Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

. < prepared the only privateer Yamaha Virago in last year'. AMA Grand National Championship Serie., i. said to be joining Jerry Griffith in the Team Honda dirt track effort. Gary and Hank Scott's father has suffered a heart attack and is in the 'Lake Elsinore, CA, Hospital. The family has been in racing a long time. Our prayers are with him. Team Hammer reports that Wes Cooley, Thad Wolff and Mike Spencer were among the first riders to join .the .ron Woo Memorial Safety Project, outlined in a letter from Bruce Hammer in last week's issue. According to Team Hammer's John Ulrich, riders joining the project won't race at Elkhart Lake or Laguna Seca until specific changes are made to improve rider safety. The changes involve turns two and four at Laguna Seca and the Carousel at Elkhart Lake. Cooley, two-time winner of the Elkhart Lake F-1 race, said the strike is "the only way we can get these _ things done." Spencer finished second at Elkhart Lake in 1981, while Wolff took a third in 1981. Malcolm Smith has announced an association with Torsten Hallman, Inc., after his purchase of the eastern Hallman facility in Addison, IL. Malcolm Smith Products has signed an agreement with Hallman for-an exclusive franchise of Hallman products in the midwest. Although the arrangement is new, Hallman East will continue to function as it has before, under the same name and the same general manager, Carl Berggren. Even world champion. can clown around. When photographer ~o.hi Ohara broke out the phony .ungla.... prior to .hooting this issue'. cover, Brad Lackey, Johnny O'Mara, David Bailey, Bruce. Penhall, Danny Chandler, Jim Gibson and Danny laPorte had a gooc;l tune. The Bureau, of Land Management has announced that the Imperial Dunes area Gecko Road will be closed for repairs between Jan. 3, 1983 and Feb. 18. Gecko Road, which provides' acess to the dunes and to Gecko Campground, will ,undergo surface repair, and additional OHV parking areas will be con'structed. Bruce Ogilvie took his Honda CR480R to the Pro cia•• win of the Dec. 19 P.R.O. grand prix at Riverside International Raceway. Dan'Smith (Hus) was second overall, followed by motocrosser Ricky Johnson (Yam), who rode seatle.s through the last part of the race to first 250cc ha,nors. ~. Record prize money amounting to more than a quarter of a million dol: . lars has been announced by Daytona International Speedway for Cyclr Week '83 races which will run Mar. 7-13. Jim France, Speedway vicepresident, announced the record setting totals including motorcycle racing's first single race $100,000 purse for the Mar. 13 Daytona 200 Motorcycle Classic. "We're celebrating the Speedway's Silver Anniversary dur. t,· " wanted to recognize the important part motorcycle racing has play~ in the Speedw'ay's growth. In addulOn to the biggest road racing purse in the world - the $1 00,000 for the Daytona 200, we have posted the largest purse in the history of Supercross with $50,000 for the Daytona Supercross by Honda." Other main event purses announced for Cycle Week '83 incl ude $20,000 for the International Lightweight road race, and over $50,000 in purse and point fund money for the Daytona Dirt Track Series. Former flat track star Keith Mashburn was recently honored a. "Fireman of the Year" by the Simi Valley, CA, fire department. Mashburn is a paramedic:: with the unit. Rumor has it that neither Kenny Roberts or Eddie'Lawson have actually signed contracts with Yamaha, although both are expected to. The word on the street, as they say in TV land, is that Yamaha is also talking to Roberts about setting up a threeman team to contest the Houston Camel Pro Series opener. Northern California Honda/ maha dealer D.ave Bird; who Harley-David.on We.t, a Santa Monica, CA, dealer.hip, has been awarded a $7.3 million judgement against AMF, Inc., formerly the parent company of Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson West initiated a restraint of trade suit against AMF and Harley in 1980 after their August 1979 order of 1500 machines for the year wa. cut to 300 by the factory. H-D West had a profitable export business going, according to Scott Nicol', and after the cut, Harley-David.on International (the factory export