Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

wm~ America's weekly motorcycle newspaper VolumeXXXV Sharon Clayton, President Michael Klinger, Publisher VOICES LETTERS TO ~......;:;~,THEEDrrDR ~., Editorial Paul Carruthers, Editor Kit Pahner, Associate Editor Scott Rousseau, Associate Editor Mark Hoyer, Managing Editor Keith Bush, Assistant Editor/Copl! Editor Cameron Coatney, Associate EdItor Alan Cathcart, European Editor David R. Holther, Copy Editor Advertising Terry Pratt, National Accounts Mannger Mark Thome, Weste", Sales Manager Thomas Ganter, Western Sales Manager Forrest Hayashi, Weste", Sales Mnnager Greg Mitchell, Eastern Accounts MOIlDger Jim Clark, Eastern Sales Manager Rhonda Crawford, Western Ad Coordinator Bridgett Bobrofsky, Assistant Carla Allen, Eastern Ad Coordinator Tina Farr, Assistant Marketing & Promotion Mark Thome, Director Forrest Hayashi, Manager Kory Klinger, Dealer Representative New Media Development Rick Matheny, Webmaster Stephanie Leamon, Assistant Classified Ads Teri Kerr Graphics and Production Mandy Loa, Production Mnnager Dennis Greene, CAb. Tech. Amanda WoUny, Graphic Artist Randy S. Hess, Graphic Artist Administration judy Klinger, Coordinator Leanne Sin1S, Admh,istrative Assistant AccountinglData Processing Donna Bryan-Diamond, A/R Coordinator Geneva Repass, Assistant Theresa Milburn, Credit Circulation Alma Angu.iano, Circulation Manager . Carol Maggio, Processing Coordinator Pam Klein, Billing COOTl/hlOtor joy Lau, Dealer Coordinator jessica Schroeder, Assistaut Service and Support Shannon Clark, Receptionist Jim Olson, Service and Support National Headquarters 3505-M Cadillac Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626 P.O. Box 5084, Costa Mesa, CA 92628-5084 (714) 751-7433 FAX (714) 751-6685 Eastern Office 4188 First Ave., Tucker, GA 30084 P.O. Box 805, Tucker, GA 30085-0805 (770) 934-7850 FAX (770)934-3112 e-mail editor@cyclenews.com subscribe®cyclenews.com advertising@cyclenews.com Internet http://www.cycJenews.com Cycle News (USPS 141-340) is published weekly except the last two weeks of the calendar yeaT for $50,00 per year by Cycle News, Inc., 3505-M Cadillac Avenue, Costa Mesa. CA 92628. Periodicals Postnge Paid at Costa Mesa, CA and al additional mailing office. Canada Post international Publications Mail #546615. . POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cycle News, P.O. Box 5084. Costa Mesa, CA 92628-5084. To determine the expiration date of your subscription, cbeck the four numbers on the first line of yOUl address label. The first two digits indicate the last issue number you'll receive and the last two characters indicate the year of the last issue. Subscription rates: Rates for the United States and its possessions for one year (50 issues), $50.00; two years (100 issues). $95.00; six months (25 issues), $"..6.00; trial sub (15 issues), $19.00. Canada and Foreign, one year (SO issues), $90.00; two years (tOO issues), $175.00; six months (25 issues). $4S.00;..tria,1 sub 05 issues), $38.00. Cycle News welcomes unsolicited editorial material inducting stories, cartoons, photos. etc. Such material, if published, becomes the exclusive property of Cycle News. Reprinting in whole or part only by permission of the publisher. Advertising rates .md circulation information will be sent upon request. See S.R.D.S. W/B0'A V ~~ AUDITED ORCULATlON '[, " •. :,;;. . .·-e o ",",,< The'AMA responds : :•. \", There are a variety of distorted and inaccurate reports in circulation regarding the Team HypeICyc1e Suzuki technical violations and the suspension of team owner Carry Andrew. We feel it is necessary at this time to clarify the situation by stating the facts. First, an inaccurate report in Cycle News (In The Wind, May 13) stated that the engine cases of the Team HyperCycle Suzuki motors had metal removed (an automatic infraction of SuperSport rules) but were still within legal specifications for the class. In fact, the engine cases were machined and well outside of legal specifications. The cylinder base-gasket surfaces on the HypeICycie number-1 bike had 0.018 of an inch of metal removed. The engine case of the HyperCycie number-69 bike was also machined, and found to be 0.014 of an inch outside of legal specifications. An appeal board examined the evidence and concurred with the results of the AMA technical investigation: SuperSport rules require that engine cases remain stock: Removing metal from the engine case, surface treatments or blueprinting is prohibited. Cycle News correctly reported that removing any metal from SuperSport engine cases is an automa tic infraction. Second, in reports in Cycle News and other media outlets, AMA Pro Racing has been accused of unfairly treating Team HyperCycie Suzuki owner Carry Andrew. To the contrary, Mr. Andrew has been found in a position of responsibility for equipment violations several times over the past two seasons. During the 1997 season, riders on Mr. Andrew's teams were disqualified twice for technical violations. When the punishments of his team were upheld through the appeals process this year, Mr. Andrew was clearly warned, both verbally and in writing, that any future violations would cause the AMA to exercise its right to