Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.'INJHETAPES ,' ,By Scott Rousseau, ' ~ ~eea~ ~ago, I happened to read a column in a rival publication in which the author took the time to introduce his magazine staff. Perhaps the idea was to give the reader a bit of insight into the "team," provid-. ing a glimpse of the personalities and attitudes that go in to shaping up the magazine every issue. Normally, I don't take too much stock in a rival column, but his was a good idea, really. And it made me think. We here at Cycle News have made several changes in our staff and to the newspaper itself over the past two years. Thanks to the influx of positive mail, we know that you have liked those editorial changes, and believe me, we all appreciate that very much. But what about the staff? How many readers know us? Who are we? What are we all about? Well, I'd like to take this opportunity to let you know, starting from the top. No publication can survive without leadership, and Cycle News has a very' charismatic leader in Paul Carruthers. At 33 (he looks much older), "Pablo" got his start at Cycle News on his 23rd birthday; a dreaded deadline Monday, no less. The Australian-born Carruthers brought with him a vast knowledge of the world of road racing, gained during all the years he spent in Europe while his father Kel was off in search of World Championships, and later, when the elder Carruthers helped Kenny Roberts win three successive 500cc World Championships in 1978, '79 and '80. Ten years later, Paul has parlayed his knowledge, an excellent ability to write and gather news, and a flair for the business side of the newspaper all the way to the helm, But it's unfair to characterize him as a "boss." Paul's witty demeanor is his calling card, and he 's never serious unless decorum calls for it; he can whip out 10 . jokes per minute on any subject in or out of the office, and they'll all be funny. He works, plays and jokes around with the rest of the staff, making us feel like more of a team , or a family, than just a bunch of hired hands. The stress of producing a weekly newspaper can rattle him just like the rest of us, but he handles it with style, making him a natural for leadership. When the day is over, he likes to head home to spend his leisure time with his wife and two children. Paul is an ageing surfer, and he's also somewhat of a runner with the notion that he will participate in a marathon sometime in the near future. Having been on the Cycle News staff for almost 12 years, Kit Palmer could be ' considered the Senior Editor if there was such a position on the masthead. But Kit prefers to be recognized as an Associate Edi,"" i<, 1= ","""ru~,. Ki<, wril- 9 f3 !LOOKINGBACK .. ~ I.!) 0\ ~ , ...... C C1:l 2 ..0 & 60 ing style is open and friendly, a stark contrast to the polite quietness that he displays in the office. The 3O-s0mething Kit is our resident street bike test guy, and he gets plenty of opportunity to do that on his daily commute between out Long Beach office and his home in Riverside - a distance of more than 75 miles each way - so you 'd think tha t he'd have something to say when he finally gets here. In the office, Kit is a great go-to guy, always willing to take on even the toughest stories to edit. And he always has good ideas on how to accomplish the goals of this newspaper. Away from the office, he might be found at any number of local motocross or off-road events, which are hi s first love. He is a competent Vet rider, able to wax more than a few rid ers several years his junior. Kit also ind ulges in the big-buck hobby of flying, piloting his 120-horsepower Ercoupe two-seater wherever and whenever he can. His wife Theresa and he also enjoy spending , time with their two dogs, which Kit will tell you are just as much of a handful as any children. Associate Editor Donn Maeda, 26, has been at CycleNetos for five years. He is the dirt track dude on staff and covers several motocross and supercross races as well. Despite the fact that he doesn't race dirt track himself, Donn has a great , rapport with all of the riders on the AMA Grand National circuit and in just about every other discipline - a real plus when Cycle News has to go digging for extra "Wind" on a Monday. Speed is one of his stronger attributes; he has' been known to write four-page race reports from start to finish in under two hours on just four fingers, earning him the nickname "Lobster Boy:" Donn coordinates the vast majority of Cycle News off-road tests, shootouts and project bikes . He also crashes the vast majority of Cycle News off-road test, shootout and project bikes. He's a man of many talents. Maeda is truly the class clown of the group, taking every opportunity to "bag" on other staff members whenever possible. He is always playing some sort of prank or practical joke on a fellow staff member; he can get extremely creative with the office copy machine, as the classic National Enquirer cover hanging on his office wall will affirm. Away from the office, Donn has a wide range of interests, most of them revolving around two wheels. On Saturday, he could be at Carlsbad Raceway for a local motocross, or in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, for a GP. Lately, though, he has developed a real taste for the sport of observed trials and has quickly moved into the Intermediate class after just a few events. When he doesn't have two wheels and a motor underneath him, he still has the two wheels - Maeda is also a mountain bike freak. He crashes those, too, but that's just for fun. Donn is married. He and wife Eileen are expecting their first child in February or March. Maybe they'll name the baby Daytona. Leading the singles set is Associate Editor Chris Jonnum, 26 . Chris is arguably the most intensely dedicated editor on the staff and extremely meticulous in all aspects of his job. It shows. He 'll be the first one to arrive and the last one to stay, if that 's what it takes to ensure that each and every issue of Cycle News is the very best that it can be. He spends a lot of time traveling to the various Supercrosses, National MXs and endures, and will usually work late into the night or early into the morning to complete his race reports. Where we all value our work and strive for excellence, Chris takes it to a new