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/128154
30 YEARS AGO.•. MAY 23, 1972 With his helmet. glasses and entire face covered in mud, Gunnar Lindstrom graced the cover of Issue ill 9. Lindstrom (Hus) won the 250cc National in Sacramento, California, while Peter Lamppu (Man) and Jim Wicks (Mai) rounded out the top three overall. It was the fourth round of the first-ever AMA National Motocross Series, which would span 15 rounds. Brad Lackey (Kaw) won the Open class, ahead of Rob Norgaard (Cl) and Jim Cooke (Kaw) ... Don Emde and Jody Nicholas both wrote in separate letters to thank Cycle News for providing support and sponsorship money at the Daytona 200... In our New Products section, we featured a pair of HarleyDavidson-branded TIghtey Whiteys, which featured a now-classic H-D number-one patch on the front... The results for the Elsinore Grand Prix finally came in, and it was Gene Cannady (Yam) who won the overall on Saturday, while Vic Hannan (Kaw) took the win on Sunday. 20 YEARS AGO••• MAY 26, 1982 Terry Vance, aboard his Top Fuel drag-rae· ing machine, smoked his rear tire on the cover of Issue #19. In two drag·racing events so far in the year, he'd won both the Top Fuel and Pro Stock classes each time out. .. Rounds five and one of the AMA National Championship 250/500cc MX Series took place in Southwick, Massachusetts, with Donnie Hansen (Han) topping the 250cc class and Kent Howerton (SOl) doing likewise in the 500cc division. Rick Johnson (Yam) and David Bailey (Han) rounded out the top three in the quarterliter class, and Chuck Sun (Han) and Jimmy Ellis (Han) did the same in the half·liter class ... Ricky Graham (H-D) averaged 101 mph in his winnin9 performance at the Springfield Mile in Illinois. Scott Parker (H-D) and Jay Springsteen (H-D) rounded out the top three... Georges Jobe (Suz) extended his points lead in the 250cc World Championship MX Series with a win at his home GP in Belgium. 10 YEARS AGO••• MAY 20,1992 Scott Parker (H-D) topped the Pomona Half Mile, and for the achievement topped Issue #19. Parker's teammates Chris Carr and Kevin Atherton completed the first Team Harley-Davidson sweep of the season. They also sat one-twothree in the points standings after the third round. Carr topped the 600cc race at the event. .. Swede Jimmie Eriksson (Hbg) came from behind to score the win at the Tulsa Four-Day Enduro... Scott Summers (Han) won his fourth GNCC in five rounds at the High Point GNCe. He won by three minutes... Steve Hatch (Suz) topped round five of the AMA National Enduro Series... Danny Hamel (Kaw) won round five of the National Hare (, Hound Series... David Schultz (Kaw) won round three of the NHRA Winston National Drag Racing Series in the Pro Stock Bike <:lass, and it was reported to possibly be his last race, as the bike he was riding had been sold and he had no sponsor for the year. He actually led the points after the event. don't know why some people have been so cynical about our project. I think it's perhaps because they have got nothing to compare it to. Even Kenny Roberts - who was my childhood hero - has said some things like, "I heard some guy in England's doing it." Well, he knows damned well it's me! Maybe it's sour grapes from Kenny. We're designing and developing a bike and we'll do it right. He didn't. I don't know why. Maybe he needs to look at the people he had around him, and maybe he should have paid more attention to it. We won't fail. I don't want to sound overconfident, but I just can't wait for June. It's gonna happen. And I think I'm going to make him look stupid, basically, and I'm going to remember all the things these people have said. I know how big this thing is and how professional it is, but it's just a case of getting that across to other people who, at the moment, are reading things here, there and everywhere. And people are making up stories because they don't know that much about it. It's all going in the right direction, despite what negative comments there are, which I find surprising. It frustrates us a little bit but it also makes all of us more determined to succeed - as we will do. And this project isn't just Foggy Petronas Racing. There are so many important people and big decisions involved in this and it is funded by a massive company that is not going to see a five-year project be a joke. Magazine editors from some other bike magazines - because they are hearing stories from third parties, who have got nothing to do with us, naming no names - have also been saying things about us. It gets Nigel Boswoth's back up a bit more than me because I've had it all through my career anyway. I've had to prove the doubters wrong. And I am so much looking forward to proving everybody wrong again. I can't guarantee that this is going to be the fastest Superbike in the world - I can't guarantee that at all - but what I can guarantee is that everything will be ready on time and it will look the part. All I can do is speak to all the major players involved in all this and they say, 'It's tight but we can do it.' I And we can definitely do it. We're ahead of schedule. Our chassis is ready and Eskil Suter is well on the way with the engine. He's been working well with us - the flow of information and everything has been going really well. And we're helping him out as best we can, as he's been helping us out. In fact, I just can't believe it. I just think that something is going to come around that's going to slow us down, but touch wood, everything is going really well. We tried to get that message across at the press conference in Valencia, which I thought went very well. We also called a meeting with the FIM at the Valencia race, just to introduce ourselves and show them what this is all about. I think even they were impressed and taken aback by the size of this thing. I think they feel better now that they are not dealing with a small outfit. They are really excited because there is a new manufacturer coming into motorcycle racing. There should also be a big launch soon. We've only penciled in the date at the moment, because we have to get that confirmed with Petronas as they may want to have a launch in Malaysia first. But everyone's going to go "Wow! Fantastic!" I know they are, because I did the first time I saw it and I helped design it! We had the first sit on the clay model of the bike, with the riders, about three weeks ago now. It looked as good as a bike can in clay. Up until now, it's been all meetings and conversations, but now we are starting to touch real, physical objects, see things. And I know what looks shit and what looks great - 90 percent of it is common-sense stuff. So, if I think it looks great, a lot of other people will thing it looks great too. It's as good as anything out there, if not better. Hopefully, it's going to perform as well as it's going to look. I still haven't met Suter yet, but I don't need to because my guys are in contact with him on a daily basis, going over there now and again. He has got about 20 guys working for him and I have a team of the same size. I think the bike engine will be similar to the original. Eskil has taken that original engine and is making it into a package that will work best for us. We're all working together but MSX, the project management company, are more in charge of the roadbike and I am trying to get the race team sorted out. Their role involves going around the world, speaking to component suppliers. They have had some input in the production of nearly every car you see on the road. Yet I had never heard of them until I came into this project. The first 75 bikes will be assembled between us all, with contact between us all the time to get them ready for road and race homologation. The bikes won't be cheap. Normally, you make a road bike and then go racing. Well, it's not been the case here. We're making a race bike, which is going to go on the road. So, now the bike is a very, very special road bike. I don't know the exact price yet. That is for Petronas to decide. These first 150 will be one-off specials really, but the costs will come down as the volume goes up. The workmen are in our premises now, fitting out the upstairs offices. With no bikes to work on the race team, mechanics are just sitting around desperate for something to do. They are putting some 150cc kits on my Yamaha four-strokes - that's all they can do at present. They are as frustrated as the riders, because they want to get into it, as we all do. Coming here to Valencia was difficult because the riders want to be out there riding, and now that I've done the press conference and the FIM meeting I want to go home. Being here and not being involved is not good for me and I know that the riders don't like it. I'm looking forward to coming back to the series, when we have our own hospitality, my own office where I can get out the way. Then I can get out to see the riders and watch the times. I'm itching for that day to come, and that day is getting closer. It brings a twinkle to my eye just thinking about it. And somewhere down the line, it would be great to get on that rostrum again and pick up a trophy again. eN • Glen Helen MI Opener • Monza WSBK • French MlGP cue I _ n _ ON so • MAY 15, 2002 103