Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128141
30 YEARS AGO.•• FEBRUARY 22, 1972 Triumph-based Rickman rider Terry McDonald, muttonchops and all, bottoms out what suspension he has and nearly flattens the tires on the cover of Issue *6... On the inside of the cover, we featured the complete Presidential Proclamation regarding the definition of public lands and their uses... At the Cow Palace Indoor Short Track in San Francisco, California, Kenny Roberts (Yam) won the Trophy Dash, while Dave Hansen (Suz) topped the main event, ahead of Steve Hernandez (Oss), Gary Lozano (Bul). Rick Hocking (Bul) and Roberts... CMC Motocross at Uon's Drag Strip in Wilmington, California, saw Tim Hart (Mai) top both the 250 and 500cc Expert classes, while Tom Rapp (Bul) took the 125cc Expert win - although Hart didn't compete in the tiddler event. 20 YEARS AGO••. FEBRUARY 24, 1982 A photograph from our 1982 Suzuki DRSOOZ test graced the cover of Issue *6. The $2099 motorcycle was said to have a strong, effective motor, but the suspension on both ends needed work. Besides that, it was said to be a ton of fun on the trail... The Seattle Supercross Doubleheader (roundS two and three of the series) showed the talents of Donnie Hansen (Hon) and Mark Barnett (Suz), who won each night's event. Darrell Schultz (Hon) finished second on both nights, while Bob Hannah (Yam) finished fourth each night. Johnny O'Mara (Hon) and Jim Gibson (Hon) split third-place finishes on the weekend... Nearly 10 years after Arroyo Cycle Park was originally opened to the public, and nearly nine years after it was closed, it opened again, thanks to a man named Jerry McNeal, who fought it out in court for six years to reopen the park. 10 YEARS AGO••• FEBRUARY 19, 1992 Peak/Pro Circuit/ Honda's Jeremy McGrath rounded a San Diego hay bale for the cover of Issue 4t6 on his way to his third win of the 125cc Western Regional Supercross Series. McGrath's teammate Buddy Antunez finished third, behind Suzu- ki's Jimmy Gaddis. Yamaha's Damon Bradshaw won his fourth event in a row at round five of the series. In Front of a paltry 37,796 spectators, Mike Kiedrowski (Kaw) utilized a holeshot to finish second, and defending champ Jean-Michel Bayle (Hon) finished a close third ... Team Green's Larry Roeseler completely dominated the Desert Vipers Adelanto GP, winning the Pro race, and the 125 Expert, 250 Expert, 500 Expert, and Vet classes. Just so that you don't think he had no competition, his chief competitors included Paul Krause (Kaw), Mike Healey (Suz), Ty Davis (ATK), Danny Hamel (Kaw), Jimmy Lewis (KTM) , Rex Staten (Yam). and Darren Cartwright... Craig Decker (Kaw) won the 125cc and 250cc Intermediate classes at the final round of the GFI California Winter MX Series at Perris Raceway. Bryan McGavran (Kaw) won the 65cc (g- 11) class, and Mike Brown (Hon) defeated Ryan Hughes (Kaw) for the J 2Scc Pro win. V alentino Rossi on strike? A walkout imminent? The world's top rider about to bale out of bikes after only two years in the top class, to go rally car driving instead? I wrote recently how this is a good time of year for fevered speculation, since we're still at the stage where anything could happen. But I'd be surprised to see Valentino walk away from his kingdom just yet. More likeIy, sooner or later (perhaps even already) the contractual sticking points between the champ and HRC will be polished over and he'll be back to defend his honor - on the V-five. You can pretty much discount any notions that he is doing this because he's actually found another job (Aprilia was thought to be a prime candidate). Or that he's fed up with motorcycle racing and has decided to switch to cars pronto. It's hard to think of another rider who exudes so much sheer enjoyment when he is riding. And think of the money. Rossi's still in the early part of the multi-million zone and it wouldn't make sense to quit at this stage. Money is what the rebellion is all about, of course. Valentino is certainly the most famous road racer (outside of racing, I mean) since Barry Sheene, and his management is simply taking care to protect the very considerable commercial value of that fact. Just a normal contract wrangle, after all. The only thing that is a bit odd is that Valentino and HRC both were prepared for him to miss a test on the all-new four-stroke - one of a strictly limited number of opportunities for the rider to become accustomed to a very new and different motorcycle. Perhaps he's so good he doesn't need to get used to it. Perhaps he even believes that himself, though only if his ego - until now kept in reasonable proportion to the rest of the world - suddenly exploded over Christmas. Or perhaps there really is something big afoot. For instance, is he having serious second thoughts about the new four-stroke, rumored to be something of a tire guzzler? Rossi had the choice between his favorite two-stroke V-four or the fourstroke V-five for the coming season, and decided early on to take the new bike. Though it did seem something of a puppet show - did he really have a choice, or was Honda pulling the strings? And, if so, is this new rebel- It did seem something of a puppet sh01lV - did he really have a choice, or 1IVas Honda pUlling the strings? lion actually part of a larger agenda to put Valentino into a position where he can demand the two-stroke instead, if the four-stroke turns out to be troubesome? Just like Freddie Spencer demanded his snappy little three-cylinder back, midway through 1984, when the new V-four proved to be rather less than the sum of its parts. All this started me thinking about riders on strike, however - and while there have been plenty of contract fights like Rossi's, it has been a long while since the last rider strike. Threats and muttering in Brazil and Argentina within the last five years, for example, came to nothing. Does this mean that all those issues about safety and pay have been solved? To a large extent, yes. All the riders are middle-class now and all the tracks are more or less safe, with Suzuka probably the low point. But it also reflects a different age. Gone are the times when all the factory riders would meet in a motorhome and sign a letter announcing that they are going to leave without racing - as happened in Belgium in 1979 and France in 1982. Nowadays, the riders are relatively isolated from one another anyway, within their corporate hospitalities, hedged about with contracts and pay- outs. There's more chance of the 125 riders staging another sit-down on the grid, as has happened now and then over the years. Even this seems farfetched. When it happened in the '50s, British multiple 500 champion Geoff Duke gave his support to the privateers and was severely punished by suspension for long enough the following season to cost him the title. Today, the 125s have receded into a position of such unimportance that some top riders might not even notice. Unless I'm quite wrong, of course, for there might be a seething cauldron of trouble to come, over the new rules of no-stop races in the rain, with riders obliged to decide for themselves whether to stop for tires or keep on chancing it on slicks. Meanwhile, what if Rossi and Honda don't agree to terms? Would Yamaha sack Max Biaggi or Carlos Checa to give him a place? Would Suzuki dump Kenny Roberts Jr. or Sete Gibernau? Be tricky, at this stage. Perhaps he'll take a year off, keeping sharp by operating the world's fastest pizza delivery service. To your door within five minutes, to a 50-mile radius. CN • Indianapolis Supercross • Toronto Annacross cue I • n _ _:IS . FEBRUARY 13, 2002 79