Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

IN THE WIND Rodney Smith (Suz) was the winner of round two of the AMA Grand ational Cross Country Series in Atlanta, Georgia, March 9. Finishing second was opening-round winner at Ocala, Florida, Steve Hatch (Suz). Third went to defending champ Scott Summers (Hon). while Scott Plessinger (KTM) and Fred Andrews (Yam) rounded out the top five. Hatch leads the series points standings with 39, followed by Summers with 36. Honda riders Jamie Campbell and Tim Staab teamed up on a XR600 to win the SCORE San Felipe 250 in Baja California, Mexico, on March 8. The duo completed the 238-mile race in four hours, 19 minutes and 12 seconds, with a speed average of 55.1 mph. The runner-up team of Dewey Belew and Craig Smith, aboard a Kawasaki KX250, finished approximately 34 minutes behind the winning team. Third place went to Arturo Salas and Ricky Malow on a Honda CR250. Marc Colomer (Mon) once again defeated his World Cup Indoor Trials Series rival Doug Lampkin (Bet) as the series moved to Helsinki, Finland, for the seventh round of the 10-round series on March 8. Colomer narrowly defeated Lampkin in the final to win by two points and extended his series lead to six, 127-121. Will Davis (H-D) wrapped up the Florida Flat Track Series title with a 12th-place finish at the Grand National Championship Series opener at Daytona Municipal Stadium, on Saturday night, March 8. Davis officially tallied 119 points in the nine-round series, edging Mike HackedH-D), who finished seventh Saturday night, by five points for the FFTS Championship. Dave Camlin (H-D) ended up a distant third with 85, just two points ahead of'Paul Lynch (H-D). Mike Varnes (H-D) rounded out the top five. Yamaha Team Rainey and Yamaha Promotor Racing completed three more days of testing at the Shah Alam circuit in Malaysia on March 7. Italian Luca Cadalora was again the fastest of the four Yamaha riders, lapping at 1:24.4, followed by 'Rainey rider Norifumi Abe at 1:25.5, Troy Corser at 1:25.6 and Sete Gibernau at 1:25.0. Corser completed only 78 laps after being struck down by food poisoning on the first day. . I:---. 0\ ~ "' 0\ ...... ...t:: u ~ ce "'=:' ~ 2 Kawasaki Motors Corporation, USA, has appointed Bruce Stjernstrom as manager of Kawasaki's motocross team. Stjernstrom will assume the managerial position on March 15 at the Minneapolis Supercross in Minnesota. St;jernstrom has most recently been serving as manager of the International Jet Sports Boating Association OJSBA). Stjernstrom worked for Kawasaki from 1979 until 1987, serving as manager for Kawasaki Team Green, the company's amateur support program. In his role as manager for Team Green, Stjernstrom was responsible for signing Team Kawasaki's current World Supercross and 250cc Motocross National Champion Jeff Emig to a Kawasaki contract. "It is an honor to return to Kawasaki," Stjernstrom said. ''I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world. I'm going from the best job in the personal watercraft industry to one of th~ best jobs in the motorcycle industry. Kawasaki has . one of the most successful racing programs in the industry, and I look forward to continued success in the years ahead:' Stjernstrom filled the position as Team Kawasaki's race team manager left by Roy Turner, who now works for a bicycle company in orthern California. Christopher Rankin, the road racer who finished fourth in the AMA Teamline 750cc Supersport final at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, March 7, was disqualified from the results on Sunday, March 9, because of illegal cylinder-head modifica tions on his Suzuki GSXR750. Rankin's disqualifica tion moves everyone up a spot from our published results on page 25. John Jacobi moves to fourth with Mario DuHamel fifth, etc. Arkansas Senate Bill 227, which allows motorcyclists age 21 and over to decide whether to wear a helmet, is awaiting the signature of Governor Mike Huckabee, according to the AMA. The bill passed both houses convincingly, moving through the House of Representatives with a roll call vote of 62-31 on March 5 after previously passing the Senate by a vote of 23-10. Huckabee now has five working days from Friday, March 7, to either sign the bill into law, veto it, or allow the bill to become law without his signature. If signed, the law will take effect within 90 days, making Arkansas the 26th state to support voluntary helmet laws. An announcement is expected shortly that will outline a plan for same-day television airing of the 1997 World Championship Road Race Series. Ten of the same-day broadcasts are expected to air on Speedvision with the other five scheduled for Prime Network, with all 15 being replayed on Prime. The commentators are expected to be former Grand Prix racer Randy Mamola and GP guru Dennis Noyes. Li ttle known fact: How's this for a winning percentage? Scott Russell has won 40 percent of the 10 Daytona 200s in which he has participated. Russell finished ninth in 1988, 35th in 1989, 48th in f990, fifth in 1991, first in 1992, second in 1993, first in 1994, first in 1995, second in 1996, and first in 1997. The only rider with a better win ratio in the Daytona 200 was Brad Andres who won three times in five attempts for a percentage of 60 percent. The venue for the final round of the Thor/Paits Unlimited AMA Supercross Series in Las Vegas, evada, on May 17, has been changed. Originally scheduled to run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the event will now be held at Sam Boyd Stadium. The following are the ESPN2 broadcast times for some of the events held during Daytona Bike Week: Daytona AMA Supercross by Honda - March 15, 3:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.; March 20, 1 a.m.; Daytona AMA 200 Road Race by Arai - March 12,3:30 a.m.; March 13, 3 p.m.; and March 11, 12:30 a.m.; 600cc Supersport - March 20, 7:30 p.m.; March 22, 1:30 a.m.; 750cc Supersport/250cc GP and BMW Legends March 13, 7:30 p.m.; March 17, 4:30 a.m.; NASB, F-USA, Buell - March 30, 1:30 p.m.; April 1, 12 a.m.; SuperTwins - March 16, 11:30 p.m.; March 18,5 a.m. Roger'Reiman, 1939-1997 T hree-time Daytona 200 winner and