Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

new motocross track opened up in our area, which is always a good thing. But when I heard that this particular track was going to be tailored more toward the "Vet" rider - meaning less emphasis would be placed on double jumps - I thought this was going to be more than just good. This was going to be awesome. You see, I'm just not a doublejumper. Never have been, never will be, and I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit it. I grew my racing roots just before double' jumps started getting popular, and I never really got the chance to develop a good feel for them before "real" life kicked into full gear and my racing opportunities became fewer and farther between. In this day in age, not being a "jumper" is not a good thing. Where I live (in the Southern California area), there are at least five or six motocross facilities within a few hours' drive of my house. Most of them are loaded with doubles, triples and tabletop jumps, so not being a jumper certainly curtails the amount of fun [ can have on these tracks - especially when it comes to racing on them. Sure, there are a few doubles I can safely negotiate and actually have fun doing, but inevitably, every track has at least one or two monster doubles or triples that I simply cannot or will not attempt. After all, there's that garage door at home that needs to be fixed, the lawn tha t needs to be mowed, the brakes qp my wife's car tha t need to be replaced, and the paych.eck that needs to be earned come Monday morning. When I was a kid, these were my parents' problems. Now they're mine. For me, and maybe for you, too, the risk of corning up a foot short over a double or triple just isn't worth it. But before I go any further, let me clear one thing up right away: This is not an anti-double-jump column, so you can go ahead and put that pen A 30 YEARS AGO... JUNE 10, 1969 and paper down, or log off of your may as well not even show up. Corne computer. Actually, I don't have a to think of it, Tdon't. But I'm not the problem with double jumps at all. In only one. fact, I don't have a problem with Over the' years, I've had countless track owners filling up their tracks conversations with "old" racing budwith doubles, triples, tabletops and dies and people I've met who say many other "man-made" obstacles. they simply do not race or own After all, these are the things many motocross bikes anymore because of motocrossers want nowadays, espethe doubles. Like me, many of my cially the younger ones. (Have you friend' weekends are filled to capacnoticed all the built-up mounds of ity with "normal" life activities. And, dirt sprouting up in empty lots and even if they did ride, they'd only fields around your neighborhood manage to make it to the track every lately? Bicycles, motorcycles, it so often - but with doubles, this simdoesn't really matter - doubles are in ply will not do. Racing on tracks and kids love 'ern.) It's also because with doubles and triples require a of doubles and triples that the sport steady dose of practice to maintain of supercross, especially, has become that edge, that confidence and, peras popular as it has for rider and haps most importantly, that timing. spectator alike. As a result, the Many of us simply don't have the motocross industry has luxury of racing every weekend with practice in flourished. Doubles are here to sta y, as they very between to stay sharp. I well should be. know that I can't go out hen I heard Anyway, my exciteand start launching that this ment quickly turned to. myself over the doubles particular disa ppoin tmen t during when I haven't ridden for track was going to be my first lap around this a while. tailored more toward new track. Like many of Tracks without doutile "Vet" rider the other tracks, the exit of bles and triples, however, meaning less emphajust about every turn sets aren't nearly as demandsis would be placed you up for a ramp for ing on your timing skills, on double jumps - 1 and the consequences are either a double, triple or thollght this was tabletop jump. Even not nearly as high. Sure, going to be more than though I did work up my you can roll over double just good. This was nerve to jump most of and triple jumps, but you going to be awesome. them, a few were well still run the risk of getbeyond the personal limits ting landed on by anothI've set. er rider. I've heard all too Not being able to double the many people say that they would jumps is one thing, but what really consider buying a motocross bike bothers me the most is the fact tha t and get back into racing again if by not doing one or two of the douthere were more Vet-oriented tracks bles on the track, I'm pretty much out there. They simply don't want to rendered noncompetitive. Now that look over and see a skid plate passbugs me. I might be getting older, ing them. but that competitive thing is still as It seems to me that motocross has young as ever. I can still get through changed to where one track just the turns, whoops and off-cambers won't do anymore. There used to be (do they even have those anymore?) a time when everyone could go out okay, but when you