Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

··GUEST EDITORIAL . '. .BY EntJOhnSOli Championship Series, there are a number of capable riders worthy of representing the U.S. in this classification. First and foremost is Kawasaki's Mike LaRocco. LaRocco is now back on form and out front after breaking his arm earlier this year. But for reasons listed below, we might need LaRocco in the 500cc class. LaRocco's Kawasaki teammate and former des Nations champion Mike Kiedrowski might have been a good choice a few years back but his recent slump makes him a question mark this time. That leaves current 250cc National points leader and Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath and his long-time rival Jeff Emig. In '95 McGrath proved himself to be a championship-caliber outdoor rider after years of apathy. To be honest, he must now be considered the fastest rider in the world, all-around. But Jeremy has already made it clear that neither he nor Honda want him to be in Slovakia in September - he wants to start a well-earned vacation, and Honda doesn't appear to have the budget to send both he and Lamson. So we turn to Jeff Emig. Currently riding extremely well in the 250cc Nationals and an excellent hard-pack rider, Emig would not let the American team down. He is a rider with a score to settle with the Europeans. Jeffro suffered a bitter loss at last year's MXdN. There's no doubt in my mind that Jeff Emig would go into this year's race with the attitude of a paid killer. 500cc Team Member: No question here. LaRocco is easily the best choice to ride the 500 in Sverepec. We need a big bike rider with open class machinery available to him. That means no Suzuki or Yamaha riders. Honda's current team has little experience in the open class. Tha t leaves Kawasaki. He will be more than capable of taking Europe's best at the des Nations. In 994, LaRocco, who had not ridden a 500cc in anger in over a year, climbed on the bike in Roggenburg and soundly trounced the competition. If he can't make it, Kiedrowski would be the secondary pick. There is another 500cc selection besides the Kawasaki riders. Consider the very capable Trampas Parker and his 360 KTM. He's been riding that class all year long on a competitive bike. And by the time we go to the starting gate in Svrepec, he might be the 500cc World Champion. t1< t's that time of year again. The time for swirling controversy, complaining, backstabbing, and character assassina'on to rear its ugly head as the annual ection of the U.S. MX des Nations team akes place. However, this year is a little it different. 1995 is to be a year of engeance. As we all know, Team USA ost the MX des Nations to England in the 94 race in Roggenburg, Switzerland, after an amazing run of 13 consecutive victories. his historic upset set off shock waves in he MX world and now has the once flappable American race enthusiast ask'ng himself a number of difficult quesions: How could this have happened? o is to blame? Have we lost our place s the best motocross country on the plant? How can we win it back? Can we win it ack? All good questions that need to be ddressed but the answers won't be own until September to, when the 1995 des Nations race starts in Sverepec, lovakia. Here's how you can help determine the answers to those questions in advance: Vote! As it has for the past few years, the' AMA is publishing a Team USA Ballot in various publications that allows fans to cast votes on who should represent this damn-fine country. No matter what you've read or heard, the AMA really follows the ballots in selecting the team. With that in mind, I am now going to attempt to provide you with a guide and recommendation to the potential members of the 1995 American MX des Nations team. I don't expect any of you to follow my dvice or insight, but please try to keep an open, objective mind when you go to cast your all-important ballot for the '95 team. Remember Roggenburg! If Team USA is to win back the MXdN title this year, they had better be prepared to deal with the Sverepec, Slovakia, circuit. To provide some historical background on Sverepec, the track was the sight of an American Trophee des Nations victory in 1983. Mounted on 250cc motorcycles (as the format then dictated), Broc Glover, Jeff Ward, David Bailey and Mark Barnett trounced the European teams for America's third consecutive MXdN triumph. However, in '83 the situation was a bit different. The Americans could win on any given day, any given track and in any given condition. They were truly dominant. But this is no longer the case. In I order for Teath USA to win back the des Nations title, we must be prepared for the task at hand. Sverepec is a dizzyingly fast, rock-hard circuit with terrifying, steep hills and flat, sweeping turns. In other words, a bit like Roggenburg. When the Americans show up in Slovakia on September 10, their motorcycles and riding styles have to be attuned with the course they are set to compete on. Bikes need to be sent over with strong engines and gearing specific to the high-speed, hill-addled circuit. Racers need to be sent out with riding styles conducive to hard-pack, highspeed, sweeped corner conditions. Turning a deaf ear to these variables is what led to our defeat in 1994. If the same mistakes are made in 1995, Team USA will lose. Trust me. In choosing the American team, the U.S. fan has the luxury of being able to pick from a large pool of talented racers. Not only can one choose American-based riders who compete in the AMA Supercross and National series, but also a number of American journeymen plying their trade on the World Championship MX circuit. Riders such as Tallon Vohland, Bob Moore, Jimmy Button, Mike Young and Trampas Parker have been carding strong results on the European GP fron t. 125cc Team Member: The 125cc National Championship Series is the most competitive tour of motocross on the planet. Contested by an incredible number of young, aggressive and frighteningly fast racers, each and every moto is fought turnfor-turn to the bitter end. Thus far in 1995 the series has been a skinned- knuckle dog fight with Steve Lamson, Ryan Hughes, Robbie Reynard, Damon