Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

• I ·IN THE·WIND I Zitterkopf clinches Hare &Hound title K awasaki Team Green's Greg Zitterkopf clinched his first AMA National Championship Hare & Hound title after scoring the overall win at the Reno ational in Nevada, October 6. Going into the Reno event, the sixth round of the series, Zitterkopfs main concern was fellow Team Green rider Ty Davis, who was in a must-win situation. With two rounds left in the series (including Reno), Davis, who already had won three rounds thus far, had to win both events to take the championship, but a crash at Reno that forced him out of the race left the door wide open for Zitterkopf. Zitterkopfwent on to win the race, finishing in front of teammate Paul Krause. Finishing third at Reno was KTM rider Destry Abbott, followed by local favorite Brian Brown, on a Kawasaki, and Pat Garrahan, aJso Kawasaki-mounted. The win was Zitterkopfs third of the series. The final round of the National Hare & Hound Series takes place October 27 in Lucerne Valley, California. Scott Plessinger (KTM) beat out Rodney Smith (Suz) for the overall win at the AMA National Hare Scrambles round in Lynville, Indiana, October 6. Third place. went to Steve Hatch (Suz), followed by Jason Dahners (KTM) and Mike Sampson (Kaw). Smith, however, still holds th.e series points lead with 146 to Dahners' 101. Hatch is third with 96 and Plessinger is fourth with 81. Only one round remains in the series, which will be held October 20 in Park Hills, Missouri, Belgian Stefan Everts (Han) won both nights of racing at the opening rounds of the Masters of Motocross Series in France, October 5-6. Saturday, Everts finished ahead of Frenchman Yves Demaria (Yarn) and German Pit Beirer. On Sunday, it was again Everts scoring the win ahead of Frenchman Sebastien Tortelli (Kaw) and another French rider Frederic Bolley (Kaw). A couple of Americans competed: Brian Swink (Han) finished 10th on Saturday, and David Pingree (Kaw) took 11th on Sunday. Everts leads the series with 60 points, followed by Beirer with 45 and Belgian Marnicq Bervoets (Suz) with 37. Jeff Emig (Kaw), the 1996 AMA 250cc National MX Champion, and Damon Huffman (Kaw) were the big winners at the 20th Annual Kawasaki Race of Champions at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, October 6. Emig scored the 250cc PIa class win over Barry Carsten (Suz), Keith Bowen (KTM), Brock Sellards (Kaw) and Todd DeHoop (Suz). Huffman, meanwhile, topped the 125cc Pro class over Ricky Carmichael (Kaw), Carsten, Eric Riley (Suz) and Tony Larusso (Han). The AMA Eastern National Four-Stroke Motocross Series was held in conjunction with the Kawasaki Race of Champions event at Raceway Park, and it was Mike Young (Hbg) scoring the win. Keith Bowen (KTM) was the runner-up. Finishing third was Joel Dengler (Hbg), followed by Gene Naumec (Hbg) and Jeremy Shoning (Hbg). In Galena, Missouri, October 5-6, Heath Voss (Han) and Bruce Gates (Han) were the Pro class winners at th,e NMA Branson USA Amateur National Motocross. Voss scored the 125cc Pro class win ahead of Pat Ready (Kaw) and Brandon Bartz (Yam). Bruce Gates (Han) topped the 250cc Pro class, with Ron Turner (Yam) and Bartz rounding out the top three. The top Intermediate rider was Travis Riley (Kaw), and the number-one Minicycle rider was Justin Buckelew (Yam). Scott Summers, who recently clinched his fourth Grand National Cross Country number-one plate, signed a new, twoyear contract with American Honda. Summers will compete during the 1997 Bike Week West cranks u T he Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar ne<\I San Diego, California, will host the fiveday Bike Week West extravaganza, which includes vintage and modern road racing, vintage and modem dirt track racing and a motorcycle show and swap meet. The week, which runs from October 10-14, is one of the largest motorcycle gatherings on the West Coast. The festivities kick off on Thursday with the inaugural running of the Ed Kretz Classic vintage TT, round nine of the AHRMA Regional Dirt Track Series. The race will feature eight vintage classes including a hand-shift class. During the day, a vintage road racing schaal will be taught by AHRMA competitors Dave Roper and Don Vesco. For more information call 818/992-5343. Road racing takes center stage on Friday with the running of the Team Obsolete vintage road racing, which includes the Cycle World 500cc Premier event and modern classes such as Supermono, Super Twins and the Southern California Harley Dealers 883 race. For more information call 800/711-3872. There also will be an AMA Heritage Foundation banquet and celebrity roast (800/711-3872) as well as an AHRMA-sanctioned dirt track event in the evening (619/425-2836). The 25th annual Concours D'Elegance Del Mar Motorcycle Show will be held on the '-0 infield of the mile track on Saturday. One of the headline events of the weekend, the 0\ show presents a tremendous number of motorcycle racing's legendary names, all of ~ whom are interviewed on the main stage and then are available for autographs throughout the day. The vintage swap meet runs concurrent with the motorcycle show on Saturday. For more information call 619/462-1690. The Vintage Dirt Track Racing Association's Skip Van Leeuwen Short Track and Harley Night will take place in the horse arena adjacent to the main grandstand on Saturday evening. For more information call 310/547-9898. The AMA Grand National Championship Series finale Del Mar Mile takes place on Sunday with the series champion still to be decided at the event. For more information call 310/547-9898. The dirt track action continues on Monday as the VDTRA closes out the week with the inaugural running of the VDTRA Grand National Finals vintage mile. For more information call 918/836-6999. and '98 race seasons aboard Honda's XRs. Summers' tentative U.S. race schedule will include the GNCC Series, the National Reliability Enduro Championshi p Series, the International Six Day End uro, and other international events. Summers will be leaving on October 