Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

IN THE WIND It was all Honda at the SCORE Baja 500, held in Baja California, Mexico, on June 7. Johnny Campbell and Broce Ogilvie rode an XR628 four-stroke to the overall win, finishing the 47D-mile race in nine hours, 39 minutes and 48 seconds, at an average clip of 48.5 mph. Honda's "B" team, consisting of Tim Staab, Casey Longman and Greg Bringle, also aboard an XR628, finished second, roughly seven minutes behind the winning team. Tex Mitchel, Ron Wilson and Brent Blount rode their XR628 to third overall, crossing the finish line !lOme 11 minutes after the second-placed team. Fourth place went to XR628mounted riders Mark Burnett, Mike Heale~ and Rich Truchinski, while Oiff Matlock and Matt Barney combined efforts on an XR400 to round out the top five. The 250cc class was won by Eric Hjalmson and Tim. Morton (KTM). The winning Campbell/Ogilvie team beat the top-finishing four-wheeled vehicle, driven by Ivan Stewart, by approximately nine minutes. Multi-time winners Kawasaki Team Green did not compete, including past winners Ty Davis and Paul Krause. Australian Shane Watts (KTM) scored the overall win at the Two-Day Reliability Enduro ISDE Qualifier in Tillamook, Oregon, on June 6-7. Watts rode a 125 to victory, topping the 250cc (Hea vyweight Two-Stroke) class winner Jason Dahnen (KTM). Third overall went to Brian Garrahan (KTM), followed by brother Patrick Garrahan (KTM) and Luca Trussardi (Hon), the top-finishing four-stroke rider. Ryan Hughes (Kaw) was the big winner at the 10th annual Honda of Troy /Commotion By The Ocean at Carlsbad Raceway, in Carlsbad, California, on June 8. Hughes won both motos, while Mike Craig (Hon), riding a 125, took second, followed by top fourstroke rider Lance Smail (KTM), Doug Dubach (Yam), Michael Brandes (Yam), Damon Huffman (Kaw) and David Pingree (Kaw). Multi-time National Motocross Champion Marty Smith (Yam) won the Over 40 Pro class. The runner-up was Scot Harden (KTM), while Ron Ruff, Bob Rutten (Hon) and Rich Eintadt (Yam) rounded out the top five. The New England Championship Enduro, in Somers, Connecticut, on June 8, was won by Paul Milliken (KTM). The runner-up was Bill Drummy (Hon), who was followed by Kemp Stewart (Hus), Bob White (CRE) and James Kelly (Hus). The event was a round of the AMA/NETRA Enduro Series. Paul PinsonnauIt (Hon) and Greg Williams (Hon) were the 540cc-and 800cc-class winners at round three of the AMA National Championship Hillclimb Series in Steel City, Pennsylvania, on June 8. Pinsonnault finished ahead of David Watson (Hon) and Ted Wilkins (Rtx) to claim the 540cc honors, while Williams beat out Steve Dresser (H-D) and Paul Zander (BSA) for the 800ccclass victory. . Ryan Huffman (Kaw) won the lion's share of the Pro cash during rounds one and two of the of the Pac West Motocross Nationals at the Albany Motorsports Park on June 7-8. Huffman claimed the overall win in both the 125 and 250cc Pro classes. The event drew 984 ~ders. Grayson Hart (Hon) became the first rider ever to conquer four classes as he rode to wins in the Over 30, 125cc, 250cc and Perpetual Trophy classes in his impressive run at the Dino Daze Vintage motocross and dirt track in McCleary, Washington, on June 7-8. Former factory AJS and Bultaco rider Doug Grant (AJS) won the Over 40 class in motocross racing, while dirt tracker Troy Rose (Tri) came out on top of the Open Twin Expert main event at the dirt track event. Multi-time AMA Harley-Davidson SuperTwins Champion Scott Zampach was a popular visitor to the AMA Superbike National at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Zampach, who was helping his old team Hansen Motorcycles, was badly injured on October 6, 1996, in a Formula USA event at Tortelli wins in San Marino K ~ ~ r:--.. ~ ..... 00 ..... ClJ § ....... 2 awasaki's Sebastien Tortelli came back from a first-moto crash to win the eighth round of the 250cc World Championship Motocross Series with a 2-1 moto score in Borgo Maggiorio, Italy, on June 8. . Honda's Stefan Everts finished second with a 1-5 tally and maintained his series points lead over Tortelli, 278-219. Honda-mounted German Pit Beirer finished third with a 3-2, Frenchman Yves DeMaria and his Honda finished fourth with a 4-3 and Swede Joakim Karlsson closed out the top five with a 5-4. American Mike Brown finished ninth in the first moto, but fell ill just before the second moto and was unable to continue. Freak weather again hit the 500cc World Motocross Series in Halle, Holland, on June 8, and consequently, the second moto had to be canceled due to flooded track conditions. A series of storms on Saturday evening and incessant drizzle on Sunday left the sandy track saturated for the first moto. Belgian Joel Smets piloted his Husaberg to the win in the moto, followed by KTM-mounted Belgian Joban Boonen and Italian Yamaha works four-stroke rider Andrea Bartolini. After delaying the start of the second moto twice in the vain hope of draining most of the standing water from the track, clerk of the course Gerrit Wolsink had to abandon the second moto at 5 p.m. "Eighty percent of the track was under water," said rider spokesman Kurt Nicoll. '1t was up to 3 feet deep before and after the jump in the woods. No one 'would have finished." Nicoll, who finished eighth in the first moto after being knocked down by fellow KTM rider and defending class champion Shayne King, moved to second in the standings with 106 to Smets' 125. King is now third in the standings with 101 after finishing 13th in the first moto. Kentucky's Keith Bowen scored his best GP result to date with a seventh on his KTM in the single moto, while Louisiana's Trampas Parker rode a ba ically standard KTM 360SX to 10th. Parker will now ride the remainder of the series for a Dutch KTM importer, having split with the Vertemati brothers 11 days earlier. New Hampshire International Speedwa y, suffering hl:ad injuries, three crushed vertebrae in his neck, five broken ribs and a badly broken right band and wrist. '1 feel good, I'm done with all my rehab and I passed my driver's test last week," Zampach said in an interview with track public-relations