Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

VOICES America's weekly motorcycle newspaper '. Lettersto theeditor : Volume XXXII Sharon Clayton, President Michael Klinger, Publisher Editorial Paul Carru thers, Editor Kit Palmer, Associate Editor Donn Maeda, Associate Editor Scott Rousseau, Associate Editor Mark Hoyer, Manoging Editor Robene Boggs, Proofreader Advertising Terry Pratt, National Accounts Manager Mark Mitchell, Eastern Accounts Manager Mark Thome, Western SalesManager Thomas Cen ter. Western Sales Manager Forrest Hayashi, Western SalesManager Greg Mitchell, Eastern SalesManager Rick Matheny, Eastern SalesManager .Rhonda Crawford, Western Ad Coordinator Carla Allen, Eastern Ad Coordinator Laurie Snow, Assistant Marketing &:. Promotion Mark Thome, Manoger New Media Development ger Mark Mitchell, Mana Classified Ads Laurie Snow ~ Graphics and Production ReeJohnson, Production Supervisor Mandy Loo, ProductionManoger Dennis Greene, Lab. Tech. . StaceyGuest, Graphic Artist Amy Faught, Graphic Artist Administration Judy Klinger, Coordinator Peggy Rivera, Secretaryto the Publisher Accoun tingfData Processing Donna Bryan-Diamond, AIR Coordi nator Geneva Repass, Ass istant Herlane Lewis, Credit Circulation Rheba Smith, Manoger Alma Anguiano, Processing Coordinator Pam Klein, Billi g Coordinator n Carol Begovic, Deal r Coordinator e Service and Support Bridgett Bobrofsky, Receptionist Leonard Herring, Service and Support Gods peed, Danny Sure, I ad m ire d Da nn y Hamel for his speed and skill, but also for the fact that he was never too good or too busy talk to m e. As he was lapping m e, he al ways said - "th ank yo u" - with a wave as he passed. Danny Ham el was a nice g uy a nd that's the thing that really mad e him special to m e. If yo u kn ew him, then yo u kn ow what I mean. If you didn't, then I wish you had. I learned something from that young man an d now it's my turn. Rob in CaIman North Las Vegas, NV It took 10 long years for it to happen, but a famo us racer has been killed on a highway in a SCORE event. I have witnessed off-road races in Baja California eve r since they b e gan, a n d th ey used to ru n a parade start throug h town before restarting the event for real in the dirt. For some duni.b reason, this method was dropped. And now we have to lose the greatest off-road motorcycle racer in th e world.' Danny Ha mel wa s 23 years old , and he was at th e top of his p rofession as a motorcycle racer. Ten years ago, Malcolm Smith stood in fron t of a riders meeting at a SCORE event (at the time he was d riving a buggy), and said that these vehicles an d motorcycles were not d esig ned to run at high speed on hig hways an d tha t someo ne wa s going to get killed . Knowing Roger Hamel, losing his son, his best frien d and h is m otorcy cling buddy after spending years growing up together is ha rd to take. I'm very proud to have spent a lot of tim e with Dann y at the ISDE in Sweden and Australia, and in the Baja races. Danny always took a special interest in my son, Darren Sanford, at the races. Maybe this will wake the SCORE pe0ple up. Godspeed, Danny. . Bruce Sanford San Di ego, CA As an old racin g com petitor, partner and National Headquarters 2201 Cherry Ave., LOIig Beach, CA 90806, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, CA 9OB0H J498 (310) 427-7433; (21 3) 636-8844 . FllX(310)427-6685 Eastern Office 4188First Ave., Tucker, GA, 30084; mailing address P.O. Box805, Tucker,GA 30085-0805. . (404) 934-7850. FllX (404) 934-3112 e- mail editor@cyc1enews.com subscribe@cyc1enews.com advertising@cyc1enews.com Cycle News (USPS 141-340) is published weekly except the last two weeks of the calendar year for $50.00per year by Cycle News, Inc, 2201 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach CA 'XJ806. , Second class postage paid " t Long Beach CA and at additiona , al mailing office. Canada P051International Publications Mail ' 546615. POSTMASTER: Se nd address changes to Cycle Ne ws. P.O. frien d, I sen d my Iove/suppor t a n d prayers to you . I've known you and your famil y since you were growing up racing in the m in i cl as s es again s t m y two younger brothers. I was five years older. When Dann y moved up to the big bikes at age 14, w e teamed u p and won the 250cc Pro tea m ev en t in the Las Vegas 300. The picture I have of us at the finish has been very specia l to me. I quit racing in th e desert in Nevada an d m oved to Id ah o where I 'now race mo tocross . I read Cycle News every week and look for your resul ts first - almost as •if it w ere me I was rea ding about. I've been very proud of your racing accom- plishments, and I've bee n eve n prouder of the way you conduct yourself and the example you se t for your sport . I thank the Lord for the short time you we re with us and the tremend ou s im pact yo u had on everyone around you. You are a true profession al. Th e picture of us is now timeless. Your memories will never be forgotten, and I Win alwa ys look to your exam ple in the way .I conduct myself. I've lived an d ridden with you o n my m ind frequentl y. 'You will always ride with me in my mind now, m ore than ever . I will race wi th you as my teammate forever and I will look to the heavens and ask for your help - and I will rem ember you r exam ple. I will ask myself, 'What would Danny do?' Thank you, all my love. Barry Freh ner Boise, ID I have been ridi ng d esert/ Baja races on and off for the past 20 years. Over all of th os e yea rs I hav e n ev er b een m ore impressed with a ride r tha n I was wi th Danny Ha mel. Although Danny wasn't a close friend of mine, he treated everyone as tho ug h they were his friend. He never act ed like he w as better than anyone (altho ugh he was) . He always ha d a positive and friendly attitu de, he always took time before and after each race to sign au togra phs or have his picture taken with one of his many admirers. He loved the spo rt and it showed each tim e he got on a motorcycle. I have asked myself over and over why did this happen? Unfortunately, no one h as th e answer to th at question. I would just like to let his family and close friends know that Danny had a lot of su ppo rters out there. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say he was an inspiration to us all and we will miss him. RustyOarke Riverside, CA I wa s a specta tor at this year's Baja 500. I was a com p etitor in these events for a number of years, and wo n the 1000 and 500 twice, first overa ll, so I feel I have some knowledge of th e even t. SCORE International does an incredible job of running an event which is a logistical nigh tmare and for anyone who has been in any kind of race promotion, they can appreciate the magnitude of th e challeng es. Aft er the acci dent, my first re action was, d on't race bikes in Baja ever again . Then I realized, ha ving been in the industry for 30 yea rs, this didn't make much sense. Nex t th ou ght, how do you m ake this event safer for the bikes that do not have the lu xu ry of roll cages and seat belts ? Perhaps having the first p ar t of the race a rally to curtail the speeds throu gh the populat ed areas of Baja, where th e locals use no common sense w hile dri ving nor care to abide by any traffic laws . Poss ibly sending th e Trophy Trucks out firs t mi gh t "clear" th e way and let the locals realize a high-speed eve nt is underway. Yes, I kn ow that frequently the bikes are faster and dust would be a challenge. With the increased population in Baja and th e sp eeds th at are being attained with th e current vehicles, the situation is critical. The loss of such a talen ted young ma n requires th e need for m ore safety to be in corporated into th ese events, especially for bikes. Any racing can be dangerou s, bu t let's leave th e chance of bein g injured in the hands of the racer, not some erran t dri ver - who does not have a clue of w hat' 5 happening. . Vic Wilson Gardnerville, NV I'm sorry about w hat happened to Danny, and hope you receive this letter because I want to share my feelings about him and h ow great and kind he