Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

liN 'THE WIND Randy Hawkins (Suz) scored the overall win at round eight of the AMA National Enduro Series in Canton, Ohio, on October 15. Hawkins won the event soundly, finishing four points ahead of runner-up Kevin Bennett (Han), 18-22. Finishing third overall with 23 points was Mike Lafferty (KTM), while Alan Randt (KTM) and Steve Narrow (Hon) rounded out the top five. Ty Davis, who clinched the series title the previous week in Texas, did not compete, and neither did 1994 champion Steve Hatch, who is recovering from a broken ankle sustained at the International Six Day Enduro in Poland, on September 21. Scott Summers (Han) won the penultimate round of the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, on October 15. Fred Andrews (Yam) . finished second, while Scott Plessinger (KTM) captured third. Fourth and fifth went to Duane Conner (Yam) and Mike Jones (Hon), respectively. Summers, Andrews and Plessinger all have a shot at the title going into ~he final round in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on October 29, Kawasaki of Mexico's Phil Lawrence did his sponsor proud by winning both the October 1 Guadalajara Supercross, and the October 8 Monterrey Supercross. Kawasaki KX250-mounted Lawrence topped Jeff Dement (KTM) and Michael Craig (Han) in Guadalajara. Craig and David Pingree (Kaw) chased Lawrence home in Monterrey. Mike Brown (Han) was the winner at round five of the AMA Fall Classic MX Series, held October 15 at Daniel Boone MX Park in London, Kentucky. Todd DeHoop (Han) was the runner-up, while Nathana Ramsey (Suz), Brock Sellards (Kaw) and Lance Smail (KTM) rounded out the top five. With only one round remaining in the six-race series, defending series champion DeHoop leads Barry Carsten - sixth at Kentucky - 209-181. Luis d'Antin (Hon) won the 250cc class of the. Open Ducados Series in Jerez, Spain, on Qctober 15. D'Antin beat Jurgen Fuchs (Han) and Regis Laconi (Han). The 125cc portion of the program was won by Jorge Martinez (Yam) over 15-year-old Ivan Goi (Hon) and Herri Torrontegui (Hon). The final round of the series will be held on October 21-22 in Jarama. 8 ~ According to Kawasaki Team Manager Roy Turner, former 125cc National Champion Jeff Emig has signed a oneyear contract with Kawasaki to contest the 250cc Supercross and 250cc National Championship Series in 1996. Emig If') will join previously signed team mem0"1 bers Ryan Hughes and Damon Huff~ man. "Jeff is really excited about next u) season," said Turner. "Maybe this is the N change that he needed to breathe some l-< fresh air into his career." Because ] . Kawasaki has no team clothing spanO sor, Emig will be able to stay with his U long-time clothing sponsor, Thor RaCe ing. I .. o 2 With the departure of Jeff Emig from • the Yamaha squad, Team Manager Keith McCarty has been left with a spot to fill in the blue-and-white big rig. Rumors have Yamaha speaking with Doug Henry and Robbie Reynard, but McCarty was careful with his choice of words when asked about the two. "Well, Jeff's departure has obviously caught us off guard, and we ha,ve some spaces to fill," said McCarty. "We've been talking to a lot of people, but so far it's all just talk. We do have a 250 spot to fill, but we're not going to hire a guy who's not ready to be a 250 rider." According to McCarty, Damon Bradshaw has yet to sign a corttract with the factory, leaving John Dowd and Kevin Windham as the sole riders at the moment. And speaking of Doug Henry, his wife, Stacey, reports that he's doing quite well since breaking his back in midJune. Henry has been riding a motorcycle for several'weeks, and even competed in his first cross-country mountain bike race in September. "Doug got second in the Beginner class, but everyone told us that the guy who won was cutting the track," said Stacey. "It was funny, everyone was coming over and checking out Doug's Yeti because it has his name all over it. They were like, 'Who are you?'" Henry is reportedly spending some time in Califorriia, no doubt to meet with various team managers to negotiate deals for the '96 season. / Team Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes was spotted spectating at this weekend's Del Mar Mile. "This is the first time that I've seen one of these races," said Hughes, who walked through the pits with a pu.zzled look on his'face. "These guys are pretty crazy. The races were wild, but man, thE!)' seem to be stuck in a different decade. What's with the rubber footpegs? I mean, get some real pegs . on these things." Mike Metzger, motocross bike jumper extraordinaire and former North County Yamaha team member, has decided to give racing one more shot. Metzger, who is one of the stars of e,l/sty Demons of Dirt, will contest the 1996 Western Regional 125cc Supercross and 125cc National Championship Series aboard Bill's Pipes-backed Honda CRI25s. An,d speaking of the Crusty Demons of Dirt video that has been stirring up so much controversy in the motocross industry as of late, the baggy, snowboarder-inspired LBZ Clothing that several of the riders wore is now available. A full line of 24 different-color pants and matclUng jerseys are in full production. For more information call LBZ at 714/840-3676. Longtime Kawasaki Team Green member Jeff Willoh has signed on with Honda of Troy to contest the 1996 Western Regional Supercross Series. . According to 'Roger DeCoster, team manager for the Suzuki MX team, Greg Albertyn is on the road to recovery after having surgery to pin th.e broken navicular bone in his wrist. Currently, Albertyn is healing at home in South Africa and is schedu