Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

-- -- ----------~-----------:------------ I.··.IN,'THE- WIND.' ,I Ryan Young (G-G) and Geoff Aaron (Bet) split the wins at rounds 8 and 9 of the AMA/NATC National Champi.onship Observed Trials Series, held August 26-27 in Canon City, Colorado. Young scored the win on Saturday over Olivier Clamagirand (G-G), Aaron, Jess Kempkes (G"G) and Raymond Peters (Fan). Aaron rebounded with Sunday'S win over Young, Calamagirand, Kempkes and Peters. With two rounds remaining, Young leads Aaron, 245-226. Both riders have four wins each, and in the past, the championship has come down to wins because only the best six rides are counted. This year, it looks as if it will come down to points. In order to successfully defend his title, Aaron needs to win both legs of the September 2-3 Oregon series finale. If Young wins either day, he will wrap up his eighth National Championship. . Defending Grand National Cross Country Champion Scott Plessinger (KTM) was the overall winner of round 8 ·of the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series, held in Millfield, Ohio. Threetime champ Scott Summers (Hon) was second overall, while Fred Andrews (Yam), Duane Conner (Yam) and Tom Norton (Yam) rounded out the top five. Fritz Kling (Yam) and Chris Taylor (Hon) split wins during the Sunoco Race Fuels Formula USA Series round at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon, on August 27. Kling topped Taylor by 0.003 seconds in the first leg with Joe Pittman (Kaw) taking third. In the second race, Taylor took the victory with Shawn Roberti (Hon) taking second, some four seconds behind, and Pittman ending up third again. Kling did not finish the second race. Michael Martin (Suz), who finished fourth in the second race after not finishing the first race, still holds the lead in the F-USA championship point standings with 105, just one point ahead of Taylor. Rich Oliver, who was busy winning the AMA 250cc Grand Prix class at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, California, is third iI'! the series standings with 92 points. Team Suzuki Endurance's Michael Martin and David Stanton (Suz) combined to win the seventh round of the WERA National Endurance Series, a four-hour race held at Portland ·lnternational Raceway in Portland, Oregon, on August 26. Northwest Honda Racing's Greg Abbott and Gordon Miller (Hon) finished second with Airport Racing's Ken Melville and Josh Hayes (Kaw) taking third overall. The event marked Team Suzuki's l06.th endurance victory and its fifth win of the season. II!I'WERA National Challenge Series action at Portland, Grant Lopez won the MiChelin Superstock race, Ken Melville topped the Michelin 750cc Superstock class and Jimmy Moore won the Michelin 600cc Superstock event and the Middleweight GP race. Kevin Murray (Hon) won the Moto Liberty 125cc GP race and Keith Pinkstaff came away with a win in ~ Open Superbike race. Californil!n road racer Andy Milton was listed in critical condition with head injuries following his 600cc Supersport practice crash on the morning of August 27 at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, california. Milton, a three-time· numberone-plate holder with the Willow - Springs Motorcycle Club, crashed in turn to and was airlifted to John Muir Memorial Hospital in Walnut Creek, California. Milton was unconscious when he left the race track. Yoshimura Suzuki's Fred Merkel was disqualified from the 750cc Supersport class at Sears Point on Sunday, August 27, one day after the former World and National Champion had won the race. AMA officials say that Merkel's Suzuki GSXR750 was using an illegal air filter. Merkel is expected ,to appeal the decision. Stay tuned. For full coverage of the AMA National at Sears Point, see page 8, Dee Wood (Kaw) clinched the Women's World Motocross Championship overall title at Barona Oaks Raceway in Ramona, California, August 26-27. The championship was determined from combined scores over the two days of . racing, with the 250cc Pro class running two motos Saturday and the 125cc Pro motos taking place on Sunday. Carina Chinen'(Kaw) was the overall runner-up in front of Kristy Shealy (Kaw). A last-minute flurry of legislative activity before the Senate took its summer recess may have eliminated further funding for a national trails system, according to the AMA. The U.S. Senate previously passed a version of the National Highway System designation bill that included $15 million in funding for motorized and non-motorized recreation trails from coast to coast. Funding for the qails would come from fuel taxes paid by owners of off-highway vehicles, just as takes from fuel purchased for road vehicles go toward highway construction. But in the final hours before the Senate adjourned on August 11, a group of senators succeeded in passing an amendment to the Department of Transportation's appropriation bill that also designates a National Highway System. That amendment, which became section 365 of the appropriations measure, would circumvent the highway system bill previously passed by the Senate. If it becomes law, it would elirninate all of the trail funding. According to the AMA, it appears that the trail-funding measure was a victim of legislative maneuvering designed to block a plan to repeal the federal government's mandate requiring states to pass helmet laws covering all motorcydists. The helmet-mandate repeal was also part of the National Highway System bill already approved by the full Senate. That repeal was opposed by leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Senator John Chafee (R-Rhode Island), a supporter of helmet laws. The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that could stall the repeal, requiring states to pass helmet laws. Former National Cross Country Champion, National Enduro winner and California State Champion Buck Smith, 67, died at his home in Tujunga, California, on August 22, Smith passed away in his sleep, just a month after the passing of his wife, Marietta. Smith was an honorary member of the Sunland Shamrocks MC for almost 