Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Cycle News 1996 01 24

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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i··IN· H INO T EW : Guy Cooper (Suz) and Cliff Palme r (Suz) were the big winners du ring two nights of racing in the PJl Super Arenacross Nationals, held on January 12-13 in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Pal mer topped Jimmy Gaddis (Kaw) and Cooper to win the 250cc Pro class on Friday ni ght, while Robbie Reynard (Hon) beat Gaddis and Cooper in the 125cc Pro class. On Saturday night, Cooper won both the 125 and 250 cc Pro cl asses, b e ating Palmer and Gaddis, wh o finished second and third , respectively, in both races. Michael Brandes won both the 125 and 250cc Pro classes during round one of th e 1996 CMC MSR Golden State Nati on al South MX Series, held in Gorman, California, on Janu ary 14. Brandes ro d e a Suz uki to victory over Casey Lytle and Jeff Willo h in the 125cc class befor e switching to a Kawasaki to win th e 250cc cla ss, whe re he topped Ty Davis and Willoh. The California Assembly Transportation Co mmi ttee h a s a pproved a b ill that would repeal the mandatory mo torcycle helm et law in the nation ' s most populous state, according to the AMA. California has had a m andatory helmet law covering all motorcyclists since 1992. The repeal bill - Assembly Bill 244 sponsored by Assem blyman Bill Morrow (RSan Die go ) - would e liminate the man d atory hel met p rovision for riders 21 and older. It passed the Transportation Committee by a 9-8 vote and will now be sent to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for consideration. Supporters of the repeal legislation, led by ABATE of Cali fornia and the Modified Motorcycle Association, expect that the bill will be considered by the full Assem bly in the next few weeks. "This shows that the sys tem works if you elect people who will do the right thing." said Mike Osborn, a memb er of ABATE of California's board of d irectors. Robert Rasor, vice preside nt" of AMA gove rnment rela -' tions said: "The AMA has always strongly su pported comprehensive motor cycle safe ty program s, an d we encourage all motor cyclists to wear app ropriate gear and rid e responsibly. But we also believe adults should be able to evaluate perso nal safety issues for themselves. This legislation is the first step in returning that right to adult riders in California." A no-fault insurance initiative that will go before California voters in March has the potentia l to d ra matically increase ins urance rates paid by the state's motorcyclists, according to the AMA. The California secretary of state announced this week tha t the Alliance to Revitalize California has collected the necessary signatures to put the no-fa ult insurance proposal on the ballot in statewide elections to be held on March 26. That means voters in the state will be faced with a decision to retain the present insurance system or switch to a no-fault plan. Under the current in su ran ce system , veh icle operators who are at fault in accidents are responsible for pa ying the damage they cause. The proposed no-faul t system, design ated Pro position 200, would r equ ire all motor vehicle operators, including motorcyclists, to insure the mselves agai nst any damages or injuries, including those caused by another driver. The proposal h as ra ised concern am ong California motorcyclists because other sta tes th at have adopted no-fault insurance have seen large increases in motorcycle insurance premiums. 2 Supercross legend Rick Johnso n ha s s igned w ith Penske Racing South to compet e in th e NASCAR SuperTrucks Series by Crafts man in 1996, re p o rts Cy cle News contribut or Judy KoubaDominick. The team will ru n a Ford in 13 of the 24 sched uled events, and it will be sponsored by Red Dog Beer. Johnson will share driving du ties with Winston Cup regular Kenny Wallace, with John so n driving in fo ur of th e races a n d assisti ng Wallace as a spotte r in th e remainin g eve nts. In additio n, Joh nson will serve as a test driver for Pensk e South. "This is a tremendous opportu nitv for me: ' Joh nson said . "I am excited abo ut the op portu nity to work with the Penske organization with their expe rtise in NASCAR ra cin g . It w as a d ifficult decision for me to leave th e Ch evrolet family. I have been with them since my retirement