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/127840
IN THE WIND World Champion Stefan Everts (Hon) won the Czech Republic 250cc Motocross Gra!'.-l Prix in Loket, on May 11. The event, round six of the World Championship 250cc Motocross Series, saw Everts win both motos while his closest threat in the series Marnicq Bervoets (Suz) went 2-2 for second overaU. Third overaU went to Frenchman Sebastien Tortelli (Kaw), who was leading the first moto when he crashed. Tortelli went 4-6 on the day. Turning in his best performance since going to Europe was American Mike Brown (Yam). Brown finished fourth overaU, while fifth overall went to Pit Beirer (Hon). Tallon Vohla\ld (Yam) did not compete in Loket as he is still recovering from a broken shoulder. Everts holds a commanding points lead over Bervoets, 207-160, with Tortelli third with 155 points. For the second week in a row, Sandro Puzar (TM) won the 125cc Motocross Grand Prix, this time in his home country of Italy at Maggiora, on May 11. puzar finished third behind Claudio Federici (Hus) and Chicco Chiodi (Yam) in the first moto, but came back to win the second moto to secure the overaU victory. Chiodi again finished second in the second moto for runnerup honors, while Max Bartolini (TM) took third overaU with a 7-3 talJy. Firstmoto winner Federici crashed out of contention in the second race. Despite taking overaU honors for the day, Puzar only managed to gain one point on series leader Chiodi. American Bobby Moore (Yam) did not compete after pulling out of practice, stilJ bothered by an ann injury. Frenchman Alain Pexez (Kaw) was leading the Savane Atlas RalJy in Africa on May 11, holding off Italian Flavio Agradi (KTM) by some two minutes. Spain's Carlos Sotelo (Hon) is third after the second stage of the raUy with Jordi Arcarons (KTM) and Richard Sainct (KTM) holding down fourth and fifth, respectively. Scott Plessinger (KTM) scored his first Grand National Cross Country victory of the year after winning the Brownsville GNCC in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, on May 11. Plessinger took the checkered flag ahead of Paul Edmondson (Suz) and ational Enduro Champion Randy Hawkins (Yam). Fred Andrews (Yam) finished fourth and Scott Summers (Hon) fifth. Tom orton (KTM) was the overaU winner at the New Hoot Hare Scrambles, round three of the AMA/NETRA Hare Scrambles Series in Oxbridge, Massachusetts, on May 11. Second place went to Josh McLevy (Hon) followed by Patrick Timothy (Kaw), Jerry Madore (Yam) and Brian Tucker (KTM). Donnie Book (Kaw) claimed the overall win at the Virginia City Grand Prix in Virginia City, Nevada, on May 11. Second place went to Destry Abbott (KTM) followed by Brian Brown (Kaw) and Russ Pearson (KTM). b\ Lance Smail (KTM) won the 0\ . AMA/Maxima Western National Four- '"": Stroke MX Series round at Glen Helen ...... Raceway in San Bernardino, California, N on May 11. Smail won both motos, ~ while Shaun Kalos (Hbg) and. Ty Davis "<::' (Kaw) traded 2-3 moto finishes, with ~ Kalos taking second and Davis third. Robert Naughton (KTM) and Steve Drew (KTM) rounded out the top five. 2 Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock may not be the only Americans in the running for a World Individual speedway title this year. Brent Werner of Hesperia, California, finished fifth in the Abingdon, England, round of the Individual Speedway Junior Grass Track World Championship qualifying round on May 5. Nine riders plus one reserve transferred from the event and will contest the Semifinal round in Schessel, Germany, on August 30. Grand National heavy hitters Scott Parker, Kevin Atherton, Will Davis, Steve Morehead and Ceo Roeder II are confirmed to race the 27th annual Old Time Newsies Half Mile at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton, Ohio, on June 7. In addition to boasting the largest non-National purse in dirt track racing, the event, round three of the AMA National Hot Shoe Series, is a charity race, with aU proceros going to The Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Dayton. Team Labelle owner Bruce Labelle confirmed on May 12 that big changes are under way for his NASB/Formula USA team. "I can teU you that I've signed Curtis Adams to ride one of my Hondas," Labelle said in a release issued by ASB/F-USA. '1 think he may miss one race from a previous commitment, but other than that he'll be with us the rest of the way." David Sadowski, the lead rider for Labelle's team, may end up with a Muzzy Raptor. "There is a deal in the works," Labelle said. "It looks like we will probably have Ski's Honda ready and a Raptor to test out. Dave and [ have an agreement that if he gets up to speed on the Raptor and likes it better, he can race it. But we'll have the Honda there just in case." Team Labelle is now a three-man effort with Sadowski, Adams and Jason Fraser. say Pirie. "This is the result of what can happen when many different groups of off-highway enthusiasts work together with public and private land-owners and managers," said Pirie. For more information on the park, ceJl 908/6576338. The coroner's inquest into the death of Australian Gregg Hansford has found that tire crash barriers and Hansford's inexperience in a front-wheel drive race car contributed to his fate. The former Kawasaki Formula 750 and Grand Prix star was fataUy injured during a 2.D-liter Australian Touring Car Championship event at Phillip Island in March of 1995. He lost control of his Ford Mondeo in the first corner, hit a tire barrier and bounced back on to the track where he was hit by another competitor. The United States will send four of its best trials riders to ·compete in the Trial des Nations on the Isle of Man in September and the AMA and Central Park Travel are offering fans the opportunity to go along .. Through the Team USA Trial des Nations Tour, packages include round-trip airfare to the Isle of Man, a rental car and six nights at Stakis Hotel and Casino, with breakfasts included. For more information, call Central Park Travel at 800/657-2550. The AMA now has a towing service available to its membership. AMA MoTow is available to any AMA member for $25 a year and provides up to $100 per