Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Su erbike sill season Budreau and Stephen Budreau, a brother, Jack Hill, and a sister, Connie Bunting. ome very strange things are happening during this ever-shortening winter season for the World Superbike contenders. While some top teams have already resumed their winter testing schedule, several factory seats are still available for next year. To make things even more mysterious, several switches still await official confirmation. World Championship runner-up Aaron Slight is one of the few exceptions, having already signed a contract with Honda several weeks ago. Team Castrol Honda is still searching for a replacement for Carl Fogarty, however, and the men who are being talked to by team manager Neil Tuxworth are Mike Hale and John Kocinski. Hale, though, is also in deep discussion with Suzuki's World Superbike team and many report that the ink has already dried on that deal. The latest word is that Kocinski is close to signing with Castrol Honda, although others insist that he'll return to the 500cc GPs on a V-twin Honda tuned by Erv Kanemoto. In the Yamaha camp, Georgian Scott Russell turned his first laps on the YZF750 at Misano in Italy and he will join fellow American Colin Edwards II on the official team. In far-from-ideal weather conditions, Russell finished the first day with a lap time less than two seconds slower than those record,ed by Edwards earlier tl:is season (see box). Wataru Yoshikawa now seems to be out of the picture, having received an offer from Yamaha to try to Win the Japanese Superbike Championship. The Japanese rider, who finished ninth in this year's World Superbike title cllase, was also one of the candidates for running a semiofficial Yamaha in the German Superbike series. The official Yamaha World Superbike team starts winter testing in earnest at the end of January. From Suzuki, there were no official statements either. The deal with Jamie Whitham seems to be final and Hale's signing seems imminent, though nothing has· been confirmed. Ducati, on the other hand, seems to have thi.ngs quite settled with Virginio Ferrari runJ.1ing the "home" factory team again with Neil Hodgson and the returning Carl Fogarty; while the Gattolone team will go at it ag<\in with Pier-Francesco Chili. Hodgson has already tried some new parts at Vallelunga two weeks ago, prior to having his wrist operated on in Italy. Brits Terry Rymer and John Reynolds, meanwhile, are set to run the British Championship. The latter will run a Ducati for the Reve team (next to Steve Hislop), whereas Rymer will return to Kawasaki. Kirk McCarthy has applied for a 500cc Grand Prix license from IRTA. According to the latest reports, Alfred Inzinger is having problems getting financed for his two-man team in the Grands Prix and it now appears as though he will only fi,eld Troy Corser on a YZR500. Luca Cadalora, originally tipped to be included with Corser on' the Promotor team, now appears headed to Wayne Rainey's Marlborobacked effort. In the new Supersport World Cup, Swiss Yves Briguet will enter a factory Suzuki, while Jeffry de Vries can count on substantial help from Yamaha Europe. De Vries has now joined forces with Grand Prix'rider Wileo Zeelenberg, who had hoped to enter the 500cc Grands Prix in 1997 on a Harris Yamaha before being turned down. It·is possible that the former 250cc GP rider will also go to the Supersport World Cup. European champion Fabrizio Pirovano, meanwhile, will continue in the Supersport category with the same team that enabled him to take the title in 1996, the Belgian-based Alstare team. Johan Vandekerckhove According to Dunlop, the 16.5-inch snperbike tires they will introduce for 1997 will be available only as rears and the company has no plans to introduce 16.5-inch fronts for '97. Dunlop will continue to offer a full three-compound range of 17-inch superbike rears in anticipation that both factory and privateer riders will continue to use the 17s when they better suit a particular circuit. The 17-inch tires will also be available throughout the year so that those riders who carr't obtain the 16.5-inch wheels will still have the three compounds to chose from. Dunlop stresses that the 16.5-inch tires will not be a "factory only" option and that supplies will . be sufficient enough to fuJlfill orders from both factory and privateer riders. "Even though we will use the 16.5-inch tires as a viable part of our 1997 road race range, we have no plans to abandon the 17~inch size either before or after Daytona," said Jim Allen, Dunlop's road race manager. S Oatfield in