Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

A· VIEW FROM:THEByFENCE . Eric Johnson n 1995, independent marketing consultant Frank Gerace introduced Skoal tobacco to the sport of AMA motocross. By working in unison with the major National MX promoters, the well-intentioned Gerace and Skoal bashed out· a unique progra,m that brought sponsorship money to the people who needed it most - the privateers. Touted as the Skoal Racing'Top Privateer Challenge, the program awarded a $500 award to the top 125cc and 250cc privateer at each of the 12 stops on the AMA National Motocross Championship circuit. In addition, the point fund also awarded a $5000 bonus to the competitOI who finished the season in the top position in AMA 125 and 250cc National Championship point standings, respectively. While this may not seem to be a lot of money by "big-time" factory rider standards, you can rest assured that the 500 yards of Skoal "green" can go a hell of a long way for cash-strapped privateer riders. The benevolent Skoal Racing Top Privateer Challenge was enthusiastically received with open arms by the pro MX world and has successfully continued on into the current 1996 campaign. While the Skoal program has been met with nothing but positive reception, in recent months there has been a bit of concern that the term "privateer" is harder to define than what was first thought. Normally interpreted as the journeyman. racer who pays all expenses out of his own pocket, s.\eeps in box vans or on the floors of friends across the country, and faces the eternal struggle of financing a "closer to the stars" racing effort, the term has lately developed into something more nebulous. It has recently become apparent that the lines of'being categorized as a true "privateer" have become somewhat blurred. When the Skoal program was initiated it was determined that a privateer would be categorized as a racer who received absolutely no help or assistance from the big-four Japanese factories. This included Team Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and the two key factory-assisted; private teams of H.onda of Troy and Team SplitFire/Kawasaki. All'other racers were cast into the role of privateer. Enter James Dobb. Hailing from Nottingham, England, and hot off the FIM I World Championship circuit, Dobb arrived in the United States. in the early '90s to make his mark on the U.S. MX scene. After initially riding for Mitch Payton's SplitFire team, with whom he won a 125cc Nationa.\ at Unadilla, Dobb moved on to the Honda of Troy team. After a few years of somewhat tepid resu.\ts, no doubt influenced by a number of nagging injuries, Dobb was released from the team to ultimately hit the road on his own. However, fate stepped in at the last moment when Dobb was offered Craig Decker's factory Suzuki when the young pilot was injured in a practice mishap at the '95 Las Vegas Supercross. Dobb filled in admirably, taking the bike to several strong finishes in early season supercross events. But it was just a temporary gig as he was politely ushered out the door immediately following the Gainesville, Florida, National. Now empty-handed, James Dobb has nowhere to go but down to a local Suzuki dealer to purchase his own bikes and equipment. He was his own man. He was now a "privateer" in the truest, classic sense of the word. Thus far in the 1996 National Championship Ser.jes, Dobb has been on the gas, scoring the top privateer honors at the Glen Helen, Red Bud (where he went out and won the first moto), and Troy Nationals. As of the Millville National, Dobb lies an irn pressi ve eighth in the 125cc series point standings, just a mere eight points behind fellow privateer comrade Buddy Antunez. However, unlike Antunez, Dobb has received absolutely no money or media attention from the Skoal privateer program. Why? Good question. Read on as Dobb tries to explain. "During the '96 supercross series, I rode practice sessions that were designated for the factory teams. At that time I was riding Craig Decker's factory bike for Team Suzuki. I never thought anything of it. Skoal had nothing to do with the supercross series, so I assumed that those sessions would have nothing to do with the AMA National outdoor series." It turned out that Dobb was mistaken. "When the '96 outdoor series started ,1 rode the first round at Gainesville for Team Suzuki. 1 was then releaSed from the team and sent back to full privateer ~tatus. 1was on my own." When the series moved on to Hangtown and Glen Helen, Dobb's results began to improve and he was scored as the top privateer at the Glen Helen National, carding 5-13 moto scores for eighth overall. With his strong overall result, Dobb expected to receive the Skoal award for top privateer. But it wasn't to be. It seems that due to his early season supercross rides as a replacement member of Team Suzuki, Dobb was still being considered a factory rider. But those days Viere long, long gone. He was all alone and paying his own way now. Figuring that he could get the matter straightened out, Dobb went to AMA/MX manager Duke Finch to clear the matter up. But that wasn't to be either. "I went to see him and we had a few conversations, but he still considered me a factory rider," claimed Dobb. "He said that I had ridden in factory supercross practice sessidns earlier