Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Plans to host a round of the World Championship Supercross Series in Atlanta on October 31 have been scrapped. The FIM says the event will be replaced by another round, but offered no details. The first-ever World, Championship Supercross Series is scheduled to start with the Swedish ro4nd in Gothenburg on August 28, and conclude on December 6 at Genoa, Italy. Figures released by the federal government show that motorcyclist fatalities have dropped to the lowest level in 20 years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that traffic accidents nationwide claimed the lives of 2808 motorcycle riders and passengers during 1991, down from 3238 in 1990. That amounts to a 13% reduction in one year. The 1991 figure is the lowest since 1971. Fatalities were on an upward trend throughout the I970's, peaking at 5144 during 1980. Since that time, motorcyclist fatalities have dropped by 45%. '''The latest (NHTSA) figures represent a continuation of the trend toward safer motorcycling that we've seen over the past decade," said Jim Bensberg, AMA Washington representative. "That trend coincides with the widespread introduction of motoro cycle rider-training courses across the country." The rider-training movement began in 1979 in Rhode Island and has now spread to encompass 42 states. In nearly all of those states, training for new riders is paid for entirely by motorcyclists themselves, through course fees and surcharges on motorcycle registrations'. More than 800,000 motorcyclists nationwide have received rider training through such programs. The legendary six-cylinder 250cc Honda RC166 road racer that Mike Hailwood rode to the 1967 World Championship has been obtained by Team Obsolete's Rob Iannucci. According to Iannucci, the RCl66 revs to 18,000 rpm with power just beginning to come on at 13,000. "We'll probably debut it as a Team Obsolete bike in the U.S. with Dave Roper riding it," Iannucci said, adding that no set date for its American -debut in vintage road racing has been established. Additional race teams that have confirmed they'll participate in the July 18 Mikuni Calendar Motorcycle Show at the Museum of Flying at southern California's Santa Monica Airport include Team Suzuki Endurance, the seven-time WERA National Endurance Champions,· and Fastline Glen Helen U.S. 500(( MX GP is history A Iter two consecutive years of the U.S. 500cc MX GP, a round of the World Championship 500cc MX Series, taking place at Glen Helen OHV Park in San Bernardino, California, it has beel) announced that the facility will not host the GP next year. Greg Baumann of Motolink, the promoter of the event, said, "We have forfeited our 1993 date." Baumann's reasons not to host the GP at Glen Helen in '93 are numerous, but the two main reasons are, in his words, "Headaches caused by the FIM (the European federation) and economics." . Even this year's GP at Glen Helen came extremely close to being canceled due to those two primary reasons. "Every year the FJM gets harder and harder to work with; it's getting way too political and expensive," said Baumanri. "The FIM wants a fortune in start money and travel indemnity for the top 15 European riders to come over here and race, significantly more than GPs held in Europe. At the FIM Congress in New Zealand (last December) we proposed a certain dollar figure we would pay (in travel indemnities and start money) for this year's race and we really didn't expect them (the FIM) to accept it, since it was actually a smaller figure than what we paid the year before. To our surprise they accepted it. So we had the race. "But at the race, the FIM got squirrelly on us, saying we also had to pay for the European riders who came over that weren't in the top 151 That's the straw that broke the camel's back. The FIM agreed earlier that we didn't (have to). After the race, they went back to Europe and the FIM told us to pay up. We refused. Then they said pay up or no GP for us. We said fine. The FIM dreams up rules as they go; we don't need their policy." Baumann said they had to pay approximately $70,000 in start money and travel indemnities for the European riders this year. "We're $70,000 in the hole right off the bat, and when you add up all the other expenses to host a GP, it costs about a quarter of a million dollars. We haven't lost money (on the U.S. GP), but we barely break even." "I absolutely understand and support the decision of the promoter (Baumann)," said AMA President Ed Youngblood. "For three years running, the FIM has changed deals on the U.S., like Brainerd. We had to cancel Brainerd (the U.S. round of the World Superbike Road Race Series in Minnesota) because they imposed lastminute travel costs on the promoter without even consulting us (the AMA). We can't tolerate that anymore. "From a market point of view, we have been 'warning the FIM some years now that the World Championship program is less viable outside Europe," added Youngblood. "They (the FIM) don't have a realistic grasp that the World Championship events are a form of entertainment and that the promoter has to make money. The FIM's attitude (towards the promoter) is that if you can't afford the price, then someone else can. It's that-kind of attitude that will destroy the World Championship Series. It is just getting too difficult to hold GPs in the U.S." While it looks as though Glen Helen will no longer be the site of the U.S. 500cc MX GP, it will, however, host a round of the AMA National Championship 125/250cc MX Series in 1993. Despite butting heads with the FIM, the AMA is still hopeful the U.S. will host a round of the World Championship 500cc MX Series in 1993. "Yes, there is a good chance," said the AMA's Bill Amick. "Right now there are only two tracks in the U.S. that are certified to hold a GP MX - Unadilla and Glen He~en. But an inspection is going to be held in October at Budds Creek (Maryland) in conjunction with the 125/250cc National MX held there. "We've held GPs in the U.S. for many years and we want to see them continue," added Amick. Racing, the current point standings leader in the AMA/CCS EBC Brakes