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/143892
has signed a contract and they have come to a "verbal agreement" with Mike Baldwin. Ru.. Darnell. Honda'. profeSlor of motocroSl, recently completed a tour in South Africa. introducing the 1983 Honda line and the fim ATC. to ever chum South African soil. D.mell will be returning to South Afr:ica in April with hi. MX school. and will al.o be going to Australia, again, for another five weeks of MX school•. The RuSl Damell MX school. offer the only five-day training camp outside of Europe and have .Iready been to 53 countries. Californian. will have their chance to attend the RuSl Darnell NIX schools in December. See the CII calendar ..etion for dat.. and more info. ~ (1,) ,.0 e (1,) u (1,) o With the demise of Yamaha's Winston - now Camel - Pro Series effort, Jimmy Filice is working on putting together an '83 program. Indications are that Filice will stay in the U.S. and on both dirt and pavement. Yamaha is letting him keep all of this ~ machinery, except the Viragohalf mile and mile bikes. He may get Harleys to fill out his present short track, TT, Formula Two and Formula One stable. His sponson, Rocky Cycle and Nava, have promised continued support.Kenny Roberts is still interested in Jim's future and will be involved. A second rider, probably Chris Carr, may also see some Roberts sponsorship. "We'lI have two full-time riders In 1983. Mike Kldd .nd Terry Poovey:' ..id Hond. dirt track team coordinator Gene Romero In a Nov. 22 phone call. And. If things go .. Romero plans. Mickey Fay will ag.ln ... part-time .ctlon in short track and TT events. "We stili h.ve to negotiate with him." said Romero. "but everything looks good. Hopefully it·s just a formality." Interested in the Ice cream bual....7 Rot.1 KIIw.,. .•• Popcycle Ice Cream Company I. producing the. Suzuki-baled aldecar-type outflta for either the Ice cream or lunch catering bual..... According to the m.nufecture,.. the "Popcycle" can tum the ..me kind of ..I.. volume .. the tr8dltlon.1 truck. but with far .... overhe8d. Two engine sizes.re offered: 2&() .nd 400cc. A tragic accident while testing for Honda at Laguna Seca claimed the life of up-and-coming road race!' Jon Woo on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 20. Woo, one of several riders being considered for a ride under Honda's Superbike support pro~ram, lost control of his machine 10 Laguna Seca's tum two. That tum is one of the fastest on the course, and Woo was killed instantly. Udo Gietl, Honda's road racing team manager said, "On behalf of Honda, it's very sad and regretable that it happened. To me, J on looked like one of the top contenders. He turned in very good laps times and showed very good riding style. He looked very, very promising." Woo's wife, Jeri, issued a statement through a family friend that, "Jon was doing what he loved to do, and he died instantly. If there are to be any contributions, please give them to help Bruce Hammer with his hospitalization." Whitney Blakeslee, the family friend and one of Woo's sponsors, summed it up best, "Jon was an unbelievably kind and good person. The world's a sorrier place now that he's gone." Godspeed, Jon.... 2 Among thO'6 testing for a Suparbike support ride were Hugh Humble. Harry Kllnzmann and Fred Merkel. According to observer Keith Code. the testing wa. done "veryprofeaionaUy. The machines were fully prepared. in fact. they were ready to race a National." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into alleged lailure of Suzuki street bike sidestands to retract while the vehicle was in motion. The investigation, which began Oct. 4 after nine separate incidents, is to determine whether the alleged problem "Constitutes a safety-related defect within the meaning of the National -Highway Traffic and Motor Vehicles ~ Act of 1966." Federal safety standards require that the sidestand fold upward and rearward if it contacts the road surface when the motorcycle is moving forward. The investigation is aimed at all Suzuki street models manufactured from 1975 to the present. More last minute B-to-V booty: ActIon Engineering .nt over two Voltpak monlto,.. ,two Voltpak Ilghtuvers. .nd two T-.hirt. for .n oversll contribution of $90. Then Scott USA ..nt two pai,. of goggl.. and one duffle bag. for an $BO contribution. Thank•• folksl While the Honda road racing effort for 198!J is not yet set, team manager Udo Gietl did tell us that Steve Wise Following release of the 198!J