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/128177
30 YEARS AGO••• OCTOBER 31, 1972 When the man on the cover of Issue 1/42 removed his helmet, his head came off too! It was actually a clever little trick in honor of the cover date of the issue, as it was Halloween... Rick Woods won the National Speedway Championship with a perfect score of 15, after winning all five of his races. Scott Autrey beat out Mike Bast in a runoff for second, as they had both scored 13... Jim Fishback (CZ) beat all comers at the Rams MC Hare & Hound in California City, California. Larry Pfutzenreuter (BuI) finished second after barely holding off 125cc pilot Tom Brooks (DKW) ... We tested an ISDT Bultaco Matador, and noted the lowered footpegs, enclosed chain and rear sprocket, and a small air tank attached next to one of the shocks, for quick tire repair. 20 YEARS A60_ IIOrlEMBER 3, 1982 Honda's Jim Gibson wheelied across the cover of Issue 1/42 on his way to both the 125cc Pro overall and series victories at the CMC Trans-Cal Series finale at Saddleback. Ron Lechlen (Yam) and Brian M.yerscough (Hon) rounded out the 125cc podium, while Broc Glover (Yam) beat David Bailey (Hon) for the 250cc Pro overall. PhD larson (Hon) won the 500cc Pro class, and Paul DenIs (Kaw) did likewise in the 80cc Expert class... Elmer Trett got the Top Fuel win at the IDBA Drag Racing Championship event in Gulfport, Mississippi. His winning time was 7.86 at 172.61 mph... As BM.W announced its new models for 1983, they also announced a three-year unlimited-mileage warranty and, as a first for motorcycles, a lease program ... Tommy Clowers (Yam) dominated the 60cc Stock and Modified Expert classes at a CRC SaddJeback motocross competition. 1D YEARS ABO... Ot:TOBER 28, 11192 The start of the 1992 Hangtown 125cc National was placed on the cover of Issue #42 in announcement of the 1992 MX Review inside. Jeff Stanton won the 250cc Supercross title (his third) after winning only three races to Damon Bradshaw's nine. Stanton also won the 250cc National Championship (also his third) by virtue of two wins and never finishing off the podium. M.lk.e Kiedrowski won the 500cc National Championship with two wins and no finishes worse than second, and Jeff Emig came from behind to beat Mike laRocco fell the 125cc National Championship, winning six of the last seven races ... We also said farewell to Jeff Ward, who retired at the end of the 1992 season after finishing third in the 500cc National Championship, even winning at Steel City. He won seven National titles and was a member of seven winning MXdN teams... Jeremy McGrath (Hon) jumped on a 250cc machine and won the Paris Supercross, round two of the World Supercross Series. Teammates Jean-Michel Bayle and Jeff Stanton finished second and third, respectively ... Randy Hawkins (Suz) won the Buckhorn National Enduro in unfamiliar (to him) Redding, Califomia. ver since David aimed his slingshot at Goliath's temple, there has been something heart-warming in the concept of the small man taking on the giants. This is no less so in motorcycle racing. The small man, in this case, is a giant in achievements and reputation. But Kenny Roberts is physically small, and also in the company he keeps. Alone in serious international racing, he is the cat who walks by himself. Following the Fl pattern, where the sport is driven by small, independent constructors (Ferrari and BMW excepted), Roberts set up his own outfit five years back and took on the big boys. He is even more independent than the Fl crowd. He makes his own engines. But there is another aspect in which King Kenny demonstrates a quite extraordinary independence. For years, he alone has spoken out against a racing establishment that has increasingly handed Grand Prix racing control over to the Japanese factories. Since this largely means Honda, biggest and heaviest hitting of them all, it has had the result we have seen - rules rewritten to suit the big H, and a series all but completely controlled by their bikes. It will be worse next year, with eight of the all-conquering V-fives on the grid. Once again, however, Kenny will be the lone voice - the small man. With his own homemade V-five on the grids from next year, he will add a fruity mechanical voice of a direct challenge straight in the face of Honda. Roberts does have same factory help - not from the Japanese industry, but Malaysian car manufacturer Proton. Among their facilities is a rapid prototyping unit, making fuJlsize resin models of components from computer designs. Just like the model that he showed last week in Malaysia. Along with some other highly speculative stuff, including an art-work rendering of the complete machine (all scoops and edges), and a director of Lotus Engineering Malaysia - the third partner in the project. This man's presence at the press conference might be regarded as mere window dressing, at least at this stage. Saying that Lotus' contribution would be mainly in aerodynamics and combustion dynamics, he had to admit that he hadn't even seen a drawing of the cylinder head E Kenny Roberts (middle) poses behind his new V-flye engine prototype yet, and that his knowledge of motorcycle aerodynamics was still at the bottom of the learning curve. Nor was he aware that Lotus (a subsidiary of Proton) had, back in 1998, already built a two-wheeled aerodyne for what was then Modenas: the smooth but bulky machine, with a very large seat unit, appeared briefly in practice for just one race. Never mind. Everyone has to start somewhere. And as Kenny (in fine quipping form) said: "We can't try to beat the factories with more people. We're going to beat them with smarter people.• Another of a hatful of memorable quotes was this: "Frankly, to try and do what we are doing in the time we have set ourselves is stupid.' Roberts' track record at attempting the impossible is actually more impressive than it looks on paper. The three-cylinder Modenas/Proton has not achieved much in its fiveyear career. If you think about it, just getting the bike there at all, starting from scratch, was a heck of an accomplishment. This year, thanks to amazing riding by Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki (both of whom will ride the V-five next year), the triple has finally achieved its original target. It's a serious rival to the other two-stroke 500s, setting an all-time fastest 500cc lap at Rio, where McWilliams was on the front row of the grid, and regularly finishing in the top three of the two-strokes. Just one year too late, since the four-strokes are tromping all over them. alongside riders Nobuatau Aold petti and Jeremy McWilliams (right). Factory control over racing has been Kenny's target since before the Modenas appeared in 1987. Roberts' other big battle has been against racing management that has allowed this to happen. Doma, to be precise, who according to the Roberts canon simply lay on their back and thought of Iberia while Honda and cohorts had their way with them. There is a sub-text here. Roberts was apparently convinced that Dorna was going to provide substantial financial backing to his Modenas. When it came time to pay, however, Doma told him that, in fact, the opposite was true. Roberts railed against Dorna for the next two or three years, barely pausing to draw breath, and to be honest, this losing battle rather diminished him. It's all turned around now, and last Thursday he was able to speak more generously of an improving relationship with, and a more sympathetic ear from, Doma's boss Carmelo Espeleta. Now a new adventure is to begin, and whether it succeeds or fails, one has to admire Kenny's strategy in getting to this point. It was, quite simply, this: Never give up. CN Phillip Island MotoGP Innut..-'. c,dtI .... Indiana GNCC Rnale u.s. Open Amateur Arenacross cue' e n _ _ lIS • OCTOBER 23, 2002 103