Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Cycle News 1995 02 15

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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Fonner 12Sec National MX Champion Ron Lechien (Yam) won the 250cc Pro class at round three of the CMC Velvetouch Golden State MX Nationals in Barona Oaks, California, on February 5. Bader Manneh (Hon) was second ahead of Anthony Pocorobba (Suz). In the 125cc division, Spud Walters (Suz) was victorious over Jeff Wi110h (Kaw) and Chris Wheeler. Duane Conner (Yam) emerged victorious from the sixth round of the AMA Mid-South Winter Hare Scrambles Series in Centerville, Tennessee, on February 5. Gene O'Naii (Kaw) was the runner-up, with defending champion Robert Patterson (Suz) third. World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty will definitely be a starter in the 1995 Daytona 200, and he claims that "hatred" will help him win. In the Janu ary 25 issue of England's Motor Cycle News, Fogarty said the following of his I plans to compete at Daytona International Speedway: "I hate the track, the I place and the Americans. That's why I ! am going toI win. Nothin g would give I'. ยท me more p easure t h an beating the Yanks in their own backyard." Fogarty I will try to become the first British rider ' 1' to win the 200-mile race; Fogarty last competed at Daytona in 1991 when he crashed his Honda Britain ROO while leading the race with nine laps to go. Road racer Jason Pridmore crashed a motocross bike recently and suffered a broken right leg. The 25-year-old Californian says he'll be fit for Daytona where he will ride a Ducati 955 for Team Cal Pacifico Racing. Pridmore has also replaced Dale Quarterley as the official rider for the American Roadracing Speed Reader Racing Club, a readerbacked sponsorship program initiated by the monthly news~aper. Road race tuner Kel Carruthers has signed a contract to serve as the crew chief for 250cc World Championship contender Doriano Romboni. The Italian will ride a Honda NSR250 in a Pepsi-sponsored team owned by Giacomo Agostini; Romboni finished fourth in the 1994 250cc World Championship on an HB-sponsored Honda and won the '94 United States Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Promoter Gene Woods has signed a one-year deal to promote all oval track events at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, and plans to promote speedway at both Glen Helen and his current venue, Speedway USA in Victorville, California, during the 1995 season. Woods said that he stepped in to run' Glen Helen only when it appeared that there were no other takers , which would have left the weekly Southern California speedway circuit with only two tracks, Costa Mesa and Victorville. "My loyalty is to speedway," Woods said. "We couldn't cut the racing down to a couple nights a week. It would just die. Besides, it's still a real viable market at Glen Helen, and I don't ~ think that it was ever promoted right. 0\ Scheduling is a lot more flexible than at ..... County Fairgrounds (like Victorville)." The Glen Helen speedway opener is scheduled for May 3 while Speedway USA will open on May 6. 2 Along with the increased scheduling flexibility, Woods hopes that being able to run two venues will help him bring speedway together with TV and highdollar sponsor,. Already, Woods has signed Lucas Oil to post $10,000 for the weekly sidecar program, and Pontiac has committed another Firebird for the USA-sanctioned Inland Empire Pontiac Dealers Association Points Series. "My goal is to propose to the AMA that we have a U.s. National Series involving all the tracks, which I think would be more attractive to TV," Woods said. "I think having two tracks gives us more pull." In addition to promoting all manner of four-wheeled events and speedway at Glen Helen Raceway, Woods said he is also looking into the possibility of promoting a Class C short track series that would include both Glen Helen and Victorville. For more information call 619/245-6111. Charles Halcomb says he's well down the road to recovery following the injuries he sustained at the Baja 1000 last November. "I'm doing good," said Halcomb. "Compared to where I was at, I feel great. The doctors thought that I might never walk again but I'm walking. Basically, everything is co m in g along okay, but the only problem I have is that my left leg is full of clots. The. doctors expect it to heal but it will take some time." Halcomb said that he has no plans on racing anymore, but looks forward to riding with his friend s again. He also added that he has been named to the ISDE board of directors and will help organize and run the U.S. team at this year's ISDE that will be he ld in Poland in September. Former Team Peak r id er Buddy Antunez is contesting the Ll.S, Supercross and National MX Series on Honda CRs, with backing from HSKS Racing in Ocala, Florida. Local pro Travis Blackburn is also being supported b y the shop to ride Kawasaki KXs in selected events. Vet hero "Rocket" Rex Staten has signed with DG Performance to contest various motocross and off-road events in 1995. Staten has 10 National and four World titles . Race fans attending the Toyota Challenge of Laguna Seca, a round of the AMA Superbike National Championship Series on April 28-29 can expect some changes for the '95 race, according to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California: reduced camping prices (down 20 percent), free paddock access and free grandstand seating. For more information call800/327-SECA. According to his father, former World Champion Martin Lampkin, defending British National Trials Champion Doug Lampkin may contest the Spanish National Championship Series in 1996. The younger Lampkin will defend his British title in '95, but hopes to elevate his riding in '96 by competing against the best. Lampkin finished the 1994 World Championship Series ranked sixth. I I Rus.sell cracks the whip in La una test A m e