Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

. IN THE WIND B£ f~' ~ Michael Rutter (Hon) and Steve Hislop (Yam) split race wins in the second round of the British Superbike Championship on a wet Oulton Park in England on April 26. Rutter topped Terry Rymer -(Suz) and Chris Walker (Kaw) in winning the first leg, while Hislop managed to beat iall Mackenzie (Yam) and Walker to win the second race. Walker leads the championship after two rounds (and four races), 73-68, over defending series champion Mackenzie. Team Suzuki's Rodney Smith and Steve Hatch finished 1-2 at round five of the Grand National Cross Country Series in Clarksburg, West Virginia, April 26. Finishing third was Fred Andrews (Kaw), followed by Doug Blackwell (Yam) and Paul Edmondson (Suz). In the series point standings, Smith leads Andrews by one point, 77-76. Ty Davis (Yam) came from behind to win the fourth round of the AMA National Championship Hare & Hound Series held in Lucerne Valley, California, on April 26. Paul Krause (Kaw) finished second and Davis' teammate Donnie Book rode a YZ250 to third overall. Mike Metzger (Kaw) appears to be on the road to recovery from his broken femur sustained just three months ago as he won the 250cc Pro class at the GFI Winter MX Series Showdown, held at Perris Raceway on April 26. Steve Andrich (Yam) and Tim Beatty (Suz) fini hed second and third. In the 125cc Pro class, Doug Parsons (Yam) took the measure of the competition, followed by Andrich and Espen Blikstad (Yam). Jess Kempkes (G-G) took the narrow double ~ctory at rounds six and seven of the AMA/NA TC ational Trials Championship, held in Washougal, Washington, April 25-26. Both days Kempkes narrowly defeated Ryon Bell (Mon), and on Saturday only by having more cleans, as they had both scored 56. Geoff Aaron (Bet) was third on both days, and he leads Kempkes in the championship by 20 points, 182-162. Ray Peters, four-four on the weekend, is third in points with 158. Doug Dubach (Yam) topped the White Brothers World Four-Stroke Championships at Glen Helen Raceway, in San Bernardino, California, April 26. Dubach went 1-2, while runner-up Tony Amara- AMHF to honor first Hall of Fame inductees he trustees of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation have announced the first group of motorcycling greats scheduled to be inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. The inductees, who will be formally honored on September 5 at the AMA-sanctioned Dirt Track "Hall of Fame" Race in Springfield, Illinois, will include the following Grand ational Champions: Chet Dykgraaf (1946), Jimmy Chann (1947-49), Larry Headrick (1950), Bobby Hill (1951-52), Bill Tuman (1953), Joe Leonard (1954, '56-57), Brad Andres (1955), Carroll Resweber (1958-61), Bart Markel (1962, '65-66), Dick Mann (1963, '71), Roger Reiman (1964), Gary Nixon (1967-68), Mert Lawwill (1969), Gene Romero (1970), Mark Brelsford (1972), Kenny Roberts (1973-74), Gary Scott (1975), Steve Eklund (1979), Randy Goss (1980, '83), Mike Kidd (1981), Ricky Graham (1982, '84, '93) and Bubba Shobert (1985-87); plus two of the biggest stars from the earlier Class A era, Jim Davis and Joe Petrali. "Our first induction during Labor Day weekend will include 24 great motorcycling champions," AMHF chairman of the board Don Emde said. "Those to be honored include racers who earned the AMA's number-one plate during the era when Grand National Champions were required to compete in several types T dio posted 5-1 moto finishes. Third overall went to Rusty Holland (Yam), followed by Scott Meyer (Yam) and Gordon Ward (Hus). Firestorm Racing (Suz) won the second round of the WERA ational Endurance Series at Memphis Motorsports Park in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 25. Firestorm completed 514 miles in the six-hour endurance race, topping TKO Racing (Suz) and I-S00-CROTCH ROCKET (Yam). After two of 10 rounds, Firestorm leads the championship point standings over Semoff Brothers Racing, 199.21-184.29. Nicky Hayden's first-ever victory in the AMA/Teamline 750cc Supersport final at Laguna Seca Raceway on April 18 is now officiaL The throttle bodies from Hayden's HyperCycie Suzuki were impounded after post-race teardown and AMA tech man Rob King took the confiscated parts to Suzuki's headquarters for comparison with off-the-shelf units on Tuesday, April 21. "We proved to them that everything is okay:' Suzuki vice president Mel Harris said. "They're happy with what they saw." Fresh from his victory over Doug Chandler in the Honda Challenge of Laguna Seca Superbike National on April 19, Miguel'DuHam';l (right) stepped back 34 years in history to ride the Team Obsolete-owned six-cylinder Honda 2SOCc four-stroke that was first raced by Jim Redman in 1964. DuHamel was accompanied by his brother, Mario (left), on an exAgostini four-cylinder, SOOcc MV Agusta, and his father, Yvon (center), on an ex-Dick Mann BSA Triple. of competition, including dirt track and road racing. When we first announced the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in March, we made a commitment to induct The First 100' by the end of the year. The luminaries who make