from motorcycle racing both in stad ium tracks and desert racing. but this opportunity with Penske came along and I h ad to make a decision for m y future and my family. It is just anot her examp le of d ivine tim in g tha t h as followed me throug hout my career. I am very gra teful for the opportunity given to me by Chevrolet and the su ccess we enjoyed together. It was a painful deci sion for me to make, but I feel I have made a positive step forward. " The p ro moters of th e AMA Grand National Championsh ip Dirt Tr ack Championship have formed the Grand Nationa l Unified Promoters Association. Chris Agajanian, th e promoter of four events on the 1996 AMA Gr and National sched ule, will serv e a s spo kesman for the gr ou p. According to Agajanian, the group has five imm ed iate goals: to re-emphasize su p p ort of the AMA as th e sanctionin g body o f the Grand National Series; to recommend parity in p urse structures , but onl y through negotiations with the AMA; to stu dy techni cal rules and event formats with the view of ensuring close competition; to assist in further rider development programs to strengt hen the series and to ensure its future; and to exchange promotio na l ideas. Australian road racer Dam on Buckmaster may sit ou t th e 1996 racin g season afte r being rejected by the Fast By Ferracci Du cati team, and now the Hond a A us tralia n Su perbi ke team , re ports Cycle New s correspondent Dar ryl Flack. Buckmaster claims he had a verbal commitmen t from team boss Eraldo Ferracci to join the team which once boasted former two-time World Superbike Champion Dou g Polen, 1994 AMA Superbike Champion Troy Corser and two-time World Champion Fr eddie Spen cer. Buckmaster, 22, was given the sh ocking news after testing against three other rid ers at Daytona International Speedway just prior to Christmas. Buckmaster failed to impress the stopwatch. "I was given a set of high-profile tires that just wouldn't d rive or handle on the banking. and the other gu ys go t what they wanted and know the track really well: ' Buckmaster said. Hi s be st time w as a 1:54.2 compared to 1996 signees Lar ry Pegram and Sh awn H igbee, wh o both lapped in the mid 515. "The tires I ran jus t sapped speed from the bike becau se it wou ldn't d ri ve up the banking: ' Bu ckm aster ad ded. According to Buckmaster, the tea m's on-board telemetry showed that he was quicker through the infield than the other riders. Buckma ster clai ms th at Ferracci had given h im "a strong commitment" for 1996 prior to the test and he rejected three key offers in Australia because he considered Ferracci's offer to be firm . Buckmaster said he had not signed a letter of intent, bu t Steve Ree ves, who wa s ta kin g ca re o f the deal on Buckmaster's behalf, said he Quarterle calls it uits N early 13 ye ars after making hi s professi onal road racing debut, veteran road racer Dale Qu art erley (right) has announced his retireme nt from the sport . The New Englander, who suffered seriou s injury to his left hand in a crash at Daytona International Speedway during the recent Michelin tire tests, ends his career as one of the most suc cess ful privateers in the h ist ory of AMA road racing . Quarterl ey' s car eer com es to a close w ith four championsh ips - the 1988 AMA Batt le of the Twins title an d three AMA Endurance Ch ampion ships. Th e hi ghlight o f th e 34-year-old' s caree r carne in 1993 wh en he finished second in the AMA Superbik e N ation al Championship on his Team Mirage Kawa sa ki behind Doug Polen . It wa s also in 1993 th at an emotiona l Quarterley won his only AMA Superbike Nationa l. ironically at the Mid -Ohio Sports Car Course - the very same race track on whic h he started his professiona l career wi th a fifth-place finish 10 years earli~ . "At this poin t, I'm do ne," Quarterley said from his horne on Thu rsd ay, January 11. "I've decided to stop motorcycle racing. I can' t make Dayton a becau se of my injuries, and if I miss Daytona then it's just not wo rth it. I've sent the con tract s back alrea dy. " Quarterley's Team Mirage Ducati will be rid de n in the Daytona 200 by longtime friend and rival, Randy Renfrow. After Daytona, "being a team owner or a crew chief does interest me, but the team doesn' t wa nt to do a season if I don't ride. Right now I'm going to focus on my car d eal." Qu arterley has undergone skin graft operations to repair damage to his