Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

CO/llilwed from page 80 30 YEARS AGO••• DECEMBER 21, 197t Santa Claus posed for the cover of Issue #49 as he stood on a roof, next to what is presumably his motor· cycle... Also, we inter· viewed Bob Grossi, who was also pho· t09raphed for the cover, and Grossi said that his goai is to win a World Motocross Championship by 1975. Grossi finished "Top American" in multiple Trans·AMA races in 1971... Grand National racer Tom Rockwood was critically injured while road·testing a new Kawasaki on the highway near Barstow. A gust of wind forced him off the road and the bike landed on top of him. When he arrived at Barstow Community hospital, he had no heart beat but was revived. At the time of reporting, he was in the hospital with three fractured vertebrae and internal injuries, including a shifted stomach ... JT Racing Imports placed an ad in Cycle News promoting their new motocross socks. JT was distributed by Torsten Hallman Inc. 20 YEARS AGO••• DECEMBER 16, 1981 We were the first to ride Yamaha's new 1982 YZ250J, and we announced that fact by putting it on the cover of Issue #49. The machine was water- cooled and featured a brand· new Power Valve, which was taken straight from Kenny Roberts' road racing machines. It retailed for $2179... Chuck Stearns won the Beat· ty·to·las Vegas desert race aboard a Honda, while Chuck Miller (Hus) rode without a rear brake to finish second over· all. .. Six days before the Beatty·to-las Vegas event, Chuck Miller won the SoCal MC Hare £, Hound in Fremont Valley, California. Dan Smith and Cliff Thomas rounded out the top three... Husqvarna's Tom Webb dropped only 68 seconds on his way to victory at the Training Wheels MC Enduro in lucerne Valley, Califor· nia... Vince McMahon wrestled the 125 and 175cc Senior victories away from Gary Clark at Corona Raceway's High School MX. 10 YEARS AGO••• DECEMBER 18, 1991 Missing in Action Cycle News does not currently have a copy of Issue #49, 1991. If you have a copy you'd be willing to give up that's in rea· sonably good condition, please contact Steve Cox in the Cycle News editorial depart· ment. Thanks, in advance, for your help. ment at the centers. embodied in the recently opened, one·of·a·kind Off High· way Vehicle Environmental Leaming Center at the Colton, Califomia facility. Fass· nacht IS survived by his wife, Melanie, and their two children. Harry. and lily. and his mother. Ursula Fassnacht, and two sisters. Barbara Powell and Kathy Phillips. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers. contributions be made to the "Fassnacht Children Fund'. c/o Cyndi Troup, 18208 Santa Cecilia, Fountain Valley, CA 92708. Brad Lackey, the only American ever to win the 500cc World Motocross Championship, and Marty Moates, the first man to win a 500cc U.S. Grand Prix, are among the confirmed entries at the CRA/Moto Pro-presented Christmas Grand Prix at Carlsbad Raceway in Carlsbad, California, on December 9. Also among the list of entrants is former AMA 125cc National MX Champion Marty Smith. Entry fee for the event is $40, and there will be a team race, with the entry fee set at $30. Gates open at 6:30 a.m. For more information. call Coast Racing at 760/722-6639. The National Motosport Association (NMAl has announced the dates for its major events in 2002. The 31 st annual World Mini Grand Prix will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 16-21. and the 27th annual Grand Nationals of Motocross in Ponca City. Oklahoma, will be held July 30-Au9ust 3. For more information, call the NMA at 909/6576782. Construction has begun the new permanent grandstand at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma. California. as the facility continues with its $50 million modernization plan. The new grandstand will be situated on the west side of the start/finish, directly above pit road. according to the racetrack. Road racer Mike Smith will compete in the final round of the Super American Racing Series Championship at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow. California. on December 9, according to McAllister Motorsports. Smith will race a McAllister Motorsports-backed Honda CR500 in the Unlimited Premier class. n AHRMA is offering three new Vintage Superbike classes. catering to motorcycles built through the 1980 model year - a change for the vintage organization that's classes preViously topped out with 1972 motorcycles. To be eligible for Vintage Superbike, machines must be based on street-legal models that were sold in the United States or Canada. Many engine modifications are permitted. but the overall look of the motorcycles must Coming up in Cycle News [l)[JD[WJg !P@r5!l@[?