Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Cycle News 1995 07 26

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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I. IN THE·WIND Six-time World ·Champion Jordi Tarres (G-G) scored the win at the ninth round of the World Championship Trials Series, held July 15-16 in Sant Julia de Loria, Andorra, and the Spaniard appears to be closing in on his seventh championship. Brit Doug Lampkin (Bet) was second overall, while the top five was rounded out by Spain's Joan Pons (G-G), Japanese Kenichi Kuroyama (Bet) and Spaniard Amos Bilbao (Bet). Tarres' main championship rival, Marc Colomer, faltered in Andorra and finished a disappointing sixth. With one round to go, Tarres leads Colomer 162151. In order to win the championship, Colomer needs to win the August 20 series finale in Finland, and hope that Tarres finishes eighth or worse. The Honda-mounted trio of Stephane "Mertens, Michel Simeon and JeanMichel Mattioli won the 24 Heures de Liege in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on July 16. The three riders completed 493 laps and 2130 miles, averaging 88.896 mph to top the Kawasaki-mounted team of Terry Rymer, Jean-Louis Battistini and Jehan d'Orgeix. Steve Hatch (Suz) won round six of the AMA National Championship Hare Scrambles Series in Speedsville, New York, on July 16. The Team Suzuki 00Road rider finished approximately a minute and a half ahead of second-place finisher Scott Plessinger (KTM), winner of last week's round in Missouri. Cr0ssing the finish line approximately 20 seconds behind Plessinger was Scott Summers (Hon). Defending champ Rodney Smith (Suz) and Duane Conner (Yam) rounded out the top five overall Tony Amaradio has apparently "resigned from his position" as a factory rider at Team KTM. According to his father, Lee Amaradio, who also acts as his manager, Tony made the decision immediately following the Troy, Ohio, round of the AMA 250cc National MX Series, July 16. At Troy, Amaradio chose not to ride the second moto after finishing 18th in the opening moto. The decision came about as a result of a '1ingering motorcycle development problem." Amaradio said, "The bike was near impossible to ride in the first moto, and when the team made no effort to improve the situation, I then realized it would be best not ride the second moto and risk the chance of injury." A news release from Lee Amaradio, dated July 17, stated that Tony felt that "with the team's present internal communications being the major problem," there would be little hope for improvement in the near future. Tony Amaradio is expected to finish out the rest of the series on another brand of motorcycle. Amaradio rode Kawasakis before signing on with KTM at the beginning of the 1995 season. As of yet, KTM has not been officially notified by Amaradio of his resignation. "Since we have not yet been officially contacted or notified by Tony Amaradio...it would be premature for us to respond directly on this subject," said KTM VSA's MX team manager Selvaraj Narayana. "However, we are aware that Tony has been unhappy for some time with his performance in the 250cc MX Nationals and that he has attributed his results to problems within the team. If, and when, Tony makes his stated desire to resign from the team known to KTM, KTM will consider his request at that time." Glen Helen Racing, Inc., the concessionaire for Glen Helen Raceway Park at the San Bernardino County Regional Parks and Recreation Area in Devore, has received final approval from the county to construct what will be the only half-mile dirt oval track facility in Southern California. "Now that we have the permit in hand, plans are being finalized for the dirt track facility with a goal of starting construction within 60 days," said Bud Feldkamp, president of Glen Helen Racing, Inc. Construction of the track, which will feature seating for up to 12,000 spectators, is expected to be completed by Spring of next year. "Glen Helen's half-mile track will host an exciting array of motorsports events," added Feldkamp. 'We plan to entertain all the events appropriate for this type of venue. Southern California used to be a mecca for dirt racing, but one by one, the tracks closed. The fans' demand has been unmet since Ascot Park in Gardena closed Thanksgiving 1990. We mean to meet this demand." A Suzuki Bandit 6005 was the. grand prize at the 4th Annual Celebrity Pool Tournament in Hollywood, California, on June 25 and 28. Celebrity guests attending the event at the Hollywood Athletic Gub ~cluded Christina Applegate (Married with Children), Dean Cain (Superman), David Charvez and Nicole Egert (Baywatch), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Judgment Night), Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills 90210), Judd Nelson, Lou Diamond Phillips, David Spade (Saturday Night Live), Pauly Shore, Frances Fisher, Solei! Moon Frye and football star Eric Dickerson. The tournament raised more than $80,000 to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles. Robert Tobin of Los Angeles, an avid Pool player and beginning motorcycle enthusiast, took home the Bandit. The World Superblke Championship round at Laguna Seca Raceway on JlIly 23 will feature same-day coverage on Prime Network: The show is scheduled to air at 3 p.m. Pacific Time. CheCk your local listings. Toti Latorre, the girlfriend and manager of John Kocinski, called Cycle News to correct a news item which ran with coverage from the French Grand Prix and to give an update on Kocinski's dormant racing career. '1ohn, by the moment, is not going to race ~ any team," Latorre said on Thursday, July 13. It had been speculated that he would be a logical candidate to fill the Fortuna Honda Pons seat vacated by the injury to Alberto" Puig. She said that, contrary to what was written, Kocinski "does actually live in Spain, we bought a house there. By now I am in the Stat~s, but sometimes, in fact, John still goes there. But we live half and half. It's not that John lived there before, but he doesn't live there any more." Latorre