Turlock, California, with round five scheduled for December 1 at the same venue. For more information, call 209/541-0860. .According to a press release issued by the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club, Chuck Graves has earned $6,790 after 11 of 12 rounds of the WSMC road race series at Willow Springs Raceway in . Rosamond, California. The next-highest purse earner is Curtis Adams with $5,125 in earnings. The series f.inale at Willow is scheduled for December 1415.. James "Jimmy" Hill, 87, a superintendent and designer of several Indian motorcycles manufactured at the Indian Motorcycle Co. until its closing in 1953, died November 10 in Wilbraham, illinois. Hill raced Indians in the 1930s and early 1940s. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Sandra S. Hill- Former World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty recently rode alongside four-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkun~ in practice for the upcoming Network Q RAC Rally in England. "I was very impressed," Fogarty said. "The car felt more stable than I thought it would and the braking power on the shale surface was superb." Fogarty drove in Kankkunen's factory Castro] Toyota. American Motorcyclist magazine, the official journal of the AMA, is seeking an experienced publishing professional for the position of senior editor. Candida tes should be experienced in copy editing, news and feature writing, and be knowledgeble in all aspects of motorcycle sports. Desktop publishing and photographic skills are desirable. Resumes can be sent to Vice President of Communications, AMA, 33 Collegeview Road, Westerville, OH 43081-1484. In order to acltieve a more concentra ted focus on established programs and allow for future growth and expansion, the AMA has announced that it will realign its membership division by establishing separa te marketing and member activities departments. The AMA has named longtime staff members Mark Mederski and Bill Amick as vice presidents of the new departments. According to reports from Europe, discussions between Kenny Roberts, Marlboro and Aprilia about the future collaboration of the Aprilia in Roberts' three-cylinder 500cc Grand Prix bike project broke off when Aprilia engine wizard Jan Witteveen, who was to be in charge of the R&D of the motor, said he wanted to spend the 1997 season testing. Apparently, Roberts is hellbent on racing the bike in the 1997 World Championship Road Race Series. Now it appears that, while the bikes will'still be buil~ and developed in collaboration with Tom Walkinshaw's TWR Group in England, Hart Engineering boss Brian Hart is working with TWR and Roberts' team of engineers to produce th~ V-three, crankcase reed-valve two-stroke engine. The engine has already ru n on the Hart dyno (with two cylinders pointing up and one down, according to reliable sources) and it's understood tha t the prototype chassis for the new bike has already been finalized. Additionally, longtime Roberts man John Mockett, who among his other work as an independent design consultant, was responsible for the overall styling of the current range of Triumph street bikes, is working on a full-scale bodywork design. OPENED: American Boss Hoss Cycles in Orlando, Florida. American Boss Hoss is the newest member of the Boss Hoss dealerships and will specialize in customizing the American-made motorcycle. For more information, call 407/522-0343. RESIGNED: Michael Lock, CEO of Triumph Motorcycles America, effective December 1. Lock will return to his native England after helping create a 150 strong Triumph dealer network. Lock's . final duties will be to host the 1997 Triumph dealer meetings, culminating in Reno: Nevada, November 25-26. p OPENED: Britten Motorcycle Company's home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.britten .00.02/ BORN: Layne Charles Fleck, to Dunlop Tire Corporation's motorcycle tire off-road manager Brian Fleck and his wife Robin in Buffalo, New York, October 14. OPENED: J&P Cydes' home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http:'! /www.J-PCYCLES.com CORRECTION: Young racer Nioolas Evennou (7n), was mi -identified as Nathan Davenport in the Branson USA Motocross Championships story "Voss defends title" (Issue 42, October 23). BORN: Cale Christopher Carr, to Team HarleyDavidson road racer Chris Carr and his wife Pamela eN in Stockton, California, November 7. r------------------~--------------------------------------------, : ~ ~ SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM I : I I .I I 1 I I I I I I I I I. 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