Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Dick KJamfoth, Dick Mann, Bart Markel, Jody icholas and George Roeder. At least one factory team is entered so far for the AHRMA road races at Daytona - MuZ. The MuZ Skorpions factory team in the Sound of Singles class will be headed by Cycle Nl!Ws European Editor Alan Cathcart. Cathcart, who finished second in the 1996 European Supermono Championship, will be joined on the team's 680cc singles by German woman racer Elli Bindrum. Don Emde Productions has recently completed a book titled "Legends: The BMW Battle of the Legends 1992-1996." The 128-page, full-color hardbound book covers the Battle of the Legends series from the start to the present and will be on sale during Bike Week at Daytona International Speedway. Post-Daytona sales will be handled through Emde's company as well as through BMW dealers and other retail outlets. The book will carry a retail price of $24.95. In response to a pilot program last year, Penguin Racing School is offering a full motorcycle and equipment rental at all its 1997 schools. The school will use a fleet of Kawasaki EXSOOs, which will be available for the school and the entire weekend of racing. Equipment-wise, Penguin offers students Vanson leathers, Bell helmets, Gearne boots and Hatch gloves for rent. For more information or a school schedule, call 508/339-4673. And the winner is ... Bud Nolting of Olathe, Kansas, has won the 1997 Cycle News Daytona Sweepstakes. Nolting will receive the TravelCraft Bike Week package including air travel, a hotel/rental car package for two, a one-year subscription to Cycle Nl!Ws and two VIP tickets to all the big events during Bike Week. Second place went to David Edwards, who will receive two Arai Regent helmets and a one-year subscription; Kevin Hazel finished third and will get an Aerostitch Darien jacket and pants or Roadcrafter suit and a one-year subscription. Longtime speedway engine builder Dave Brant of Brant Engineering has purchased Southern California speedway motorcycle and parts distributor Cirello Racing. Brant Engineering will now be the importer of We51ake, Godden and GM speedway motorcycles and parts while continuing to offer complete repair service for aU brands. 'Tm hoping to get into the position to make it (speedway racing) grow," Brant said. "Over the past few years it has kind of died out. I think Tom (Cirello) got to the point where he lost a little interest, and [ lost some interest too and got into building treet rods. But I believe that it still has potential. It's just going to take a lot of work. I want to make this a one-stop shop for speedway. I'm trying to make it so that I can eat 12 months a year." Brant Engineering will keep the same address and phone number: 755 W. 17th, Unit A, Costa Me a, CA 92627,714/646-0560. According to a report in' the Bergen Record, a Hackensack, New Jersey, newspaper, road racer Kurt Liebmann, 54, of Brookview Terrace, New Jersey, 'was arrested for improper behavior, a disorderly persons offense and endangering the welfare of children on Wednesday, January 22. According to the newspaper's report, police confiscated a video of nude children from Liebmann, who owns and operates Amol Precision Machine and Motorcycle Shop in Dumont, ew Jersey. Liebmann was caught on Sunday, January 19 surreptitiously filming women as they tried on dresses at a store. After confiscating and reviewing the tape used at the store, police charged Liebmann with the aforementioned crimes. The video seized from Liebmann showed "minor children, boys and girls, just nude kid ," said Wayne, ew Jersey, detective captain Donald Stoughamer. He said the children appeared to be in a locker room setting, and that police did not know who the children were or where the shots were taken. When contacted at his home by the Bergen Record, a distraught Liebmann characterized the photography of the children as "innocent shots" taken at nude beaches. '1 go to a lot of nude beaches," Liebmann said. According to the report, Liebmann allegedly had an 8mm video camera hidden in a knapsack when he was confronted at th.e department store. When reviewed, the video, in addition to the shots of the children, showed women in "various degrees of non-dress while changing." Liebmann has been released on $5000 bail. A blood drive is being held at Murrieta Motorsports in Murrieta, California, for employee Brent Van Zuyen, 27, who was injured in a head-on collision in front of that dealership on January 16. Van Zuyen is in critical condition at Riverside General Hospital in Riverside, California. The blood drive will start at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 1, at Murrieta Motorsports, 26860 Jefferson, Murrieta, California. For more information, call 909 /698-4123. Attention Southern California circle trackers: Promoter Floyd Cae has picked up the lease on the former Sunrise Valley Raceway in Adelanto, California, and has plans to put on weekly motocross and circle track practice sessions at the facility. In addition to the quarter-mile and MX tracks already in place, Coe said he expects to add both standard and junior-sized speedway tracks. "What we're trying to do is make a place for people who don't have a practice track," Coe said. "it's not real spectator-oriented right now, because everything has been vandalized, but we plan to fix aU that. I've never done anything like this before, but I'm in the grading business, and I do know dirt. I'm looking for help and input, but I plan to take this where it needs to go." Coe said that the first open practice weekend will take place on February 12. For more information, call 619/8686328. Due to some confusion over the date, Racer Productions called Cycle Nl!Ws to clarify that the opening round of the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series is sch.eduled for Marcil 4 at Ocala Motorsports Park in Ocala, Florida. The race will commence at noon. There will be a practice at 3 p.m. on March 3. For more information, caJl304/284-0084. Parkway Motorcycle Rentals will have late-model BMW motorcycles available for daily or weekly rental during Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida, from February 28 to March 15. For more information, call 205/442-8886. FMF has inked a deal th.at will see the high-performance motocross component manufacturer as the t.itle sponsors of the Lake Whitney Spring National Motocross Champion hips, scheduled for March 13-17 at the newly renovated Lake Whitney MX Park in Lake Whitney, Texas. The event will now be