Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127754
IN THE WIND Scott Plessinger (KTM) successfully retained his number-one plate in the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series by out-dueling ·former champ Scott Summers (Hon) at the final event of the year in Crawfordsville, Indiana, October 29. The series title came down to the wire, as Plessinger and· Summers fought a winner-take-all battle. When it was over, Plessinger crossed the finish line with approximately a minute to . spare over runner-up Summers. Finishing third was Duane Conner (Yam). Rounding out the top five were Tom Norton (Yam) and Doug Blackwell (Yam). Heath Voss (Hon) was the top Pro-class finisher at the inagural NMA Branson USA Amateur National, held October 27-29 in Branson Missourri. Voss swept the 125 and 2S0cc Pro c1as es. Justin Buckelew (Yam) decimated the minibike classes, winning the 12- to 13-yearold Stock and Modified classes, as well as the Supermini class. Nearly 700 entrants from 26 states showed up for the inagural even l. Toby Jorgenson topped Rod Spencer and Paul Iwanaga in the A class at the Annuall00cc National, held October 29 at the famous Lodi Cycle Rowl in Lodi, California. Frank Nye topped Iwanaga and Dominic Demario in the Adult A class. According to sources in Europe, Italian Doriano Romboni has signed a contract to race Aprilia's 400cc V-twin in the 1996 SOOcc World Championship. Reports indicate that the contract is for two years, with Romboni taking over Max Biaggi's 2S0cc Aprilia if the twotime World Champion moves to the SOOcc class in 1997. Italian Loris Reggiani rode the 400cc Aprilia in this year's SOOcc World Championship while Romboni rode in the 2S0cc class for Team Honda Agostini. It's official. Two-time 12Scc National MX Champion Doug Henry has come to an agreement with Team Yamaha. The former Team Honda.rider will campaign the U.S. Supercross Series (2S-0cc) as well as the 2S0cc outdoor National Motocross Series. His tuner, Pete Steinbrecher, will also jump ship and continue to turn wrenches on Henry's Yamaha YZ2S0. And what about Damon Bradshaw? Despite the fact Bradshaw attended a Yamaha-organized press event in River- side, California, to announce the company's official motocross, road race and off-road race teams for the 1996 season, the long-time Yamaha factory-backed rider has yet to sign on the dotted line. Rumor has it that Bradshaw is also negotiating with Team Honda. But, according to Team Yamaha's race team manager, Keith McCarty, ''I'm confident Damon will sign with us. We've given him a proposal and the last time we spoke, things soun.ded pretty good." As for Bradshaw speaking with Honda, McCarty said: "1 really don't know anything about that, but I wouldn't be surprised if Dave Stephenson (Bradshaw's manager) .has talked to them. After aU, that is his job, and I wouldn't be offendedifhehad." And speaking of Damon Bradshaw, the North Carolinian will be out of action for a couple weeks. Bradshaw showed up at Carl bad Raceway to compete in a Racing Enterprises Saturday MX race on October 28, and suffered a dislocated right shoulder in a second-moto crash. According to Keith McCarty, Bradshaw is expected to recover in time for the Osaka and Tokyo Supercrosses in November. [n the off-road department, Yamaha will again support former Grand National Cross Country Champion .Fred Andrews, as well as Tom Norton. .Yamaha i expected to sign one more off-road rider to its contingent but, as of yet, they are undecided as to who that rider will be. Andrews Racing will basically nm Yamaha's off-road program. Team Noleen/Sizzler/Xtreme will field two, instead of three, riders for 1996. The team will again be made up of Larry Ward and Kyle Lewis. Last year's third member Larry Brooks will compete on his newly formed Chaparral Cycle Supply Racing Team (Brooks, Pedro Gonzalez and Greg Schnell) based out of San Bernardino, California. Clark Jones, the founder of the Yamahabacked Noleen's racing team, said: "It will be a little easier keeping track of two riders, and it will also cut down on expenses. But I'm glad Larry (Ward) and Kyle are back, and I'm happy for Brooks - now he'll know what it's like running a team. It's not easy." The memory of five-time National Hare & Hound Champion Danny Hamel will race on into the 1996 National H&H Series, thanks to a donation by the Danny Hamel Foundation. The founda- Cycle News Rider of the ~ Month: Paul Pinsonnault 8 ~ l!') 0\ ~ 00 ~ ~ ,.0 8 Q) :> o Z 2 Whether or not the AMA National Hillclimb Series is construed as one of the more obscure forms of motorcycle racing by those who would speculate about such things, it is hard to deny the fact that Paul Pinsonnault has been the undisputed "king of the hill" in the 540cc division. Pinsonnault carded the class win during the final round of the series at the Devil's Staircase in Oregonia, Ohio, on October 8 to lock up his third consecutive National Championship, then backed it up with his fifth straight victory at the AMA All-Star lnvitational in Jefferson, Pennsylvania, on October 15. Three successive National titles, five successive lnvitational wins - and more importantly, two victories in the month of October - mark a dominant performance regardless of genre. Pinsonnault has earned Rider of the Month honors. Injury forces Merkel into retirement A merican Suzuki announced on October 