Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

IN THE WIND Denmark's Hans Nielsen, Tommy Knudsen and Brian Karger combined to give their country a victory in the World Speedway Team Cup Final, held on September 24 in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The Danes topped the British tearn of Mark Loram, Chris Louis and Steve Schofield, 28-22. The U.S. team of Sam Ermolenko, Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock finished third with 19 points. David Watson (Hon) and Tom Reiser (H-D) each earned victories in the AMA Pro Hillclimb in Jefferson, Pennsylvania, on September 24. Watson beat Paul Pinsonnault (Hon) and Ted Wilkins (Rtx) in the 540cc class while Reiser topped Steve Dresser (H-D) and Jimmy Dingee (H-D) in the 800cc class. Team Suzuki Endurance (Suz) won round 10 of the WERA Performance Machine/Goodridge National Endurance Series in Talladega, Alabama, on September 23. Team Suzuki Endurance topped Team Pearls Suzuki (Suz) and H&H Racing (Suz). Mike Brown (Hon) won the second round of the AMA Fall Classic MX Series on September 24 in Danville, Virginia. Brown beat Jim Neese (Hon) and Todd DeHoop (Hon) to win the 250ccOpen class. DeHoop still leads the championship after two rounds over Barry Carsten, 92-73. The U.S. House of Representatives has joined the Senate in approving legislation that will repeal the federal helmet law penalties, according to the AMA. After lengthy debate, the full House approved HR2274, a bill that designates a National Highway System (NHS), by a 419-7 vote. Contained within that legislation is an amendment that would repeal federal penalties against states without mandatory helmet-use laws for motorcyclists. In the closing minutes of the debate, Rep. Mike Ward (D-Kentucky) offered an amendment that would have eliminated the repeal lan- guage from the NHS bill, but his amendment was defeated on a voice vote. Earlier this month, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) offered the repeal amendment during consideration of the NHS bill in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The committee voted to adopt the repeal amendment by a 38-17 vote and sent the legislation to the House floor for approval. Young has been a strong supporter in the effort to return the decision-making responsibilities regarding helmet laws to the states, and had sponsored a separate bill, HR899, that attracted over 200 congressional co-sponsors. The passage of HR2274 mirrors a similar move in the U.S. Senate earlier this year when an amendment was added to its version of the National Highway Systems Designation Act (5440) that would also eliminate the federal practice of penalizing states which do not have mandatory helmet laws. Currently, 25 states are being forced to divert a portion of their higfiway construction dollars into safety programs as a direct result of noncompliance with the federal government's helmet-law mandates. Former AMA Superbike National Champion Thomas Stevens won't be back on the Yoshimura Suzuki team for the 1996 season, the Floridian said on Tuesday, September 19. '1t appears that way," Stevens said prior to leaving for this weekend's final round of the AMA Superbike National Championship in Chandler, Arizona. "They (Suzuki) basically said they based their decision on me not having the results from midseason on. They don't want to do business for '96. That's where I'm at." Surprisingly, Stevens is now being represented by his teammate at Suzuki, Fred Merkel. The former AMA and World Superbike Champion will now handle all on-going negotiations on behalf of Stevens. "Fred and I were talking about next year and the question of money came up," Stevens said. "He asked what I was making and I told Lawson to Ind Car 'in 1996 I t now appears certain that four-time World Champion Eddie Lawson (right) will have a fulltime IndyCar ride with Galles Racing in 1996. Although Lawson refused to comment, Galles is linking his team with Lawson for the '96 season. Lawson retired from Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 1992, but has come out of retirement four times - for the Daytona 200 (which he won in 1993) and the Suzuka 8-Hour. Lawson also tested the Marlboro Yamaha YZR500 for Team Roberts this year. Galles Racing International, of Albuquerque, ew Mexico, currently fields Adrian Fernandez in the Tecate Beer/Quaker State car, which uses a Lola LT95 chas is and Mercedes Benz/llmor power. Fernandez has been a consistent top-IS finisher in 1995. The Galles team is a well-established team with a history of winning races and making runs at the IndyCar Championship. In recent years, Galles had AI Unser Jr. and Danny Sullivan driving for him and Unser Jr. won the Indy 500 in 1992 for Galles. Another name driver who has funneled through the Galles squad is Bobby Rahal. !