Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

VOICES· America.s weekly motorcycle newspaper Letters to the editor Volume XXXII Sharon Clayton, President Michael Klinger, Publisher Editorial Paul Carruthers, Editor Kit Palmer, Associate Editor Donn Maeda, Associate Editor Scott Rousseau, Associate Editor Mark Hoyer, Managing Editor Keith Bush, Copy Editor Advertising Terry Pratt, National Accounts Manager Mark Mitchell, Eastern Accounts Manager Mark Thome, Western Sales Manager Thomas Gonter, Western Sales Manager Forrest Hayashi, Western Sales Manager Greg Mitchell, Eastern Sales Manager Rick Matheny, Eastern Sales Manager Rhonda Crawford, Western Ad Coordinator ~arla Allen, Eastern Ad Coordinator Laurie Snow, Assistant Marketing & Promotion Mark Thome, Director Rick Matheny, Operations New Media Development Mark Mitchell, Manager Classified Ads Sharon Van Hazclen Graphics and Production Ree Johnson, Production SlIpervisor Mandy Loo, Production Manager Dennis Greene, wb. Tech. Stacey Guest, Graphic Artist Amy Faught, GraphiC Artist Administration Judy Klinger, Coordinator Peggy Rivera, Secretary to the Publisher AccountingIData Processing Donna Bryan-Diamond, AIR Coordinator Geneva Repass, Assistant Herlane Lewis, Credit Circulation Rheba Smith, Manager Alma Anguiano, Processing Coordinator Pam Klein, Billing Coordinator Carol Begovic, Dealer Coordinator Service and Support Bridgett frobrofsky, Receptionist Leonard Herring, Service and Support National Headquarters 2201 Cherry Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, CA 90801-0498 (310) 427-7433; (213) 636-8844. FAX (310) 427-6685 Eastern Office 4188 First Ave., Tucker, GA, 30084; mailing address P.O. Box 805, Tucker, GA 30085-0805. (404) 934-7850. FAX (404) 934-3112 e-mail editor@cyclenews.com subscribe@cyclenews.com advertising@cyclenews.com Internet http://www.cyclenews.com Happy trials to you Congratulations to Donn Maeda on his excellent coverage of the Trials des Nations. I read. the article via your World Wide Web homepage several days ago, then I read it again just now when the hard copy arrived via mail. Both versions were great. I liked the inserts about Wicks and the individual riders. I also got a good laugh at the picture of Amos Bilbao groping. It looks like they had a good time. I didn't catch the significance of hands down right away. It snuck up on me. Nice work. Also congratulations on establishing the Web site. It was fun reading about the Trials des Nations before the hard copy arrived. I and the other trials riders appreciate you coverage of the trials scene and hope Maeda will continue writing and participating next year. I subscribed this year and will continue to subscribe as long as there is trials coverage. Thanks and keep your feet up. Tim Detwiler via CompuServe Loyalty? In reference to the letter from Ed O'Brien (Issue #40, October 11), he seems to think that being around a long time makes one smarter. 1£ so, I have him beat. I've been around a lot longer than him. What makes Harley superior in dirt track racing is the fact that the AMA is on their side. If th~ AMA had not put extra weight on the Hondas when Bubba Shobert was whipping them, Honda would still be racing dirt track. The only loyalty that sucks i!; the AMA's loyalty to Harley. Remember in the post-'50s when anything but Harley's were restricted to 9:1 compression? Of course, that was before your time. Harley had better hope that Ferracci and Ducati don't enter their domain. Jerry McDonald Corpus Christi, TX Merkel's parents My wife and I are at Maricopa Hospital in Phoenix, Arizqna, looking at the damage done to our son because of an encounter with a concrete wall at Firebird International Raceway. Fred (Merkel) has a badly bruised heart, six broken ribs, a punctured lung and a left arm that is numb. His whole body is battered and bruised. His racing career may be over. This year, turn 10 at Sears Point may have destroyed another racer's life. This all could have been prevented if the racers could have formed a union to help them have a chance to express their input as to safe tracks. Two years ago, the riders tried to unite to protect themselves from dangerous traCks such as Pomona_ It too.k one factory rider to say he wouldn't go along with the group: He would ride. End result - the racers options were to ride or be fired. A great opportunity lost to protect all riders from dangerous tracks. My wife and I watched the tape of the Arizona Superbike race. Freddie Spencer and Jamie James went off the track and into the dirt in two separate incidents, only to be run back onto another portion of the track as there was no run-off room and nowhere else to go. Fortunately, there were no other racers in their way. Pat and I tried to make sense of why the AMA would subject riders to tracks such as Firebird, Pomona (a parking lot), St. Louis and turn 10 at Sears Point. Through the years, we've seen deaths and. injuries at race tracks due to unsafe track conditions that the AMA should have. addressed. Racing is dangerous enough due to racer error, mechanical problems, or tire problems. The racers don't need to be worried or contend with cement walls, or Armco barriers covered with hay bales. The hay bales at Firebird didn't protect