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~ IN THE WIND By Papa Wealey Frenchman Raymond Roche (Due) emerged the top points scorer.from the eighth round of the World Championship Superbike Road Race Series at the johor circuit in Malaysia, with a win and a second place finish in the two races. Defending World C;hampion Doug Polen (Due) could only manage eighth place in race one because of a malfunctioning steering damper, but struck back in dominating fashion to win race two. Texan Polen still leads the series point standings with 227 points, but 1990 World Champion Roche now has 222 with five rounds remaining. Australian Rob Phillis (Kaw) is third with 212 points, after third and eighth place finishes, his progress slowed by two poop starts. Phillis' teammate Aaron Slight (Kaw) was third in the second race. m Larry Pegram (Rtx) was the winner at the fourth round of the AMA 600 National Championship Dirt Track Series which took place on the Erie County Fairgrounds half-mile oval in .Hamburg, New York, on Friday night, August 21. James Hart (W-R) was second and Steve Morehead (W-R) finished third. Series points leader Chris Carr did not compete, but he continues to lead the point standings, 60-to-42, over Aaron Hill (Rtx), who was fourth at Hamburg. Pegram is third in points with 36. James Hart (W-R) won the junior National Championship Series race that was part of the Hamburg program. Tim Selby (W-R) was second and Bill Newkirk (W-R) was third. After nine of 13 rounds, Hart leads the series point standings over Selby, 9490. Roy Hart (W-R), who was sixth on the night, is third with 68 points. American Mike Kiedrowski (Kaw) posted 2-1-4 scores for the overall win in the final round of the World Championship 250cc MX Series at Suzuka, japan, August 23. Holland's _ Edwin Evemen (Kaw) was second with 4-2-2 finishes, and Italian Alessandro puzar's (Yam) 6-6-1 tally was good for third place. After clinching the championship at the previous rouriq in Finland, American Donny Schmit (Yam) did not compete in japan. Dutchman Pedro Tragter (Suz) scored the overall win at· the final round of the World Championship 125cc MX Series which like the final 250cc GP took place in Suzuka, japan, August 23. His 5-5-1 moto-tally bested countryman Dave Strijbos (Hon), who was second with 2-2-9 moto finishes. Frenchman Yves DeMaria (Suz) was third overall with a 13-1-8 score. South Africa's Greg Albertijn (Hon) clinched the series championship with his 6-' DNF-IO finishes. On Monday, August 24, the day before the start of the 1992 ISDE in Australia, U.S. Trophy Team manager Dave Bertram suffered a broken wrist and damaged ribs when he crashed while taking an exhibition lap of the event's MX special test course for the benefit of TV crews. France, New Caledonia and Jobe wins 500(( MX GP crown B elgian Georges jobe (Hon) survived a superb final push by nearest rival Kurt Nicoll (KTM) at the final round of the 1992 World Championship 500cc MX Series to retain his title_ lobe took an lI-point lead into the Swiss GP at Roggenburg on Sunday, August 23, and scraped home by just two points after finishing second to the British star in all three motos. jobe's win takes him into the record bpoks. He is only the fourth man to have won five titles in the history of World Championship MX. Others with five GP titles are Roger DeCoster, joel Robert and Eric Geboers. jobe's five titles include 250cc championship wins in 1980 and 1983 and 500cc titles in 1987, 1991 and now 1992.' The points situation made for one of the most thrilling GPs of the season at the Swiss track which actually straddles the FrancoSwiss border. It is the closest finish to a World Championship 500cc MX season in almost 20 years. In 1973, DeCoster beat Willie Bauer by a similar two-point margin. jobe finished the series with a title-winning 550 points and Nicoll was second with 548. Georgian Billy Liles (Hon) finished third in the first and second moto, but failed to earn points in the final moto. Liles ended up third in the point standings with 460 points, far ahead of fourth place finisher Belgian joel Smets (Hon) who ended the year with 258. Lithuania withdrew from the ISDE the week prior to the event. French representatives offered no explanation for their withdrawal, while New Caledonia and Lithuania cited lack of funds. A total of 395 entrants representing 21 countries will compete in Australia, including 37 riders from the U.S. Rain fell during the event's opening ceremonies on Monday, August 23, and snow is forecasted. I Rainey doses to within two points of Doohan with Brazilian GP win ustralian Michael Doohan's chances of winning the World Championship 500cc GP road race title were dealt a severe blow at the Brazilian Grand Prix at Sao Paolo on Sunday, August 24, when the Australian finished 12th in a race won by arch rival and defending World Champion Wayne Rainey. Rothmans Honda's Doohan had a 22-point lead going into the race, but Rainey's victory has reduced that to a mere two points with one round remaining in the series, the South African GP on September 6. Doohan came to Brazil following a nine-week absence due to a broken leg suffered at the Dutch GP and with no practice prior to the event. Rain and the late delivery of race fuel restricted his practice to just 30 laps. Doohan held 10th spot at one point in the race but could never mount a serious challenge for the point scoring positions. While Doohan was floundering, Rainey