Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

In the \Vind The team of Jonah Street and Torsten Bostrom, aboard a Honda XR600, won the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, which started and finished in Ensendada, Baja California, Mexico, June 5-6. The duo finished the 449-mile course in eight hours, 49 minutes and nine seconds, with a 50.75-mph speed average. They also claimed the fastest overall time over the course for any vehicle in the race. It was the first SCORE race victory for both Street and Bostrom. Finishi;ng second overall was the Honda XR600 team of Johnny Campbell and Greg Bringle. They crossed the finish line nine minutes and 10 seconds behind the winning Street-and-Bostrom team. Third overall went to the Yamaha YZ400-mounted team of Chuck Dampsey and Tim Staab. Ty Davis (Yam) was the big winner at the Idaho Ci.ty Two-Day Qualifier in Idaho City, Idaho, June 5-6. Destry Abbott (Kaw) waS second both days, while Brian Garrahan (KTM) and Russell Pearson (KTM) traded third and fourth places over the weekend. Fifth place both days was filled by Mike Lafferty (KTM). The event also counted to'ward the AMA Acerbis National Enduro Series Championship - rounds seven and eight. In the Acerbis Enduro Series, Davis increased his lead to 223 points, followed by Lafferty with 150 and Randy Hawkins with 145. Former AMA National Hillclimb Champion Tim Frazier (H-D) nailed down his first 800cc National-class win in five years when he set fast time of the day at the York, Peru:tsylvania, round of the AMA National Championship Hillclimb Series on June 6. Glen Petty Jr. (H-D) finishe~ second, and defending 800cc series champion James Large (H-D) was third. In the 540cc class, Chad Disbennett led a Triumph sweep of the top. three positions. John Hamilton Jr. was second, and Phil Libhart was third. Chris Carr (ATK) won the Peoria Nationai Hot Shoe IT at the PMC Race Park in Peoria, lllinois, on June 6. Carr battled it out with Joe Kopp (Rtx), who finished second in a close race. Dan Stanley (Rtx) was third. Doug Vancil won the Top Fuel class at the AHDRA Buckeye Nationals at Norwalk Raceway Park in Norwalk, Ohio, on June 6. Vancil also set a national record of 6.62 seconds for the quartermile, crossing the finish line at 210 mph en route to defeating Jake Silcox for the Top Fuel ti·tle. Mick Doohan had the following to say from his California hotel room after watching Alex Criville win the Italian GP at Mugello, Italy: '1t was a bit different watching from 2000 miles away instead of racing. Alex is doing a good job, and hopefully that continues, because that's what I'd like to see for our team and for him." Doohan has remained in California, where he has been treated for the injuries stemming from his crash while practicing for the Spanish GP. "I'm staying at a hotel in San Francisco," Doohan said. "It's near where the doctors are treating me. I can get out and go for a meal, but the doctors don't want me· doing too much. I'll be staying here until I'm fit enough to walk out. In late June I'll.be going to the Assen and Donington (park) GPs - hopefully I'll be on crutches by then. After that I'll corne back to San Francisco for more rehabilita tion. I want to keep seeing the sa.II).e doctors who say the same things rather than see another doctor who may have a different idea on what I should be doing. These doctors have done a fantastic job. I never expected to be doing this well so soon after the operation." Doohan said he still has high hopes that he.. will be ready for the Czech Republic GP, but he also said that he will ride only if he is 100 percent physically. "Mentally, 1 am 100 percent," Doohan . said. Pichon released by Team Honda . 'A I I ; ~ Q • i vi "'; § .., 2 ccording to a press, release from American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Mickael Pichon (right) has been released from the remainder of his 1999 racing contract. "Mr. Pichon was notified of his release on Friday, June 4, and he will not be competing in further races on behalf of the Honda Racing Team," the release states. "Mr. Pichon was dismissed for his unprofessional conduct at round 3 of the AMA 250cc National Motocross Series in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, on May 30. Mr. Pichon allegedly struck a track official during, an aItercation that was witnessed by several people, including Team Honda members." "Michael Pichon and Honda had agreed that he would leave the Honda Racing Team at the end of this season for personal reasons," said Honda vice president Ray Blank. "However, this kind of unprofessional conduct is not condoned by American Honda and we want to say that his behavior is not representative of Honda in any way whatsoever. We are very sorry that this situation occurred and we apologize to the AMA, track officials, and the Coombs family (the event promoters) on behalf of Honda." Last week we reported in our coverage of the Mount Morris 250cc National Motocross that Pichon and his father were involved in a skirmish with the AMA and parking officials on Saturday afternoon, May 29, after they inadvertently parked their rental car in front of the artlbulances. Pichon was also fined $3000 by the AMA. Loram takes Swedish S eedwa GP W ild-card entry Mark Loram stormed to a stunning