Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

I Billed as "The Return of the Superbikers," the June 28-29 race, which is set to tak~ place on the Streets of Willow in conjunction with a regular WSMC event, will include both road and dirt sections. It is open to all dirt track, motocross and dual purpose motorcycles fitted with suitable tires for racing on the road course and in the dirt - no knobbies allowed. Pre-entry opens May 1 and closes June 25. For more in.t:ormation, caU 909/674-5357. Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, will give pre-entered Amateur day racers a chance to practice for free on Thursday, May 8. Racers If\ust be pre-entered and have three-day AMA National MX tickets in order to participate. Practice will be scheduled into 25-minute sessions from 8 a.m. to 11 :30 a.m. Pro practice will be held from noon to 2 p.m. For more information, call 909 188-3090. Elaine Peralta, 60, a well-known Southern California motorcycle industry sales representative, died on April 17 at her home in Pasadena, California, after an eight-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Peralta most recently represe1"!ted Flanders, Van Leeuwen and Hap Jones distributing companies. She started working in the industry in 1955 with Johnson Motors, the Triumph importer, and over the years worked with several motorcycle companies, including U.s. Suzuki, Kawasaki, Ed Kretz Distributing, Steen's and Fred's distributing. Peralta is survived by her daughter, Laura Peralta-Jones, and two grandsons, Elliot Jones, 1 r, and Colin Jones, 9. The fifth annual North American Seniors MX Championship will be held on 5eptember 13 at the historic Aztalan circuit in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. A $2400 purse will be paid out in the four Expert classes. For more information, call 414/786-4420. TM Competition Motorcycles has announced that they have signed Chris . Smith and Gordon Ward as official team riders. Smith will ride a TM 125E in G CC Series and the ISDE Qualfier Series, leading up to his spot on the U.S. Trophy Team for the 1997 ISDE in Italy. Ward will ride a TM 250MX in the Hangtown and Glen Helen rounds. of the AMA National Motocross Championship, as well as selected West Coast events. Finally a date and place for the AHRMA Classic Bike Magazine Dirt Track National has been established. The halfmile dirt track, which will run in conjunction with the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days East at the Mid-ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, will be run on July 11 at the Ashland County Fairgrounds in Ashland, Ohio (roughly 13 miles from Mid-0hio). The White Brothers Four-Stroke World Championship and vintage bike show will be held at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, on April 2627, pitting the top four-stroke motocross racers in the world against each other. The race will also make up round two of the AMAIMaxima Western National Four-Stroke Series. The vintage bike show is ·open to aU off-road bikes, pre1976, and celebrity judges will present plaques to the top finishers. Tom Young, Jay Terry and John Isherwood, all from the Pdrtland, Oregon, area, will represent the United States at· the Scottish Six Day Trial in Fort William, Scotland on May 5-10. The three will be riding 1997 Beta T~hnos. Vintage flat track motorcycles will be mnning with the speedway program at the Santa Maria Strawberry Festival in Santa Maria, California, on April 26. For more information, call 805/466-4378. AHRMA's first-ever two-day Vintage National Motocross will run on May 3-4 at Lincoln Trail Motorsports in Casey, Illinois - using two separate race tracks. Day one will feature racing on a vintage-friendly modern track and day two will see the races held on a European Grand Prix-style grass track. For more information, call 217 1932-2041. According to Cycle News contributor Darryl Flack, former 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner is considering a comeback in the upcoming Australian Formula Xtreme Series round at Oran Park near Sydney on November 29. Gardner mentioned having former Daytona 200 winner Graeme Crosby as a teammate in the race which will feature 800-1300cc production bikes. "There's a possibility of it happening," Gardner said. "Racing should be about fun and Graeme and I cut our teeth on production racing so, yeah, I'm not ruling it out. It depends how my car racing schedule goes, and if there's enough time to prepare for it. I'd like to do it." Renovation work has begun at the MidOhio Sports Car C<>urse, according to a press release from the Lexington, Ohio, race track. Safety