Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127821
IN THE WIND Team Kawasaki's Jeff Emig (Kaw) won the Chaparral AMA Amateur Championship Week Pro Shootout held at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, -California, Sunday, December 29. The shootout took the top 10 riders from the earlier 125cc and 250cc Pro races and put them in a head-to-head race, with the 125s getting roughly a SO-second head start. David Pingree (Kaw) and Craig Decker (Kaw) finished second and third, respectively. Emig won the 250cc Pro race, with teammate Ryan Hughes (Kaw) finishing second and Mike Brown (Yam) taking third. Casey Johnson (Kaw) won the 125cc Pro race, followed by Decker and French import David Vuillemin (Yam). Ron Tichenor (Suz) and Ricky Carmichael (Kaw) were the big Proclass winners in the first round of the Florida Winter AMA Motocross Series, held December 28-29 in Gainesville·, Florida. Tichenor topped Barry Carsten (Suz) and Anthony Pocorobba (Suz) in winning the 250cc Pro class while Carmichael beat Tichenor and Brock Sellards (Kaw) to capture the 125cc Pro class. Japanese road racer Tadayuki Okada became the first man ever to lap the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka City, Japan, in under 2:08 when he lapped at 2:07.88 on a Honda NSR500, December 12. Okada was nearly a full second quicker than Spaniard Alex Criville during the private Honda test with Criville turning in a 2:08.75. The fastest of the Honda superbike riders was Japan's Yuichi Takeda with a lap of 2:10.07, just a fraction quicker than John Kocinski. Kocinski, who was having his first ride on a Honda RC45, lapped at 2:10.08. Shinichi Hoh, who will ride a Honda RC45 in the All-Japan Championship in 1997, lapped at 2:10.35. And the mystery racer is ... Former AMA Superbike National Champion Thomas Stevens will be the numberone rider for the all-new Vance & Hines Ducati team in the 1997 AMA Superbike National Championship. "We have a verbal agreement and I'm really excited about it," Stevens said prior to Christmas. 'Tm looking forward to having the opportunity of working with Vance & Hines again. We had great success in the past and I'm sure we'll do it again. Jim (Leonard, V&H's crew chief and Stevens' mechanic during his 1991 championship season) pushed really hard to get me the ride and we're going to meet with success." The Vance & Hines Ducati team may end up missing the first two races of the series in Phoenix and Daytona. Motocrosser Keith Bowen has signed a contract that will see him ride factory KTMs in the 1997 500cc World Championship MX Series, according to his team, Silent Sport Racing. Bowen takes over the ride vacated by 1996 World Champion Shayne King. According to Silent Sport, Bowen will compete in the Grand Prix series and later in the year will race in the AMA Four-Stroke Nationals;as well as some German indoor events. The team is based in Germany. 2 KTM also signed on former 125cc National MX Champion Guy Cooper, who was recently dropped by Suzuki. Cooper and KTM have yet to finalize a firm schedule for 1997, but Cooper will compete in selected events. "We basi- cally hired him on a promotional basis, but he'll do selected fun events as well," said KTM's Scot Harden. "Guy is a true (motorcycle) enthusiast and that is what KTM is all about." Representatives from PACE Motor Sports and KTM America have announced the creation of the KTM Junior Supercross Challenge, races which will be held at all 14 AMA Supercross events in 1997. Twelve riders will be selected in ad vance from each host city and the youngsters will compete on identically prepared 1997 KTM 50cc KTM SXR Pro Junior minibikes. Riders interested in participating can pick up applications at their local KTM dealer. The AMA Supercross Series begins on January 11 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. BMW of North America and AHRMA are offering 200 motorcyclists the opportunity to take three laps around the high banks of Daytona International Speedway with the BMW Legends during Motorcycle Week on March 3. A special "Ladies Only" PaceRide will be available as well as a general PaceRide which will be open to both men and women. All PaceRides will be open to owners of all brands of motorcycles. The Legends, meanwhile, will serve as motorcycle marshals. Those interested in participating can obtain rules and registration information from their local BMW motorcycle dealer. A $75 entry fee will include track and hot-pit passes for Monday's and Tuesday's AHRMA races at the speedway. More details have been released regarding Freddie Spencer's High Performance Riding School, scheduled to begin this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Students at the school will ride Honda CBR600 F-3s and all classes will be limited to 10 participants. Classes will be held in one- and two-day sessions and Spencer has designed four levels of his school, catering to riders just beginning their street riding careers, or those looking to further their racing skills. Students will be fitted with Nankai riding gear and Arai helmets. For more information on the school, call 702/6431099 or write to Spencer at P.O. Box 36208, Las Vegas, NY 89133. Although there is still a date to be announced on the Malaysian round and an open date for September 7, the 1997 World Superbike Championship schedule has been firmed up. The 14round series will begin in Australia (Phillip Island) on March 23 before heading to Italy (Misano) on April 20; England (Donington Park) on May 4; Germany (Hockenheim) on June 8; Italy (Monza) on June 22 or 29; United States (Laguna Seca) on July 13; England (Brands Hatch) on August 3; Austria (A-1 Ring) on August 