Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

I·IN THEwIND·:··1 Lance SmaU (K1M) won both motos at the AMA Western National Four-Stroke Sound of Thunder MX Series at Owyhee MotorC)'cle Park in Boise, Idaho, July 21. The runner-up was Spud Walters (Hon), while third place went to Billy Liles (CCM). Gary Dircks (Hbg) and Gordon Ward (CCM) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Mike Young (KTM) ended up sixth. Young had taken second in the first moto when mechanical problems struck in the second, forcing the series points leader going into the event out of the race. With just two rounds left in the eightrace series, Smail now leads the series points chase with 263 points, followed by Young with 253. Walters is third with 190. Mike Lafferty (KTM) won the ECEA Foggy Breakdown Enduro in Blain, Pennsylvania, July 21. Lafferty edged out Fred Hoess (Suz) for the overall victory, while Mark Spence (Hon) landed third place. Rounding out the top five overall were Jack Lafferty Jr. (KTM) and Richard Lafferty (KTM). At the NETRA Tri-State Enduro in Oxford, Massachusetts, former National Enduro Champion Kevin Hines (CRE) scored the win over Darrel Szlachetka (Kaw) and Mont FairfaX (Suz). Fourth place went to Kemp Stewert (Hus), while fifth went to James Kelly (Hus). Rumors have it that rec~ntly crowned 125cc MX World Champion Sebastien Tortelli (Kaw) will compete in a couple of the remaining rounds of the AMA National Championship 125cc National MX Series. There's talk that Tortelll will compete at Washougal (in Washington), August 18, and - almost definitely - the final race of the year at Steel City (in Pennsylvania), September 1. David Aldana (BMW) used 2-1 finishes to claim the overall victory in the AHRMA/BMW Battle of the Legends during the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on July 19-21. Don Emde (BMW) was second overall after posting 1-5 finishes. Eddie Mulder (BMW) finished third via 4-3 placings. Stephen Mathews (Mat) won the SOOcc Premier and Classic '60s classes during each day of the AHRMA/BMW Classic Cup Series and also scored a win in the Sound of Singles Formula Two event during the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio. Todd Henning logged four wins, three runner-ups and one third-place finish in several AHRMA vintage and Battle of Twins classes aboard a variety of Yamaha and Honda-powered machinery. Pete Johnson (M-G) scored three wins and three seconds in BOT and BEARS events. Steve Tucker (BSA) scored wins in the Classic 250 and 500cc Expert divisions during round 12 of the AHRMA/Vintage Iron National Motocross Series at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on July 19-21. Mike Treadway (Hon) topped the Sportsman ~ 500cc and 40+ classes. Joseph Light won 0\ the Classic 500cc Intermediate and 30+ ~ It1termediate classes. \l5 .N .,g (l) ~ 2 Matt Hines, the son of legendary engine builder Byron Hines, won his first-ever NHRA Pro Stock National, with a victo·ry over David Schultz at the Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals in Denver, Colorado, on July 21. The fast heat turned in by Steve Morehead at the rained-out East Moline Half Mile (see Wind Box) was worth $4210, while Scott Parker pocketed $3125. The heats turned in by Will Davis and Jay Springsteen were worth $1970 and $1420, respectively. Perhaps the only people even a little happy with the way the evening at the East Moline Half Mile turned out were Rich King's Team SaddIeman/R&R Racing's team. "I feel sorry for all those guys," team owner Craig Rogers said. "I know they wanted to ride, but this saved our butt." With no points being allocated, King held on to his third place in the point standings even though he failed to make the main for the first time this year. After last appearing at ~e race track in early June at the LaSalle Short Track, former three-time Grand National Champion Ricky Graham returned to action at the East Moline Half Mile aboard his USC RacingIJohnny and Sarah Goad Honda "I've been through hell the last few weeks, and I know l've got to get my life together," Graham said. "I'm just blessed to have friends like Danny (Malfatti) and Johnny to help me. I'm just really happy and grateful to be able to come back to the race track." Total Control Racing had its new team hauler at the track for the first time during the East Moilne Half Mile. "We just picked it up Friday, and now we have to get it loaded," Team Manager Tom Cummings. "I don't know how it drives. We can't get Kevin (Atherton) out of the driver's seat." AMA Grand National Expert Kris Armentrout will compete aboard ProAm rider Billy Allen's Best HarleyDavidson-backed XR750 at the July 27 running of the Oklahoma City Half Mile. AMA Grand National Expert Gary Rogers was the recipient of the AMA Pro Racing Scholarship at the rainedout Du Quoin Mile on July 20. AMA Pro Racing President Tom Mueller presented Rogers with the $1000 check, which will applied toward expenses at Rogers' college of choice. The 18-year-old San Jose, California, resident and numbertwo man on the R&R/Team SaddIemen Racing Team maintained a 4.0 gradepoint average throughout high school, achieving 54 out of a possible 58 As. Two-time ational Trials Champion Geoff Aaron was injured in a practice crash near his hOIT\e in Redding, Connecticut, on July 11. In the crash, Aaron went over the bars and landed on his face, breaking his nose and cheekbone, fracturing his skull and causing severe fadal lacerations. Two titanium plates were inserted in his face during surgery and nearly 50 stitches were required to mend everything. Despite the injuries, Aaron says he will ride rounds 6 and 7 of the AMA/NATC Championship Trials series in Donner, California, on August 10-11. Officials from the AMA met recently with John Dunlap, chairman of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to discuss emissions reguIations governing off-road motorcycles in California scheduled to take effect next year. Bill Dart, legislative officer for the AMA's District 36, which covers much of California, and Dana Bell, the AMA's West- Quad-Cities