Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Volume XXXII Sharon Clayton, Presidau Michael Klinger, Publisher Editorial Paul Carruthers, Editor Kit Palmer, Associate Editor Donn Maeda, Associate Editor Scott Rousseau, Associate Editor .Mark Hoyer, Managing Editor Robene Boggs, Proofr eader Advert ising Terry Pratt, NationalAccountsManagtr Mark Mitchell, Eastern AccountsManager Mark Thome, Wtstern Salts Managtr Thomas Conter , Wtstern Salts Manager Forrest Hayashi, Wtstern Salts Managtr Greg Mitchell, Eastern Salts Manager Rick Matheny, Eastern Salts Manager Rhonda Crawford, Wtstern Ad Coordinator Carla Allen, Ea stern Ad Coordinator Lau ric Snow , Assistant Marketing 01< Promotion Mark Thome, Manager New Media Development Mark Mitchell, Manager Classified Ads Laurie Snow Graphics and Production ReeJohnson, Production Supervisor Mandy Loo, Production Manager Dennis Greene, LAb. Tech. Stacey Guest, Graphic Artist Amy Faught , Graphic Artist Administration Judy Klinger, Coordinator Peggy Rivera, Secretary to the Publisher AccountingfData Processing Donna Bryan-Diamond, NR Coordinator . Geneva Repass, Assistant Herlane Lewis, Credit Circulation Rheba Smith, Managtr Alma Anguiano, Proctssing Coo rdinator Pam Klein, Billing Coor dinator Ca rol Begovic, Deal r Coordinator e Service and Support Bridgett Bobrofsky, Receptionist Leonard Herring, Seroice and Support National Headquarters 2201 Cherry Ave., Long Beach,CA 90806, P.O. Box498, Long Beach,CA 90801-0498 (310) 427-7433; (213) 63&-8844. FAX (310) 427.0685 Eastern Office 4188 First Ave., Tucker, GA, 3lXJ8.t; mailing address P.O. Box 80S, Tucker, GA 30085-0805. IN THE WIND Continued from page3 Russell signswith Lucky S Suz_uk_i_ trike W have a contract with Kawasaki, I have a contract with Rob Muzzy . I don ' t have a personal contract with him - it's not in my name. I don 't have a contract with anybody. Scott Russell doesn' t have a contract with anybody. I have a con tract wi th Shoo and Dainese. Oth er than that I don' t have a contract to ride a motorcycle, I do now, with Suzuki." Despite the fact that Russe ll viewed the move as the "o pportunity ith Kevin Schwanlz officially announcing his retirement from of a lifetim e: it didn't ma ke leaving Kawasa ki easy . "I've give n it a lot of thou ght," he said. "It was hard because we've Grand Prix road racing last wee k, Lucky St rike Suzuki announced on Monday, June 5, tha t they have signed 1993 been together for a long time and we've don e a lot of grea t things World Superbike Champion Scott Russell as Schwantz 's replacement. togethe r - Rob (Muzzy) and all of US together. I'm appreciative of what they' ve do ne for me ove r the years, giving me the opportunity to do The Geo rgian will race the Lucky Strike Suzuki for the first time in the what I could do . So, you know, I thou ght abo ut all that stuff. And Rob Italian Gran d Prix at Mugello on June 11, though Muzzy Kawasaki and I are good friends on top of that, too. They've always done me team owner Rob Muzzy has stated that he will do everything in his really good at Kawasaki. It was hard, you know. But it's like this: I'm pow er to prevent Russell from racing the Suzuki. 30 years old, I always said I'd never go 500 racing un less it was a top Althou gh team manager Garry Taylor denied last week that Rusfactory team , and when that oppo rtunity came up it took a lot of thinksell had tested the Lucky Strike Suzuki, the Geo rgian did indeed ride the bike at Brno in the Czech Republic and he crashed during his after- ing of how to approach stuff, how to do it, or on wha t grounds and all that. But the fact is this op portunity probably will never come around noon session, breaking bon es in his foot. Russell claimed .to have brofor Scott Russell again. If I don't take it now, I'll never know. Unfortuken the foot in a moun tain biking accident. "It's in the hands of the attorneys:' Rob Muzzy said at the Mid- nately, I may make some people unhapp y, but that wasn't my intenOhio AMA Superbike National on Satu rday, Jun e 3. " I fina lly got tion . The real deal is that I've go t to go for·it or I'll never know . As racahold of Scott and I asked him abo ut the test and he sa id yes that he ers, depending on how old you are, we only have a few years, a small had tested it. I asked him w hat he was going to do and he sta rted in window to pass thro ugh in road racing as an active racer, competitivee with, Well, yo u know, you 've got to look out for yo urse lf, it's a cha nce ly. I fe l like I'm at my prime right now . I think things are really good, I'm riding good and I felt like this had to be done." of a lifetime, blah, blah, blah..: [ pointed out to him tha t he had a legal Russell's contrac t wi th Suzuki is for this year only, with an option agree ment , and that there were a number of people who had su pported him for some time, and had built programs around him based on for the 1996 seaso n, and Russell will have to perform in order to get a him staying with the team . I told him I was absolutely positive that second yea r on the deal. " I wo uld think that has a lot to do with their they (Kawasaki) wo uld not release him, arid tha t they wo uld probably reasons for renewing," he said . " I'm sure that's wha t they're giving take wha tever legal action was availab le. 1hat was the last conversa- themselves an opportunity :whe re they wo uldn't be tied into a gu y who wouldn't be able to cut it. I'm not even worried about that. I base tion I had wi th him . Since then, in fact it was late last night (Friday, that on