man Roger Jaynes. "I've been given rights back to cook food in my own house, and carry my baby upstain. And I'm doing quite a bit of physical exercising. And mentally, I'm doing real well. I'm real positive for the future. Opening another chapter in the book of life, shall we say. Every now and then, it hits me a little hard that I had to retire from my road racing career. I knew it was coming sometime soon, but at least I could have planned for it. Unfortunately, it was abruptly ended." The official entry list for the July 17 running of the Suzuka 8 Hour is out and several top teams will be in attendance, led by last year's winning pair of <;:olin Edwards II and Noriyuki Haga on a factory Yamaha. Other intestesting teams include John Kocinski and Alex Criville paired together on a factory Honda; the Aoki brothers on a factory Honda; ~ott Russell and Troy Coner on a factory Yamaha; Peter Goddard and Anthony Gobert on a factory Suzuki; Simon Crnar and Akira Yanagawa on a factory Kawasaki; and Doug Chandler and Piergiorgio Bontempi on a factory Kawasaki. The AMA has announced the 1997 U.S. Trial des Nations. Team USA will once again be represented by a four-member squad led by three-time U.s. National Observed Trials Champion Geoff Aaron. Lonny Hallsted, Jess Kempkes and Raymond Peten will round out the team. Michael Bryant, the 1996 High School Trials Champion, has been named as the team alternate. The event will take place on the Isle of Man, September 27. Several 250cc World Championship Motocross Series contenders are scheduled to compete in the Unadilla, New York, round of the AMA 125/250cc National Motocross Championship Series on July 20, according to Cycle News contributor Geoff Meyer. American's Mike Brown, Tallon Vohland and Bobby Moore, and Europeans Stefan Everts and Pedro Tragter are expected to make the trip to race during a free weekend in the World MX series. Martial artist/actor Steven Seagal has been named as the Grand Marshal for the fifth annual "Easyriders Run for the Wild" ride and family picnic to benefit Martine Colette's Wildlife Waystation. The ride is scheduled to originate from Bartels' Harley-Davidson in Marina Del Ray, California, or Ghost Rider Custom Cycles in Canoga Park, California, on June 22 and will finish up at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California. In addition to a barbecue, the event will feature musical entertainment, with an allstar musical jam that included members of rock groups Bon Jovi, Guns 'n' Roses and Santana. The entry fee is $25. For more informa tion, call 818/899-5201. Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA has announced the appointment of Masatoshi "Mike" Tsurutani, 53, as president of the recreational and utility product marketer, effective July 1. Tsurutani will replace Hiroshi "Henry" Noda, who has served in that capacity since 1991. Noda will move to New York as president of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Inc. Tsurutani was most recently assigned to the Small Engine Division of KHI in Japan where he worked closely with counterparts at KMC's engine division in the United States Tsurutani also lived in Australia where he served as president of Kawasaki Motors Australia. A public auction will be held on Tuesday, July 8 at 11 a.m. at Reiman's Harley-Davidson in Kewanee, lllinois, to raise funds for Hank Reiman, the father of the late two-time Grand National Champion Roger Reiman. Items to be auctioned include Harley'Davidson racing motorcycles, street bikes, racing parts, memorabilia and Harley-Davidson collectibles. The auction will be conducted by J. Wood & Co. "Here is a chance to help Roger's family raise money for Hank's care," said Jerry Wood. "As many of you know, Hank is confined to a wheelchair. At the same time, this is a rare opportunity to own part of a fantastic collection of HarleyDavidson motorcycles and memorabilia. During my brief visit to Kewanee, I found about four buildings that were waist-deep in treasure." The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District heard arguments from both sides this week in its review of a lower court decision that found the police in Spartanburg, South Carolina, guilty of violating the constitutional rights of motorcyclists who were stopped and searched during a charity run there in September, 1994. The judicial review concerns a class-action suit that was brought on behalf of 107 motorcyclists who were subjected to searches at a charity ride benefiting the American Red Cross. The suit charged that Spartanburg Police Chief W.e. Bain Jr., who has since resigned his post, ordered officers to stop, search and videotape all motorcyclists as they arrived at the Piedmont State Fairgrounds for a concert at the end of the ride. Last July, the lower court found that while the searches violated the motorcyclists rights under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, the act of stopping and requesting identification from motorcyclists did not constitute unlawful action. The court also found tha t the action of stopping and requesting identification from motorcyclists at the entrance of the fairgrounds was not intrusive enough to violate the motorcyclists rights. No damages were awarded, and the lower court judge refused to issue an injunction to prevent similar police activities in the future. Both sides appealed the lower court opinion. The appeals court is expected to issue an opinion in the' next several weeks. Both Buell and Triumph will be offering test rides on their latest models during the Bridgestone Dixie Cycle Fest round of the NASB Formula USA Series at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, on June 21-22. Test rides will be offered at the track on both days, beginning at 9 a.m. In addition, fans attending the race will have the opportunity to ride their own motorcycles around the scenic 2.5-mile circuit, thanks to a special program set up by NASB and EBC Brakes. The Parade Lap will take place on June 22 and participants can pick up an EBC Brakes Parade Lap Pass at their local motorcycle dealer. Advance sale tickets are available by calling 800/939-9372.

• Cover