ri ca n Honda, Muzzy Kawasaki and Suzuki's Yoshimura Superbike teams tested at .Lagu na Seca Raceway on January 30-31 in preparation for the upcoming AMA and World Superbike rounds at the Monterey, California, facility. As is the trend this off-season, Muzzy Kawasaki's Scott Russell was the fastest of the riders who participated at the test, riding in full World Superbike trim with the new AP iron brakes. Encouraging news for Honda was the newfound speed of the Smokin' Joe's team with Mike Hale and Miguel DuHamel lapping a full two seconds faster than what last year's team members, Mike Smith and Kevin Magee, did during qualifying for the AMA National at Laguna Seca last season. Russell, despite suffering from a cold, looked as confident and in control as he has for the past half season. With the Muzzy Kawasaki team testing several new chassis setups and using unfamiliar components, Russell got out of shape quite spectacularly a number of times, but he rarely looked out of control or ruffled . Although he has lapped as fast as 1:27.4 at Laguna in the past, the fastest he was able to lap at this two-day test was 1:28.5, according to sources in the Muzzy Kawasaki team . Russell said the track was a little green and this was the reason behind the slower times. Neither Australian Muzzy Kawasaki rider Anthony Gobert nor Canadian Steve Crevi er took part in the test for unknown reasons. Pascal Picotte did attend and rode the Kawasaki Superbike to a best of 1:30.0 and, according to Russell, may have gone faster if Russell hadn't been so greedy with the sticky Dunlop tires. Russell also rode a Muzzy Kawasaki ZX6R in preparation for the 600cc Supersport event at Daytona and lapped at a 1:32.6 pace. Both the Smokin' Joe 's Honda team and Yosh imura Suzuki teams tested with Kawasaki at Laguna Seca, and after a season of adversity the Honda RC45 is showing signs of coming on strong. Thanks to a multitude of factors , including crew chief Ray Plumb's engine development program and the suspension advancements of tuners Merlyn Plumlee and Al Ludington (now using Ohlins components on the front of the RC45 and a Penske unit on the rear), both DuHamel and Hale lapped in the 1:29 range. Even more impressive was the fact that both riders' split-times from several technical sections of the track were just a hundredth off from Russell's times in the same area . Plumb and company left on Monday, February 6 for Japan to oversee the building of the 1995 RC45 Superbikes, and with a tick more power they could very well be at the front of the Daytona pack. Honda will test the RC455twice more prior to Daytona. DuHamel lapped just slightly off Russell's fast times on a 600, flicking the Honda CBR600 F-3 around the 2.214-mile race track in 1:33.0with Hale equally as fast. Kawasaki also tested a new swingarm guard to prevent riders' feet from entering . the chain area in the event of the crash and causing a similar injury to that suffered in the past by Doug Polen and this past season by Daryl Beattie. Russell used the guard on his superbike for the full two-day test at Laguna Seca, and expects to use it again at Daytona. , Yoshimura Suzuki's Fred Merkel was caught on several stopwatches in the 1:31 range on his superbike and at 1:34 on his 750cc Supersport mount - about a second faster than the laps turned on the Supersport bike by teammate Donald Jacks. Thomas Stevens was the fastest of the Suzuki men on the superbike GSXR750, but was still some two seconds off Russell's pace. Dean Adams change," said Camozzi, who was ranked 11th in 1994. Camozzi will ride for the French Beta importer, with additional support coming directly from the Italian Beta factory. Scorpa has not yet announced who will replace Camozzi. Former World Championship Trials Series competitor Gabino Renales will serve as minder for Takumi Narita, the Japanese factoryBeta rider, in 1995 . Narita ended the '94 World Championship Series ranked fifth. . Fonner World Trials Champion Tommi Ahvala has left his native Finland in order to set up base in Barcelona; Spain. In addition to being logistically better for the World Championship Series, Ahvala feels that the move to Spain will allow him better- quality practice, The factory Fantic rider is optimistic about his all-new Fantic Section, saying, "I have the bike set up exactly how I like it; it is very different from last year's machine and it feels really good." French trials rider Bruno Camozzi will be Beta Techno-mounted in 1995. Camozzi served as the French Scorpa factory's development rider last year, but couldn't come to terms with the firm for '95. "I have problems with the Scorpa factory over the future development of the machine and it is better that I And speaking of the all-new Fantic Section, Fantic Importer Bob Miller of Miller's Motorcycles reports that the first of the Italian machines are finally hitting American shores. "They're really something," he said. "Quite different than last year's bike." Miller Motorcycles can be reached at 445-B Prado Rd., San Luis Ob isbo , CA 93401, 805/5437358. Harley-Davidson-powered motorcydes have been approved for competition in the NHRA Pro Stock Bike category for the 1995 season. According to a season preview article in the Chief Winternationals Souvenir Issue, the American-made V-twins will be allowed a maximum displacement of 140 cubic inches (a whopping 2294cc) . and may weigh 550 pounds. The current rules for in-line-four-powered machines call for a maximum displacement of 79 cubic inches (1294cc) and a weight of 600 pounds. Rumor has it that a few H-Ds are being constructed for the Pro Stock Bike season opener, the Slick 50 Nationals in Houston, Texas, on February 2-5. Rumor has it that four-stroke ace Mike Young has reached an agreement with Italian thumper manufacturer Vertemati to contest the 1995 World Championship 500cc MX Series. Last year, Young campaigned an ATK in the

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