24 that two-time World Champion Fred Merkel (right) will retire from motorcycle racing, due to the injuries he incurred in the final round of the AMA 7S0cc Supersport National Championship round at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, on September 23. Merkel crashed on the third lap of the 22-lap 750cc Supersport final at Firebird, striking a concrete wall on the exit of a fast right-hand corner. The Californian was airlifted to a hospital with broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a bruised heart. It later became known that Merkel had also incurred damage to his left arm as a resul t of the crash, and it is the arm injury that has forced him into retirement. ''I'm sorry that it turned out to be a race track that ended my career," Merkel said in a statement issued by Suzuki. "1 would have preferred to have had the option to leave when I was ready to go instead of having the decision made for me. But I thank God that I was fortunate enough to' be able to walk away from the crash. I am happy to have been able to finish my career on a Suzuki, and [ will always remain a proud member of the Suzuki family." Merkel won three straight AMA Superbike National Championships on factory Hondas in 1984, 1985 and 1986 and 19 AMA Superbike Nationals before heading to the World Superbike Championship. He found similar success in international racing, winning the inaugural World Superbike Championship in 1988 and following it up with a second title in 1989. tion, which was set up in memory of Hamel who was killed in a racing accident at the start of the Baja 500, was designed to benefit up-and-coming racers. And benefit one it did, with the presentation of a brand-new Kawasaki 'KXSOO just before the banner dropped for the final round of the series in Lucerne Valley, California, October 22. The KXSOO - a replica of Hamel's own race bike - was presented to Tommy Roberts, a teen-aged racer who is starting to make a name for himself in the Southern California desert. Special thanks go to Hamel's sponsors and friends whose generosity helped to make the donation possible, including Kawasaki Team Green, Pro Circuit, IMS, Answer ProTaper, Acerbis, Scotts ZPerformance Products, Lanny Jay, Dave Pyle, Firehose Dave, and Danny's father, Roger Hamel. On October 25 a federal jury in Santa Ana, California, convicted former supercross promotor Michael F. Goodwin and his ex-wife Diane Seidel Goodwin on charges that they lied to get bank loans to finance their business and to buy a yacht. Jurors deliberated for two and a half days before reaching guilty verdicts on 13 of 15 counts in U.s. District Court. Goodwin, 50, and Diane Seidel Goodwin will ea.ch face up to 29 years in prison when they are sentenced on February 26. Federal prosecutors said that from 1986 to 1988, Goodwin and Seidel filed loan applications with three banks bu t fai·led to disclose a $500,000 debt as required by law. Two loans were for operating expenses for their business and one was for $200,000 to help pay for the yacht. Triumph Motorcycles America Ltd. has announced that it will revive the TransAtlantic Challenge Series - via a Team Triumph USA vs. Team Triumph Great Britain road race series. The match races will pit the two 12-man teams on identical Triumph 900cc Speed Triples. The three sprint races will be held at Donington Park in England on Monday, May 27, and Triumph America is planning to organize a second event to be held in the U.s. during the summer of 1996. In addition, Triumph. is sending three riders to represent America in the Mobil 1 Speed Triple Challenge which will be held in conjunction with the British Grand Prix on July 20-21,1996. According to a press release from Formula USA, a list of eligil;>le equipment for the 1996 Formula USA Series is now being developed. The eligible equipment list will include motorcycles, suspsension components and carburetors. The underlying intent, according to F-USA, is to allow only equipment that is readily available and affordable. "Formula USA has the closest racing of any major road racing series in America," said Doug Gonda, president of FUSA Ltd. "We need to keep the racing close for the fans. It is a concern with the series going to tracks like Daytona, Road America and Pocono, along with a large infusion of money in the series, that spending by our teams will escalate. An eligible equipment list will help keep close competition that Formula USA fans have come to expect." F-USA has already announced that they will no longer allow two-strokes to compete in the seri~s, thus eliminating the Yamaha TZ250 whi~h Rich Oliver raced to second in the championship in 1996. The Grattan round of the Sunoco Race Fuels F·USA Series will be aired on November 2 while the Portland round will be aired on November 16, according to F-USA. The two races will be shown on Prime Sports. Che.ck your local listings for air times. The second round of the ICE World Cup Speedway Series will be held in the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California, on November 11. John Grant and Charlie Venegas are tied for the lead in the championship after the first round of the series in San Diego, California. Friends of the late Don Ramer will have a dinner with his wife and son at Sandi's Restaurant in Alhambra, California, on December 2 at 7 p.m., the night before the Motorsports Display