branch) approached H-D West overseas customer. directly. AMF i. expected to appeal the verdict, handed down in New York a few week. ago. A-a-a-a-h-h-h. Deep breath time. As this very item is being typed, the last bilS and pieces of this issue are being fitted into place. By the time you read it, the administration, advertising, editorial and production departments will be taking their annual vacations. So don~t shoot the mailman if he doesn't have your Cycle News for the next tw.oweeks. We'll be back on Jan. 4, and the first issue of 1983 will be out OIJ Jan. 12. A-l-o-h-a-e-e. The Califomia Department of Parks and Recreation has 'selected Westec Service., Inc., to prepare the environmental impact report for the proposal for a state yehic\llar recreation area at Sycamore Canyon in San Diego county. Westec will work with city and county officials, interested area citiz~ns, and Parks 8l Rec on the project. The EIR, to be completed in late spring of 1983, will aid the department in deciding whether or not to pursue the project. Brothers Mark and Joe Zoller bought out their uncle Rick Watson, and are now running the Pro Cycle KTM shop, located at 1265 E. Lincoln, . A'riaheim; eN 92686: . : ' CO" " . ' , ; ; •• The Continental Motoaports Club will be using their regularty acheduled track date at Saddleback Park in Orange, CA, to host a peeial Golden State Warm-Up MX. The event will feature a $1,000 Pro purse and there will be IRC products for the Sportsman class winners. See the eN calendar section for more information. Effective with the January issue, Road Rider will be published by Norman Ridker of Aviation News Corporation. Roger Hull, who founded RR in 1969, says, "There will be no change in editorial policy. Ijust wanted to be Editor - and now I'm looking forward to being just Editor." Ridker publishes five other specialty magazines, and will move Road Rider's business and advertising offices to his Los Angeles facility. The editorial office remains in Laguna Beach. Also, beginning with the February issue, Road Rider will be distributed on newsstands across the country. Kelly ""oran, a member of the World Team Cup speedway championship-winning squad and fourth in the World Individual Championship, will race in the U.S. in 1983. In a letter to his English fans, Moran said, "My racing career in the U.S., although successful, was very short and I find myself almost unknown in my home country. As much as I want to be world champion, I feel it would be a hollow victory unless I receive the recognition from my home country that I feel I would deserve. So 1983 will be spent here in the U.S., trying to get as much exposure as possible. In 1984 I want to return to the United Kingdom and East, bourne." Harry Klinzmann, Kerry Bryant, John Bettencourt, John Williams, Dave Aldana and Rich Schlachter are the latest riders to join the Jon Woo Memorial Safety Project mentioned elsewhere on this page, according to Team Hammer officials. The Kawasaki Team Green van will be at all the CMC Golden State Series races to offer technical assistance to Kawasaki riders. In addition, they'll also be at Anaheim Stadium for the Miller High Ufe Supercross Kickoff, opening round of the new AMA/Wrangier Super Serie•. Saddleback Motocross (now carrying the SMX designation instead o[SSM) will have hat day at their Jan. 2 race, and the first 300 entries will get SMX hats. Along with the name change, SMX will now require membership to race at their events, available for $10. Pro entry fees will drop, however, from $17 to $15. Bell Helmets will again sponsor the "Bell Triple Crown" as part of the AMA Superbike National Championship. It starts with the Bell Superbike 100 at Daytona Mar. 11, then there will be the Bell 100 at Riverside, CA, Apr. 16, and the Bell Superbike Classic at Loudon, NH, on June 18. Bell says $16,000 will be up for grabs for Bell helmet wearers, along with a $6000 increase In purse money for the three races. Reports from Australia indicate that the Honda NS500 road racers may see sale to the public in some fashion as production racers in 1983. It is not known at this time how many will be built or who you have to have the goodson to~etone, but there will bea (Coniinued to page 66)

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