(fJ@@ If@ fX]@[j)D(fJ@@ \!lltJ[JD[B(J@[JD The ational Hot Rod Association (NHRA) announced today title sponsorship agreement with Powerade, a Coca-Cola brand. for its 23-event World Championship Drag Racing Series. The series will now be known as the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series. The new deal ends speculation as to how the number-two motorsports sanctioning body in the U.S. would fare upon ending its 27-year partnership with the Winston brand in what was NHRA's 50th anniversary season. According to NHRA President Tom Compton, Powerade's five-year commitment to the series, which boasts huge increases in the series point funds for all professional categories (the winner's share of the Pro Stock Bike fund is increased from $35,000 to $50,000) while maintaining current bonus structures, should provide satisfactory answers to many of those questions. "This is the biggest news of the 'second 50 years' of NHRA Drag Racing: Compton said. "It will go down as one of the most important days in NHRA history. When searching for a suitable title sponsor, we established two objectives: First, we wanted to find a company or product that appealed to a large segment of the public. Second, we wanted focus - a partner, not just a name on the sign. We wanted to become an integral part of their marketing campaign over a long term. I am proud to say that we have met those objectives and more. No more questions, no more speculation, it's official." As part of the agreement, Coca-Cola becomes the official soft drink of NHRA, and Dasani becomes the official bottled water of NHRA. "What a day for Coca-Cola and over 75,000 Coca-Cola people: the company's North American Division president, Sandy Douglas, said. "Good relationships are formed when you have a lot in common and when you realize that there is still a lot that you can do together. Drag Racing has a rich history, and we look forward to working with NHRA for the next five years and toward the next 50 years." V-Rod will begin to arrive in showrooms in the U.S. this week. according to Harley. The V-Rod has already won the Motorcycle Design Association Open Class Trophy. a Popular Science" Best of What's New Award". Popular Mechanics Magazine design and engineering award, and the Motor Cycle News (MCN) Bike of the Year Award. according to Harley. remain as close to production as possible, according to AHRMA. The Vintage Superbike classes include: Heavyweight unlimited displacement twins and triples: six-cylinders to 1047cc; eight-valve fours to 931 cc; and 16-vavle fours to 825cc: Middlweight - push rod twins to 890cc: pushrod triples and OHC twins to 790cc: and four-cylinders to 685cc: Lightweight· two-valve singles to 590cc: four-valve singles to 510cc: and two-or more cylinder machines to 470cc. For more information. call 615/851-3674. The AMA has announced the dates for next year's AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days events. AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days West will be held April 26-28 at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, California, and AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will be held July 19-21 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in lexington. Ohio. The AMA: previously had announced that Spanish motorcycles will be the featured marque at both 2002 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days events - marking the first time the AMA has awarded the distinction to the motorcycles of an entire country, rather than a single manufacturer. Both events will feature an exhibit of classic Spanish motorcycles and memorabilia. hosted by the Spanish Motorcycle Owners Group (SMOG). Motocross legend Jim Pomeroy, who was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, will serve as Grand Marshal of both events. Riding his Bullaco to victory in the 1973 World Motocross Grand Prix. Pomeroy became the first American to win a World Championship motocross event - and the first rider to win a Grand Prix on a Spanish motorcycle. The first annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days event was held in 1992; the inaugural AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days West event was held in 1997. Motorcycles previously honored with the "featured marque· distinction include BSA. Honda. Norton. Penton. VineN cent and. most recently, Indian. The Sports Car Racing Associa· tion of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), the non-profit organization that runs Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, contributed $507,500 to participating charities and civic organizations recently at reception in Monterey, California. The 2001 donation brings SCRAMP's threeyear total to more than $1.5 million and its 44-year total to more than $10 million, according to SCRAMP. Harold Mayo. a former motorcrosser from Illinois who had called Florida home for the past 10 years. was killed on December 2 when he struck a deer while riding his motorcycle near Gainesville. Florida. Mayo was the parts manager for Sky Racing In Lake Wales, Florida, and he attended all the motocross events in Florida and Georgia as a track vendor. Mayo is survived by a son and daughter. Funeral arrangements will be posted on Unlimited Sports' Web site when they are available. For more information,see WoNW.unlimitedsportsmx.com. The trucks are rolling and the initial shipment of Harley-Davidson's VRSCA • Rider of the Year • Interview: Mike Brown • Interview: Valentino Rossi • We Ride Troy Bayliss' Works Ducati • 2002 Buyer's Guide • Interview: Mat Mladin eye. e n e _ S • DECEMBER 12, 2001 83 oJ "\ I ..J '1

• Cover