was. I know how you feel an d it's sad to have stuff happen to peo ple like that because I had an aunt who died two years ago, but she lived a good health y life. Danny was nice and a fast racer who loved racing and was good at it. Wh en I heard tha t he was dead it just tore m e t o pieces. I tho ught to myself, 'W h y h im?' H e wa s alw ays nice an d never hurt anyone. An d , once again, to Danny's parents and his racing partners, Larry Roeseler, Ted Hunnicutt and Ty Davis, I just wa nted to say tha t I'm sony an d th at I will ne ver forget him and he will always be in my prayers. Jared Hernandez O n Sa turday, June 3, 1995, we lost a remarkable p erso n . My first react ion when I h ear d th e tr a gic news abou t Danny Hamel was: "Oh, m y God , he's gone..." Dann y wa s my idol an d I'm sure others also idolized hi m. As we all say good-bye to this man we say good-bye to a remarkable motorcycle racer and a great person. - . Danny, we will miss you . Eugen e H ernandez Palmdale, Cal ifornia Eugene Hernandez, 15, and his brother, Jared, 13, were among many who wrote letters of tribute to Danny Hamel, who was killed in the Baja 500 on June 3...Editor. I Letters to the edito r should be senl to Voices. Cycle News. P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, CA 90806-0498, faxed to 310/427668S or e-mai l, ed ito r@c:yclenews.co m. Publis hed letters do not necessaril y I" lect the position of Cycle N~II, Inc. Letd ters sho uld not exceed 200 words and allleUers are subject to edi ti ng. A no nymous lett ers will n ot be cons id ered for publication. All le tters should con ta in the writer's name. address an d daytime phone number .•. Edi tor. INSIDE ·. . Issue#24,June 21;1 . 995 Box 498. Long Beach. CA 90801-0498. To de term ine the expira tion date of your subsaiption, check the four numbers on the first line of your address label, The firs t two digi ts in dicate the last iss ue number you'JI receive and the last two charact ers indic at e the year of the last issue. Subscripti on rates : Rates for the United States a nd its posses-siena for one year, (SO issues), $50.00; two years (l00 issues ), $95.00; six mon ths, (25 issues ), $26.00; trial sub (15 Issues), 519.00. Ca nada and Foreign. one yea r (SOissues), $90.00; two years 000 issues ), $175.00; six mont hs (25 issues), $45,00; trial sub (15 issues), $38.00. Cycle News welcomes unso licit d ed itorial material including e stories . cartoons, ph otos, etc. Such ma teria l, if pu blished , becomes the exclusive property of Cycle News . Reprinting in w hole or part only by permission of the publisher . Advertsing ra tes and circu lation informa tion will be sen t upon request.See 5.R. S. D W~.8 ~W~noN Printed in U.S.A. C~yrigh" Cycle New>, Inc. 1995. Trad.... rk CycleNew. registered U.s. Patent Office. All rights reserved. FEATURES SUPERCROSS Confusion in Glitter Gulch 6 ROAD RACING DuHamel again at Road America l 0 Doohan's ba ck at Italian GP 20 So long, 34 : 24 OFF -ROAD Triumph an d traged y at Baja 500... 28 VINTAGE Return to Dyn o Days 31 TESTS 1996 Yamah a YZF750R 32 34 1995 Husaberg FCSOl ENDURO Smith claims Idaho Nat'l... 36 CROSS COUNTRY W. Virginia GNCC to Summers MOTOCROSS High times at Hi-Poin t MX TRIALS Tarres invincib le in Italy HILLCUMB Soter trims Wh ite Rose Na t'l 38 39 42 44 DEPARTMENTS RESULTS •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••_•••••••••••••_•••••45 EVENTS•..•......•..•..•..•..•.•_.•.•.•.•.••.._.•••.•••.•.••••._•.46 CALENDAR ...•..••..•._..••..•.••.•..•_.•.••.••_•••..•_••_•.58 LEADERBOARD ._._..••.••.•_••..•..•.•_•.••.••.••.••.••.63 WANT ADS•••••••••••_._••••_•••_._•••••.•_•.••.••.•_••.••64 RNA MOTO •••_••••_••••••••••_••••_••__•••••.••••_._._79 L LOOKING BACK••_•••_•••••••••••••_••••_••••.•_••_._._79 ON THE FRONT COVER Jus t like th e Want Ads read - too much to list. Scott Ru ssell photo by Henny Ray Abrams . Jeff Emig photo by Kinn ey Jo nes. Yamaha YZ F750R photo by Joe Bo n nello. H u saberg FC 50 1 byBri an Barn es .

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