Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

VOICES Letters to the editor' Silly season Wow! I can't believe all the recent motocross / supercross team changes. First Bradshaw comes back, Kiedrowski retires, LaRocco goes to S,,"z,,"ki and Emig to Kawasaki. That is more changes than in the past few years. What really surprised. me was Doug Henry going to Yamaha. I heard him on MotoWorld, and read in a few publications that he wo,,"ld remain with Honda for 1996. What happened? Will Honda hire another rider? If so, who? What about Bradshaw? I read that Keith McCarty indicated that Damon was a definite for Team Yamaha, but I j,,"st read he still hasn't signed. Also, any 1996 S,,"percross schedule yet? Thanks again for keeping us up to date. CurtVanEyk Grand Rapids, Ml Bradshaw has signed with Yamaha; Honda will have a two-man team with Jeremy McGrath and Steve Lamson, thus not replacing Henry; we printed the schedule in last week's paper... Editor. Supercross fan? I just read Eric Johnson's guest editorial (Issue #43, November 1), and I can't agree more. I attended the last two Minneapolis Supercross events and I left this year vowing not to return. In 1994, I saw some great racing, but this year I didn't get all that excited. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the track was more technical in narure which limited the air time - but, hey, that's what I go for. I find myself getting p,,"mped up over NASCAR, yet I am a true bike fan. m fact, Eric's points could go to my favorite form of racing - Grand National Dirt Track. Give us a show, keep us excited, and we'll keep spending the bucks to watch. Thanks, Eric, for saying so well what many of US are thinking. Ron Crandell St. Cloud, MN The Duck Saturday, November 25 will mark the 21st anniversary of the Barstow to Vegas protest trail ride that first ran in 1975. I know off-roading has changed a great deal in the past 20 years and the days of riding in a wide-open desert are long gone, but the memories are still there. I also know there are people who remember the San Gabriel Valley M/C I '!iSJPN~r'1511~ America's weekly motorcycle newspape.r and who know what B-to-V stands for. How abo,,"t it - would you like to get together for an o""ting at Alvord Road on the Saturday after Thanksgiving 1995? It will be kind of nice to see those rigs pulling in on Thursday and Friday, our off-road city lights glowing in the night's darkness, with friends sitting around the campfires telling those tales that get bigger and better every year. It will be very exciting if we see the Cycle News motorhome there like in 1975. Perhaps it's time for ·another crossplanting ceremony? You don't need a bike and you don't have to ride to have a good time, visit with friends, relive moments from the past, and perhaps inform some of our younger generation about the great races and bikes that crossed the desert way back then. What are your plans? I'm going to be at Alvord Road on November 24-25. Louis McKey Phantom Duck of the Desert . Buena Park, CA Dingus When Don "Dingus" Watkins passed away of a heart attack on September 30, the world of motorsports lost a truly unique personality. A member of the Checkers M/C since the 19505, Don had amassed. a long list of wins and top finishes in many of the old classic desert races. And, in later years, he had • enjoyed successful speed runs with both cars and bikes at El Mirage and Bonneville. There are many stories about Don, most of them probably true, but far too much to chronicle here. I will just say there are a few people you meet in a Wetime who are always a joy to be with and Don was one of those. You could not be around him without having a good time: It simply wasn't possible. Dingus lived a unique life and lifestyle with a true We partner, his wife Norma. He was a classic. When Von Dutch died, Bud Ekins stated: "He just did something he never did before." Now Dingus has done that, too. We will miss him greatly. Ken Newton Newhall,CA Merkel and the AMA I am writing in response to the letter in the October 25 issue (Issue #42) from the parents of Fred Merkel. Firs.t, let me offer Fred and his parents my best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery. I was almost killed in a road racing acci- dent in 1981, and can appreciate the emotional and physical pain involved in recovering from a serious racing accident. The reason I am writing is to respond to the Merkels' belief