Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

riders are expected to participate with an outdoor concert f~aturing George Thorogood and the Destroyers as well as Jonny Lang scheduled for 1 and 3 p.m., respectively. Tread Lightly! has produced a new publication, "Tread Lightly!'s Guide to Responsible Trail Biking," with sponsorship from Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA. The booklet focuses on educational material that is specifically helpful to trail riders. The booklet is available for $2 from Tread Lightly!, 298 24th St., Suite 325, Ogden, UT 84401. Off-highway-vehicle enthusiasts and the general public are invited to join in a host of activities planned for the Moose Anderson Days, scheduled for the Jawbone Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle facility, located north of Mojave and California City in California, on April 26-27. For more information, call 619/373-1146. After 16 years of broadcasting in Southern California, Centerstand - a weekly motorcycle radio show - will air for the final time on Saturday, April 5. To bid farewell to the canceled show, motorcyclists can attend a ride-in for the show's finale on AprilS in the KPFK(90.7 FM) parking lot at 7 a.m. The station is located at 3729 Cahuenga Blvd. West in North Hollywood. The 23rd annual Viewfinders MC Grand Prix will be held on October 4-5 at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California. The event will be the fifth race in the AMA D-37 Big Six GP Serie~ For more information, call 714/739-8633. The Riders for Health Motorcycle Stunt Extravaganza/Day of Champions will be held on Thursday, August 14, one day before official practice starts for the British Grand Prix at Donington Park. The show will feature stunt rider Gary Rothwell in addition to all of the top Grand Prix stars in the annual event which raises money for the Riders for Health. The American Trials Association (ATA) has announced that tickets can be purchased to win a Montesa 315-R and a Gas Gas JTX-320 with proceeds from the raffle going to a fund that will help the U.S. Trials des Nations team compete in the annual TdN event, scheduled this year to be held on the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom. The drawing for the two bikeS will be held at the conclusion Marlboro and Rainey: on a ain off a ain of this year's 27th annual EI Trial de Espana at the McCain Valley OHV area, some 50 miles east of San Diego, California, on April 20. - the day after the third round of the NATC National Observed Trials round at the same venue. For more information on the $1 raffle tickets, call the ATA hotline at 714/562-7742 or write to American Trials Association, P.O. Box 20570, EI Cajon, CA 920121. arlboro, motorcycle racing's biggest sponsors, has been accused of multi-million dollar amateurism, after an astonishing about-face has its ambassadors coming back to Yamaha and Team Rainey, two months after unexpectedly and suddenly dropping them. The biggest sponsors in motorcycle racing took Wayne Rainey and the Yamaha factory by surprise when they abruptly informed them in Jate January that they were to withdraw expected backing. Now it seems that parts of the international Phillip Morris empire were also taken by surprise, and a rebellion within the company has seen the decision overturned, with only weeks to go before the.first Grand Prix. The rescue bid failed, however, coming too late to divert Yamaha and Team Rainey from the course that Marlboro's withdrawal had obliged them to follow, running in Yamaha factory colors without a brand-name sponsor. Phillip Morris, the tobacco giant which owns' and operates the Marlboro brand worldwide, decided in late January to put all of it~ 500cc-class backing behind Kenny Roberts and his new three-cylinder Modenas project. Until then, Rainey had been fully confident of backing, after continuing discussions throughout the winter. At the time, he said: "Marlboro has supported me for a long time, and now they've decided not to support me. I can understand that. But they gave no warning in our previous discussions, and the decision came t06 late to 'give us time to look for another sponsor." The Yamaha factory team had enjoYe9- Marlboro backing since the early '80s. Now the factory stepped in with a promise to support the team itself for the season, and the bikes appeared at the Jerez tests in Yamaha colors. However, behind closed doors at Jerez, Marlboro representatives were locked in discussions with Rainey and Yamaha, trying to find a way to reverse the decision. This put Rainey in a strong