Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

GUEST EDITORIAL BY DEAN ADAMS s unlikely as it may seem, Minnesota is actually a hotbed of amateur and professional motorcycle racing. This may seem improbable, from an outsider's viewpoint, in a state where for much of the year the plains are hooded with snow and bone-chilling temperatures. Yet, on both levels, the racing scene is thriving, as is evidenced by the strong amateur racing programs throughout the state and the fact that last ye.ar Minnesota had more AMA ationals than any state besides California. (In 1997 Minnesota had an AMA road race at Brainerd; an outdoor Motocross National at Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, a facility run by former Enduro champion John Martin and his wife, Greta; a one-mile Grand National dirt track race outside of Minneapolis; a Hillclimb National; a National Enduro at Ackley; and the big daddy of them all, the Minneapolis Supercross at the Metrodome.) Minnesota is slowly evolving into a regional force in the motorcycle-manufacturing arena as well. ExcelsiorHenderson hopes to produce their fust motorcycles next year, Polaris' Victory will arrive at the dealer level this fall, and the money behind the (for-now-prototype) Norton 1500cc Neme is comes straight from March Motors in, you guessed it, Minnesota. After nearly a 40-year dry spell, Grand National dirt track racing returned to Minnesota in 1997. Previously, four half mile races were held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in 5t. Paul from 1954 to 1958, with the grea t Carroll Resweber winning the last two. In 1997, former Grand National Championship rider-turnedpromoter Dave Durelle promoted the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes' firstever mile dirt track National at Canterbury Park, a premier horse-racing facility in Shakopee, about 20 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. Durelle is a former AMA dirt track racer. He raced the Grand National series full time from 1982 through 1995, won a Camel Challenge race at 5an Jose, finished second to Scott Parker at Indy in 1992, and again second to Kevin Atherton at Indy in 1995. Durelle's best career championsh~p placing was eighth in 1991. Presently he promotes Amateur dirt track races in Minnesota. It has been shown in recent years that Grand National riders can do an extremely competent job at promoting A Grand National events, and Durelle's own presentation supports that trend. In his first chance at promoting at the top level of dirt track racing, Durelle did a commendable job; the race itself had major sponsorship help from Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycles and the Minnesota arm of 5ubway sandwich shops.. In addition, the event was held at one of the leading horse-racing facilities in the Midwest - perhaps in the United 5tates - and it was wellattended by the area's motorcycle-racing fans. According to Durelle, approximately 7500 Minnesota fans attended the 1997 Minnesota Mile, a ~ace run on loamy soil and won by Harley-Davidson's Scott Parker. Durelle says that he feels a firstyear crowd of over 7000 was both exceptional and indicative of the promise of bigger crowds as the even t gains momentum through the years. "We had people at the race saying they were coming back next year with 10 of their friends," he says. "The racing was good and people really seemed to enjoy it." From his standpoint, as the man who put his own money on the line to stage the event, the Minnesota Mile was a positive affair. "Looking a t the big picture, the race was very successful," Durelle continues. "We didn't lose money - it covered itself financially - and the fans that came out had a good time. The racing was grea t, even though it was a cushion track. Everybody seemed to go home happy. It was nice, I think, for the Minnesota fan that was intrigued by Grand National dirt track racing that he'd seen on television or read about to be able to see a mile race without driving to Illinois. I'm sure the crowd, and the race, would have been bigger this year." Only, there isn't going to be a Minnesota Mile race in 1998, and it appears that there won't be one for some time, according to Durelle. "I guess I really don't understand why we don't have a race this year at Canterbury Park," he states. "The track had an opportunity to have either a dirt track motorcycle race there, or a country-music concert. They chose to have country music." The facility does hold a snowmobile race in the winter, and will have the Lillith Fair concert this summer. Evidently, last year the track personnel were alarmed at how much YEARS AGO... UNE 27, 1968 R end." He and the AMA conducted );ound tests at the event, and those tests, according to Durelle, showed their n.oise levels were under the limit set by local ordinances. The track contends, according to Durelle, that their own noise tests (conducted by technicians hired by track officials) showed the bikes to be too 'loud, but they wouldn't give him the results o( their test. For Durelle, the Minnesota Mile being canceled was, for him, the end of a long line of peculiar situations with the Canterbury Park track people. "I think, bottom line, they just didn't want to have a motorcycle • race," he contends. Durelle and company have searched for another venue to host the 1998 Minnesota Mile, but their search has been unsuccessful thus far. "That's not likely," says Durelle of the Minnesota Mile being held at another facility. "We tried to get something going with the people at Cedar Lake Speedway, a short-track event, after we were canceled at Canterbury, but it was just too late for them to get us on their schedule this year." Cedar Lake 5peedway is in Richmond, Wisconsin, by the way, which will make having a Minnesota