self-confidence, knowing w hat I can do." June 2), 1 received first contact from his attorney . Russell said his decis ion to leave the Muzz y Kawasaki team wo uld "Oth er than that, I'm not going to say much beca use it' s in the hands of the att orn eys. I can tell you that I have been in contact with have been harder if he were competitive in this year's World Super. Kawasaki and it is ou r feeling tha t we 've d one everything we could to bike Championship: " If I was leading, it would have been a hell of a lot harder to walk away from it then, not to say that I wouldn't have suppo rt him . We feel tha t our agreement is a legitimate agreement and that we intend to take every legal action to enforce the agreement. It's done it then ," Russell sai d . "The performance issue - Dayt ona was in the hands of the attorneys. If there is a legal way to do so (prevent grea t, Daytona couldn' t have been any better for me. I though t, 'Man Russell from riding the Suz uki) - yes,it will be done. If there's not, it this is go ing to be good, this is our year: We showed up at Hockenwon 't. All I can tell you is that two weeks ago 1 had a conversa tion . heim with two motorcycles that were both useless, that wouldn' t run . with Scott. He apol ogized for being late to a test and stated that he was That was bad. At Misan o and Donington it was the sa me story . I'm not really happy where he was, and that he planned on be ing with badmouthing the team or anything. I don't want to get into aIJ of that. Kawasaki for the rest of his career. He said he was putting his house It just wasn't good. This year was going downhill. A few problems, as up for sale and he was moving to Bend, Oregon, (Muzzy's base) to be there are in any team, I'm sure with people getting along with other people. It was tiresome for me; I was burnt out. My guys worked realwith his friends :' According to Muzzy, Russell also fired his manager Tom Sheehy Iy hard, I can 't say enough about them . They put me in a great position . last week , as well as his bookkeeper. "Everyone who has in every way to do great things and I appreciate it all. But when it's time to go, it's supported him, he's cu t th e s tring . First of all , he knew Sheehy time to go and I knew that it was time for me to go. My flame was wouldn't have sup po rted him in thi s. He did th is all on his own. burnt out there . With the way the team has been, you had to be me to know. It was just all I could handle and I just can't do it anymore and NobMy every came to me and said, 'Look, I've got this offer and I'd really like to pursue it, what can we do?' Instead, I get a phone call when this opportunity came up I had to do a lot of thinking about Kawasaki and Rob and all the sponsors and all that. But in the end I saying we heard Scott rode a GP bike...from you . A week before that have to think about Scott Russell and that's what I've done. Hopefull y, he's in love with us." they won't be too angry with my decision and possibly wish me luck. Russell visited the Lucky Strike Suzuki shop in England on May 24 for the first time. . That's what I was hoping for. At this point I don 't know if I'm getting "Basically, it's the opportu nity of a lifetime for any road racer, 1 that response. Yeah, the re's a contract, but the contract is not with think. I've know I alwa ys wanted to ride a 500 . I finally got the oppor- Scott Russell . It's with a corporation. So I don't feel too bad:' When asked for a reaction to Russell leaving the World Superbike tunity and now I'm going for it. I had a meeting with them at the race shop in England. We were on our wa y to Donington anyway. I decid- Championship, defending World Champion and current points leader ed I needed to get in touch wi th them pretty quick if they needed a Carl Fogarty said : " It's just one of those things . He was out of it anyrider immediately.That's w ha t I did. " wa y this year . He was struggling and he wasn't riding well at all. It's As for the legalities of leaving Kawasaki, Russell isn't worried: " I like he couldn't win at Superbike, so maybe he's going to go and try don't feel that they can do that (stop me from riding the bike). I don't and win at GPs now ." 1:\ (404) 934-7850 . FAX (404) 934-3112 e-mail editorikyc1enews.com subscribe@cyclenews.com INSIDE ad vertising@cyclenews .com Issue#23,June 14, 1 995 Cyde News (usrs 141·J.W);spublished w..ldy """1'1the lnt two weeks of the cillt>ndar yeolr for S50.oo per yeu by Cycle News, Inc.. 2201 Chorry Avrnur. Long Br ch. CA 90806. a Serond class postage piid at long Beach. CA ..nd at ad d itionnuiling offi<.y. 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Advertelog rates and circulationinfonnation will be sent upon ""I uest.See 5.ROS W~~ ~~~~TJON Printed in U.S.A. Co~yrigb" Cyc N..... lnc.19'15. TrOld.....k Cyd. Now. le ropsl.rrd u.s. Patentom",. All rigbb reserved, ENDURO Mauna Kea 200 Smith manhand les McArthur FEATURES ROAD RACING DuHamel captures Mid-Ohio 36 MOTOCROSS World MX happenings 32 30 6 SUPERCROSS Huffman w raps title at San Jose ......16 DIRT TRACK Parker surprises at LaSalle 18 RIDING IMPRESSION KTM 400 and 620 R/ Xc.. 20 TIRE TEST Hangin' w ith Mic helin 24 INTERVIEWS Kevin Schwantz M ike H a le 14 26 TRIALS Aaron, Young top Exeter Colomer hot in Poland 34 38 DEPARTMENTS LEADERBOARD EVENTS RESULTS CALENDAR WANT ADS RACER X _ LOOKINGBACK _ _ 40 42 51 .58 64 79 79 ON THE FRONT COVER Miguel DuHamel was caught smokin' at the Mid-Ohio National. See page 6. Photo by Henny Ray Abrams.

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