can demonstrate their talent in front of GP team bosses, and which allows them to make valuable contacts within the GP world. Putting local heroes up against hardcore professionals will not only ple ase specta tors. It also involves national deal- ers and importers, reforging broken links with each country's home motorcycle community, and makin g the GP less of a sterile mad e-for-TV formula event. Certainly, Supe rbike boss FJamm ini takes the Thunderbikes seriously, issuing a sp lutteringly angry press release within a week of the origina l announcement. " It is an act of war," he sa id, adding that the GP world was riding rough-shod over the interests of racing at large, and operating against the w ish- : es of the factories. Flammini insisted that four-stroke racing belonged to the Supe rbike series, and it is easy to und erstand his anger. World Superbikes currently play host to the European Supersport 600 series, and it is highly likely that this class will be thoroughly usu rp ed by the GP-linked Thunderbikes. But since he happily also took the 250cc Eu ropean Cha m p ionshi ps in to his p rogram for 1995, a thoroughly two-stroke affair, his argument rings hollow. Furt he rmore, as GP men smilingly point out, GPs have always been open to two- or four-str okes, and still are note Honda 's early-80s efforts with the oval-pisto n NRSOO. Times are tough throughout racing, and there is li ttle profit in a battle between GPs and World Superbik e. With luck and good management, there should be room for both. And F1ammini does h imself no cred it wh en he turns nas ty at the first signs of a possible GP recovery . If the p rem ier ch amp ionship has turned a comer, it was an uphill hairpin with a loose surface, and the exit may yet prove as tricky as the entry and the apex. 0' I·' LOOKING YEARS AGO..• ebruary 3,19 70 rn;;;;;;;::;?\"--l__ juice."...Yet another ad stated, signifMark Kariya turned in th e b est ica n tly , "7 0's Are Here" ... J.N. tim e...Th e World Series - the w orld Robe rts left the m ovie se t long class ro ad racing organization or gahe co ver , was eno ug h to make a return to th e niz ed by Kenny Roberts - was axed graced by a photo desert. He won the Four Aces Hare & when three of the tracks threw in the of Miss Team Hound in Mojave...The first road race towel...Rex Staten won the 250cc an d rix Lynn Gail sitting of the season was run on the ANZAC Open classes, an d Jim Holley took the n a Mav erick trac k near Palmdale...Chuck "Feets" 125cc division, at the CMC Golden State ini bi ke . The Minert was the first four-stroke rider Ser ies round in Fr em ont, ~li ibike was a prize 'n' in the 500cc Amateur/ Expert field at Cali forn ia ...Seot Harden w on the o be awarded at the the Stump Jumpers M.e. MX at Sadd leGroundshaker M.C:s Moap a-to-Vegas ay Mare Team ,...., back Park in Oran ge, Ca lifo rn ia ...A Hare & Ho un d ...We· tested KTM's 250 young Mark Brelsford dominated the MXer...Donald E.L Betsworth wrote a ri x... An ar tist evea1ed that a new I J m i night's proceedings at the San Francisco story abo ut his problem-plagued rid e lightweight Hoda- -·- - -~~'-""===d Cow Palace, bu t the big news was Evel ---~ through Death Valley...P.J. Clark wrote ka-powered small-bore Rickman Knievel. After jumpi ng over 11 cars, an arti cle on the trials and tribulations Metisse wa s be ing imported in to the Knievel was attacked by "a cou ple of the Dirt Diggers M.e. went thro ugh to country, offering "m an-sized handling no n-descri p ts d isg uised ge t their March 16 da te for the Red in the lOOcc class:'...Former Cycle Magas Hell's Angels." He "~r1~~~;:=J1 Garter End uro...George Holland azine editor, motorcycle and automobile d ro p pe d h is b ike a n d grabbed the 12-16 Stock and Mod idistributor, motorcycl e racer, and maildec ked one of the men, fied Mini Expert wins at the Goldorder busin ess owner Floyd Clymer a nd " th e riot that en State round in Mad era, Califord ied of heart failure in his hom e. Clyensued was short-live d nia...Grant Palenske won the UEA mer, who had loaned the originators of and blood y." Incid enSilver Dollar End uro in Lucerne ValCycle News money to get the paper off tally, a race p ho to ley, California, but br other Garner the ground, was 74...An ad taken out by show ed N o v ice Ke n Palenske ea rned th e 1979 CR C th e Cry s tal ai re Land Co. boa st ed of Roberts, w ho endu ro nu m ber-o ne plat e ... Chris b eautiful, tree-covered, rolling to "imp resse d fans wi th Carr topped the 80cc Junio r/Expe rt rugged terr ain - perfect for motor cyprecocious mastery of class in a dirt track race at Lodi, Caliclists! The 4D-acre parcels sold for $250 d emand in g sh o r t fo rn ia's Cycl e Bowl. The story was per acre, with easy terms ...Another ad track style:' written by Ann Carr. . this one from Florida 's ·Ga ines vill e Dragway - challenged Westerners Boris 15 YEARS AGO... 5YEARS AGO••• Murray, Joe Smith and Sonny RaslawsJanuary 30,1980 January 24,1990 ki to attend the Suns hine Nationals. For incentive, the hosts offered "entry in the oad race r Ha rry Klinzmann was color start shot was on the glossy Sunshine Natio nals, an M&H drag slick interviewed, and featured on the cover of ou r Camel Supercross (depending on availability), enough of front page.. .An "In the Wind" Series preview...An "In the Wind " our smog- free at mosphere to fill your photo featu red the "Cycle News Beer item reported that Jimmy Fili ce su fcylinders as many times as necessary; Drinking and Running Team," which fered serious injuries in an automobile and a glass of Florida orange accident in Northern California. Filice had just completed a 10-kilometer jog. il! :iiJ R A BACK.... ·1 was a passen- ~l7iTr:.~~-_ ger in a tru ck that s tr uck a p arked tractor-trailer...1n the "V oices" se c t i o n , KTM President David J. Dahm wro te a letter de fendin g a n ad that h ad drawn criticism. The ad featured a cactus with a motorcycle track running near it. " It wa s designed to evoke a winter feeling, and to show that rider and wilde rness can coexist in harmony," said Dahm...Mike Kiedrowski, Dean Matson and Mike Healey wo n ' classes a t th e opening ro und of the Golden State Nationals at Castaic, Californi a...Chris Coleman and John Dowd w ere th e Pro cl ass w in ners at the muddy Florida Winter AMA seco nd round in Tallahassee, Florida . Kevi n Windham w on the 85cc (12-13) d iv is io n ...Damon Brad s h aw bested Jeff Ward in the 250ce Pro class at Round 2 of th e GFI California Win te r Series South in Ramona, Californ ia ... Brothers Tyso n and Tall on Vohland dominated all three Pro classes at Sandhill Ranch in Brentwood, California, site of the opening round of the GFI Winter Series North... Chu ek Sp rings te en topped the AMA Invitational Indoor Pro Ice Race Series in Peoria, Illinois...Southem California's Co yote Can yon was featu red in a "Where to Ride" article. c¥ 47

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