Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Can -Am showed their new models t o the press and t his new Armstrong l CC M-built 486cc m onst er was one of the six all-new models. The125 and 250 water- pumpers, and the thumper mentioned in Poop several w eeks ago, were shown alo ng w ith a trials bike and a 250 road racer. . Motocross des Nations American team wins, Chandler makes MX history WOHlEN , SWITZERLAND, SEPT . 12 The American team of Danny Chandler, David Bailey, Johnny O'Mara and Jim Gibson took an easy win atthe World Championship M ot ocross des Nations. Chandler won both motos in the 500cc event which pits teams from many nations against each other, and became the first rider in the history the Trophee and Motocross des Nat ions to win all four motos (Chandler went 1-1 the previous week in t he Trophee des Nations). The American team, all Honda mounted, saw Bailey take 4-2.O 'Mara 12-7 and Gibson 9-14. O'Mara competed with infected blisters on his handswhich kept him out of a top placing, and Gibson rode most of moto two with a flat tire. The team finished with 24 po ints. Team Belgium was second with 40 points. Their hopes for a win were quashed when Georges Jobe broke his left foot during Saturday's practice session. Jobe rode, but carded a 23-DNF. Team England was third with 51 points. Donnie Hansen, an original member of the American team who was inj ured in a practice crash before the Trophee des Nations, regained consciousness Sept. 12 and was moved from intensive care to a private room in the German hospital he is in. Plans are being made to transport him to America on Sept. 20. The circuit utilized for the Superbike Pro-Am at Sea ttle International Raceway combines a drag strip and road circuit. Va nce & H ines Suzuki rider Mike Spencer may have been the most prepared for that - tu ner Byro n Hines insta ll ed the cylinder head from T erry Vance's P ro Stocker onto Spencer's Superbike. Sp en cer wa s leading his h eat before h e and Wes' Cooley cras hed in a gas-slickened turn six. Spencer was six th in the feat ure event. Following the end of the Superbike Championship Series, most of the major teams will have to begin preparing in earnest the 750cc four-cylinder machines mandated under the 1 983 rules. Honda, however, will be getting their machines from Japan. "It'll be very good," commented road race team manager Udo Gietl. "We can concentrate on racing full time instead of having to do so much development work. " ~ Team H onda's Mi ke Bal d win will have h is final appeal h eard on Sept. 17. Baldwin , as you mi ght remem ber, was disqual ified fro m th e Pocono Su pe rb ike ro und after winning, beca use of the use of an "unap proved" front tire . Bal dwin appealed his dis q ualifica tion to the AMA, was turn ed down, a nd will now have his fina l cha nce befor e a three-man appeal board whose de cision is final. Should Baldwin win the appeal, the20-poim reinstatement would once again put him within reach of series point leader Eddie Lawson. Baldwin crashed while running second at Seattle. Kawasaki Team Green head Dave Jordan was given seyeral new responsibilities recently. In add ition to his MX/enduro/road race support program, Jordan will now be heading up the Team Tour promotional effort and directing Kawasaki'sJet Ski racing program. Congratulations, Dave, and we promise to forward any letters and lor telegrams from Sandra Jordan . . . Celebrity specta tors expected for the Sept. 19 San j ose Mile, include annou ncer/retailer type Larry Maiers, wh o will be coming directly fro m the Reno Air Sh ow with MX star Bob H a nna h ; Kenny Ro berts, whose injured finger is sti ll on the mend; and pending the condition of his knee fo llowing surgery, 500cc National MX Champ Darrell Sh ultz. Mike Bast will be the teacher in a two-day speedway school held at Ken Maely's goose ranch in Corona, CA. on Sept. 25-26. There will be a deposit required, so for all the details, give the Maelys a call at 714/736-0640. The California Superbike School reports that seven sets of their leathers were stolen at Seattle International Raceway. They have a very distinctive design: red, blue and black with a Lockhart on the arms and Vanson across the shoulders. Also taken were six Bell Star professional helmets a nd