incident of your towing costs for any motorcycle built after 1975. Members are covered on any motorcycle they own and register witll the program and special, limited coverage is available for pre-1975 classic bikes. For more information, caU the AMA at 614/8912425. IT legend Eddie Mulder will conduct a More NASB/FUSA news has Shawn Higbee finishing the season for Chuck Graves on the Team Graves/Motorcycle Online Suzuki. Graves raced the bike at Willow Springs but will give way to Higbee for the remaining rounds. According to Cycle News correspondent Darryl Flack, three-time 500cc World Champion Michael Doohan is being pressured by Honda to take part in this year's Suzuka Eight Hour on July 27. Doohan, however, is not overly enthusiastic about doing the event. Doohan last competed in the classic Japanese endurance race in 1993 when he bared a Honda RVF750 with Daryl Beattie. The pair finished fourth after Doohan -crashed in oil. World 125cc Enduro Championship points leader Shane Watts took a break from his international campaign to win his fifth consecutive Australian Enduro Championship on April 24-27. Watts dominated the event on his KTM, topping Peter Martin by over a minute. More than 1000 spectators, volunteers, motorcycle dealers and off-road enthusiasts attended the grand opening of New Jersey's first off-highway vehicle park in Chatsworth in April. The 262-acre area, .located 30 miles east of Philadelphia, was built by the New Jersey OffRoad Vehicle Park Inc., a non-profit organization that will also maintain the park. Built with private funds, the park became a reality through the work of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the New Jersey Trials Conservancy, and many AMA members, including Lind- two-day dirt track school on May 31June 1 on the Willow Springs dirt track oval in Rosamond, California. For more information, call 805/268-0105. The second round of the SSC Castaic Brick Spring Nationals on May 18 in Lake Castaic, California, will be the last event at Castaic's present location. Ali future events will be held at the new site on the opposite side of the lake. The new track is scheduled to open on June 15. Beginning on May 7, Race Tech started generating support of the Claylon Foundation, a non-profit organization that assists injured motorcycle racers. When placing an order with Race Tech, customers have the option of adding $1 to their invoice with the money going directly to the foundation. In addition, Race Tech is offering an MBNA Race Tech Credit Card to all motorcycle enthusiasts, the proceeds from which will also be donated to the Clayton Foundation. For more information, caU 909 /594-7755. New Zealand road racer Hayden Bool will lease a 1996 Honda RS125 from Moto Uberty for two NASB events this year, according to Moto Uberty. Bool, 18, recently earned a wiId-card entry to the Australian Grand Prix, scheduled for Phillip Island on October 5. For more information on Moto liberty'S leasing program, call 972/242-6440. Tennessee State Senator CarlO. Koella Jr. pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident in which motorcyclist Terry Barnard was killed last October, according to the AMA. The plea was part of an agreement between Koella and prosecutor Gus Radford in exchange for the senator avoiding a trial on felony charges. H"e was fined $2500 and sentenced to perform 30 days of community service. Koella's driver's license was also suspended for a year. Joyce Barnard, the widow of the motorcyclist, read a statement to the court expressing her anger over the loss of her husband and the senator's actions. She has filed a $15 million wrongful death suit against Koella. Representatives of the AMA were among those presenting testimony to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which is reviewing a decade-old consent decree governing how ATVs are sold. The current agreement between the CPSC and the manufacturers, which is due to expire ~ April of 1998, specifies age limitations in regards to the sale of new and used ATVs. At present, manufacturers are restricted from selling ATVs over 50cc in displacement to riders under the age of 11, and 12- 16-year-olds are not permitted to purchase machines over 9Occ. The consent decree also requires ATV manufacturers to provide training to riders in the safe use of their products. AMA Legislative Affairs Specialist Eric Lundquist presented testimony at the hearing on May 6 on behalf of the AMA, along with representatives from other user groups and the consumer organizations. "A growing number of our members own and enjoy ATVs," ·Lundquist said. "We told the Commission of oUT positive experiences in sanctioning hundreds of events for ATV riders every year, and let them know how important we hold our members' right to ride." The CPSC is expected to issue its decision later this year. Holeshot Cycle &: Accessories, the dealership owned by motocross racer Gay· Ion Dickson that was destroyed by firE on April 10, has reopened at a new loca· tion in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. FOl more information, call 717/455-6631. After initial rounds of the qualifying fOl the Indianapolis 500 on May 10-11, multi-time AMA motocross National Champion Jeff Ward had qualified on the third row of the grid. Sixty-one-year-old Annie Brokaw will become the first woman to compete in the motorcycle division of the Chevrolet Pikes Peak Interna tional Hillclimb on July 4, according to event organizers. Brokaw is a mother of two daughters and a grandmother of two grandsons. She is also the oldest person entered for this year's event. The annual Jimmy Adamo Memorial Race, scheduled for June 15 at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, will feature the new Thunderbike formula. The new class is a revised BEARS format, formulated to include such motorcycles as Buell, Ducati 900s, Moto Guzzi 1100, Triumph Triples and a host of singles. For more inf()rmation, caU Jerry Wood at 207/548-2113. According to the FIM, anti-doping and alcohol tests were carried out at the second round of the World Superbike Series in Misano, Italy, on April 20. Alcohol tests were given prior to the race to Mike Hale, Pier-Francesco Chili