Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

• IN THE WIND' Chad Pederson (Kaw) and Denny Stephenson (Suz) were the big winners during two nights of racing in the PJI Super Arenacross National held in Vets Memorial Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 17-18, Pederson won both the 125 and 250cc Expert finals on Friday night, topping Jeromy Buehl (Kaw) and Todd DeHoop (Hon) to win the 125cc final and then beating Cliff Palmer (Suz) and DeHoop in the 250cc final. On Saturday night, Stephenson topped Pederson and Grayson Goodman (Suz) to win the 125s before beating Jimmy Gaddis (Kaw) and Palmer to win the 250cc final, After two rounds, Gaddis leads the series point standings over Buehl, 120-119. Mike Edwards (Yam) won the 1995 Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix on November 19, topping fellow Brit . Phillip McCallen by a scant 0.138 second. Switzerland's Andreas Hoffman (Kaw) finished third. Michael Barnes (Yam) finished ninth with Chuck Graves ending up 15th. Fritz Kling and Calvin Rayborn III didn't start the race after suffering blown engines during qualifying. Pablo Real crashed and'suffered back injuries, though he was expected to be released from the Macau hospital in a few days. The third round of the Mid-South Winter Hare Scrambles Series was held in Lynnville, Indiana, on November 19, and was won by Doug Blackwell (Yam). Recently crowned National Hare Scrambles Champion Scott Summers (Hon) was leading the race in the late stages until hitting a tree and submerging his bike in a swamp. Finishing second was Mark Marris (Yam), followed by series leader Mike Sampson (Yam), former National Enduro Champion Terry Cunningham (Kaw) and Robert Patterson (Suz). Yamaha will field two off-road teams for 1996, both run by different organizations. Andrews Yamaha Racing, based in Salem, Ohio, will field a three-man team made up of Fred Andr«;ws, Brian Keegan and 1995 125cc A-class champion Jim Jarrett. Their main focus will be on the Grand National Cross Country Series. The other team, Sport Cycle's Racing, based in Lancaster, Ohio, will field a five-man squad, featuring Tommy Norton, Duane Connor, Doug Blackwell, Jeff Russell and Tim Shep- ~ ~ hard. They, too, will concentrate primarily on the GNCC series, as well as other selected off-road Nationals. It appears set that Oklahoman Robbie Reynard will contest the Western Regional 125cc Supercross and 125cc National Championship Series as a member of Team Primal Impulse/ Fox/Honda. Joining Reynard on the squad will be multi-time Mexican National Champion Pedro Gonzalez. Reportedly, the team's engines will be built in-house at American Honda and use Bill's Pipes exhaust systems. North American Super Bike Champion Keith Pinkstaff announced his retirement from road racing at the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association's annual banquet in Portland, Oregon. Pinkstaff has been winning road races in the Northwest for 19 years. Two-time Western Regional 125cc Supercross Champion Damon Huffman has signed a contract with Arai Helmets, and will compete throughout the 1996 season wearing Arai's new VKros one-piece full-face motocross hel- ' met. Huffman will continue to wear Axo Sport clothing and boots, as well as Oakley goggles. Whether or not 125cc National Champion Steve Lamson will wear the new helmet or continue to wear the traditional MXR two-piece model has'not been decided. Former British National Champion Doug Lampkin has signed a two-year contract with the Factory Beta trials team. Lampkin will be the factory's number-one rider, and his father, former World Champion Martin Lampkin, will again serve as his minder. Frenchman Bruno Camozzi will contest the 1996 World Championship Series and French National Series aboard a factory Gas Gas JTR250. Camozzi captured the French National Trials Championship in '95 aboard a Beta Techno. Italians Donato Miglio and Diego Bosis have switched camps. Miglio, second in the Italian National Championships behind visiting Finn Tommi Ahvala, will contest next year's World and National Championship Series aboard a factory Beta. Bosis, meanwhile, will contest the Italian ationals with backing from the Italian Gas Gas importer. Tire testing with Brid estone B ridges tone kicked off the annual motorcycle tire-testing sessions at Daytona International Speedway on November 1617, with Erion Racing and Moto Liberty on hand to test with Jamie Bowman, Britt Turkington and ~ Japanese racer Hideo Basagawa. 