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/128387
3U YEARS AGU... July i!i!. 1975 t'!!""~iiiiijijii!~M Northwest TT star Charlie Brown appeared on the cover. Inside there was coverage of TT racing in Castle Rock, Washington, where Brown finished third behind Sonny Burres and Chuck Joyner... At the opening round of the Inter-AMA series in Herman, Nebraska, Tony DeStefano and Czechoslovakian rider Zdenek Velky went headto-head for the win. In the end, it was DeStefano who was victorious... We spoke to 125cc World Motocross Championship contender Gaston Rahier. At the time he had just won 13 of 16 motos, basically sewing up the World Championship... Barry Sheene won his first 500cc World Championship road race in Assen, Holland. i!U YEARS AGU... July i!4. 1985 Kenny Roberts graced the cover after returning to racing at Laguna Seca Raceway in California. At the race, Randy Mamola won; however, Roberts set a new lap record... Johnny O'Mara won the 250cc Grand Prix at Unadilla Raceway in Unadilla, New York. O'Mara led an American sweep of the top five positions. The defending World Champion, Heinz Kinigadner, went 6-6 for sixth overall. .. American Honda sold $10 I,983.38 worth of parts to riders at the 1985 Speed Week in Daytona Beach, Florida. The majority of the parts sold went to road racers. 1U 'tEARS AGU... July 19. 1995 Michael Doohan ran away to take the win by over 21 seconds at round eight of the World Championship Road Race Series in Le Mans, France. Luca Cadalora was sec0nd; with Daryl Beattie third... Sixteen-year-old Sebastien Tortelli won the opening moto of the ninth round of the 125cc World Motocross Championships at the San Marino Grand Prix. Tortelli lost the overall to Alessio Chiodi, who won the second moto. Today, Tortelli and Chiodi still race. Tortelli, however, was recently sidelined with a wrist injury... Mike Alessi won all eight Pee Wee-class motos he entered at the Team Green Youth Nationals at Perris Raceway in Perris, California. For his efforts Alessi was awarded a new KTM 50 SXR. Matt Walker won the Supermini class. Lawson Inducted Into Hall of Fame F our-time 500cc World Champion Eddie Lawson was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame during a brief ceremony on Saturday, July 9 during the United States Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Joined on stage by fellow champions and inductees Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Mick Doohan, and Freddie Spencer, lawson couldn't pinpoint which of his four titles was the most difficult. "You know, all of them are tough," lawson said. "I can't pick one that's tougher than the other. Any time you win a World Championship, and these guys will tell you, if you win one, you earned it. It's tough. I don't care. Honestly, I can't pick one. There wasn't one. Of course, '89 with Wayne [Rainey, when Lawson had defected from the Marlboro Yamaha to the Rothmans Honda team] was really gnarly, but yeah, they were all good." In retirement, Lawson races go-karts with Rainey. "Wayne and I are haVing a blast doing it," Lawson said. "They have a series, but Wayne and I pick one or two races to do a year and that's all we do. It's a hobby, and we're loving it. It's another thing to do. I enjoy going fast and get to go around the track." This was Lawson's first Grand Prix since Donington in 1997, and his first exposure to the Grand Prix four-strokes. "It's changed so much since we were racing," Lawson said. "It's just unbelievable. The technology and everything's done with computers and all the stuff that's going on in there. The bikes, the four-strokes, are just amazing today. I Ul a: w ~ a: « u -' ::> g: >- m ...~ (Left to right) MotoGP Hall of Famers Mick Doahan, Freddie Spencer, Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawsan and Kenny Roberts. used to pick on them all the time saying they're just street bikes, but you go in there now, and it's like, wow. Yeah, really incredible, just amazing where they've come." And he welcomes the chance to ride one. "Yeah, sure, they look like they're a lot nicer to ride than what we rode," he said. "I think these guys can tell you that. I think they'll agree with that." After accepting the medal from Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, Lawson said, "This is really an honor, I want to tell you, to be inducted with these guys, because there's some pretty heavy hitters in there and pretty big names, and I respect all these guys and what they did. And to be a part of that and be presented with this it's truly and honor, and thank you very much." Henny Roy Abrams Rickardsson Gets Number Five Speedway Five-time World Champion Tony Rickardsson of Sweden moved a step closer to celebrating his sixth World title and equaling Ivan Mauger's record with his fourth GP victory in a row and fifth of the year at Marketa Stadium in the Czech capital of Prague on July 9. Rickardsson had to overcome his third gnarly crash of the year when former World Champion Nicki Pedersen took him out during an early heat race. Despite a suspected broken thumb, Rickardsson roared back to post two more heat wins, which he won handily, defeating Bjarne Pedersen of Denmark, Jarek Hampel of Poland and Jason Crump of Australia, Rickardsson now has a 54-point lead, 145-91, over reigning World Champion Crump - who finished fourth in Prague. The next round of the series is scheduled to take place on August I3 in Malilla, Sweden. John Hipkiss CYCLE NEWS • JULY 20, 2005 15