28 for a two-week tour of Japan to race in three off-road events, then will travel to Peru. According to Fred Bramblett of Summers Racing, these are invitationonly events, designed for 25 athletes from around the globe to be filmed for a one-hour TV special to air on ESPN-2, thing is to show them how you can reach those goals. No matter what talent level you have, you can improve to be a better rider." Spencer said the school, which will take place over two days, was still in the formative stage and that he was still lining up sponsor and equipment commitments. He expects to announce more detailed plans shortly. For 1997 he said he would continue doing the color'commentary of the AMA races on Speed vision which he began at the Brainerd race this year. He also will produce a six-part series on racing that will be both broadcast and available on videotape. Bike Week, the weekly motorcycling show hosted by Larry Maiers, also will feature a weekly segment from Spencer highlighting racing technique. James Dobb took advantage of the offseason to visit his homeland in England and compete in a round of the Brilis!} Open MX Championship in Culham, England. Dobb rode a Suzuki RM250 to 4-3 placings; Rob Herring (Han) won both matos, while 250cc World Champion Stefan Everts (Han) went 3-2, AMA Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath has been nominated for the 1996 AMAISpeedvision Pro Athlete of the Year Award, the highest award given to U.S. racing athletes (or foreign riders racing in AMA Pro events) by the AMA. The award will be presented at the AMA awards banquet in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 16. McGrath's nomination marks the fourth consecutive year that he has been named as a candidate for the award. Jason Thomas (Kaw) won the Pro class at round three of the World Sports·Gold Cup Series at the Florida Motorsports Complex in Ocala, Florida, October 6. Anthony Pocorobba (Suz) was second with Travis Blackburn (Kaw) rounding out the top three. Pocorobba also won the 125 and 250cc A classes over Jarrett Tipping (Suz). AMA Pro Racing is currently informing its riders that all license requests for the 1997 season must be accompanied by a photo as the licenses will double as photo credentials and will be required to be worn at aU times. Riders also wi]] be signing an annual release, which must be notarized. This means that license applications cannot be accepted at the track, and all license, applications must be received in the AMA office 30 days prior to a rider's first event. Faxed license applications will not be accpeted. For more information contact AMA Pro Racing at 614/8?1-2425. Three-time World Champio;' Freddie Spencer announced his official retirement from road racing at a press conference at Las Vegas Motor Speedway October 5, a conference to also announce that he is .starting a riding school at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in January. "It's (the school) something I've thought about for many years, but until this venue was created there wasn't a place to do it," said Spencer, who recently moved to Las Vegas from Shreveport, Louisiana. The classes will have four levels, Sport Rider 1 through Sport Rider ill, as well as Sport Professional class for sport racers as well as club professionals. "It won't be a school for guys who just want to show up and do a lot of laps. What's important to me is that they Jearn what it takes to show up and do better every time you ride. The main The 1996 CZ World Championships have been scheduled to take place at Carlsbad Raceway in Carlsbad, California, on October 13. The event, which will be run in conjunction with an AHRMA vintage MX series race as well as a Vintage 1I:on Evolution of Motocross Series round, features a runwhat-you-brung open championship race that is open to any CZ-powered motorcycle regardless of modifications. Last year's open event was won by Gary DeForest on a '93 KTM SOD-framed CZ 400. Stock classes will be limited to AHRMA wheel travel rules. For more information call 699/744-8052 or . 805/946~2728. Speaking of AHRMA, the national vintage association already has announced the title sponsors for its 1997 National racing series. Speed & Sport will remain as the title sponsor to the National Vintage Trials Series and will step up to take marquee billing on the National Vintage Motocross Series as well. Progressive Suspension is now the title sponsor of the AHRMA Historic Cup Series. Classic Bike magazine will remain as the sponsor of the National Dirt Track Series, and BMW will continue its association with aJl Clilssic Cup and Battle of the Legends events. A debate has arisen over the land use in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Ermolenko out of '97 GPs F ormer World Speedway Champion "Sudden" Sam Ermolenko has suddenly found himself out of the 1997 World Championship Individual Ser!es after failing to earn one of the two available qualifying spots from the Grand Prix Challenge meeting at Prague in the Czech Republic, October 6. Former World Long Track Champion Simon Wigg of England won a runoff against Australia's Leigh Adams with both riders taking the only direct Grand Prix seedings that were left after the FIM changed the entire qualifying, procedure as a result of the mass disqualifcation in the Overseas Final held earHer in the year. It was a bitter disappointment for 1993 World Champion Ermolenko, who fought back into contention after a poor start in the early going, but in the end the best he could hope for was to do well in the four-rider runoff for third place, which at least offered two reserve spots for the Grands Prix. Ermolenko appeared set to claim a reserve spot in the runoff, but England's Andy Smith slipped by him to join runoff winner Mikael Karlsson of Sweden as a reserve for the '97 series. Ermolenko and British Grand Prix winner Jason Crump of Australia must now attempt to requality for the 1998 series via a long road of domestic and international rounds during the next year.

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