that the AMA should be held responsible for their son's injuries. I take exception to this for several reasons, but the fundamental issue is one of personal responsibility. No one forces Fred, myself, or anyone else to race if he or she does not want to. If any racer feels a track is unsafe, then it is completely within his or her power to not race at that track. When Fred went onto the track at Firebird, he knew the track conditions, knew there were barriers and a lack of run-off room, and he made a choice to race under those conditions. While I can understand the Merkels' feelings of anger, frustration and concern over their son's condition, no one else can moraJIy be held responsible for his injuries. It is a chance we all. take when we decide to'race. I can appreciate that there are contractual and financial issues that professional riders must consider, and these will tend to pressure them to race even if they are uncomfortable with the track. Still, every rider has the option not to race, even if it means getting fired. If unhappy with the AMA's choice of tracks, riders also have the option of racing with other organizations such as WERA and NASB. The ultimate responsibility still lies with the individual. With regards to trying to force tracks to make safety improvements and the Merkels' thoughts on riders forming a union to support his cause - nothing is preventing them from doing so. It would be the responsibility of the riders to organize and stick together to support their cause. The AMA has limited power in forcing tracks to make safety improvements. Motorcycle racing does not have the following or the financial clout that the other motorsports do, so tracks are often unwilling to spend significant amounts of money making changes to accommodate what is relatively a small group of participants and spectato~s. David Sartorius Romeo,MI Letters to the editor should be lent to Voicel, Cycl. News, P.O. Box 498, Long Be.ch, CA 908060498, fox.d to 3101427-6685 OT ...maiI, .ditricyd... newS.com. Published lettus do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News, inc. Letters sbould not exc.eed 200 words and all letters a:re subject to editing. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publiation. All letters should con· tam the wriiUs name, address and cbyti:me phone number ... Editor. DUAL SPORT FEATURE SECTION Kanab Dual Sport Ride Project Bike: White Bros. S=uki DR270 Riding Impression: Honda XR650L Another Look: Honda XR650L vs. KTM 620RXC Riding Impression: Suz,,"ki DR650 4 8 12 14 16 Editorial Paul Carrothers, Editor Kit Palmer, Associate Editor Donn Maeda, Associate Editor Scott Rousseau, Associate Editor Mark Hoyer, Managing Editor Keith B""5h, Copy Editor Advertising Terry Pratl, National Accounts Manager Mark Mitchell, Eastern Acmunts Manager Mark Thome, Western Sales Manager Thomas Gonter, Western Sales Manager Forrest Hayashi, Western Sales Manager Greg Mi!chell, Eastern Sales Manager Rick Matheny, Eastern Sales Manager Rhonda Crawford, Western Ad Coordinator Carla Allen. Eastern Ad Coordinator Laurie Snow, Assistant Marketing &: Promotion Mark Thome, Manager New Media Development Mark Mitchell, Director Rick Matheny, Operations Classified Ads Sharon Van Hazelen Graphics and Production Ree Johnson, Production Supervisor Mandy Loo, Production MnTUlger Dennis Greene, Lab. Tech. Stacey Guest, Graphic Artist Amy Faught, Graphic Artist Administration Judy Klinger, Coordinator Peggy Rivera, Secretary to the Publisher AccountinglData Processing Donna Bryan-Diamond. NR Coordinator Geneva Repass, Assistant Herlane Lewis, Credit Circulation Rheba Smith, Mnnager Alma Anguiano, Processing Coordinator Pam Klein, Billing Coordinator Carol Begovic, Dealer Coordinator Service and Support Bridgett Bobrofsky, Receptionist Leonard Herring. Servia and Support National Headquarters 2201 Cherry Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, CA 90801-<>498 (310) 427-7433; (213) 636-8844. FAJ«310)427~5 Eastern Office 4188 First Ave., Tucker, GA, 30084; mailing address P.O. Box 805, Tucker, GA 30085-0805. (770) 934-7850. FAJ< (770) 934-3112 e-mail editor@cyclenews.com subscribe@cyclenews.com advertising@cyclenews.com Internet http://www.cyclenews.com Cycle News (USPS 141·340) is published weekly except the lost two " ...ks of the coIendor yeM for $50.00 per year by Cycle News, Inc., 2201 01

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