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/142443
Multi-time Baja 1000 winner Jack Johnson looks like he'll be teaming up with Mugen U.S.A:s AI Baker for this year's race. Word fro m the Orange County Interna tional Raceway's drag strip is that Russ Collins, in his twice-weekly outings with the " Ba ttlestar" Top Fueler, has started to get the machine to go straigh t down th e drag strip and had one pass last week under nine seconds. BY PAPA WEALEY HosPITal STOP: American Motocross Enterprises 260cc and Open Pro Steve Richard, son of CN contributor Laura Richard, is reported to be in serious condition after a Saturday, July 10 car accident left him pinned in his vehicle. Apparently a car ran a red light at 5:30 a.m. while Steve was on his way to work. He received a crushed chest, broken ribs, punctured lungs and heart troubles, but fortunately his current serious condition is an improvement on his previous critical condition. Send your prayers skyward and your letters and cards to him clo 1608 Deanna, Simi Valley, CA 93063. While we have been unable to obtain an official statement from The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, word is out that the world's largest tire manufacturer has stepped out of the motorcycle tire market. Distributors have been informed of the move, as has Goodyear's advertising agency. " We were notified two days ago (Wednesday, July 7) that Goodyear . was stopping production of motorcycle tires," said Bill Burbank IV of Sure-Fire Distributing in Asheville, NC. "I've been trying ever since to reach someone in Goodyear's motorcycle tire division, but they are all unavailable." More details next week. Harley-Davidson has recently been named recipient of the Wisconsin Governor's New Product Award for its 1982 FXR and FXRS bikes. The award is sponsored annually by the Wisconsin Governor's office and the Wisconsin Society of Professional Engineers. Accepting the award (from left)'are Harley-Davidson'sJeff Pertzsch, Bill Brown and Dr. Jeff Bleustein. Presenting the award are Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyfus and Lt. Governor Russell Olson (far right). Suzuki 's Erik Geboers won the July II 125cc MXGP in West .Germany, placing second to Michele Rinaldi in the first moto, then winning over Corraddo Maddii in th e second. Maddii was second overall. In the point standings, with three GPs left, Geboers leads with 191, followed by Maddii (154), Rinaldi (153) and Yamaha's Marc Velkeneers (133). Velkeneers crashed out of both rnotos in West Germany. 2 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, by refusing to ammend a federal safety standard to allow motorcycle cruise controls, effectively approved motorcycle cruise controls. Got that? In response to a petition, the N HTSA reviewed two Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards in question, and decided that neither standard specifically permits nor prohibits the use of speed control devices, popular for years on cars and recently popular with the motorcycle touring crowd. Thus, NHTSA sees nothing wrong with cruise controls, as long as they allow a vehicle's throttle to close when the device is disengaged. The petition was denied on the grounds of "mootness." Pierre Karsmakers will be taking a brief respite from retirement, and will compete in the July 25 FourStroke Championship Motocross at Saddleback Park. Karsmakers, along with Yamaha's Rick Johnson, will . be competing on Pro-Tee 600cc Yamaha thumpers. This will be Pierre's sole competitive appearance in the U.S. this year. At the July 31-Aug. 1 NMRA Westernationals drag race at OCI R in Irvine, Custom 8'lce will be having a free motorcycle show on Sunday at the race track. The Bureau of Land Management has announced new vehicle restrictions for the Jacumba Outstanding Natural Area and the Myer Valley SPecial Area , both located in the southwest corner of Imperial County in southern California. The areas are designated as Class C (closed) and Class L (limited) under the California Desert Plan. The new restrictions close some areas and restrict tra veIs to approved routes in others. For information on these areas, contact the BLM EI Centro office at 333 South Waterman: or the BLM Desert District office at 1695 Spruce St. in Riverside. The Santa Barbara Riders and the Chase Harper Co. called to see if Papa wanted to come