concede two or and ride or compete on one track, three seconds over doubles (possibly where honing one's skills over a two or three times a lap), well, you variety of obstacles (corners, r----------, W 20 YEARS AGO... JUNE 6,1979 Speedway was the Who else but Bob IIHurricane" Hanhappening topic in nah (Yam) could Issue #21. We provided roundy-round fans leap out of the great with a 4p-page issue blue yonder and onto packed with info on the our Issue #21 cover? brakeless, fuel-burning Hannah did so for machines and the men good reason, as he who rode them. Amerionce again smoked can rider DeWayne the 250cc class in the Keeter was profiled, and Atlanta, Georgia, we gave you pics and round of the AMA tidbits on most of the 250cc National ChamWorld Championship ",r'~-~= pionship MX Series. ",••".C.lij. .,,_....,.1......... ~··Ctk._ Also at Atlanta, Danny contenders, such as former World Champions LaPorte (Suz) backed Barry Briggs and Ove up his win in the openFundin and reigning World Champion Ivan Mauger. ing round of the AMA We alsp showed you the burgeoning scene in Southern 500cc National Championship MX Series in MassachuCalifornia, where riders such as Steve and Mike Bast, setts with another, this one, like the last, coming via 1-1 Rick Woods and Sonny Nutter were beginning to scores... Harley-Davidsons and Michiganders 'Swept the become household names... Evel Knievel was soaring AMA Grand National round at Laurel, Maryland, as Jay Springsteen (H-D) led Garth Brow (H-D) and Scott on American Eagle motorcycles... In dirt track racing, Parker (H-D) across the finish line to take the win... several riders were beginning to gear up with new motorcycles that conformed to the AMA rule changes Gerrit Wolsink (Suz) won the World 500cc MX GP in for the following year. Not content to wait for the factoSweden, while Kenny Roberts (Yam) took an impresry, privateer. rider Robert Butler elected to build his sive win in the 500cc GP road race at Imola, Italy... We also took a look at the trick 250cc works motocrossers own XL-based overhead-valve 750cc Harley-Davidson engine, while Johnny DeMoisey had prepared a Tribeing campaigned on the AMA circuit by Yamaha, umph Trident three-cylinder machine. Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda. whoops, uphills, downhllls, off-cambers, etc.) and increasing one's stamina meant the difference between winning or losing - not just whether or not you have the nerve to double. I feel as though motocross facilities could now benefit by maintaining two tracks - the first and foremost, of course, being tracks featuring more man-made obstacles so young riders can develop their skills to perhaps one day become supercross or outdoor National champions just like many of them do now. The otber track, however, should be designed with us Vets in mind; after all, those older generations of motocrossers are now Vets and Seniors and hold down steady and well-paying jobs (at least in theory) and can afford to buy bikes but have no place to ride them. Yes, it would no doubt cost the track owner more money to run and maintain an additional track, but I think that the additional revenue it would bring in would outweigh the extra cost and manpower to operate one more track. I know I would be more inclined to go racing, as would many of my 30- and 40-something friends. Also, having a Vet track would give us something to do while Junior is out practicing his nac-nacs on the main track. Actually, some .of my local MX parks do have secondary, less "jumpy" tracks, but those tracks are often ignored, left to bake in the sun while the main track gets all the water and attention. In Australia, I've been told, where they have motocross series that feature double-jump-Iess tracks, they're having huge success all over the country, pulling young and old riders in droves. Is there something to be learned here? Again, I'm not bashing doubles, but I do think there is a need for more natural-terra in-type tracks out there, not for just vintage bikes, but for modern bikes and their not-somodern pilots as well. t:II 10 YEARS AGO... MAY 31, 1989 "In the Wind" ran a photo of newlywed couple Scott and Wanda Parker, who were married in Flint, Michigan, on May 6. Just three weeks later, Scott Parker (H-D) was hanging it out on the San Jose Mile, where he claimed the vidory. Doug Chandler (Hon) finished second, and Chris Carr (H-D) was third... Honda teammates Larry Ward and Jeff Stanton won the 125cc and 250cc titles, respectively, at round four of the AMA 125/250cc MX Championship Series in Southwick, Massachusetts... Pier-Francesco Chili (Hon) wound up the big loser by winning the Italian Grand Prix. Chili was the sole works rider who refused to boycott the event in the Misano rain, and he wound up triumphing over a pack of just 13 riders, much to the disappointment of 73,000 of his countrymen. Simon Buckmaster (Hon) was second, and Michael Rudroff (Hon) was third..: Scott Plessinger (Yam) narrowly defeated Ed Lojak (Yam) for the win at the Hookstown National Hare Scrambles in Pennsylvania. CIf I " iI! III :l! ~ ... 0 . g: ... '" C'i CD C ...., '" 67

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