17; Holland (Assen) on August 31; an open date on September 7; Spain (Albacete) on September 21; Japan (Sugo) on October 5; Indonesia (Sentul) on October 12 and Malaysia (Shah Alam) on a yet-to-bedetermined date. American Suzuki has announced that it will post $1,116,625 in Suzuki National Cup Road Racing Contingency in 1997. The program will pay racers who compete on GSXR600, 750 and 1100s in National and regional endurance and sprint events during the '97 racing season. The contingency program reflects McGrath set to form ow racin team D ne of the most extraordinary, burning rumors in recent memory has left the motocross rumor mill in ashes. The flame? Four-time AMA Supercross Champion Jeremy "Showtime" McGrath (right) is expected to leave Team Honda in order to form a new racing program called Nac Nac Enterprises with backing from American Suzuki, Suzuki of Troy, 1-800Collect and a clothing company to be named later. No one on either side of the story - American Honda, McGrath or said sponsors - would officially confirm or deny the story, though the co~us is that as of midnight on December 31, 1996, McGrath's four-year relationship with Honda will be over. "There are a lot of things going on right now, things that I can't really discuss, but I think everything will be worked out in a matter of days," McGrath said just before Christmas. "I've been doing a lot of testing and talking with a lot of different people and I'm going to do what's right for me. I'm not sure whether that means staying with Honda or doing something else entirely." The reasons for the anticipated McGrath/ Honda split are said to be numerous. Matters of contract restrictions, outside sponsorship, video rights and the equipment itself have all been Plentioned, though McGrath says that it all comes down to personal satisfaction. '1 just want to enjoy myself and the sport like I always have," the all-time winningest rider in AMA Supercross history said. "I want to maintain my focus and desire and work with people who will allow me to be my same old self. That's what got me to the top in the first place and that's what's going to keep me there." "We don't know what's going on, so there really is no statement to make," said ' Team Honda motocross manager Wess McCoy Monday, December 30. "It's all rumors and speculation at this point. The only people who know where things stand right now are Jack McGrath, Jeremy McGrath and Dave Stephenson (McGrath's manager). I haven't spoken to any of those three or anyone else from Showtime Racing or Nac ac (En terprises) since the week of (December) 16th." When asked who might be on the short list to replace McGrath, McCoy said: "There is no short list as far as we know. We don't have a plan to counter because we don't really know what's going on. And besides, I don't want to get into anyone else's business - riders or teams - because that's just not the way I want to do business. Besides, those decisions all get made upstairs." . So upstairs we went. Ray Blank, vice president of operations at American Honda, said: "We came to a .financial agreement (with McGrath) back in August and everything was set, but negotiations continued back and. forth 'on particulars. He (McGrath) wanted to maintain his own rights on himself and has put together his own deal. As of now (December 30) it appears that contract discussions have ceased on Jeremy's side. He (McGrath) has put together a deal for hiinself for 1997 and Honda isn't a part of it. The signing of a contract is just a formality now. "This is a surprise to us," Blank added. "We've had a great relationship." How does 1-8OO-Collect figure into all of this? Apparently the company was more interested in working with McGrath as an individual than as a member of Team Honda, a package deal that would include teammates Steve Lamson and Scott Sheak. And Suzuki of Troy? The Dayton, Ohio-based business, which is better known for its Honda of Troy racing team, will be a major sponsor of the team. American Suzuki? There is said to be a factory bike and a spot in the truck for McGrath, though he will not be an official member of the team. And Suzuki ~ll running 1-8OO-<:011ect on its team truck because Greg Albertyn also figures in 1Collect's plans for the coming season. As for the apparel company yet-to-be-named Thor seems the most likely candidate, but AXO, Fox and Answer have all been linke to McGrath's new team. Honda/Suzuki of Troy team owner Phil Alderton said: "This (McGrath having his own team) is going to happen. The papers won't be signed until the end of the year and the drawings are being finalized. His (McGrath) bike will be supplied by Suzuki, but will have our logos on it (and 1-800-Collect's). He'll run out of the Team Suzuki trailer and his mechanic will be Wyatt Seals (who tuned for Kawasaki's Ryan Hughe last year). His team manager will be Roger DeCoster and his parents, Jack and Ann, will run the business end of the (NNE) team. "What's ,my reasoning for doing this? Purely business," Alderton said. "A lot of people don't know that Honda of Troy also sells Suzuki (and Yamaha) motorcycles, and we want to increase overall business. What better way to do thilt than to have the number-one rider?" a 36-percent increase, due mostly to the introduction of the new GSXR600. In a press release dated December 20, 1996, Cycle Motion (EBSCO Media) team owner Landers Sevier announced that he will not renew his contract with American Suzuki for 1997 and instead will turn the team over to crew chief Carry Andrew. The team will no operate from Andrews Van Nuys, California, shop - Hyper Cycle - but will still field Jason Pridmore and Mar Miller in both the AMA 600 and 750cc