Mile 20 YEARS AGO... JUNE 14, 1978 ur cover showed 'fine folks enjoying a day out and about on their motorcycles and in their campers in Red Rock, California, which is something that fine olks are no longer legally allowed to do unless they ave the right kind of bike and the right kind of per'ts,,", Mel Lacher (H-D) stepped up and grabbed the eature win at the Ascot Half Mile, while Skip Vaneeuwen (Tri) grabbed the Ascot TT victory ... Al ogers (Tri) was the man to beat at the Cherry Creek ational Hare Championship Hare & Hound in Eureka, • tah... BSA was hot, as its two-page advertising spread howed. The marque was scoring wins in motocross, at track, hillclirnb, IT scrambles and road race events... en as now, the racing was fast and fierce at the Lodi ycle Bowl. Paul Johnson (Bul) beat Bob Grossi (Mon) o win the Amateur-Expert main event at the fabled lubgrounds. noise a pack of angry Harley-Davidson XR750, 883 and Honda R5750 dirt track machines put out. Complaints surfaced from angry residential neighbors who grumbled about the clamor coming from both the race bikes and the motorcycles ridden by the spectators as they left the even t. . Durelle explains the major problem was that the 1997 event ran late - past 10:30 p.m. - and it's his contention that the specific complaint of homeowners near the track was tha t it was a loud show late at night - not just tha t it was a loud show. "I went around and ta.Iked to the neighbors and learned that it wasn't just a problem of the motorcycles being so loud," Durelle sayd. "Their beef was that loud bikes at four in the afternoon are one thing, but at 10:30 at night, they're quite another. We were going to have the event finish up earlier this year, and I had the neighbors sign a document stating that if that was the case, they didn't have a problem with the race. The track people were shocked that I did that, but they said it didn't change things on their O e.me.mber the question posed on last week's cover? Well, the answer was a resounding no, as Heikki Mikkola (Yam) came to the U.S. GP 500cc MX at Carlsbad, California, and kicked our butts. Mikkola put together 3-1 motos, while American hopeful Brad Lackey (Han) could only muster DNF-2 moto scores for ninth overall... Jay Springsteen won, and lost, at the Louisville Half Mile Grand National. After scoring his second straight Grand National main-event victory, the factory Harley rider lost his bike when former H-D factory rider and fellow GNC champ Gary Scoll posted $6500 and claimed the machine... Mike Sixberry (Yam) won the Open Expert class at the Anaheim Hi-Siders D37 Grand Prix in Trabuco Canyon, California... Drew Smith (Suz) was the top man at the Oregon State National Enduro... We interviewed top American road racer Dale Singleton. there difficult. The 51. Paul Fairgrounds, scene of the AMA dirt track races of old, was also under considera tion by Durelle, but the venue is now a paved asphalt track, and this would require Durelle to haul in his own earth. "It's just too bad," says Durelle of the Minnesota Mile being axed. "It showed so much promise; and at the same time, it helps local riders to nurture their riding and sponsorship opportunities if they have a professional event in their own state. Dirt track racing in Minnesota has been slowly building steam for the pa t five years, and we now have five different Minnesota tracks that hold amateur dirt track races. We've got a lot of promising dirt tracke.rs: Adam Henricks, Shawn Burr, Josh Koch and Anthony Gardner, plus a lot more." To illustrate how strong Minnesota dirt track racing is, Durelle says that some of the biggest fields he sees in Amateur AMA dirt track racing in Minnesota are in the mini-bike classes, in which grids full of Yamaha PW50s, Kawasaki KX60s and KTM50s ridden by youngsters battle it out. "From our viewpoint, it's upsetting," says the AMA's director of competition, Merrill Vanderslice. "The Minnesota Mile was a promising event, and the promoter did such a good initial job at promoting the event,. that for it to be canceled because of a supposed noise problem is unfair. Especially whe.n Dave Durelle went as far as to get the cooperation and consent for another event from the neighbors." Vanderslice seems to think that the motorcycles at the Minnesota Mile last year were not as loud as some feel they were. "The motorcycles passed our noise test, which is based on the standards set by the California Fair Board, which is said to be the strictest in the country," Vanderslice says. Durelle can now only reflect on his one chance to promote an AMA National, as it seems his opportunity to promote another in Minnesota won't happen soon. "We sit around at my office sometimes and say, 'We really did it! We really promoted a Mile, successfully! We put on a great show, didn't we?'" Durelle says. "Because it's always been a dream of mine to do that." eN 10 YEARS AGO... JUNE 8, 1988 ur cover was all about the Springfield Mile, where Bubba Shobert (Han) won a thriller over Scott Parker (H-D) and Rodney Farris (Hon). Chris Carr won the 600cc National on the same day... Ricky Johnson (Hon) and Guy Cooper (Hon) beat the heat and the competition at the High Point National 125/250cc .MX to take top honors in their respective classes... Eddie Lawson (Yam) won the ltalian GP in Imola, ltaly, beating Waynes Gardner (Hon) and Rainey, who joined him on the podium... Dominique Sarron (Hon) won the 250cc GP earlier in the day... Eric Geboers (Hon) moved to within 22 points of teammate Dave Thorpe with a victory at the Finnish 500cc MXGP... Steve Aseltine (Rtx) and Bob Hannah (Suz) were the stars of the short track and motocross portions cB of the Boise IT weekend in Idaho. O 00 0\. 0\ ,..... o ,..... § 75

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