Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

e o n U Mike Lafferty (KTM) took top honors at the AMA/FMF National Enduro in For· est Hill. Louisiana, on April 1. Second place went to Clay Boering (G·G), fol· lowed by Matt Stavish (G·G), Randy Hawkins (Yam). and Rodney Judson (G·G). Lafferty has won ail four rounds thus far and enjoys a cqmmand· ing 59·point lead over Fred Hoess. who finished eighth in Louisiana. 120·61. Tied for third with 57 points are Hawkins and Stavish. Richard Lafferty is fifth with 55 pOints. o o Terry Vance has been honored by the NHRA with his inclusion into their list of the top 50 NHRA "Drivers" of all time. The following is a story written for NHRA by Cycle News contributor Kevin McKenna as it appears on the NHRA website at www.nhra.com: Long before Matt Hines and Angelle Savoie became the main attractions in the Pro Stock Bike class, and even before the late Dave Schultz and John Myers fought the first of their many histqric battles, Terry Vance was the undisputed ruler of motorcycle drag racing. Vance and c p 8 o Brian Brown (Kaw) scored the overail win at the AMA National Hare & Hound in Murphy, Idaho. April 1. The runner·up was Destry Abbott (Kaw), with Shane Esposito (Kaw), Ty Davis (Yam) and Russ Pearson (KTM) rounding out the top five overall. o o o Five·time defending National Arenacross Champion Buddy Antunez (Suz) split wins with Yamaha of Troy's Justin Buckelew at the Hilton·West Promotions Arenacross in Costa Mesa, Caii· fornia. on March 31. Antunez topped the 250cc final, ahead of David Pingree (KTM). Kevin Johnson (Yam), Ty Kady (Suz) and Donald Upton (Suz). while Buckelew topped the 125cc final. ahead of Pingree, Johnson, Bryan McGavran (Hus) and Antunez. E o o 8 o longtime partner and engine builder Byron Hines were the heart and soul of NHRA two· wheel racing for the better part of two decades, and few would argue that, without their Influence, there might not be a Pro Stock Bike class today. During his career, which lasted from the mid-1970s until his retirement in 1988, no one won more races or did more to promote the sport than Vance. Armed with equal amounts of talent, motivation and desire, the Southem California native claimed 27 NHRA national event victories in Top Fuel Bike and Pro Stock Bike, and his 101-21 career record in Pro Stock Bike eliminations ranks amon9 the sport's all-time best, regardless of class. Vance was barely old enough to drive when he began racing his motorcycle at Uons Dragstrip in Southem California in the early 1970s. At Lions, Vance met Hines, who had just retumed from a tour of duty in Vietnam. With Vance's riding talents and Hines' engine-building and tUning ability, they formed a virtually unbeatable combination. One of their first projects was a double-engine 750cc Honda that once won a remarkable 22 of 23 races in Top Gas. Buming gasoline, Vance's Honda held its own against some of the era's qUicker Top Fuel bikes. John Reynolds CDuc) won both legs of the opening round of the British Superbike Championship at Donington Park in England, on April 1. Reynolds topped Steve Hislop (Duc) and John Crawford (Suz) to win the first race, then came back to beat James Haydon (Yam) and Crawford in race two. c o o o o Dan Hart (CCM) scored a runaway win in the Open Pro main event at the Hanford TT during the opening round of Gene Romero's E-moola.com West Coast Flat Track Series at Kings Speedway in Hanford. California, on March 31. Reigning West Coast Flat Track Champion Ronnie Brown (Yam) landed in the runner-up spot after a race-long battle with Washington TT specialist J.P. Simonsen (Rtx). Robert Cunnington (Yam) won the Open Vintage main event, and Josh Chisum (Hon) won the 250cc Novice Modified Production main event. Series (the 125cc class is divided into two regions in Canada, much like the U.S. Supercross Series). Sprenkel, who will also hit the first few rounds of the American Chevy Trucks National Motocross Series (on a CR250), wiil team with Marco Dube, who will race a KTM for the squad in the 250cc class. o o o Road racer Jason DiSalvo crashed out of the opening round of the 250cc British Championship at Donington Park on April 1 while running second. The 17year-old from Batavia, New York, qualified fourth on his Honda and was lying second when disaster struck on the fourth lap. "I made a mistake and ran in too hot into the final turn and just lost the front end. I guess I paid a heavy price for my mistake," said a disappointed but otherwise uninjured DiSalvo. o 8 o o o o o Cycle News test rider Chris Sprenkel. who has been spending some time lately helping out Honda with reliability testing in Southern California. has signed a deal with Montreal. Canada's Team Pro-Tech to contest the 125cc Eastern portion of the Canadian National Motocross o '0 2 APRIL 11, 2001 • cue I • Motorcyclists across the country raised more than $4 million for charities in 2000 through fund-raising rides, rallies and events sanctioned by the AMA, according to the AMA. AMA clubs and promoters staged more than 3300 events last year, many of them fund-raisers for various charities. As is the case over the last several years, the PediatriC Brain Tumor Foundation topped the list of beneficiaries with $1.9 million in contributions. Rounding out the top five are: The March of Dimes - St. LouiS Motorcycle Club, which garnered $145,000: the Chapter IX of the Blue Knights in New Jersey, with $62,000 in donations; The Motorcycle Miracle Tour in Montgomery, Pennsylvania, with $60.000: and the Employee Rider Association, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with $51,000 n e _ s Vance entered the NHRA arena at a time when motorcycle drag racing was struggling to gain credibility on the crowded landscape. He once recalled the first NHRA event for Pro Stock Bikes, the 1977 Summernationals in Englishtown. "We won the event but didn't get any prize money: Vance said. "In fact, they had to give us Don Garllts' Top Fuel trophy to hold in the winner's circle because they didn't have one for the Pro Stock Bike class. They just thanked us for coming, and that was it." In the late 1970s, Top Fuel bikes began to gain popularity thanks to the efforts of riders like Elmer Trett, Bo O'Brochta, and Russ Collins. Vance and Hines built their own nitro-buming Suzuki and, on Aug. 2, 1984, Vance became the first motorcycle racer to record a six-second elapsed time with a 6.98 at Orange County Raceway in Southem California. Few individuals possess the talent or the nerve to manhandle a 1,000 horsepower Top Fuel motorcycle like Vance did, but he isn't afraid to admit that it often scared him. "I remember'riding it but, as I get older, I wonder why I did," said Vance in a 1994 interview with National Dragster. "When you're doing it, it's hard to explain - the emotional feeling, the adrenaline rush, the level of competition. I miss the feeling, but I don't miss the fear that it gave me. It's nice to have as a memory." Vance and Hines worked for Top Fuel Bike-racer Collins until 1980, when the dynamic duo decided to form their own company. Building custom exhaust systems and other motorcycle accessories, Vance and Hines' accomplishments in the business world mirrored their success on the racetrack, and their company quickly grew into one of the world's largest aftermarket motorcycle companies. Vance parked the Top Fuel Bike in 1984 and devoted his efforts to the Pro Stock Bike class. He capped his riding career by running the sport's first seven·second e.t., at the 1987 Chief Nationals in Dallas and, in 1988, he won four national events, inclUding the Winston Finals, the last race of his career. Unlike many professional athletes, Vance was able to walk away at the height of his career and never made another pass, and he did so with no regrets. More than a decade after he hung up his helmet, Vance looks today as if he could easily handle a modern 190-mph Pro Stock Bike, but he has always resisted the temptation to make a comeback. Vance, however, has remained a highly visible figure in motorsports. In addition to the Vance f, Hines business, he operated a successful AMA Superbike team with Yamaha and later with the Italian Ducati brand. Rider Thomas Stevens won the AMA Superbike title in 1991, and Eddie Lawson rode a Vance f, Hines Yamaha to a win in the Daytona 200 in 1993. Today, Vance is helping to guide the career of Hines' son, Matt, who has won three of the last four Winston Pro Stock Bike titles on the Vance f, Hines Eagle One Suzuki. He is also working to develop the new Vance f, Hines Screamin' Eagle Pro Stock Harley-Davidson, which is schedule to debut later this year. "Byron and I knew from the very beginning that' we wanted to be racers, and we wanted to gain respect by winning," said Vance. "But we also had a bigger plan: to have our business be in a very dominant position in the motorcycle market. Fortunately, we have achieved that. [ don't miss the politics of racing, but I do miss the sheer fun of riding a motorcycle to the envelope of performance." in donations. - AMA clubs and promoters have historically always been there for charities," says vice preSident of members' activities, Bill Amick. "Motorcyclists in general can be counted on, year in and year out to help where help is needed." Larry Bird, 57, a former AMA District 37 number-one-plate holder in both scrambles and motocross, succumbed to a lengthy battle with cancer on Friday. March 30. Bird was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 1999 and was given a few months to live. Active until a few days before the end, Bird died in his sleep with his wife, Carol, at his bedSide. After failing to return numerous phone calls on the subject. Competition Accessories finally issued a press release on the Aaron Slight departure. The release. which was issued on March 28, reads as follows: Competition Accessories Ducati confimned today what was rumored immediately after the Daytona 200, that Aaron Slight has decided to concentrate on his new career in automobile racing and did not feel comfort- able at this stage of his career in committing to the full AMA Superbike sea· son. "I enjoyed working with the team at Daytona, even though the race itself was rather bizarre." said Slight in the press release. "I see the makings of a real professional effort being put together by the Competition Accessories folks, but in the end I just didn't feel comfortable giving the full commitment that I think the effort deserved now that my British Touring Car Championship factory Peugeot deal is signed. I still enjoy motorcycle racing, and Tim Pritchard and I are still talking about the pOSSibility of my joining the team for Laguna Seca and the World Superbike race there as I'm familiar with the track, and it would be fun to get back on the track with World Superbike riders." ·We're disappointed that it worked out this way as Aaron's experience and professionalism had a positive impact on the team, even though he was only with us for the Willow testing and Daytona." said Pritchard. "We are staying in close contact, and Aaron is actually helpihg us identify some potential replacement riders he is familiar with from overseas."

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