dominated the race. The Californian took the lead for good from pole-sitter and Marlboro Yamaha teammate john Kocinski in the second turn on the opening lap. From that point on, Rainey was never threatened and raced away to win by over 13 seconds over Kocinski. Doug Chandler on the Lucky Strike Suzuki was third, seven seconds beh.ind Kocinski. Australian Wayne Gardner finished fourth aboard the Kanemoto Rothmans Honda, topping Canadian Miguel DuHamel on the Banco Yamaha and Spaniard Alex Criville on the Campsa Honda after a nearly race-long battle. Lucky Strike Suzuki's Kevin Schwantz was plagued with engine problems and finished seventh. Budweiser Yamaha's Randy Mamola was the final rider to garner points, finishing 10th. Cagiva Team Agostini's Eddie Lawson was lIth. Going into the final round in South Africa, Doohan leads the point standings over Rainey, 130-128. Schwanu, who is now mathematically eliminated from the title chase, is third with 91 points, Chandler is fourth with 84, and Kocinski fifth with 82. Kanemoto Rothmans Honda's Luca Cadalora, who had already clinched the 250cc World Championship, won the Brazilian 250cc GP, finishing almost four seconds ahead of runner-up Aprilia rider Massimo Biaggi. Works Aprilia rider. Loris Reggiani was third. German Dirk Raudies on the Europa Honda scored his first-ever World .Championship win in the 125cc GP. Elf Honda's jorge Martinez of Spain was second with points leader Italian Alessandro Gramigni on the Unlimited jeans Aprilia third. Goi~g into the final round in South Africa, Gramigni has an eightpoint lead over Marlboro Pileri. Honda's Fausto Gresini of Italy, who was sixth in Brazil. A 2 According to a press release from Southwest Motorsports, road racer Brett Harrelson has been dropped from the team. "Southwest Motorsports has discontinued its association with Brett Harrelson due to his recent conviction. The conviction is unfortunate and untimely, as the subject" events occurred prior to joining the team and Southwest Motorsports was unaware of any potential charges against Harrelson," the release said, without mentioning the crime Harrelson was supposedly "convicted" of. Harrelson, the brother of TV andmovie star Woody Harrelson, is currently tied for 13th in the AMAI CCS 600cc Supersport Series point standings. "He (Harrelson) was vague about it (the conviction)," tuner David Harold said. "I don't think it's appropriate for me to say anything about it. He wasn't very specific, and I think it's only fair that he make a statement on his own behalf." The AMA has informed us of a change in the National Championship Hare Scrambles Series schedule. The change is actually the flopping of two events: the Hookstown, Pennsylvania, round will run on September 6 and the Millfield, Ohio, round on September 13. For information on the Pennsylvania round call 412/693-2880, and for the Ohio round, 614/653-7395. AMA Superbike ational Champion Thomas Stevens recently spent a weekend shaking hands and signing autographs at the grand opehing of Performance South, a Wilmington, North Carolina-based motorcycle performance facility. Following the grand opening, Performance South owners Steven Clark and Nate Lundy took Stevens deep-sea fishing, with Stevens becoming a little ill. "All aboard were impressed by Stevens' unusual technique of chumming for fish," stated a press release issued by Performance South. The Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA) and Classic Racers of the Cascades (CROC) will team up with the AHRMA to present the Twin Rivers Vintage Classic Road Race at Oregon's Portland International Raceway on September 26-27. The event is a round of the AHRMA Pacific Coast Road Race Series, and represents a first-time collaboration between the national vintage racing association and the two dubs. The event will run in conjunction with a round of the regular OMRRA Road Race Series, and in addition to the racing there will be a classic bike show and swap meeL For more information, call 503/691-2653 or 503/221-1487. Race fans traveling to the Fresno Fairgrounds in northern California to watch the September 13 Fresno Mile, a round of the AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series, will have plenty of chances to get in some riding themselves. The Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Motorcycle Sport Rally will take place on Saturday, September 12. The rally will begin at the fairgrounds and take riders through the nearby mountains and through Sequoia National Park before returning to the fairgrounds. For those with a more competitive spirit, the Fresno Iron Man Off-Road Grand Prix will also be held on Saturday. The race will take place in the infield of the mile oval. On race day, Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) members will be allowed to take a lap around the mile track during opening ceremonies. For more information call American Motor Sports at 209/255-2263. Also taking place over the w'eekend is an open house hosted by Fresno Harley-Davidson on Friday. Team Harley-Davidson riders Scott Parker, Chris Carr and Kevin Atherton will be on hand from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to sign autographs. For more information call 209/275-8586. Two-time Grand National Champion Ricky Graham will be at· Clawson Honda/Yamaha in Fresno from 1 p. m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday to sign autographs and bench race. For more information call 209/255-2263.