Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Cycle News 1992 09 09

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/146677

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 1 of 51

~ IN THE WIND By Pap_a_eal---L.-ey W ~ Brit Gary Havelock captured the World Individual Speedway Championship on August 29 at Warsaw Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, while anticipated challenges from U.S. riders failed to materialize. Havelock was a clear-cut winner, amassing 14 of a possible 15 points in his five heat races. Swede Per Jonsson was the runnerup with 11 points, while Dane Gert Handberg placed third with 10 points. Rounding out the top five were Swede Henrik Gustafsson and Dane Tommy Knudsen. Three U.S. riders struggled in mid-pack. Sam Ermolenko finished eighth, Rick Miller was 11 th, and Ronnie Correy was 12th. ~ 0') ~ 15 e a Q,) Q,) (J:J Texan Doug Polen (Duc) won both legs of the World Championship Superbike Series round at Sugo, Japan, August 30. Kevin Ma~ee (Yam) was second and FabriZIO Pirovano (Yam) third in both races. The double victory allowed defending World Champion Polen to open up some breathing room in the point standings over former champ Raymond Roche (Duc), who posted 5-8 finishes. Going into the Sugo race, Polen led Roche by just five points, but with just four rounds remaining in the '92 series, Polen now leads Roche by 26 points, 267-241. Rob Phillis (Kaw), 11-10 on the day, is third in the standings with 223 points. ' Chris Carr (H-D) continued his domination of the AMA 600cc ,National Championship Dirt Track Series by posting fast time, winning his heat and then the main event at the fifth round of the series at 1-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan, August 29. The defending series champ has won all four rounds he has competed in. Larry Pegram (Rtx), who won the round Carr skipped, finished second and Rich King (Rtx) was third. With two rounds remaining, Carr leads Pegram in the point standings, 80-52. The program's Junior National Championship Series round was won by Kevin Varnes (W-R), with points leader James Hart (WR) second and Bill Newkirk (W-R) third. With three rounds remainin~ in the l3-round series, Hart leads Tim Selby (W-R), 110-100. Varnes is third with 82 points. Rust~ Rogers suspended b~ AMA usty Rogers, winner of the Camel Pro Series Hagerstown' Half Mile, has been suspended by the AMA for a period of 15 days that is to inelude at least one AMA Grand National Championship/Camel Pro Series event. The suspension went into effect on August 22 and barring a rainout, the "at least one" National Rogers will miss is the September 6 Springfield Mile. The Virginia rider has been involved in several crashes both this year and in previous seasons. The suspension came after the AMA reviewed his crash at the August 22 Indy Mile that claimed two other riders and saw Will Davis suffer a broken ankle, wrist and collarbone. "Prior to the Indianapolis race, both the AMA Referee (Jerry Kennedy) and Professional Dirt Track Manager (Mike Kidd) discussed with you their concerns regarding this matter at previous events. As you are aware, rider safety is a paramount concern of the AMA and it is clear that your participation during the 1992 series has included several instances where your riding style has endangered both yourself as well as other riders. At Indianapolis, your riding contributed to the injury of another participant. This reckless operation will not be tolerated," stated Rogers' notice of suspension letter, written by AMA Director of Professional Competition Roy Janson. "I don't think it's rigbt," said Rogers. "And I hate being the last one to know about it. It seems like everyone else knew I was suspended before I did Just because I don't have the experience or the weight of a Steve Morehead, Chris Carr or Scott Parker, I get penalized I didn't see the AMA penalizing Carr for his dumb mistake , at Oklahoma City - Parker got hurt, but they did nothing to Carr. I think Carr's mistake was dumber than mine, but just because I have less experience I look worse. "I know I made a mistake at Indy. In my heat I went from seventh to third in (turns) three and four on the first lap by going high in the cushion. I thought, 'Hell, this is the way to go,' and I went high into one and two. That groove was higher than it was in three and four, so I wasn't high enough to be. in the soft stuff, but I wasn't low enough to be on the groove. I shouldn't have been riding so aggressive that early in the race. "I feel bad that Will got hurt, but I've talked to him and he didn't have anything bad to say. He didn't think that it was my fault. "As far as them (the AMA) saying that they warned me goes - Jerry Kennedy told me before the start of the main at Lima that I couldn't ride the way I do and that the AMA wouldn't tolerate it. Well, I talked to Mike Kidd later and he said that Jerry was out of line and that it was uncalled for. "I have had three crashes this year (two at Parkersburg and the most recent at Indy) but the first one at Parkersburg in my heat race wasn't my fault - the chain came off. I don't think people know that. Well, the other two were my fault, but it wasn't because of my riding style. It was just that I was trying too hard. My riding style can't be changed, all I can do is gain experience and learn when and when not to go for it." "We're not asking Rusty to slow down or to stop trying, but just that he be considerate of the other riders and of their safety," said Kidd. "We hope that in his time off he will think about that." "I'm not mad, just disgusted," said Rogers. "The letter and the words don't hurt. What hurts is that they're taking a race away from me, and that's experience. How am I supposed to learn if I'm not out on the track? "I think that a lot of other people pushed the AMA towards the decision. Well, those people are going to have to see me anyway. I'm in this game too, and I plan on racing every ~ce that I can." According to Kidd, Rogers will remain on probation for the remainder of the 1992 season, and that if further instances of dangerous riding occur, Rogers could lose his competition license for one year. R 2 _ The 67th International Six Days Enduro in Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia, August 25-30, saw the Italian team win the World Trophy team competition. Italy edged the defending champions, Sweden, by 113.16 points, 282.08-395.24, with Spain rounding out the top three with 3871. 