left foot and knee, bu t his mos t serious injury is to his hand. The likable New Englander broke three metacarpal bones, as well as su fferin g knuckle and ligament damage to several fingers. The bones were pinned after the accident and Quarterley will have surgery to ha ve those pins removed in three weeks. "Th is was going to be my last season because I was going to go car racing full time in ' 97," Quarterley said. "This just bumped me up a season. I still want to help with the road racing school, do some ins tru ctional tap es an d other things. I'll definitely stay involved." Quarterley' s absence on the grid for the upcoming Daytona 200 will mark the first AMA Superbike National he's missed since 1987. "I may have missed a couple of races in 1984 and 1985, but I know I haven't missed one since '87," Qu arterley said . "Th e onl y thing I didn't do was wi n a Su pe rbike Championship, or m ake any . money. But makin g money was always a low priority for me. All I eve r wanted to do was compete." discussed the value of the contract with Ferrac ci , where the rider wo ul d b e b a sed , and had arranged an AMA license. Two w eeks ago, Buckmaster test ed alongside Aus tralian 250cc GP sensa tion Rip Crocke r for the secon d Ho nda Raci ng Aus tralia RC45 ri de at Calder Raceway. Claiming he was faster and smoother throughou t the test, Buckmaster said Honda called him to confirm it had dec ided to go with 2D-yearold Crocker, who h ad never rid d en a su pe rbike before. Bu ckmaster has rejected plans to resume his career in the 600cc Supersport class in Australia, a series he has contested for the past three yea rs . "I can't afford the mo ney and time off work to go 600 racing this year," he said. Mor e news from Australia has veteran road racer Peter Go ddard riding a Suzuki GSXR750-T for Team Ansett A ir Freight Su zuki in th e 1996 Au strali an Superbike Championship. Winner of the 1991 500cc All-Japan Championship and runner-up in the 1995 Australian Superbike Series, Goddard will be the oldest of th e front runners. A Suzuki Au stralia spo kesma n said the deal wa s signed on Janu ar y 12, and a d de d that Goddard w ill m iss the op e n ing two-p lus-four Australian Championship race on Febru ary 4 becau se the factory race kit will not arrive in time, a de lay likely link ed with Suzuki' s Da ytona 200 com mitmen ts . Goddard will also likely compete in the Su zu k a 8-H o u r and othe r m ajo r endura nce races in 1996. Rou n d fou r of th e MSR Go ld en State MX Nat ionals at Barona Oaks Racewa y in Ram ona, California, ha s been moved fro m Sunday, Februar y 18, to Su nd ay, February 11, the day after the San Diego Supercross. For more in form ation, call CMC at 714/367-1141. Acco rdi ng to Wor ld Sports, the fina l round of the 1996 Florida Winter AMA Series sche d u led for January 28-29 in Gainesville, Florid a, will be ded icated to th e m em ory o f J.D . Collins. Th e rac e will be called the J.D. Collins Mem orial and an extr a $3000 will be adde d to the 125 and 250cc Pro p u rse, bringing the t ot al purse a mou nt to $9000 fo r th e week en d . Collins was killed on January 7 w hile racing in th e Florida Winter AMA Series round in Ocala, Florid a. AMA 250cc Grand Prix National Champion Rich Oliver will have the opportunity to tryout for a SOOcc Grand Prix ride w ith the Elf / Swissa u to team at the upcoming IRTA test s in Jerez, Spain. Oliver will vie for the open spot on the team with Spaniard Juan Borja. "It's not going to be easy because he's (Borja) ridden there a lot, but Little Kenny (Roberts Jr. ) said he'll try and help me," said Oliver, who last rode a SOOcc GP bike in 1991 when he fin ish ed sixth in the Spanish Superprestigio international race. Oliver is currently under contract with Yamaha to ride in the 1996 AMA 250ccGrand Prix Series, and he will do just that if the 500cc ride doesn't materialize. "Righ t now it looks like it'll be a one-man team with the same sponsors, the same truck, etc. I've got the new bikes and I've been training hard for this tryout. If it doesn' t wo rk out, I'll definitely be in good shape for Daytona. Yamaha has been really supportive and I'd like to ride superbikes with them one da y, bu t they know I can't pass this up if it happens. They seem to be oka y with it no matter how it works out." According to source s in Japan. Shini chi

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