0\ "It is very impOJ;tant for BridgeM stone to test at Daytona," said Don 0\ Yabuta, deputy general manager, N motorcycle sales department. "We 1i) don't have anything like the Day.0 tona circuit in Japan." . Warren Dunham, the motorsports program coordinator, and Marty Hummel repreOJ sented Bridgestone U.5. . :> "We've gotten in two good days on the track," Dunham said. "We accomplished o what we came for and probably got in a bit of extra work as well. I'm very pleased Z with our new DOT tire for Supersport. I believe it's a big improvement." The tests were in preparation for Camel Motorcycle Week, scheduled for March 1-10 at the Daytona Beach, Florida, facility. ~ S 2 Schwantz wins race car debut in Australia ormer World Champion Kevin Schwantz won the Valvoline NASCAR Night of Thunder in Sydney, Australia, on November 19 - in his NASCAR racing debut. Schwantz qualified sixth in his PepSi Max Chevy Lumina on Saturday, and then tallie'd two thirdplace finishes and a victory in the three sprint races at Oran Park to take the overall win. The first 10-lap race was held in wet conditions and Schwantz ended up third. In the next race, held in dry racing conditions, Schwantz scored the first four-wheeled victory of his career. In the final race, he drove to a steady third place, wrapping up the overall for the night. The Texan, who is using the series to get track time in an effort to secure a NASCAR SuperTrucks drive in 1996, was unable to do his regular victory dance, but he did cross the line with the car violently swerving all over the track. "Lt was great to qualify so weH, but it was even greater to get a win first day out, especially with my new sponsor Pepsi," Schwantz said. "I think I've learned a lot about racing these NASCARs; it's real physical and I'm dripping with sweat. In the last race I was probably a little nervous and was overdriving and having a few moments out of the turns. It has certainly helped a lot racing on a race track before racing on an oval, which will be a lot harder. My wrist is a little sore, but you don't have to hang on as much as on a bike, but it is hard work," F And speaking of Tommi Ahvala, sources in Italy say that the 1991 World Champion has reportedly signed a twoyear contract with the Fantic factory. Ahvala was unhappy with the way development had progressed with the new Fanti'c Section, but a late-season burst of activity appeared to appease the Finn somewhat. The Suzuki World Superbike team, which will be run from England by Harris Performance, has announced the signing of 31-year-old Brit John Reynolds and 27-year-old Australian Kirk McCarthy to spearhead the team's efforts. Reynolds finished 10th in the 1995 World Superbike Championship ·on a'Reve Kawasaki, and McCarthy currently leads the Australian Superbike National Championship. The pair will ride the new GSXR750. Rainbow II MX Park, the San Jacinto, California, motocross facility, will be open on Thanksgiving Day, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, call 909/654-8513. A special section of the grandstands at Daytona International Speedway will be open during upcoming test sessions for Camel Motorcycle Week '96. Bridgestone (November 16-17), Dunlop (November 30-December 2), Pirelli (December 10-11) and Michelin (Decem- ber 12-14) will conduct tire-test sessions in preparation for Camel Motorcycle Week, March 1-10, 'and the Daytona 200 by Arai. In addition to the tire manufacturers, Suzuki will conduct a test session December 3-4. For more information, contact Daytona International Speedway at 904/253-RACE. The Dirt Diggers M/C will celebrate its 50th anniversary with its banquet, scheduled for January 21, 1996 in Ridgecrest, California. All interested current and former Dirt Diggers can contact Tim Finch at 805/366-9636 for more information. The Sixth Annual GFI $10,000 Supercross Invitational and GFI Winter Series Warm-Up has been scheduled for Saturday, December 30 at Perris Raceway in Perris, California. For more information, call 909/684-6996. The Wilseyville Hare Scrambles at Schaad's Resort in orthern California has been postponed until December 10 and will count as the final round of the 1995 0-36 Cross Country Championship. Dry conditions forced the postponement. Having trouble finding rooms for Camel Motorcycle Week? Travel Craft has rooms available for immediate booking for the big event coming up in Daytona

• Cover