assorted sizes of school T vshir ts. CSS is offering a reward of a free school at any race track they run at a n d a Bell Star helmet. Contact the CSS fol ks at 213/484-9323 with any information. ,J im Gamble and t he crew at Monarch Products (warehouse distributors for NGK spark plugs) moved to a new location last week at 7541 Chapman Ave. , Garden Grove. CA 92641. Jim was thoughtful enough to run a Cycle News ad to advise his customers of the new address, but two digits in the telephone number were transposed. The correct number is 714/893-1379. A story that ra n in last week's Cycle News in regards to a Sept. 9 meeting between American Honda representatives and Supercross promoters failed to p ro d uce a meeting , but did p roduce den ials that a meeting was ever sch eduled by those said to be involved. AMA Board of T ru stees member G ary Smith, who works for Honda, said, "That was totally false. There was no such meetin g . I've been in contact with (AMA Executive Directo r) Ed You n gblood..We don't want to give the-im pression that we're not willing to talk to the AMA. We are willin g to talk." (The article in question said that the jap a nese were at an im p asse with th e AMA.) As to a n other poin t in the article, that Honda would, represen t o th er jap anese manufacturers, Sm ith said, " No way does Honda ever rep resent Yamaha and Suzuki." Stadium Motorsports head Mike Goodwin was also in disagreement with the article. "There is nothing happening to the extent that was described in that article," said Goodwin. "The way I was represented in that article was incorrect . . . Yes, the manufacturers have some concern over the 1983 AMA race format and want some changes made for them to be able to participate in 1983. And pursuant to that end, I was asked to sit in on some meetings - as an observer · and to comment on how reasonable the direction they wanted to take was." Goodwin went on to say that all three manufacturers involved in the Trans-USA controversy "are working in depend- ently, " an d although they do not agree with t he rule change. "There is communication between the m anufacturers and Ed Youngblood to patch up th e differences. " Goodwin said he is trying to set up a m eeting w ith Youngblood, but that it pertains to matters arising out of a meeting tWo weeks ago between Youngblood and Supercross promoters. where Goodwin was elected representative of all the Supercross promoters except Daytona. Goodwin also said he believed that the Japanese manufacturers were going to the CMC series in California rather than the Trans-USA Series , " f o r budget reasons." Enduro riders in the northern California area will be happ y to kriow that for once the re is a p rize up for grabs th at is really worth getting excited a bout. The Oakland Motorcycle Club will be giving away a 1982 DR l25 to one lucky entrant at their ann ual jackham mer Enduro in Fouts Spr ings on O ct. 24. This new fourst ro ke will be given away; it's no trophy, so everyone h as a cha nce to win. Fo r more info on the event, see the CN Calendar section . Saturday. Sept. 18. Bakersfield Speedway hosts its Grand Pri x finale of their 'f ive-race. $6,000 dirt track series in Oildale. CA . More than 100 riders have bee n showing up for each event and Saturday night the prize money will be supplemented by $500 additional lap money and an estimated $2,000 in championship fund and trophies. See the CN calendar section for more info. The na me H arl ey-Da vidso n , which to m o torcycle types co n jures up images of V-tw ins, may soon be on all so rts of consumer produc ts. Harley-Da vidson has recen tly la u nched a trad emark licensing p rogram. Cl yde Fessler, Harley-Da vid son 's di rector of trademark licensing sai d in announci ng th e program , "A concer ted effort will be made to p ursue p ro duct tie-ins. We'll be very selec tive since H arley-Davidson has its repu tation sta ked on p restige and q uali ty." H -D rec en tly signed an agreement with Empire of Carolina, a to y compan y, to put the Harl eyDavidson na me a nd trademarks on its ch ildren 's ride-on pedal toys. The AMA's guide to off-road riding in the U.S .• Trail Rldln, In America is now available direct from ~he AMA. Simply send a

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