also said that Kocinski had never refused the chance to talk to Kenny Roberts, but that both she and Kocinski had talked to Chuck AksJand, the Marlboro Roberts Yamaha team manager, something which was noted in a later news item. Fortuna Honda Pons 250cc rider Carles Checa will replace Puig at the new Grand Prix at Donington Park on July 23. Though injured Grand National Championship dirt tracker Jeff Eklund remains in intensive care at Barnes Hospital, he is beginning to show some signs of improvement. According to Eklund's father, Jan Elgersma, Eklund's lungs are beginning ,to function again. "He's at a point where he only needs 40 percent of the oxygen that he needed before," Elgersma said. "So his lungs have improved, but he's at another Spencer, Dement join Air Force' " ell, sort of...Fas"t by Ferracci Ducati's Freddie Spencer and KTM's Jeff Dement traded in their racing leathers for flight suits July 7 as they were handed the keys to a B-52H sitting on the ramp at Barksdale Air Force Base in northwest Louisiana. Although the massive aircraft never left the ground, both Spencer and Dement, as well as a small group of friends, received Distinguished Visitor status and a real flight crew stood by to demonstrate operations and answer questions. In return, Spencer and Dement held a motorcycle-safety briefing for members of the 2nd Bomb Wing. As the day drew to an end, Spencer suited up and demonstrated some riding techniqu~ along the flightline. Air traffic controllers could be seen peering down from the tower at the UFO and decided to give #19 clearance for takeoff on runway one-five. Ben Gary Bossier . W plateau right now where he's not really going downhill, but he's not improving. He's no longer in the coma, but they do have to keep him heavily sedated because he's really agitated and restless when he's awake." Elgersma also said that doctors had operated to insert a rod into Eklund's broken femur, and they still have to deal with his broken ankle, but his respiratory damage still causes the greatest concern. "He has air leaks from his lungs that are causing swelling in his upper body, and he's running a pretty high fever. The doctors think he may have an infection, but they are not sure where it is. They're keeping a constant eye out for pneumonia. But every day that he survives is that much more of a chance that he'll make, it. He's hanging on, and he is gradually improving." Cards and letters can be sent to Jeff Eklund, 52 ICU, Barnes Hospital, ~H Barnes Hospital Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63110. District 37 will be promoting the 2nd Annual Night Poker Run at El Mirage OHV Area on Saturday, Septemb.er 9. The poker run is open to all types of OHV's (except 3-wheelers) and will start at 4 p.m. The event will run into the night with no set finishing time. All p~ ceeds will go to the District 37 Legal Defense Fund. Various prizes will be given to participants from local sponsors. The following day, a one-day European Scrambles will be held to replace the previously scheduled Rover's Team Race. For more information call Doug .Mohr at 714/890-9930. Sidi Boots will be offering the company's latest S.R.S. boots to try out at the July 3O-August 4 Six Days of Michigan Trail Ride. Riders interested in trying out a pair of the boots, which feature screw-on sole replacement system, during the trail ride can sign up at the parts su pport trailer. For more information " about the ride call 517/782-4567, or about the boots call 1-800/659-1440. Jennison from McHenry, Illinois, to represent Kayo Motorsports to compete in the Kids Supercross Championship in Japan, September 10. Jennison will also be competing in the World GP, Japan round, at Suzuka in the exhibition race. Advanstar Expositions and Dealernews magazine announced the Annual Masters Golf Tournament, which precedes the Dealernews International Powersports Distributor Expo, has been renamed The Wayne Cornelius Memorial Golf Tournament to memorialize Cornelius and his contributions to the powersports industry. The tournament will be held Monday, September 18, at the Legacy Golf Club at Green Valley, Nevada. For every $100 entry fee, $25 will be donated to the Wayne Cornelius Family Fund for the continuing education of his daughter Megan and son Tyler. To participate in the tournament or to make a donation, contact Team Expo at 714/513-8400, or 1-800/8543112. The Leadin"g Links Motorcycle Gub Of Alta Loma, California, the only organized sidecar-cross club in the U.S., is starting a riders fund to raise money to send a team to the 1996 World Sidecar Motocross des Nations in Switzerland. 'We have people to 5e!'d but have no factory support here in the V.S.," said Richard Myers. All donations will go towards sending a sidecar team to Switzerland. For more information, call Myers at 909/941-6410. The fund-raising Mike Corbin 1995 California 1+1 Rally was recently held in San Francisco, California. The twoday road ride raised $20,290 for the Alzheimer's Association. If you are interested in participating at next year's rally, call Peter Heesch at 415/871-6129. The Championship Cup Series road race originally scheduled to be run at Florida's Moroso Motorsports Park on September 16-17 has been rescheduled for the week prior - September 9-10. The event will pay points to riders in the Florida region and will fea ture contingency from Honda and Suzuki totaling over $6000, as well as contingencies and purses. For more information call 704/684-4297. Vintage motocross racers in search of the ultimate nostalgia trip might want to consider attending the AHRMA Summer Series vintage motocross scheduled for July 29 at Carlsbad Raceway in Carlsbad, California. Unlike previous summer series events which use a special vintage course, the July 29 race will be held on the famous "V.5. GP" track, which will reportedly be graded to accommodate the older machines. For more information contact John LeFevre, 619/744c8052. " Kayo Motorsports has chosen Kurt Speaking of vintage motocross, legend

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