Endurance Challenge Series. They'll join the likes of Yoshim\:ua Suzuki, Vance & Hines, Two Brothers Racing and Bartels' Hatley-Davidson in displaying race bikes. The show will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the price of admission is $5 which includes entry to the Museum of Flying. Through a series of raffles, the AMA/ CCS collected $2000 which will help defray the hospital bills incurred by road racer Mike Harth, who was injured in an endurance race at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier this year. The overall raffle winner was Richard Vanderwerken of Deltona, Florida. Vanderwerken will get free entries for the remainder of the season at AMA/CCS Pro-Am races (with the exception of the Race of Champions). Former Grand National and World Champion Kenny Roberts will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama, on July 22. The induction ceremony will take place at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center and will be telecast live on TNN (The Nashville Network). The International MotorspoIts Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization operated by the State of Alabama and is sponsored by Unocal. The 35-acre complex is located less than one mile from 1-2(} between Birmingham and Atlanta, Georgia, next to the Talladega Superspeedway and is open seven days a week. The Colorado Repertory Dance Company will host its 2nd Annual Bike for the Arts Motorcycle Run on Sunday, July 26. The 150-mile ride will take participants through Golden, .Indian Hills, Singleton and Central City. The ride will benefit several of the dance company's children's programs and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Colorado AIDS Project. For more'information, call 303/825.-4847. An additional round of the AHRMA National Dirt Track Series has been added to the schedule. It will take place at U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba, Michigan. For further information, call AHRMA at 715/842, 9699. The Ridgerunners M.C., a Santa Cruz, California-based dual sport club, awarded $250 scholarships to Watsonville High. School students Roberto Zuniga and Salvador Granados. The scholarship money was raised in a May 3 dual sport ride that the club hosted. "It's our way of giving something back to the community," said Ron Cash, a member of' the club. u.S. Maico, the Oxford, Alabamabased importer of German-made Maicos, has announced that the opening round of the AMA National' Championship 500cc MX Series in Washougal, Washington, on August 2, will .feature the return of Team Maico. Dan Jannette and Matthew Crown will make up the two-rider team. Ron Meredith will wrench for Jannette and Crown, while Jeff Keel, a Maico dealer from Wixom, Michigan, will provide technical support. Jannette lives in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and Crown in Metamora, Michigan. The AHRMA/Vintage Iron National MX slated for August 9 at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, has been rescheduled to August -8 at MX338 in Southwick, Massachusetts. According to Raceway Park's Ken Landerman, AHRMA's full racing format could not have been accommodated properly running in ' conjunction with another normally scheduled race at the New Jersey facility. The Southwick event will include all AHRMA classes, plus a special non-points-paying Pre-'75 Four-Stroke class. For additional information, call John Hart at 2011 767-9654. National Speed Sport News reports that Cary Agajanian says everything is "positive" regarding the construction of a new motorsports complex in Fontana, California. Fontana is located east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County. The proposed site was formerly occupied by a steel mill. Plans call for the construction of a superspeedway and a half-mile dirt track - similar to the one the Agajanian family operated at Ascot Park._ Agajanian told National Speed Sport News, "Everything we've run up against so far has been positive. There haven't been any negatives. We'll keep going and hopefully there won't be any negatives that will stop us." Timmy Wessing Jr. of Springfield, Illinois, died of heart failure on June 28. Wessing, who was II years old, was ranked second in the 1991 Illinois State Cross Country Championship in the Pee Wee class. J eff Ward was honored during, an intermission at the Los Angeles Supercross, the last Supeicross of his illustrious motorcycle racing career. Ward, who recently turned 31, said, "It's a tough decision to retire. I'm sorry I'll be leaving; MX has been my life, I love the spectators and racing." Ward will retire from motorcycle racing following the National Championship 500cc MX Series, which concludes in October, and will pursue a career in car racing. "It (car racing) is a new beginning for me, a new challenge, just like motocross was for me a long time ago," Ward said. When asked what his career highlight was, he said: "Just being with all the riders and racing against them, because a lot of them were my idols., Racing against guys like Rick Johnson, Johnny O'Mara and Bob Hannah. There's nothing better than the sport of , motocross." While waiting in the pits for the start of the first race at the Lo,:; Angeles Supercross, a couple asked the Western Regional 125cc Series Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath to sign an autograph on the T-shirt their fourmonth old baby was wearing. When McGrath asked what the baby's name was, the parents replied, "Jeremy McGrath." Yep, the parents, whose last name is also McGrath, named their. boy Jeremy after the Team Peak racer. While there are many races left in the '92 MX season, team and brand switches in the rider ranks are already being discussed. Highlighting that topic is Damon Bradshaw. His contract with Yamaha expires at the end of the year and he's already been approached by other teams. "Yes, I've had offers from just about everybody, but I'm not worrying about that now," said Bradshaw. "Most probably I'll stay with Yamaha." Both Honda and Kawasaki have big holes to fill in 1993, - - - - - - Continued on page 41 3

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