Huffman, Tim Ferry, Frenchman Mickael Pichon and upstart privateer Mike Brown. Picking a member to represent the U.S. on the 125cc motorcycle at the des Nations is a tough task. While any of the aforementioned racers (with the exception of Pichon, who will probably ride for France) is capable of pulling off a strong result against Europe's best, only one racer can get the call, and Honda's Steve Lamson makes the best overall selection. Although he is coming off of a knee injury, "Lammy" has been £lying on the 125. A good starter, very consistent and in possession of a very potent 125cc Honda motorcycle, which will be paramount on this high speed track, Lamson is the man. The others would all make good choices but, as of this writing, Huffman has been in a slump and has yet to win a 125cc National overall (Lamson has won four), Ferry is hurt, Reynard is too inconsistent, and Brown is just too much of a surprise. Hughes is the current points leader and he has been fast and effective everywhere. He would make almost as a good selection as Lamson, but we can only send one, and Lamson quite simply has more wins to date with four to Hughes' two victories. The third-best choice behind Lamson and Hughes is probably European-based veteran Bobby Moore, who is the '94 125cc World champ. He may be riding the 250cc class right now, but Moore surely can get his Chesterfield team to give him back the infamous motor that took the measure of Jeff Emig last year in the hands of Paul Malin. Moore would certainly have no trouble adapting to the track or competition, and he's waited a long time for this chance. 250cc Team Member: Arguably the most competitive and hard-fought class at the MX des Nations, the 250cc gate brings together the strongest and fastest racers around the world. In recent years, the Europeans have kept victory away from the American 250cc entry at the des Nations. Bradshaw, LaRocco, McGrath and Kiedrowski have all struggled against the rest of the world's finest. As a matter of fact, the last American rider to win the class was Jeff Stanton at the 1991 event in Sweden. Now that the 250cc World Championship has become the most prestigious class in Europe, a number of strong riders will represent their respective countries Slovakia. The Belgians can chose between current 250cc GP leader Stefan Everts and Marnicq Bervoets, who has actually won his class at the des Nations the last three years in a row. South Africa can go with the now American-based Greg Albertyn if his wrist heals up in time, France can send out the lightening quick Yves Demaria (if he is healed up from a broken leg), Italy can run Andrea Bartolini or a revitalized Alessandro Puzar. The Germans boast recent 250cc uberpilot Pit Beirer, while Great Britain has Kurt Nicoll or Rob Herring to choose from. Even America has two strong riders contesting the GP series in Tallon Vohland and Moore. Given the current highly competitive climate in the American 250cc National 25 YEARS AGO... AUGUST 11,1970 race..."Mr. Consistency" Jim Wilson again carried away the motocross honors in the 250cc Expert division at the CMC Motocross event at Ascot Park, and the following day Mert Lawwill successfully did battle with Gene Romero in the IS-lap Expert final at the Ascot oval...National road racer Jody Nicholas was profiled after a string of ~~. . . • "'... victories in the 250cc class. mud-laden track and fellow racers Ron trouncing teammate Scott Russell and Sun, Rich Coon, and Mark Barnett... Honda rider Randy Renfrow during The IDBA Sunshine Nationals got hectic Chandler's easy ride to his third straight as South Carolina's blue laws made it win of the season. 250cc rider Al illegal for anyone to race on a Sunday Salaverria triumphed over second-place and the entire affair was squeezed into finisher Chris D'Alusio, and Andrew one day, but Bo O'Brochta ignored the "Tripp" Nobles scored a big win in pressure to pull a cool drag win on his round six of the Harley-Davidson U.S. inverted blown Kawasaki, as Bob CarTwin Sports Series...in a show of force at penter took the Pro Stock win ~:'li;n~lFF?So,;"U~th~W1~'Ck'S MX 338 track, Jeff Stanand Terry Kizer grabbed the vic- I' r; - n . ton and Guy Cooper both tory in the final event...Round . ' took overall wins with pernine of the World Champifect 1-1 scores in their classonship Observed Trials in Vales, defending 250cc National malenco, Italy, saw Californian MX champion Stanton movBernie Schreiber ride to a vir'!Itt ing back into the points lead tually flawless win, leading -:1 I after losing it to Jeff Ward...ln British star Martin Lampkin • World 500cc MX, Belgian for the duration of the sevenJacky Martens dominated the hour marathon. German GP, and World Champion David Thorpe took him~~~S~!!;;;;~ self out of title contention after 5YEARS AGO... a crash in turn one...A finalround showdown between AUGUST 1, 1990 NHRA champion John Myers and the oug Chandler tore his way '87, '88 champion Davl: Schultz saw through the inaugural Miami GP, Myers clinch the championship with a increasing his grip on the 1990 7.73 over Schultz's 7.91. t'N Superbike National Championship by otocross fan Debbie Sanders graced the cover with a resounding show of support for the northern riders ' at the Bay Mare CMC-IRE !iit extravaganza ~I'",,,=,~~====d in Moorpark, California, as Bob Grossi swept all of the big-boy, big-bike motos as well as the All Star exhibition, and John DeSoto dominated his 250cc class...Gary Scott rode his Kawasaki to a hard-earned victory in the 50-lap 100-125cc race at Trojan Speedway, also winning the 250cc TT and the 100cc flat track dash...Speedway's Steve Bast continued his winning streak by claiming his second Scratch Main win in a row, as Scott Autrey won the handicap main event and Larry Shaw took the win in the special match M _* 15 YEARS AGO... AUGUST6,198O e n n y Roberts made himself a prime target for all other 500cc riders at Laguna Seca after increasing his points lead in Finland in pursuit of world title number three ...Privateer Johnny O'Mara won the 11th round of the 125cc World Championship MX Series at Mid-Ohio, triumphing over a K D

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