bargaining position, and while he had declined to comment, sources close to the team suggest that he might have been willing to cut a deal, which would necessarily be on favorable terms for him. One point is thought to be a contract for 1998 as. well. However, it is understood that the Japanese factory, who was insulted by the way the original sponsorship cut was made without warning or consultation, was quite reluctant to 're-engage with Marlboro. Again, Yamaha wouldn't comment officially, but its men on the ground conveyed the attitude that the team's plans for the 1997 season, having once been disrupted through no fault of its own, are now fully in place. It woule! have taken more than Marlboro could offer to make Yamaha change its mind. The reason for the U-turn seems to be a lack of communication within Phillip Morris. The decision to go with Roberts alone was taken in the European headquarters in Switzerland, the central sponsorship office. One reason given since then is that Rainey's 1996 Marlboro backing came from Phillip Morris Italy, and was attached to Italian rider Loris Capirossi. Capirossi walked out of Team Rainey in October, switching back to the 250cc class with the factory Aprilia team. The Asian wing of Phillip Morris was ignorant of this, and only discovered a month or more later that it no longer had the official Yamaha 500cc team and top Japanese. rider Norifumi Abe. The situation is compounded by delays in the Marlboro Modenas KR;3 program, with the all-new three-cylinder Team Roberts machine missing the Jerez IRTA tests, and now unlikely to make the first two races of the year, in Malaysia and Japan. It is understood that Phillip Morris executives in Hong Kong initiated the rebellion against the Swiss decision, bypassing the Lausanne office to go directly to the firm's headquarters in New York. The new Marlboro deal offered to Rainey and Yamaha is believed to have come directly from Asia, and would not affect the Swiss deal with Roberts. Michael Scott M AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Fairfield Cycle Center in Fairfield, California, on April 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. Harley-Davidson's Chris Carr is scheduled to appear. For more information, call 707/422-3150. BORN: Dominic Vincent Iorio, to Ka·wasaki's public relations manager Vince Iorio and his wife Lisa in Irvine, California, on March 18. CORRECTION: The Gulf Coast Arenacross Series will begin in Gulfport, Mississippi, on April 18-20 - not in Gulfport, Missouri, as we incorrectly reported in an earlier issue. For more information, call 601/255-8110. OPENED: Progressive Suspension's home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at th.e following address: http://www.progressivesuspension.com. OPENED: Dynatek Electronics' home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.dynaonline.com. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Ray C's Cycle and Sports in Lapeer, Michigan, on April 11 from 7 to 8 p.m. Team Kawasaki's Jeff Emig, Damon Huffman and Ryan Hughes are scheduled to appear. For more informa tion, call 8101664-1660. OPENED: Bosenberg Motorcycle Excursions' home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.bosenberg. com. CANCELED: The Penguin Racing School scheduled for May 15 at Homestead in Florida, due to track renovations. The school will still hold its winter session at Homestead on December 5. For more information, call 508/339-4673. NAMED: Maxima Racing Lubricants, as the title sponsor for the AMA Western 4Stroke MX Nationals. l..~ r----------------------------------------------------------------, ~ ~ SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM ~~ ame _ Address City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State Order Date Zip _ Please start my subscription to Cycle News: o Every week for one year (50 issues) for $38.00 (can be billed~ monthly payments) o Every week for two years (100 issues) for $70.00 o Six months second class (25 issues) for $19.00 L One year (50 issues), 2nd class Canada or Mexico and all other foreign countries $78.00 (U.S. funds). First class and airmail rates available upon request. , o This is a 0 New Subscription o Renewal o Please bill me o Bill 3 payments of $12.67 o Enclosed is my check or money order Charge my 0 Visa 0 Mastercar~ Signature MC/Visa# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Expiration Date ~.~ Inc Sendto:~~, • P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, CA 90801-0498 Toll Free Subscription Hotline (800) 831-2220 24-hour FAX Order Line (562) 427-6685 ~

• Cover