along on their Midnight Madness map tour over the August 7-8 weekend. Under the light of the full moon, riders will leave at 12:01 a.m. for the 700 mile tour. You can ride with the group or at your own speed and a chase truck is provided. For your $26 you get a tour pin, campsite, tour map, a dinner and two breakfasts. Papa claims he's been hunched into a chair to many years for a first hand look, but you never know where the "Old Gent" will turn up. If you want to go, call 805/966-7420, 966-2026 (Phil), 684-2998 (Marty), 963-5416 (Judy) and tell 'eml Everybody's favorite endurance race, the AFM /Nippondenso Six-Hour classic, will be heating the pavement at Riverside International Raceway for the eighth time on July 18, with sprint races on Saturday. This race has a tradition of good racing and visits from the occasional factory shoe, so it sounds to Papa like a great way to spend the weekend. ND, by the way , will be offering contingency money in several classes. Among the many spectators at Laguna Seca was silver screen star Clint Eastwood, taking in his first motorcycle race. He received a tour around the Yoshimura Suzuki pits and reportedly got an autograph from Wes Cooley. Patti Singleton of Winning Performance informed Papa that they have opened a retail parts and accessories outlet in Van Nuys, CA. She can be reached at Redline Accessories, phone 213/989-5777. How fast can you switch an engine? After Freddie .Spencer blew his motor in Laguna Seca's Superbike heat, Honda mechanics were . rumored to have changed engines in 11 m'nutesl Seen in the pits at Laguna Seca was a rather bizzare looking chopper complete with an aluminum block 215 c.i.d. Oldsmobile V-8 engine. Steve Wise after watching teammate Freddie Spencer jet from the back row through traffic in the Superbike final: "He is crazy.I" Team Honda 's Darrell Shultz was a spectator at the Laguna Seca National road race, in spite of arthroscopic knee surgery that was performed only two days before. Shultz was walking .without aid and said, "I might race the Coliseum if the knee feels really good. Still, I'm out of it as far as the Supercross Series goes , so the important thing is to be ready for the rest of the 500cc Nationals." Kawasaki's Eddie Lawson was hospitalized overnight following his crash at Laguna Seca. Lawson suffered a badly bruised right shoulder, plus numerous other bruises, but no broken bones were detected. He was released Monday, July 11 , and get-well-quick cards can be sent to him at Kawasaki, 3630 Garry St., Santa Ana, CA 92711. Another well-known spectator at Laguna Seca was World 500cc Motocross Championship ·Series point leader Brad Lackey. Lackey spent some time inspecting the Laguna property (owned ' by the county of Monterey and managed as a recreation area), where he may have a hand in designing a motocross facility. Jim "The Animal"Fishback, motocrosser turned desert racer I speedway racerllSDT gold medalistl Baja champion and now an offroad car driver, will make his first speedway appearance of the year at Inland Motor Speedway on July 28. Stadium Motorsports swears by all that's loamy that the Miller High Life Superbowl of Motocross track will be all sandy loam, with no cla y. Papa says OK, but hopes they firm up the landing area for the jump off the peristyle end of the Coliseum. Of course, if there is a hard spot- on the track, they could always take the lasers from the Lasermedia Sprite Laser Show, readjust the beams, and pow l All this happens Saturday night, July 17. Kawasaki's Team Green vans will be at the world's wildest wing ding for mini motorcycle., the NMA Grand National Championship at Ponca City, OK. They will be on hand to di.pense grasshopper tuning advice and help rider. with emergency labor and part.. Because of the great number of riders, Team Green a.ks that Kawasaki pilot. come ready to race, because they will not work on bike. before practice, and will only be able to service tech inspected bike•. July 29-Aug. 1 i. the time period involved. Contrary to popular rumor, Bruce Penhall has not agreed to take over the lead supporting role with Erik Estada on the popular NBC series CHiPs. According to Penhall's manager Jeff Immediato, "We have been working on this project for over three and a half months. We.feel it would be of greatest value to the sport of speedway to have its top rider appear