50 years. The Californian started riding motorcycles in 1950 and' by 1957 he was racing a 650cc Triumph in the Southern Cilifornia desert. Smith was a two-time winner of the Greenhorn Enduro, in 1959 and 1964, and he finished second in the Big Bear Hare and Hound in 1957. Smith is survived by his daughter, Marilou Russell, and sons, Gene and Oneal Smith. A memorial service will be held on August 31 at the Church of the Open Bible in Tujunga, California. A memorial fund has been established by the family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Buck and Marietta Smith Memorial Youth Summer Camp Fund, c/o Church of the Teacher for a day_ _ O n August 22, Team Kawasaki's Mike Kiedrowski turned San Bernardino, California's Glen Helen Raceway into a classroom. How? The former 125, 250 and 500cc National Champion donated his time and taught a motocross school for members of the U.S. Women's Motocross Team. A Jull class of 30 eager students showed up, and Kiedrowski covered everything from nutrition to passing techniq.ue. "He was real casual and friendly," said coordinator Debbie Matthews. "All of the girls really learned a lot and enjoyed th:emselves. Mike even did a nac nac for us." Open Bible, 9641 Tujunga Canyon Blvd:, Tujunga, CA 91042,818/353-1138. It's official: former World Superbike " Champion Scott Russell has signed to ride for Lucky Strike Suzuki in the 1996 500cc World Championship Road Race Series. As we reported last week, the ' ,details' to the contract were finalized at the Czech Republic Grand Prix on August 18-20. "Everybody has seen not only that Scott is obviously a superb rider, but also that he has the attitude that he needs if he wants to add a Grand Prix World Championship to his Superbike crown," Lucky Strike Suzuki team manager Garry Taylor said. The 3D-year.old Russell will again team with Australian Daryl Beattie, See our interview with Russell on page 50. . Former World 500cc Champion Wayne Gardner tested Shawn Giles' Shell Superbike Seril?S-winning Ducati 955 in a special test session held at Sydney, Australia's Eastern Creek Raceway. In what was a rather stunning return after a three-year absence from riding a road racer, Gardner was able to post a fast time of 1:35.7 - only 1.6 seconds off the' Superbike lap record after only 13 laps. The test session was organized by Australian Motorcycle News and Auto Action and pitted Gardner's Group A Coke-backed Ford Commodore against the Ducati Dealer Team's 955 Corsa, "That's the first time I've been on any sort of racing bike in three years and I had a ball," Gardner sald. "It's also the first time I've ever ridden a Ducati superbike and I was happy with the way it ran. It still doesn't have the aggressive horsepower that my 500 GP Honda had, but it's still nice to ride. It took me a couple of laps to get used. to it again. It took awhile before I was dragging my knee through the corners. It's a bit different after being in the car lately. I got into it a bit in the second session and started to slide the bike a little coming out of the corners. I'd likE: to spend a couple of days on it' as I think I'd be able to get down to the lap record time around here. I'd like to thank the DDT guys for letting me have a ride on the Ducati and hope that we may be able to do it again some time as I had a lot of fun." Hot off the MX rumor 'mill: After spending the 1995 season in Europe contesting the World Championship 125cc MX Series, American Jimmy Button hopes to return to the states in '96 to race for the Honda of Troy team. Button, who finished fourth in the final 125cc 'World Championship standings, will contest the Eastern Regional 125cc Supercross Series, as long as the AMA does not pass the rule banning former top-five World Championship Series fin- ishers £rom the 12Sec regional supercross series. One would think that Button, having won several Eastern Regional events in '94, would be ineligible for the series on points. He is, in fact, two points shy of the lBO-point limit. For the first time in several years, Japan will send' a team to the Trial des Nations, to be held in September 24 in Austria. Teenage sensation Kenichi Kuroyama will lead World Round veteran Takumi Narita and rookie Tomoyuki Ogawa. All three riders will compete aboard Beta Technos, sponsored by Japanese Beta importer Rays. The Italian Trial des Nations team will consist of Donato Miglio, Diego Bosis, Piero Sembenini and Dario Re Delle Gandine. According to our World Championship Trials Series correspondent John Dickinson, this may be the last internatiollal-level event that veteran Bosis will compete in, as the multi-time Italian National Champion is considering retiring. Brothers Bruno and Christophe Camozzi will head the French Trial des Nations team, and will be joined byJean Luc Nictou and Michel Gau. Bruno Camozzi recently wrapped up the French National Championship. Former World Champion Tommi Ahvala will captain the Finnish Trial des Nations team. Joachim Hindren, Jussi Haapanen and Samuli Magga will round out the team. - Former AMA Vice President Wayne Moulton, 63, died from heat stroke on August 21 in California. Moulton's career included his AMA vice presidency, and he also served as president of Triwnph motors, and vice president in charge of technical services at Kawasaki Motors Corporation. He most recently managed the Petersen Prado Shooting Range in Norco, california. A ~t dirt track race will be held in memory of the late Steve Rasmussen on September 2-3 at the Hills Ferry Raceway in Newman, California, with all proceedS being donated to Recreational Opportu- II') ·nities fur Cancer Kids. For more informa- 0'1 tiqn, call Kevin Bricker at 209/577-5134. 0'1 "..... Bob Harvell reports that due to a temporary ·lack of financial backing, the grand opening of Rainbow MX Park IT will be delayed one month until early October. FOr IJ;'Ore information, call 909/926-4646. The 1995 White Bros. World Veteran's MX Championships are scheduled for November 4-5 at Glen Helen·Raceway·in San Bernardino, California. This year, 1

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