FIM World Road Racing Championship schedule, SCRAMP and Laguna Seca promoter Lee Moselle have moved the date of the National road race at the Monterey peninsula facility to the July 15-17 weekend. Originally scheduled for the following weekend, the date was changed when it was realized that the 15-17 date would allow two weeks' travel time on either side. So now Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Randy Mamola and possibly Eddie Lawson can compete in the July 3 Belgian GP, ride Laguna Seca and be back for the next GP, July 31 in England. In addition to the signing of Larry Roeseler mentioned earlier this month in this column. Husqvarna·. off-road team will al.o consist of Scot Harden. Dan Ashcraft and Dan Smith. all of whom renewed their contracts with the company. Racing Director Dick Burleson also announced that Nile. Us..rywould be the off-road team coordinator. Anybody who either was a member, or knows a member, of the now inactive Buzzards M.G. ought to know that a reunion is in the works. The Buzzards were in existence for over 25 years, and plans are for a Feb. 19, 1983 get-together. For more info, call Nancy Harry at 21.3/331-6084, Cyc'e News offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 2526, a. we observe the Thanksgiving holidays with our families, and then prepare for the Barstow to Vegas Motorcycle Road Ride and Poker Run. We'lI be back in the office on Monday. Nov. 29. so the following week's paper will be on time. One note to the future: Following issue number 50. the administration. advertising. editorial and production personnel will be taking their annual vacations, and won't be in the office from Dec. 20 to Jan. 4. Southern California observed trials enthusiasts will want to mark the Dec. 10-12 weekend on their calendars. On Friday night, Dec. 10, the feet-up crowd will meet at a location to be announced for a night stadium trials. Then on the following day, the party moves to the Littlerock Reservoir for the Experts-only Schreiber Cup. When they say Experts only, they're not kidding. Last year only one rider survived the course and time scheq.ule. The spectating, though, is first-rate. On Sunday, the annual EI Trial de Espana runs at Saddleback Park. There will be classes for everyone, with the Experts tadling some tough exhibition sections in the afternoon. Since the event is a fundraiser to send a deserving rider to Europe, there will be lots of raffle prizes, beginning with a new Bultaco Sherpa. Top National and international stars like Bernie Schreiber, Scott Head, Dwaine Walters and Keith Adams and more will ride all three events. For more info, call Matt Pritchard at 714/847-3248. DeAna Cycle Park in Sunnymead. CA. tradition.'1y gives free entry to the Old nmers and Over the Hill Gang members on their Thanksgiving weekend MX. but this year the OT and OTHG members will be donating their .16 entry to the benefit fund for Old nmer lou Soren.n. Soren.n broke his neck and damaged his .pinal cord in 'a freak trail riding accident rec.,tly and has finally been removed from intensive care and ~ life support system. Lou's condition has been improving. but. though he may regain the u.. of his arms. doctors expect that he will probably never walk again. OT and OTHG racers can help out by racing at DeAna on Thanksgiving weekend or an,. one can help by mailing their donation to OT President Dick Frampton. 8922 Shore Circle. Huntington Beach. CA. 92646. The OT. will also be raffling away an '82 250Cc MX bike at the California Racing Club's MX at Edwards Air Force Ba. on Dec. 12. For more info .• check the CN calendar section orcall Dick Frampton at 714/968-8775. Saddleback Park and the folks from Saddleback Saturday Motocross will be having a two-day Christmas party to the tune of $8000. The dates are Dec. 4-5, with a $1000 Pro purse each day, $1000 in Pro contingencies, and $5000 in Amateur prizes. Gates open at 7:30 a.m., with racing at 9. For more info, call 714/495-4771. Still more goodies· for the two drawing. in the Cycle New. Barstow to Vega. Motorcycle Road Ride and Poker Run. Kaw...ki·s Dave Dewey sent over one pair of Kaw...ki soft luggage saddlebags worth $130. The good folks at Motopro Lubricants sent us six hats, a ca.. of Motopro ProtectAll. a ca.. of coolant and a case of oCtane booster. The retail value of all that is $240. Our friends over at Bel-Ray ..nt over a case of chain lube worth .100. Jeanne Sleeper, Stadium Motosports' marketing (Continued to page 9)