Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

expressed thanks to the motorcycle industry for its presence and support at the hearing. "There are different coalition groups and clubs who are trying to shut down our riding areas," Lynch said. "If we spend a little more time, we can sustain our sport in CaLifornia. The California Motocross Association will be organizing the races at the facility, though other promoters are welcome. The track will fea ture grassy areas, many trees and the cooler climate of Ventura County. The facility is located some five miles west of the lost but not forgotten Indian Dunes Motorcycle Park. Due to legal problems, the Rainbow II MX track in San Jacinto, California, has closed its doors, as of Monday, on July 8. However, according to track owner Bob Harvell, the facility will reopen in approximately 30 days. Trail-Way Speedway in Hanover, Pennsylvania, has announced that it will offer free spectator admission at its next two events on July 27 and August 3. Arenacross National Champion Jimmy Gaddis and series runner-up Jeromy Buehl are set to compete in the 11th Annual Lake County Fair Stadium MX in Grayslake, Illinois, on July 24-25. Yamaha Motor Corporation USA is now of.fering the Road Star Service ID card and benefi t gujde to all owners of Yamaha Royal Stars. The Road Star service includes a 24-hour, toll-free service line, 24-hour roadside assistance, 24-hour emergency towing, locksmith service, dealer locator service, trip interruption benefits, and a customized trip-planning service. The WERA Sportsman event scheduled for August 3-4 at Gateway International Raceway has been moved to Memprus Motorsports Park in Millington, Tennessee, on the same date. Gateway is in the process of rebuilding their facility and at present does not have a road course on which to conduct a motorcycle road race that would suit WERA's requirements, according to WERA. For more information, call 770/924-8404. Team Green will be attending the RMEC Calamity Pass Enduro in Rand, Colorado, on July 13 with technican Dennis Hawthorne and rider Kelby Pepper conducting a seminar. Los Angeles County Raceway in Palmdale, California, will host the CRC/Thousand Oaks Yamaha Pee Wee Nationals on July 14. Thousand Oaks Yamaha is donating a Pee Wee motorcycle which will be given away in a drawing in which all riders are eli- gible. Ken Faught, e~litor of Dirt Rider magazine and former Cycle News Associate Editor, wilt be catching up on all the daytime soaps after crashing "bigtime" while racing at Starwest Supercross Park in Perris, California, on June 22. Faught is currently recovering at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California. Faught said he came up short over a double jump and the bike "swapped," and he augured into the face of another jump. He suffered numerous injuries in the get-off, including a ruptured spleen which had to be removed - a punc- tured lung, and broken bones in his hand and wrist. Faught said he has to remain in the hospital for about another week, after which time he'll continue his healing process at home. We've had quite a few phone calls recently regarding the dates and location of this year's MX des Nations. Here's the latest: The event, which was originally scheduled to be held on September 15, has been changed to September 22, in Jerez, Spain. As far as the riders who will represent the U.S. team, Jeremy McGrath, Steve Lamson and Ryan Hughes are scheduled to make the journey to Espana. CCS racers note that the dates for the Road Atlanta race were. changed to August 17-18 for both the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. Augu~t Chicago area motorcycle racing fans can tune in to WAUR Radio, AM540, for the Saddlemen AMA Pro Racing Report, which airs between 6:15 and 6:45 p.m. Central time on WAUR's "Victory Lane Monday" program each Monday. The report is a five-minute broadcast that provides racing updates of the weekend's round of AMA Grand NationaL Championship Series competition as well as AMA Pro Racing road race and motocross / supercross results. Speedway racing will begin in Santa Maria, California, when Central California Speedway holds its inaugural event at the Santa Barbara County Fairgrounds on July 13. The weekLy program will feature first-, second- and third-division speedway motorcycle racing as well as added speciaL events in the future. Gates will open at 6 p.m. with the first event starting at 7:30 p.m. Adult admission is $8. Children 12 and under will be admitted free with an accompanying adult. For more information, call 805/399-1605. OPENED: Euro Spares' home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.eurospares.com. PROMOTED: Mike Borger and Vince Armitsu, to distribution sales manager and export sales manager, respectively, by O'Neal USA. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Honda of Troy' in Dayton, Ohio, on July 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. Team Honda's Jeremy McGrath and members of Team Honda of Troy are scheduled to attend. For more information, call 513/439-0402. HIRED: Geoff Lee as Sears Point Raceway's director of marketing, effective July 1. Lee is the former director of western operations for the Skip Barber Racing School, replacing John McQueen who is now the sports marketing manager for the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors AuthOrity. ANNOUNCED: The creation of a new inventory flooring account with Transamerica Commerical Finance Corporation, by Moto Guzzi. The program allows for 90 days of free flooring and Guzzi is ~xpected to bring four 1997 modeLs to the United States in the fall, double the amount currently available. OPENED: Pro Pilot Corporation USA's new facility in Jackson, New Jersey. CN Da tana USA a ens D aytona USA, billed as "The Ultimate Motorsports Attraction," opened to the public on July 5 following a year of high anticipation that has built since ground was broken June 30, 1995, for the highly-interactive motorsports entertainment complex. The 50,000-square-foot building, located outside the fourth turn of