Grand National rained out TI e bizarre turn of events that have plagued the 1996 AMA Grand National Championship Series continued at the limestone Quad-Gties Downs half-mile in East Moline, Illinois, on July 20, crushing the high expectations of the enthusiastic fans who filled the stands at the former horse .track. The new venue was billed as the return of the cushion, but efforts to maintain that cushion would eventually doom the race. The procedure of digging up; watering and dragging the limestone oval between each race took longer and longer as the night wore on. Gray skies yielded a light rain, complicating matters, but the program forged on until, after another hour rain delay, a controversial decision was made to stop the racing with only the National left to be run. Everyone from the boisterous fans, to the bitterly disappointed riders, to the frustrated officials were left with the empty feelings for what might of been, and what should have been. . The first heat was called to the line about a half hour late just as the light sprinkle t1!Irned to a heavy shower, delaying the program an additional hour. The heats finally got under way at 9:30 p.m., but it was slow going as it took over an hour and a half to run the heats. The semis were run in a constant sprinkle that turned to a heavy drizzle as the National was called to th.e line at 11:30 p.m. An official rain hold was announced at 11;45 p.m. At 12:15 a.m. the riders were once again called to the line just as the rain picked up slightly. After meeting with the three rider reps (Steve Morehead, Scott Parker and Will Davis) AMA Dirt. Track Manager Bruce Bober announced: "We just can't run under these conditions. Visibility would be almost impossible for the riders back in the pack. I can't send them out and have someone run through the fence in turn three because they couldn't see. We do have an 11:00 p.m. curfew, which we've really stretched so far." The judgment was gree.ted with 'disbelief and anger at the pit gate where t1],e remaining 15 finalists were standing by. 'Tm ready to race - let's go," frarley-Davidson of Sacramento rider Joe Kopp said. "It's no worse now than it was when they ran the semis." Kopp had looked very fast in his heat race. "I can't believe this," Ohio cushion-master Geo Roeder II said: "This is no worse than any cushion we run every week athome.lt's not raining hard now. We should be out there running this thing." Another Ohio rider, TLC Racing's Ian Segedy, agreed with Roeder.. "We've been running crap tracks all year," Segedy said. Now this is the best track we've been on and they won't run it." "All they've talked about is having a cushion, and now we've got a real bitchin' track and they don't want to run it," Canadian National Champion and Deeley HarleyDavidson rider Steve Beattie said. We've been here all this time, why not go?" Several pit railbirds questioned if the rider reps would have been so inclined to cancel if the money were to be split evenly between the 18 National riders. "I want to ride too, but I understand the safety concerns," GNC points leader and AMA rider rep Will Davis said. "If we try this and someone gets hurt, it's just not worth it. There are several wet spots out there, and it would still take time to get ready. As far as the money goes, I'll split the money 18 ways. That's not the· point." At the urging of the riders at the pit gate, Davis voiced their opinions to Bober and the other reps, but it was too late. The night was over.·The National was paid off, with Morehead collecting the biggest chunk of the purse after winning the fastest heat race. "Not once did they ask us for our opinion," a disappointed Beattie said. "They made their decision back there on the back straight and we should have a say in this, too." "Now we come off as the bad guys, but we never should have got to this point," reigning Grand National Champion Scott Parker said. "They worked on the track between every race and even during practice and the qualifying heats. With the threat of bad weather, there was no need to mess with the track like that. It wasn't a matter of safety, they were just trying to make a good track better than perfect. Now they end up with this, it's not safe for the guys running in the back. I think for us on the front row, who would have gotten a good start, it would have been all right, but (for) those guys in the back it's just too wel That limestone dust just turns to concrete when it's wet." Dave Hoenig ern States representative, presented information on the impact of the regu]ations, particularly regarding two-stroke motorcycles, which represent a large segment of the off-road market. The meeting, arranged by Dart, was attended by representatives of off-road enthusiast groups and industry organizations. The participants agreed to work with CARB officials to review existing twostroke emission data and develop standards that would allow for a variety of off-road recreational opportunities while mitigating the environmental impacts associated with the use of offroad motorcycles. "All Californians are, and should be, concerned with the air quality of the state," Bell said. "If we are going to have regulations that satisfy legitimate environmental concerns while also preserving off-road recre- ational opportunities, we have to work with the officials responsible for developing these new standards. I'm encouraged by our first meeting, and I think all involved walked away encouraged by the fact that we can work together to arrive at a positive solution." After almost two months of consideration, U.S. District Judge G. Ross Anderson has ruled that the actions of police in Spartanburg, South Carolina, violated the rights of motorcyclists participating in a charity poker run there in September 1994, according to the AMA. Th class-action suit, supported in part through a grant from the AMA, was brought on behalf 'Of 107 motorcyclists who were subjected to searches at charity ride benefitting the American Red Cross. The suit charged that Spar-

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