79 points. The U.S. World Trophy team - made up of Kevin Hines, Randy Hawkins, Rodney Smith, David Rhodes, Jimmy Lewis and JQn King - was knocked out of top contention on day three when King retired with mechanical problems, thus relegating the U.S. team to 12th. In the Junior World Trophy competition, Sweden (1291.17 points) scored the win with Czechoslovakia (1447.30) finishing second. The U.S. Juniqr World Trophy team - Steve Hatch, Danny Hamel, Chris Smith, and Kelby Pepper tallied 1617.43 points for third. The overall individual winner was Giovanni Sala (KTM), one of the Italian World Trophy team riders., Scott Plessinger (KTM) was the overall winner at round nine of the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series, held in Waterford, Ohio. Doug Blackwell (Kaw) and Duane Conner (Kaw) rounded out the top three finishers. Rodney Smith, who competed on the U.S. World Trophy team in Australia, recorded the highest ever individual overall finish by an American rider in ISDE competition. Smith, from Oakley, California, finished fourth overall and second in the 250cc class, and accomplished this feat as an ISDE rookie. The only other rider to place as high in class as Smith is Larry Roeseler, who also turned in a runner-up performance in the 500cc Four-Stroke class in Italy in 1986. Needless to say, Smith was this year's "Top American" 'in Australia. Of the 37 Americans who competed Down Under, 10 earned gold medals, 13 silver medals and five bronze medals. Nine riders did not finish. One of those DNFs in Australia was Michigan's Ken Brown. Competing as a U.S. Club team rider, Brown, 29, crashed on the first day, August 25, and was airlifted to a hospital in Newcastle, New South Wales, with a broken jaw. He was allowed to leave the hospital for a few hours to watch the final MX special test on Sunday, August 30, before returning to the hospital where he'll stay for another two weeks. Dave Bertram, the team manager of the U.S. World Trophy team, saw even less action in Australia. Bertram crashed two days before the ISDE began on the final MX special test track during an exhibition lap. He broke his wrist and damaged a couple of ribs in the fall and was taken to th hospital in Newcastle where he underwent surgery on the wrist. Three days later he was released from the hospital and flew home to California. Bertram underwent a second surgery on August 30, in Palo Alto, Califorrtia, where five pins were inserted into his damaged wrist. Cards and letters may be sent to Bertram at 110 East D St., Ste. B, Benicia, CA 94510. Team Suzuki Endurance (Suz) won round 10 of the WERA Vanson/ PM National Endurance Road Race Series which was held at Memphis Motorsports Park in Millington, Tennessee, August 30. The team's riders - Kurt Hall, Michael Martin and Steve Patterson - completed 248 laps in the six-hour race, six more laps than the runner-up team, TSBA Racing (Suz). Roswell Racing (Suz) was third, one lap behind TSBA Racing. The Valvoline Sacramento Mile, the next-to-last round of the 1992 AMA Grand National Championship/ Camel Pro Series has been rescheduled from September 26 to October 3. The date change is due to scheduling conflicts at the Cal-Expo State Fairgrounds, site ef the Saturday night race. Gates will open at 5 p.m. with practice schedul.ed for 5:30 p.m. and the first heat race at 7:30 p.m. Just four races remain in the 1992 Camel Pro Series. And four-time and defending champion Scott Parker has a tall order to fill if he is to win an unprecedented fifth straight championship and collect the $100,000 bonus that comes with the title. After missing one series event due to injury, Parker has slipped 17 points behind Harley-Davidson teammate Chris Carr in the points race. Upcoming Camel Pro Series events include a September 6 visit to the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield and the first-ever visit of the dirt track racing series to the Fresno (California) Fairgrounds on September 13. The series will wrap up with back-to-back races in California, the October 3 Valvoline Sacramento Mile and the October 10 finale at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona. Along with the news of Unadilla dropping the 1993 U.S. 250cc MX GP, comes word that this year's GP at Unadilla will be telecast on ESPN on Saturday, October 24. th~ St. Petersburg, Florida-based firm that promotes many events - including the Florida Mini Olympics and Florida Winter AMA MX Series, has installed a new phone hotline which riders can call with questions pertaining to races. Got a question? Call 813/894-0439. World Sports, Team Honda's AMA National Hare Scrambles and Cross Country' Champion Scott Summers will be on hand to sign autographs and bench race at Barnhart's Honda in Prosperity, Pennsylvania, September 5, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Summers will also be giving a seminar on "how to ride fourstrokes." For more information call 412/627-5815. According to Moto Journal, the French motorcycle magazine, 250cc Road Race World Champion Luca Cadalora will not return to the Rothmans Kanemoto Honda team next year and he is seeking a 500cc GP ride. Cadalora had been upset by the team's signing of Darryl Beattie for the 500cc class. Italian Massimo Biaggi will take Cadalora's place on the Rothmans team in the 250cc class. Biaggi was a factory Aprilia team member this year. Rumors have the French Banco Yamaha team trying to sign 1991 Camel Supercross and AMA 250 and 500cc National MX Champion JeanMichel Bayle, who made a rather embarrassing World Championship 250cc Road Race Series debut at the July 19 French Grand Prix. It is not known what class the team is interested in signing Bayle for. ATK has announced its 1993 contingency program. The Ci ty of Commerce, California-based manufac-

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's - Cycle News 1992 09 09