Daytona International Speedway, will be open daily except for Christmas Day, with July-August hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and regular hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.., with speciaL hours during racing events. • As visitors enter the front doors Of Daytona USA and venture into the huge, brightly-lit atrium called the Founders"Gallery, they find themselves immersed in the world of racing at Daytona International Speedway. Daytona USA presents the pageantry and coLor of motorsports at the Speedway through a variety of interactive displays and exhibits. Inside the Founders' Gallery, repLicas of the Speedway's famed twin tunnels greet visitors, along with huge, three-dimensional sponsor signs suspended from the towering ceiling. At the end of the tunnels lies the Daytona USA show floor, where magnificent sights and sounds form an immediate and Lasting impression. The following material outlines some of the major exhibits inside Daytona USA in 'the suggested flow for the self-guided tour. - Goodyear Heritage of Daytona - This historical timel ine chronicles the rich racing history of the Daytona Beach area from 1903 to the present through film, photographs and artifacts. This exhibit includes historic race cars like the Bluebird V, the Stanley Steamer and the Mad Dog IV, as well as a full-scale reproduction of Bill France Sr.'s (founder of Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR) service station, from which he started his now-famous racing career back in the 1930s. The exhibit culminates with Goodyear's Great Moments Theater, which features a continuous-loop film highlighting great Daytona 500 finishes. Chevrolet and Pontiac Trilon Trivia Tower - Fashioned after the towering trilon scoreboards inside the Speedway, this exhibit is a six-station trivia game in which competitors test their motorsports knowledge. Contestants' race numbers rise and fall on the board as they gain points for their answers to questions on every type of racing held at the Speedway. Wall of Winners - This polished-steel exhibit serves as a shrine to former race winners of major events at Daytona International Speedway. The Wall is highlighted by the presence of the spectacular Harley J. )?:art Daytona 500 Trophy. Heroes of the Track - Fans will have a unique opportunity to electronically interact with eight of racing's most popuLar drivers, from Earnhardt to Petty. Interview questions are programmed into a laser disc format, and guests can conduct Life-size video screen "interviews" with their favorite drivers as their uniformed likenesses Loom overhead. Racing Vehicles of Daytona - This full-scale exhibit showcases the diverse vehicles that run at the "World Center of Racing," induding motocross bikes, Superbikes, sports cars and go-karts. Circuit City's NASCAR Online - Fans gain access to NASCAR's official web site (www.NASCAR.com) as they entertain and educate themselves about America's hottest and fastest-growing sport. Ford presents the Ingersoll-Rand 16-Second Pit Stop Challenge - After a professional pit crew demonstration, selected audience members get the opportunity to challenge the stopwatch as they try to perform like the pros in a live NASCAR Winston Cup pit stop. STP Daytona Time Trials - Challenge the high banks of Daytona International Speedway as this computerized exhibit puts guests behind the wheel of a NASCAR Winston Cup stock car. The special program allows each participant to customize his/her own car - from spoiler angles to model and car number - then take it for two Laps around Daytona's famous trioval. . DuPont Technology of Speed - Witness 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup ch,ampion Jeff Gordon's car literally come apart at the seams. In this exhibit, an actual stock car expands to show in detail what goes into the construction of a NASCAR Winston Cup race car. An informative video presentation takes guests step-by-step through the technical progression. High Banks of Daytona - Get up close and personal with a life-size replica of Day- . tona International Speedway's. daunting 31-degree banking. Full-sized "ghost" cars of the past and future zoom onto and off of the asphalt slab, as three current-day stock cars race on the famous high banks. Pepsi Theater - Daytona USA's signature show includes a 15-minute video preshow along with a 70mm feature film presentation entitled "The Daytona 500." This 14-minute surround-sound cinematic experience allows up to 268 guests to catch a glimpse into a "day in the life" of a Daytona 500 winner - all on a huge 55foot by 24-foot screen. The Last minutes of the film include in-car camera shots and guests feel themselves passing other cars in the field to take 'the checkered flag. Gatorade Victory Lane - As they exit the Pepsi Theater, (after "winning" their first Daytona 500), visitors come face-to-face with the pomp and circumstance which greets winners at Daytona's Victory Lane. An audio and video presentation, along with popping flashbulbs from numerous reporters, creates a feeling of excitement and triumph as a crowd of colorful mannequin "fans" cheer from the wings. The centerpiece of this exhibit is Dale Jarrett's winning 1996 Daytona 500 car, just as it crossed the finish line in the "World's Greatest Race." The car - aLong with every speck of dirt and road grime it gathered from the course - will be on display until the 1997 race, when the next winner will take its place. You Broadcast the Race - Fans have the opportunity here to try their hand at the microphone, as they choose a famous race finish at Daytona International Speedway to "call" just like the professional race announcers. Guests may carry away a video tape of their effort. Western Auto Parts America Speedway Tour - After touring Daytona USA, visi' tors will have the opportunity to see where all the real racing action occurs. This gujded Speedway Tour offers visitors an up-close look at the massive facility that is known around the gLobe as the "World Center of Racing."

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