Fred; look at the cement wall and see the colors of his helmet and leather imbedded into it. The AMA should do its best to protect the riders, not subject them to tracks where there is no run-off room and cement walls. What happened to the AMA's relationships with safe tracks such as Portland, Atlanta, Willow Springs and Pocono? Did the AMA in its greed perhaps demand too much from the promoters' pocketbooks? The AMA needs to be made accountable for its actions towards the racers. We, as a family, may - if Fred is unable to race again - just do that in a court of law. Our reasoning on this subject is because of the AMA official who picks these dangerous tracks. This man was arrogant and pompous in his attitude at !he hospita1. He was proud of his choices towards picking the tracks that your husbands, sons and boyfriends have to race on. This man represents the AMA at its worst. Sir, you need to find another job where you will not be endangering other people's lives. How many riders do you need to maim or kill before you use some safer tracks? Sir, you need to test these tracks under race conditions on a motorcycle yourself, then maybe you would appreciate what dangers you subject racers to. For over 20 years we were under the mistaken belief that the AMA represented the racers' best interest We thought the AMA was an organization that protected the racers' rights and safety. We are now firm believers that the AMA cares nothing for the riders as they subject them to poor and dangerous track conditions. The AMA only uses tracks that give them the most money or maybe the AMA demands too much money. Pat and I asked what lunacy could cause the AMA to use a track such as Firebird, a track of cement walls and no run-off room. The AMA's official reply I excuse was that the AMA used Firebird Raceway because. no other tracks would have them. This same official also felt that the hospital was not a good place to discuss safe race tracks: What better place? With t1Us type of attitude and track choices, the AMA management had. better be ready for individual and joint-responsibility lawsuits. In closing, our thoughts are with the racers. You need to unite and demand to have input into the decisions as to where you race. It's time the racers and the manufacturers took charge of what tracks the races are held on. The racers and the manufacturers do not need the AMA; the AMA needs them. We are sure there are many other racing organizations that would be glad to work with you. Hopefully, the racers will work together to make the AMA or another sanctioning body work for them and with them, so racing, though dangerous, will be safer for everyone. Gary and Pat Merkel Stockton, CA Merkel was scheduled to undergo a series of MRl tests late last week to find out the seriousness of his arm injury. He was not available for comment on Monday... EditoT. Congrats, Ty I would just like to say congratulations to Ty Davis for winning the National Enduro Championship in his rookie season. I race desert myself and know how hard it is to do things like that Congratulations. Eugene Hernandez Palmdale, CA Letters to the editor should be. se.nt to Voices, Cycle News, P.O. 80x 498, Long Beach, CA 908060498, faxed to 3101427~S or <-mail, edi_cyclenews.com. Published letten do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News, Inc. Letters should not exceed 200 words and all letters are subject to editing. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. AJl lette,rs should conbin the writer's name, address and dayti.me phone number ... Editor. Cyde New! (USPS 141·340) is published weekly except the lasl two weeks of the calendar rear £Or S50.oo per year by Cycle News, Inc. 2201 Cheny Avenue. Long Beach. CA 90806. Seamd class postage paid at Long Beach, CA and at additionaJ mailing office. Canada Post International Publications Mail '546615. POSTMASTER: Send address chmges to Cyde News, P.O. Box 498, Long Beuh. CA 908Ol--Gl98. To detmnme the expiation date of your subscription, check the four numbers on the fir.lt line of your Iddress label Th~ first two digits indicate the last issue numbu you'll receive and the last two characters indicate the yeM of the last issue. Subscription rates: Rates for the United States and its posses~ions for one year. (SO issues). $50.00; two years (100 issues). $95.00; six months, (25 issues), $26.00; trial sub (15 issues), $19.00. Canada and Foreign, one year (SO issues), 590.00; two years (100 issues), $175.00; six months (25 issues), $45.00; trial sub (15 i"ues), $38.00. Cycle News welcomes unsolicited editorial material including stories, cartoons, photos, etc. Such material, if published. becomes the exclusive property of Cycle News, Reprinting in whole pr part only by permission of the publisher. Advertis· ing rates and circul4ltion information will be sent upon request. See S.R.O.5. INSIDE Issue #42, October 25, 1995 FEATURES 30 14 18 HILLCLIMB Dayton M.e. NationaJ... 32 DIRT TRACK Del Mar Mile 10 DEPARTMENTS RESULTS,., TRIALS British solo trials series finale W/BnA AUDITED V .....!:'"~ ORCULATION Printed in U.S.A. RACER TEST Fuel-injected Cagiva V594 Co~ Cycle N...., Inc. 1995. rndomuk Cycle Nows SPEEDWAY Grand Prix Challenge r

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