exclude him from future events. This is a punishment .the AMA can apply to any credential holder who fails to abide by the rules, and is clearly outlined on page 64 of the 1998 AMA Pro Racing rulebook. Third, Scott Rousseau's column in the May 20 issue of Cycle News asserts that punishment for all rule violations should be applied in an idealistic, blackand-white fashion. Selection of punishment can admittedly be subjective. However, in all technical-violation cases, AMA Pro Racing identifies the responsible parties, considers the severity of an infraction and its impact on the outcome of a race, then assesses penalties or fines relative to the violations. The integrity of the SuperSport classes is based on the rigorous enforcement of strict technical rules. While the AMA reserves .the right to scrutinize any motorcycle entered in cOll'\petition, anyone who wins or places at a SuperSport National is liable for close scrutiny, including a mandatory postrace impound and detailed technical inspection. This procedure is well-known by all parties involved. Merrill Vanderslice director of competition AMA Pro Racing Westerville, OH Hawg tech Harley rules! Five years to develop an air-cooled, twin-cam-in-bJock pushrod motor. I am speechless... Chip Morton chipmorton@earthlink.net Open politics The AMA and its "Pro Racing" subsidiary have hired Don Emde and Tom Mueller to seek partnerships with sponsors that will infuse much-needed capi-' tal into the Grand National and Hotshoe programs. Yet these same leaders of America's 220,000 dues-paying motorcyclists are sanctioning a no-count, B.S. glitter event not 300 miles from the final Grand National of the year at Del Mar. How would a large corporate sponsor feel if his annual sched uled event had another event dumped in on his date and region by the sanctioning body? Would ASCAR do that? Is it any wonder what has happened to flat track racing? For the uninformed, a Westerner will drive 300 miles for a good Mexican restaurant or a dirt track race. Dennis Suter Lancaster, CA No politics, please The AMA-sanctioned U.s. Supercross Open in Las Vegas sounds fantastic. It should develop into one of the great events of the year. I am certainly tempt- registered U.S. Patent Office. All rights reserved. Leiters to the editor should be sent to Voices, Cycle News, P.O. Box S084, Costa Mesa, CA 92628-5084, faxed to 7141751-6685 or e-mail, editor@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News, Inc, Letters should not exceed 200 words and all letters are subject to editing. Anonymous leiters will not be considered for publication. All letters should contain the writer's name, ad~ess and daytime phone num- . ber ... Editor. INSIDE IsM 122 June 10, 1998 • FEATURES DEPARTMENTS ROAD RACE Rounds 6 & 7 - AMA/MBNA ational Championship Superbike Series from Braselton, Georgia 6 LEADERBOARD 30 Round 5 - World Champion hip Road Race Series from France 16 EVENTS 31 MOTOCROSS RESULTS 46 AMA Western National Four-Stroke MX Series from Anderson, California 22 CALENDAR .49 Round 6 - 250cc World Championship MX Series from England 26 WANT ADS .58 Round 4 -125cc World Championship MX Series from England 27 GUEST EDITORIAL .............•........................ 75 24 LOOKING BACK Printed in U.S.A. Copyrightc Cyete News, lnc. 1998. Trademark Cycle News ed to travel from California to attend. However, because the AMA has allowed the event to become politicized, J will boycott it instead. A portion of aU ticket sales to the event will be donated to the Blue Ribbon Coalition, which parades itself as a "nonprofit" public-interest organization, particularly when fund-raising. The truth is, however, that it is a very politicized organization (at least the main office is) that demonizes and ridicules environmentalists and supports and receives support from industries such as. mining, logging and cattle ranching, all of which not coincidentally cause great (and unnecessary) damage to the environment for profit. [ have ridden and raced dirt bikes for nearJy 30 years now. I also own a fourwheel-drive vehicle which I take deep into undeveloped ar.eas. I love off-roading, and spend thousands of dollars a year on the sport. I am, however, also an environmentalist, partly as a result of having on many occasions seen the vast, vast destruction done by the industries with whom the Blue Ribbon Coalition has developed alliances. (Tell me how much fun it is to" ride a dirt bike or a horse through a clear-cut forest where all you· can see is devastation from skyline to skyline.) I do not want to support an organization that J;outinely trashes me and other dirt bikers who also happen to be environmentalists, nor do I care to support an organization that facilitates large,scale environmental destruction for profit. To the AMA, I ask that you not allow your even ts to be poli ticized. There's no need for it, and the sport will suifer if you do. Steven X. Schwenk San Francisco, CA INTERVIEW Dirt tracker Billy Martin : 75 ON THE FRONT COVER Anthony Gobert (95) battled with Miguel DuHamel (17) all weekend at Road Atlanta, with the pair splitting wins in the AMA Superbike doubleheader. Photo by Henny Ray Abrams.

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