led to return to the California in approximately three weeks. DeCoster said that Albertyn hopes to be well enough to start riding again in early December. It now appears as though Mike Smith will join Doug Chandler aboard Rob Muzzy-owned Kawasakis for the 1996 AMA Superbike National Championship. Chandler reports that his deal is as good as done, while Smith's manager, Vic Karshner, says that Smith has an agreement with Muzzy. _ Steve Crevier is reportedly on the verge of signing a contract that will see him team with Miguel DuHamel on the Smokin' Joe's Honda team for the 1996 AMA Superbike National Championship and 600cc Supersport Series. Crevier rode a Muzzy Kawasaki in the 1995 series. One of the few AMA Superbike teams that currently has a seat to fill is Team Harley-Davidson. Chris Carr will be back aboard the VRlOOO in 1996, but at the moment he doesn't have a teammate. Sources say the list of possibilities is a short one - David Sadowski, Doug Polen.and possibly Jimmy Filice. The team was hoping to sign Mike Smith, but the Georgian is set to sign with Muzzy Kawasaki. Will Davis will become the next Grand National competitor to try his hand at promoting when he hosts the opening round of an AMA /MARS .Double Header Weekend at Southern National Speedway in Kenly, North Carolina, on October 27. Davis, the reigning MARS Champion, expects to compete as well, racing against riders like Steve Morehead, Terry Povey and Larry Pegram for the lion's share of the $7000 purse. The second half of the doubleheader will be held October 28 at Summerville Speedway in Summerville, South Carolina. The Summerville event will be the final round of the 1995 Motorcycle Asphalt Racing Series, and will post a $14,500 purse. For more information call 803 / 272-9938. Retired dirt tracker Eddie Kretz Jr., 63, underwent triple bypass heart surgery in Denver, Colorado, Monday, October 9. The surgery went well but Kretz will have to undergo another operation in approximately six weeks to "unclog" his carotid a~teries. Kretz' father, Eddie Kretz Sr., won ~he inaugural Daytona 200 in 1937 on an Indian. Cards and letters can be sent to Eddie Kretz Jr., 7480 W. Apache Way, Sedalia. Colorado, 80135. When questioned at the Road Atlanta round of the WERA/F-US-A series, Team Oliver Yamaha's Rich Oliver said he wasn't 100 percent sure what his plans for 1996 were, but he had an idea. "I know what I'd like. I'd prefer to race AMA 250 GP with my team just as it is now. We're looking to improve the situation next year. The second rider is completely up in the air." One of the riders Oliver's looking at is Jason Roth, a Northern Californian who raced at the WERA Grand National Final. Roth fell in the rain aboard a Yamaha FZR600 and broke his left wrist. Oliver also said he was considering Tommy Hayden and five or six other riders. Oliver's 1995 teammate, Chuck Sorensen, was trying to arrange a test of the Muzzy Kawasaki 600cc Supersport machine at Portland Intel national Raceway, and Oliver didn' think he'd be returning to the tea . "My situation with Chuck is that I've done everything I can do for him except shut the throttle off and let him win races. I'm hoping he gets into a situation where he can use the experience I've taught him and move forward." Oliver also said he was looking for an F-USA ride, though strictly as a ridei'. Since he's aligned with longtime sponsors Yamaha and Dunlop, there is limited opportunity for him in the class. Dutchman Racing, the leading Yamaha team, uses Michelin tires. It appears likeLy that Formula-USA will join forces with the North American Super Bike series next year, according to NASB's Roger Edmondson. "We've made an agreement in principle," Edmondson said at the WERA Grand National Final at Road Atlanta. "All the major points have Deen agreed to. We're discussing the smaller points. We expect to have an announcement next week (at the season-ending NASB and CCS event at Daytona). "When we make the announcement we want to have a fully baked cake." Edmondson said he hoped to' have a 10-race series, beginning at Willow Springs two weeks before Daytona. The next stop would be the Daytona CCS weekend. Edmondson said other venues included Road Atlanta, Road America, the repaved Pocono International Raceway, Portland International Raceway, New Hampshire International Raceway, and a second race at Daytona. Other tracks under consideration are Homestead (Florida) and Heartland Park (Kansas), but Edmondson described them as the two biggest question marks. He was also planning on looking into a race at Michigan International Raceway which, he said, has never run a motorcycle race. Though they're losing the F-USA series, WERA will still hold a National series. next year, according to WERA President Evelyne Pritz. "We're going on with the WERA program the way it is. We have the National Challenge Series and we're talking to some people about what to do." When asked if they were thinking of joining forces with the AMA, which was left without a support series when they lost Roger Edmondson's CCS series, Pritz said, "It's an avenue to discuss. It behooves everyone to discuss with each other instead of playing games. You can quote me on that. I WaI)t to see road racing' grow in this country. I'm staying out of the shrapnel." Rainbow n MX Park is now open for open practice on Thursdays and 'Saturdays, from 10 a.m. until dark. The San Jacinto, California, faciJity is locat~d only minutes from Lake Perris, and the track features numerous tabletop jumps, several double jumps and soft, loamy terrain. Lap times hover near the

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