£> It is not clear whether Lawson will join Fernandez on the team or if he will be the 0\ sole driver. Furthermore, with IndyCar racing splitting into two organizations ..... CART /IndyCar and the new Indy Racing League - it is not known which series Lawson and Galles will contest. With the top 25 grid positions for the Indianapolis 500 slotted for IRL teams, Lawson would likely run the predominantly oval IRL series if he is to race in the historic 500. This would mark a phenomenal step in Lawson's car-racing career. The Californian, who now splits his time between his home in Upland and his second home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, won an Indy Lights race in 1994 at Oeveland. Lawson didn't race in the Indy Lights series this year, but has been driving shifter go-carts throughout the season to keep his reflexes sharp. Dean Adams DuHamel signs for two ears with Honda ewly crowned AMA Superb ike National Champion Miguel DuHamel (right) signed a two-year contract with Honda of America and Smokin' Joe's Racing on Sunday, September 24 - the same day he wrapped up his first-ever AMA Superbike ational Championship. "It's a two-year deal with Honda of America and Smokin' Joe's and I'm really happy to see that they are so enthusiastic," DuHamel said. "I have a strong feeling of satisfaction knowing that they wanted me on the team. I plan on doing a lot of testing over the winter and I feel confident that we can continue, and that Honda can match any new development." The contract calls for DuHamel to race only in the AMA Superbike National Championship Series with a one-off World Superbike outing if there is indeed an American round in the series. "Miguel is the guy I started with, as far as having a real entity Superbike racing, and I hope he's the guy I finish with," sajd the team's happy owner Martin Adams. "He is the consumate professional. He has the work ethic, the drive, the personality and the genes - he is the whole package. I've never met anyone like him. Working with him for the next two years means I'm going to have to improve my golf game, and he's going to have to learn how to gamble." In addition to winning six of 10 races en route to earning the Superbike crown, DuHamel won nine of 11 rounds of the AMA 600cc Supersport Championship to capture his second title in that class. N m ~ him. He sajd, 'You're joking. I can get you more than that.' I figured who better to know what I've been through the last three years than Fred. It's easier to have someone go in and root for you than it is to go in and root for yourself. I thought about it, and I decided to let him do it. For the past seven years I've represented myself, and I didn't feel like going through all that crap again. He (Merkel) knows how hard I ride; he knows I'm doing the job. My options right now are that he's (Merkel) talking to everyone who has a position left open - Kawasaki, Honda, Ducati and Harley. I know it's an unconventional move, but I needed someone to plead my case and he knows what I've been going through. It's really unfortunate that I didn't get to continue with Suzuki. I can do the job, I'm ready to do the job and I'm hungry. It'll be something, it just won't be a Suzuki. Now I've got ~xtra motivation. These things happen for a reason." Former World Champion and Grand Prix stalwart Kel Carruthers will retire from the sport after three decades as a rider, tuner and crew chief, following the European Grand Prix in Catalunya, Spain, on October 8. The Australian, who now makes his home in San Diego, California, will make the switch from motorcycles to personal watercraft. The 1969 250cc World Champion, who won six 500cc World Championships as crew chief for Kenny Roberts and Eddie lawson, has accepted the position of Vehicle Development Engineer for Westcoast Performance, the Anaheim, Californiabased manufacturers of both aftermarket and original equipment parts for personal watercraft. Westcoast also runs Bombardier Sea-Doo's factory personal watercraft racing team, in which CarrQthers will be heavily involved. In addition to tuning factory Yamaha YZR500s for Roberts, Lawson and Freddie Spencer, Carruthers also worked as crew chief for the Honda NSR250 teams of Carlos Cardus and Alberto Puig, and the factory Cagiva 500 of Doug Chandler. In 1995, Carruthers has served as crew chief for Team Agostini Honda's Doriano Romboni, the Italian rider who most recently won the Brazilian GP on September 17. "I've always enjoyed working in the Grands Prix," Carruthers said. "But I won't miss the extensive travel and the time away from my family. I look forward to the challenges this new job has to offer, and I feel it's a tremendous oppqrtunity to use my Cycle News Rider of the Month: Scott Parker arley-Davidson's Scott Parker (right), already the most accomplished dirt tracker in the history of the Grand National Championship, went one step further, capturing his record-extending sixth AMA Grand National Championship with a third-place finish on September 23 in Knoxville, Tennessee. That alone would be enough to make Parker our rider of the month for September, but that wasn't all. Of the three GNC races held this month, Parker won two and finished third in the other. Not a bad month. With his two victories in tJ:le month of September, Parker now has an astounding 68 Grand National dirt track wins. H

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