up this initial 24 are the only the first of the great champions and leaders who will be recognized for their significant contributions to American motorcycling." Erode also said that the Hall of Fame will eventually recognize those who have made significant contributions in all aspects of motorcycling, including those who have excelled in motorcycle business, history, design and engineering as well as riders and racers. ESPN motorsports personality Dave DespaiJ.1, coordinator of the Dirt Track Hall of Fame Race, said that all living champions on the list of inductees, as well as the appropriate representatives of deceased individuals, will be invited to attend. "The induction of these great champions will bring together a remarkable collection of .talent .from a golden era of American motorcycle racing, when flexibility and a broad range of skills were' required to.earn the coveted AMA number-one plate:' Despain said. "We honor them as American heroes, bu t in fact they are among the greatest racers the world has ever seen." Following a belated protest, Guy Cooper (KTM) has been stripped of his victory at round four of the Australian Supercross Championship at Wayville, South Australia, on March 21, according to Cycle News correspondent Darryl Flack. Contrary to the Motorcycling Australia rule book, Cooper fronted the gates for a restart of the race, although he had been lapped before the red flag was displayed. Cooper went on to win the restarted race from eventual series winner Craig Anderson (Yam), who clinched the title with a fourth at Mildura, Victoria, on April 11. The original protest was dismissed because it wasn't lodged within the 30miniute time limit, but Motorcycling Australia later "reviewed" its decision. Unleaded crashes? W ith just two races gone in the 1998 riders of the '70s, today's pilots often find Road Racing World Champi- themselves hitting the ground before onship, there are concerns over they've got time to react. "It's far harder for a rider to hear a the safety aspects of the new unleadedfuel rules. Following a spate of piston bike starting to detonate these days seizures in early-season testing in addi- because of the enormous wind noise," the tion to a number of similar incidents at source said. "That's why they call them Suzuka on April 5 and Johor on April 19, 'silent seizures.'" While the more experienced operators there is grovv-mg disquiet among the paddock. like Kanemoto have been able to adapt to One leading fuel supplier went so far the new rules, the source added tha t as to privately distance it elf from the many teams will face difficulties due to new unleaded regulations when they the way in which the regulations have were announced. After many years of rel- been framed. "I can see several problems atively few piston seizures, it now with unleaded fuel in high-performance appears the Grand Prix world has turned two-stroke engines, but more significantly the clock back to the'60s and '70s when with the way the parameters of the FIM such mishaps were the order of the day. fuel specifications have been configured. Following improvements in fuel and For example, the maximum octane rating oil technology in addition to advance- has been set at 102. That's not a problem ments in piston-ring and engine design, within itself, but that's the" RON metallurgy, variable power valves and (Research Octane umber). What's more watercooling, piston seizures dropped important is the MON (Motor Octane dramatically from the early '80s onward. Number), which is set at a maximum of At the IRTA test at Phillip Island in Janu- 90. The MO is very difficult to explain, ary 1998, the new Shell Advance Honda except to say that at that maximum of 90, s-quad of Garry McCoy and Juan Borja an engine may, and I need to stress this, teams experienced many seizures, with may start to detonate in a worse-<:ase situone observer claiming that the team failed ation. To have SUcil a large gap between to. complete a single session due to piston the RON (102) and the MON (90) is very seizures. Borja later broke a collarbone surprising." after a piston seizure threw him off durAnother area of concern is the level of ing a second test at the Australian track. benzene, which is set at 5 percent. BenFollowing his first 1998 test with Max . zene is a known carcinog.en and has been Biaggi at Phillip Island, Marlboro Honda limited to negligible levels in Formula 500 team boss Erv Kanemoto noted that One fuel. While the unleaded fuel has led the new rules would pose the biggest to engines running hotter, ca using significhallenge to every team in 1998 in terms cantly increased internal parts wear, fourof adjusting engine compression and jet- time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan has publicly blasted the rules for ting to suit the unleaded fuel. According to one source, the V-twin- their negative impact on performance and engined bikes are more susceptible to for reducing the degree of difficulty of seizures because of their larger squish taming the once-feared 500. Darryl Flack a rea. And unlike the warning given to

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