called the FMF Spring ational and FMF will have its 18-wheeler on site for service and support. For more information, call 817/694-4271. Lucky Strike Suzuki recently completed its Australian test session with four days of te ting at Phillip Island on January 2024. The test was held in sweltering conditions for the first two days with temperatures well in excess of 100 degrees, while the final two days were run in milder summer conditions. Team riders Anthony Gobert and Daryl Beattie spent most of their time on the new RGv500s and Gobert reportedly clocked times in th.e 1:33s on the final day of the test, competitive times when compared. to Michael Doohan's best test lap of 1:33.9 and Beattie's Suzuki record of 1:34.2 set last year. Beattie was within a second of his new teammate, accord ing to Cycle News contributor Darryl Flack. Answering a recent claim by Carl Fogarty that he couldn't go a day without crashing a 500, the 21-year-old Gobert did the equivalent of eight GPs over the seven days of Australian tests - without a single crash. The Suzuki pair will return to Eastern Creek for more tests in February. Surprisingly, Gobert has nominated former World Champions Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Rainey as the benchmark in SOOcc Grand Prix racing, but ignored fellow Australian Michael Doohan. "Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Rainey really appeal to me," Gobert said recently, according to Daryl Flack. "Wayne Rainey really st.ands out to me immensely. They are the two I want to be better than. I want to be better than Schwantz and Rainey and, although I want to beat him, I'm not thinking about Doohan." Gobert spoke with Schwantz during the off-season. "He's just happy to see me on the team," Gobert said. "[ think we're both similar people in the way we go and attack life - don't let it come to you. I think we have a lot in common and we really clicked together and had a good time:' Gobert's admiration for Rainey's professionalism is clear. "I've never spoken to Wayne Rainey and I'm looking forward to meeting him," Gobert added. "I have so much respect for him. I mean, [ always believed Schwantz was a better rider but he didn't put in off the tJ:ack what Rainey did to make him bet.ter on the track. I believe they're both special and . unique in their own ways. So with my different aspects, I'm sure I'll slide in there somewhere along the line." Gobert is also pleased that World Superbike rival Troy Corser will be in the 500cc GP class in 1997. "It will be real interesting to see how Troy goes because he's had it pretty easy on one of those Ducatis for the last few years," 'Gobert said. "He might get a rude awakening, I think. I'm sure of that:' Gobert believes his underpowered Muzzy Kawasaki prevented him from competing with Corser week in and week out in the World Superbike events. "I'm not taking anything away from Muz (Rob Muzzy)," Gobert said. "He gave me the opportunity that no one else would, so without Muz 1 probably wouldn't be here (in GP racing). I'm not going to turn around and start bad-mouthing Muz because he hasn't done anything wrong by me. Personally, I like M=y and he does a good job wi th the budget he's got:' Back to Corser: 'Tm looking forward to starting up our rivalry. [ can't wait for Troy t.o get on a 500. l've been looking forward to it since we started World Superbike. We're best of friends, but nobody can deny it - if he doesn't say he's got it twice as easy on a Ducati then there's something wrong with him personally. Even someone who's never been to a road race before can see the difference 'Why doesn't everyone ride those red ones?'" illness prevented three-time 250cc World Champion Max Biaggi from beginning his preseason test schedule on time. The Italian was struck down by a fever which prevented him from getting in some laps prior to the start of the IRTA test on Tuesday, January 28. Biaggi will ride a Marlboro Honda in 1997, after winning his three titles on Aprilias. As a result of the rainout, CMC has announced that round two of the Sunstar Golden State MX ationals will be rescheduled for March, though a date has yet to be determined. The final round of the series will be held in Gorman, California, on March 22-23. For more information, call CMC at 714/367· 1141. Bar tow Motorcycle Center has formed BMC Racing and will contest the AMA 12Sec West Coast Supercross Series and selected AMA ational. The team riders will be brothers Lex and Terrance Malan. Team sponsors include Extreme, Chaparral Physical Therapy, VSK, FMF and Wiseco. The aftermarket accessory and service shop is also accepting re umes for local riders. For more information, contact Vito Valenti at the Barstow Motorcycle Center, 2400 W. Main St., Barstow, CA 92311, 619/2564090. The new 3/8-mile dirt track in Yuma, Arizona, will hold a practice day hosted by the San Diego FIat Track Association on February 1 from 1 to 5 p.m. Races are being planned for the new venue, with the first tentatively being slated for March. For more information, call 619/530-2174. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Bloomington Poser Sports in Bloomington, Indiana, on February 14 at 6 p.m. Team Honda's Steve Lamson, Scott Sheak and Jeff Stanton are scheduled to appear. For more information, call B12/339-o199. OPENED: Yuasa Batteries' home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.YuasaBatteries.com. f£JRED: Terry Lee Cook, by the AMA's government relations department in the position of state program development specialist For more information, call 614/891-2425. APPOINTED: Jim Bramham, 44, to the California Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Commission. Bramham will serve on the Commission until Janu- ary 2000. CORRECf10N: AHRMA West's season opener will be held on February 9 and not February 8 as printed in last week's issue. For more information,. call Allen Wenzel at 510/829-9386. BORN: Annalee Grace Brown, to former AMA motocrosser Greg Brown and his wife Denise, on November 19 in Glendale, California. BORN: Brenna Eleanor Kegg, to former Pro dirt tracker and WERA road racer Mike Kegg and his wife Nora, in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 12. APPOINTED: Allen Wenzel to AHRMA's Board of Trustees. Wenzell takes over for incumbent Rick Doughty. AUTOGRAPH SIGNINGS: At Aurora Suzuki in Seattle, Washington. on January 31 from 6 to 7 p.m. Team Suzuki Motocross is scheduled to appear. For more infonnation, call 206/783-2323. 0 3

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