former AMA Grand National Champion Roger Reiman, 58, of Kewanee, Illinois, was killed in a three-rider accident while practicing for the second round of the BMW Battle of the Legends at Daytona International Speedway on March 4. The' accident occurred on the infield portion of the course and involved 1972 Daytona 200 winner Don Emde and '72 AMA Grand ational Champion Mark Brelsford. Reiman was pronounced dead at Halifax Medical Center at 9:47 a.in. ' A Harley-Davidson factory supported rider during his racing years, Reiman made history as the inaugural Daytona 200 winner at the superspeedway in 1961. He would go on to become one of five three-time 200 winners, collecting back-to-back victories in 1964-65. Reiman also earned the AMA Grand National Championship title during the 1964 racing season. Upon retirement from the sport, Reiman devoted most of his time to the operation of his family's motorcycle dealership, Reiman's Harley-Davidson, in Kewanee. He was also a longtime supporter and many-time Northern Region director of the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers' Association. . "Roger was a member and supported the association almost since day one,"· said Springfield Harley-Davidson dealer Stan Hall, a former president of the IMDA. "He always worked well with us. One of his major activities was as our race track director. His race track preparation was second to none. His knowledge is the reason that the Springfield Mile holds the world record (as the fastest 25-lap mile dirt track in history). "He will be greatly missed because of that. And his input with regard to lobbying and protecting motorcyclists was greatly appreciated. Even though it sometimes became a burden to him, he always devoted a lot of time to attending association meetings. He will definitely be missed, that's for sure:' As a tribute to Reiman, Tuesday's round of the Legends series was replaced by a three-lap demonstration in his honor, at which time Legends Emeritus Chris Draayer eulogized the former three-time Daytona 200 champion. "There is a deep sorrow and a real pall over the speedway that I've never experienced before," Draayer said. '1 don't know of anyone who's put more laps on this Day. tona International Speedway than Roger Reiman. Our sympathies and love go out to Rose (McGee, Reiman's longtime companion) and to Hank (father Henry Reiman). Motorcycles have been their lives. If there was anything Roger could be doing it was racing motorcycles. He knew the risks. That was a part of racing and he loved it. He was doing what he loved and we have to remember that. "We're grateful for Roger and for the kind of person that "e was," Draayer contin·ued. "He was probably the most professional motorcycle rider that I've ever known in my life. He would give you an inch if there wasn't an inch. He was an extremely fast rider and tremendously successful. He loved motorcycles and he loved the fans. There was not more of an enthusiast and a supporter of motorcycling and of the fans that I know of than Roger Reiman:' . Reiman is survived by his father Henry and his sister Shirley Pederson. Brad White, 18, son of White Brothers' Tom White, remains in a coma at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, California, following his motorcycle accident last week, according to Brad's uncle Dan White. Brad is breathing on his own through a trach airway, but his prospects for recovery are dim, according to Dan White. Tom White and his family thank everyone for their prayers and cards and very much appreciate their concerns. During a recent two-day test at Australia's Eastern Creek circuit, Spanish Repsol Honda star Alex Criville lapped just .2 of a second slower than his teammate, three-time World Champion Mick Doohan, turning in a one-minute, 29.8-second lap, accord" ing to Cycle News contributor Darryl Flack. Testing in hot and humid conditions, Doohan recorded a best of 1:29.6 with his favored pre-Big-Bang-style engine, while V-four newcomer Tadayuki Okada impressed with a 1:30.1. In his second test of the 1997 Honda NSRS.OO, Criville says he'll be in an even better position to win Spain's first 500cc World Champions.hip. "I'm ready to win races and the championship," Criville said. "I feel better than I did last year, and closer to Mick:' Criville completed 135 laps of the 2.44-mile circuit, but was restricted to six-lap stints to test the many variations of the 1997 Michelin prototype tires on hand for testing. At Eastern Creek, Doohan kept to his 1997 strategy of establishing the fastest time then slipping quietly away, leaving his challengers wondering what they must do to unseat him. Team chief Jeremy Burgess said the test went smoothly for Doohan, and that he is very pleased with the progress of the new crankshaft configura tion but rejected rumors of a new traction-control system. At the same test session, Castrol Honda's World Superb ike Championship riders John Kocinski and Aaron Slight were readying themselves for the World Superbike series opener on March 23 at Phillip Island. Kocinski was the fastest of the two Castrol RC45 riders, lapping the 2.44mile circuit in one minute, 31.91 seconds on his Michelin-shod works Honda. ''I'm very, very pleased with the way the tests have gone but I'm also realistic enough to know that nothing counts until March 23 at Phillip Island. The new RC45 is worthy of winning the championship and that's all I am focused on right now:' Slight recorded a fastest lap of 1:32.52. "I know the RC45 better than anyone so when it comes to Phillip Island in two weeks I'll be out to prove that I have what it takes to win this championship," Slight said. "Experience over a 12-round series is what counts and I have that. The Eastern Creek test could have gone better for me but it's not a worry, I'm just looking forward to race conditions and getting my machine dialed in and ready for action:' BiIl Bartels, of Bartels' Racing, has officially announced his 1997 dirt track/road racing teams. Wearing the Bartels' colors for 1997 again will be Jay Springsteen, Johnny Murphree and Shaun Russell. Newcomers join-

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