improvements to the track are scheduled to include the removal of 1200 feet of concrete barriers which are positioned outside of the final comer prior to the start-finish line. The barriers have been moved, providing an extra 50-feet of runoff on the exit of the fast left-hander that leads to the startl finish line. Other safety improvements include an enlarged gravel trap between turns 13 and 14. "Our philosophy at Mid-Ghio Sports Car Course has always been to present world-class racing in a first-class environment," said Michelle Trueman Gajoch, president of Mid-ohio Sports Car Course. "The significant number of improvements that we have made to the facility since 1995 will maintain the facility's reputation as one of the most spectator-friendly venues for race fans. And, from a competitor's viewpoint, the recent changes will make for a safer and more competitive track." George A. Delong, /18, the fourthplace finisher in the 1937 Daytona 200, died of cancer on April 3 at his home in Fayetteville, Georgia. Delong was one of the oldest surviving charter members of the AMA, racing professionally in the '30s and' 40s wh-en he was. a crowd fa vorite a t Langhorne and Laconia. Food for thought: While at the Laguna Seca round of the AMA Pro Honda Oils 600cc Supersport Series, Yoshim ura Suzuki team rider Pascal Picotte voiced his disdain over the AMAs claiming of his Daytona-winning Suzuki GSXR600, a bike that he believes he should competing on. "It cost Yoshimura at least $14,000 to build it," Picotte said. "I want to k!)ow why the AMA claimed it for $9500 and then they sold it to a buddy, and now I read somewhere that the guy wants $16,000." Picotte said that he believes that the rules should somehow be amended to make the motorcycle available only to other teams or privateers. Zippo Manufacturing Company - the current sponsor of the Harley-Davidson VRI000 superbike factory team, and Harley-Davidson Motor Company are searching for a lucky fan to send to the AMA Superbike Series Finale in Las Vegas this October. Starting at the laguna Seca AMA National, race fans can enter the "Race to Vegas" sweepstakes at any of the series races through July. Entry forms are also available at any of the 600-plus authorized Harley-Davidson retail dealers nationwide. All entries must be received by July 31, and winners will be notified by September 1. The grand-prize package will include tickets to the· race, dinner at the new Harley-Davidson Cafe, two Zippol Harley-Davidson lighter gift sets, and two Harley-Davidson Cafe jackets. In addition to the grand-prize winner, first-, second- and third-prize packages will be drawn with the winners receiving Zippo and Harley-Davidson merchandise packages. Fans can also enter by writing their name, address, telephone number and date of birth on a 4 x 5-in. card and mailing it to: Zippol Harley-Davidson Sweepstakes, 4476 Main St., Suite 113, Amherst, NY 14226. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Lancaster Sport Cycles in Lancaster, California, on May 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. Randy Hawkins, Duane Conner, Doug Blackwell and Jeromy Buehl are scheduled to appear. For more information, call 614/6537395. HIRED: Lou Lopez, as sales and marketing manager for Sunstar Engineering USA Inc. Lopez replaces Brent Durfee, who is now employed by Dunlop. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Chaparral Cycle Supply in San Bernardino, California, on May 9 from 6 to 7 p.m. Members of Team Suzuki Motocross are scheduled to appear. For more information, call 909/889-2761. BORN: Sydney Michelle Ratza, to WSMC road racer Eric Ratza and his wife Kim, on April 11. HIRED: Shawn Mason, as director of sales and marketing for Moto Tassinari. For more information, call 603/4486686. OPENED: International Speedway's horne page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.wient.com/ speedway. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Central Yamaha in Plano, Texas, on April 25. Members of Yamaha's motocross team and Team Chaparral are expected to appear. For more information, call 972 I 423-4089. L~ r----------------------------------------------------- ----~------, (Eill ~ SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM Name _ o This is a 0 New Subscription o Renewal Address o Please bill me City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State _ _ Zip o o Order Date _ Please start my subscription to Cycle News: o Every week for one year (50 issues) for $38.00 (can be billed 3 monthly payments) . 0 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. 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