level, a more personal one. But don't get the impression that Chris is a stiff. His sense of humor falls right into line with the rest of the staff - maybe that's the one thing that binds us all together - but his sense of humor represents the wackier side of Cycle News. Get him out of the office, and Chris transforms from a hard-working editor to a hard-riding enduro/offroad rider. He is a legitimate A-class rider and always a threat for a top 10 finish whether at a local enduro or national event (he finished 14th in the grueling Nevada Rally). He is also into alternative music, foreign films, reading, volleyball, basketball, mountain biking and skiing. Moving along, I guess it's my tum. I don't care to elaborate on my writing style or my work ethic, I'll let you, the reader, reserve judgment of the former, and my colleagues the latter. But I will tell you that as an Assistant Editor for Cycle New s, I am living my dream . Motorcycles have been a part of my life since I was six years old, and if I have my way, they will be for the res t of my life. At CycleNews I am afforded the rare luxury of allowing motorcycles and motorcycle competition to occupy the majority of my thoughts and time. My main chores include handling all of the local coverage and results for our " Even ts" section. I'm also the "New Products" editor, and I prepared the 1995 New Bike Buyer's Guide that appeared in Issue #50. If anything is wrong with any of those, blame me. I'm sure there's a good explanation for it. Person ali ty-wise, I see myself as somewhat of a melting pot of the editors around me. The same is tru e for my motorcycling preferences. For example, prior to meeting Donn and Chris, I would never have thought much about competing in a motocross or an enduro, but thanks to them I have tr ied both and have loved both. Kit is rubbing off on me as well. A bounty of '95 street machines has allowed me to put in an increasi ng number of "road ie" miles, and it's a blast. Yep, whether leading the group on a road ride (see"A Lesson in Diversity," this issue) or schooling my fellow editors on the finer points of riding an open-class motocross machine (see "Battle of the Monster Bikes," CN Issue #50 , January 5, 1994), I enjoy everyminute of it. But my first love is speedway, which according to my fellow editors, makes me genuinely certifiable. The same adaptability holds true for my hobbies. Donn has got me into mountain biking, and Chris and I share the same tast e in music. I've even hit the waves with Paul. But sorry, boss, you can keep that running stuff. Copy Editor Mark Hoyer, 25, is the newest member of the group, and he also fits in nicely. Though he has proven himself to be more than justa proofreader, the bulk of his time during the day is spent reading each and every single word in each and every single issue every sin gle week. He 's the best copy editor that Cycle News has ever had for two reasons: 1) he is the first copy editor that Cycle News has ever had, and 2) he has a thorough appreciation and understanding for the subject matter, having owned a '79 Yamaha RD400 Daytona before he ran it through a street sign and into an orange grove. Oh, well , everyone has their own idea of a good time . Mark recently moved back to Southern California after spending two years at George Washington University in Washington D.C., so I guess you could say that Mark provides the group with a bit of Eastern culture. Aside from Paul, nobody else has lived in a foreign country for that long. His hobbies include playing guitar and driving British sports cars . And wrenching on them. And driving them. And wrenching on them some more. He currently divides his time between a nearly pristine '69 Jaguar XKE coupe and a really crappy '71 Triumph TR6 convertible. Put us all together and you have a dedicated group of individuals who genuinely care about their work, and each other. We're like family; sometimes we bitch and moan about what needs to be done, but we do it anyway. Sometimes we argue with each other, but we 're thick as thieves, and no outsider (especially those ad guys) had better dog anyone of us, lest he incur the wrath of the whole tribe. . Like I said, that rival editor had a good idea when he wrote his column, and I hope that I've done it justice. One other thing, though. In closing the ed itor wrote something on the order of, "To have the best motorcycle publication, you have to have the best people. We have those people." Speaking not for myself, but for my fellow colleagues and friends, I beg to differ. 0 500cc classes, respectively, at the Lake Madera, California, Golden State MX Series.. .An article entitled "Heavy Metal " examined the trick four-strokes of the AMA Four-Stroke National, including the Franks Racing Honda 500 of winner Jeff Jennings, a footprint in America with his 250cc Pro class victory at round three of the GFl Winter Series at Perris Raceway in Perris, California...Steve Lamson, Mike Fisher, and Mike Healey, won the ' I25, 250 and 500cc classes, respectively, when round two of the CMC/Dodge Truck Golden State Nationals visited Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California...On the East Coast, Chris Coleman and Brian McElroy were the big winners at round three of the Florida Winter AMA Series in Dade City, Florida. 01 ·I 25 YEARS AGO••• February 10, 1970 Eddie Mulder returned to Ascot Park and left with the victory during the February 1 running of the Ascot IT...Mark Blackwel1 and Jim West each took a class win at the CMC Perris MX...Page 12 featured a photo of the Husqvarna SOOcc ' twin road racer...There was also a photo feature of the new Cheney Yamaha on page 23...Russ Damel1topped the Bay Mare Team Prix ...Dick Ainsworth's story on page 19 was headlined Motorcycle Rae- ing's Future May Television...Really? Be In 15 YEARS AGO••• February 6, 1980 facial of Kenny Roberts was the on the cover, along with the cover line, "What now, Kenny?" In an interview "King Kenny" discussed the World Series, the Pro Riders Association and his return to dirt track at Houston...Ron Turner, Goat Breker and Dan Turner topped the 125, 250 and A 5YEARS AGO... January 31, 1990 T he. winter MX series were in full swing. Reigning World 250cc Champion Jean-Michel Bayle made

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