win in a rain-affected Swedish Grand Prix at the Linkoping track and made himself a favorite to win a wild-card entry to the British GP next month. Loram, who.had a dissapointing 1998 Grand Prix year, is clearly getting his career back on track after winning the British Final at Coventry a fortnight ago, followed by his heroics in Linkoping. He was easily the most spectacular rider on show, with some superb moves that brought the enthusiastic Swedish crowd to its feet. The meeting was in serious danger of being washed out after heat 10, with torrential rain almost flooding the track, and a delay of just over an hour was the resul t. Grand Prix race director Ole Olsen urged the riders to remain pa tient and give it their best effort as he instructed track staff to mix in some dry shale to make the racing surface acceptable. The weather forecast proved to be perfect and no rain followed, allowing track conditions to improve and helping to provide some exciting racing. There was the usua I offering of controversy that seems to follow every round of the Grand Prix series, a perfect example of which came in heat 19 when former World Champion Greg Hancock was robbed of the chance to progress for delaying the start. "1 was trying to clear my goggles; the conditions were poor and the referee had no idea what we were going through, although he said he gave me an extra 15 seconds," Hancock said. "He ruined my chances of going further, and I was ab olutely furious with the decision - it was out of order and only created a further delay." . Billy Hamill, the 1996 World Champion, was an early casualty when he went out in the early stages and managed only four points, which already ends any realistic hopes of him gaining a top fini h in the series - even at this early stage. John Hipkiss American Honda's Miguel DuHamel fractured his left femur when he crashed during the 600cc Supersport Series £inaI at Road Atlanta on June 6. DuHamel is scheduled to be operated on by Dr. Arthur Ting on either Wednesday or Thursday to repair the damaged leg. Al though the injury is to the same leg that DuHamel broke badly last June, the injury is higher on the leg and he didn't do any further damage to the existing injury. Yamaha's Rich Oliver suffered a broken , left arm and a broken right elbow when he crashed during the Superbike National at Road Atlanta on June 6. Oliver is also scheduled to be worked on by Dr. Arthur Ting at some pOint this week. According to the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club, Chuck Graves is the leading money winner at Willow Springs International Raceway through five of 12 rounds of club racing in 1999. Graves has earned $6900 thus far. Curtis Adams is second on the list, with $3640. Bryan Kovarick is third, having earned $1960. Graves also leads the all-time WSMC money-winners 'list, with $59,860. WSMC has paid out $39,296 in cash awards for 1999 and $457,640 since December of 1991. Miller Brewing Company and HarleyDavidson have joined forces for a summer promotion tha t will offer consumers the chance to win HarleyDavidson motorcycles, and introduce a special limited-edition Miller Lite/ Harley-Davidson design for the HarleyDavidson factory superbike team and three of Miller's auto-racing teams. Some 35 Harley-Davidsons will be given away through a national sweepstakes (where legal) during Miller's "Instant Summer, Just Add Beer" promotional campaign. In addition, the MBNA Superbike Series Harley-Davidson VR1000s ridden by Pascal Picotte and Scott Russell, the NASCAR 'Winston Cup Ford driven by Rusty Wallace, the CART FedEx Championship Series Reynard/Ford driven by Max Papis and the NHRA Prudhomme Racing Top Fuel dragster driven by Larry Dixon will sport limited-edition graphics in their respective series races from June 6 through August 1. "This partnership brings together two legendary names in the sport of racing," Harley-Davidson chairman and CEO Jeff Blustein said. "There's a love for racing among all our customers, and this program gives Harley~Davidson and Miller Lite racing fans the opportunity to enjoy both twowheel and four-wheel racing." The richest weekend in dirt track racing history is scheduled to take place at the Springfield Mile in Springfield, lllinois, on Labor Day weekend, and a limited number of fans can enjoy the event in VIP style. Special VIP packages are now on sale for both the $100,000 Dirt Track Hall of Fame race and the Springfield Mile round of the AMA Grand National Dirt Track Series presented by Drag Specialties as part of a joint promotion between the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association and Speed vision racing announcer Dave Despain. The package includes VIP parking both days, a souvenir credential and holder, a commemorative T-shirt and cap, souvenir program, guided pit tour, autograph sessions with Hall of Fame Race riders and inductees, infield hospitality center with bar and closed-circuit TV and catered lunch both days, and admission to the Saturday night Hall of Fame Induction Banquet dinner. "The VIP package was one of the most popular features of last year's inaugural Dirt Track Hall of Fame weekend," event host Despain said. "Our postrace surveys indicated a high degree of cus-

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