in the year and that automatically made me a factory rider. It wasn't fair." Unbeknownst to Dobb, while he was paying all of his own expenses and collecting whatever sponsors he could along the way to help make ends meet, Finch still considered him a part of the Suzuki factory stable. "1 pay for ever'ything," quipped Dobb. "My bike is becoming very worn out. 1 am riding the same bike that 1 started the season on. It's becoming dilapidated. I have no money for parts and have been sleeping in my box van. at times. While I do receive some money from Quicksilver (a Californiabased surfwear company) and my other sponsors, that money goes to pay my mechanic and transportation costs. How can he say that I am not a privateer?" While fellow privateer riders Antunez, Scott Sheak, Suzuki support rider (and ironically a fellow Quicksilver teammate of Dobb's) and Brian Deegan of Team Chaparral have all gone on to win the Skoal award on more than one occasion, Dobb has been left with nothing. Plus, Antunez and Deegan ride for privateer teams that are wellfinanced, supply their racers with reworked motorcycles on a week-toweek basis and hand out airline tickets to each and every race. As a converse to that existence, Dobb shows up at the track in his truck, sleeps in his truck and desperately attempts to make his motorcycle live from one race to the next. • "I can't go back on my word," says Finch. "I would love to give the Skoal money to James Dobb, but I can't. I couldn't face the other privateers by going back on my word. The factory practice in supercross is a black and white issue. We made the call then. 1 told the guys that if you ride a supercross practice and receive the benefit of those sessions, you have to be considered a factory rider from then on. Guys like Deega,n didn't get to ride those practice sessions, but Dobb did. The sessions were one of the perks of being a factory rider." The privateers were told that if they participated in the factory supercross practice sessions, they would be exempt from the S,koal privateer program. Dobb, at the time riding a factory Suzuki for Roger DeCoster, rode in those session. In order to get another read on the matter, we contacted the father of the Skoal program himself, Frank Gerace. "Duke Finch gives me the specifics on what a privateer is," said Gerace. "It is not an AMA program, but Duke goes along and keeps an eye on the riders for us. That is that way I do this. I'll go along with whatever the ruling is on this, but 1 think that Duke wilJ say 'If you're going to go out and ride the factory supercross practice, then we will hav!! to consider you a factory rider.' If Duke and the riders think the situation should be changed, I'll change. "It's a very positive program in which everybody wins," added Gerace. "The money has been spread out pretty well in the 125cc class." Indeed it has. Antunez, Sheak and Deegan have been able to cash checks that have done wonders for their racing efforts. However, the program was created to aid and reward the best and most deserving privateer - and this' is a very noble manifesto. However, something is slightly amiss when the best, and arguably most needy privateer is being left out in the cold (N James Dobb. LOOKiNG .BACK~ .. 25 YEARS AGO... AUGUST 31, 1971 BSA denied reports that it was having financial problems in America in a letter from the president of the company, Dennis McCormack, that was published in Cycle News...Bendza11 Gold Label was banned from competition in North- ....'i.;.'. ern California's District 36 because it changes the specific octane of pump gasoline...BSA's Dick Mann won the 1OO-mile AMA National at Pocono International Raceway in Pennsylvania. Yamaha's Kel Carruthers finished sec- edging out Yamaha support rider Ricky ond and Yvon DuHamel took Johnson in second and Yamaha's Scott third ...Joel Roberts won his 42nd World Motocross GP by winning the Swedish Burnsworth in third. Johnson won his 250cc GP. first-ever National moto with a win in ;7;~r"~r-"",J_moto two.. .5uzuki's Marco Luccinelli increased his 500cc World Champi15 YEARS AGO... onship points lead, winning the AUGUST 26, 1981 Finnish GP over Randy Mammola. Freddie Kork Bellington finished third on a Spencer collectKawasaki in a close battle for second. ed his second Formula One 5YEARS AGO... National of the year by winAUGUST 28,1991 Louisiana's Trampas' Parker ning at Pocona Interwrapp!!d up his first 250cc MX World national RaceChampionship at the Japanese MX GP. California's Mike Healy made it an way. Dale Singleton American 1-2 by finishing second in the point standings, just three points got second back... Ducati's Doug Polen took the and wrapped up the pole ana won both races at the Swedish U.S. Road Racing Championship and World Superbike tound, stretching his Nick Richichi finished third, just misschampionship points lead over Kawasaing out on the title himself...Johnny O'Mara won his first 125cc AMA ki's Rob Phillis by 56 points...Team Green's Robbie Reynard won the 80cc National held at Carlsbad Raceway, 1 (12-13) Stock and the 80cc Modified classes at Ponca City MX Grand National. Ezra Lusk won all eight motos in the 125cc and 250cc Stock and Modified Pro classes, a feat never accomplished there before. t'N ..... trJ ;:::l ~ 63

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