Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Cycle News 1992 09 23

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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GIN THE WIND By Pap_aW_eal-J-ey World Champion Doug Polen (Due) won the first leg of the September 13 Dutch round of the World Champion- . ship Superbike Series, but a DNF in the second l~ enabled former champ Raymond Roche (Due), who was third both times out, to close to within 16 points of the point standings leader. With three rounds remaining, Polen has 287 points and Roche 271. Giancarlo Falappa (Due) won the second leg at Assen, with Carl Fogarty (Due) finishing second. Stephane Mertens (Due) was second in the first leg, but was out of the running in the rain interrupted second leg. Californian Rich Arnaiz suffered a broken right ankle during the first day of qualifying at Assen. Arnaiz was highsided from his Team Rumi Honda RC30 when the swingarm broke. overall victory at round eight of the AMA National Championship Observed Trials Series at Wrentham, Massachusetts, September 12. Geoff Aaron (Apr) finished second and Young was third. Raymond Peters (Apr) claimed fourth place. Young bounced back to win the final round in Exeter, Rhode Island, the following day. Commo was the runner-up, Aaron was third, and Peters again placed fourth. Team Motorcyclist Magazine (Hon) won the WERA 24-Hours West, a round of the Vanson/PM National Championship Endurance Series, at Willow Springs International' Raceway in Rosamond, California, September 12-13. The winning team consisted of team captain Randy Renfrow, Motorcyclist editors Nick Ienatsch and Lance Holst, and Robbie Petersen, Andy Milton Czechoslovakian Jan Hrehor (Suz) won round seven of the AMA National Championship Hare Scrambles Series at Millfield, Ohio, September 13. Scott Plessinger (KTM) was t4e runner-up, while Duane Conner (Kaw), defending champ Scott Summers (Hon) and four-time National Enduro Champion Terry Cunningham (Kaw) rounded out the top five. Defending 540cc class National Champion Tim Frazier (BSA) topped that division at the AMA National Championship Hillclimb Series round at Freemansburg, Pennsylvania, September 13. Scott Everett (BSA) was second and Paul Pinsonnault (Hon) finished third. Harry Schreiber (HD) was the winner in the 800cc class, with Lou Gerencer Sr. (H-D) finishing second and Tom Reiser (HD) third. Ron Commo (Bet) ended the record win streak ·of National Champion Ryan Young (Apr) by scoring the and Kent Kunitsugu. They completed 866 laps (2165 miles) in the 24hour road race and finished five laps ahead of the runner-up team, Team Suzuki Endurance (Suz). Team Pasta Marin (Suz) finished third, seven laps behind the second place team. The September 13 Fresno Mile marked the first race at which Camel Pro Series competitors were required to run quieter exhaust systems. While most racers simply added a layer of fiberglass packing to the inside of their boom boxes, a few took a more radical approach. On the Harley-Davidson XR750 of Jay Springsteen, the large, single boom box opening was welded shut and in its place was a cluster of four smaller holes. "It looks like a Gatling gun, don't it?" said Springsteen. ''I'm gonna shoot 'em all down." The Harley of Steve Morehead sported a similar design, only the holes in the bike's boom box varied in size and were threaded. "If it's not quiet enough, we have plugs that we '93 Camel SunercrossSeries schedule set A 2 ~ericanMotor9'clist Ass?ciation championship supercross racing ~ilI enter itS 22nd season m 1993 with the I6-event AMA Camel Supercross Senes. Sponsored by the R.]. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which will post a $200,000 series point fund, the 1993 series will open January 9 at the Citrus'Bowl in Orlando, Florida, and will visit 15 major sports faCilities along the way with the finale set for the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 12. The 1993 schedule will take the factory racers and privateers to the same 15 venues as the '92 circuit, which played to over 600,000 spectators~and millions more ESPN and TNN viewers. There is only one venue change, with the Atlanta Supercross moving from Fulton County Stadium to the recently constructed Georgia Dome. . The 1992 Camel Supercross Series provided AMA-licensed competitors with $1 million in purse and point fund awards, plus an additional $271,800 in AMA Contingent Awards Program incentives. "With live audiences averaging. nearly 40,000 and national t~levision exposure for every race, we consider the 1992 season to have been the best ever for supercross," said Dick Maxwell, AMA vice president of sports marketing. "And all indicators point toward continuation of the sustained growth enjoyed by the sport." Supporting the 250cc feature at each race will be the 125cc race paying points toward AMA Eastern and Western Regional Championship Series. The 1993 Camel Supercross Series is as follows: 1/9 Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida 1/16 Astrodome, Houston, Texas 1/23 Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California 1/30 The Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 2/6 Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California 2/13 Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida 2/27 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 3/6 Daytona Int. Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida 3/27 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 4/3 Memorial Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 4/17 Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 4/18 Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 4/24 Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana 5/15 Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California 6/5 Spartan Stadium, San Jose, California 6/12 Sam Boyd Silver Bowl, Las Vegas, Nevada _ can screw in," explained Morehead. "My tuner Gary Stolzenburg really did his homework." Mike Hale is well on the road to recovery after his practice crash at the September 6 Springfield Mile. Hale suffered a broken hand and facial lacerations, but hopes to compete in the October 3 Sacramento Mile. "I don't remember the crash at all, but I guess I highsided into the wall in turn three," said Hale. 'I've been in bed all week because I'm so sore, but I'm expecting to be in shape for Sacramento." At just under 6000 feet above sea level, Kyalami, the new circuit in South Africa which hosted the final round of the World Championship Road Race Series on September 6, was by far the highest altitude track of the year, with the thin air making life interesting for engineers trying to compensate for the lack of charge density. Teams used special cylinder base gaskets to increase compression; fitted the smallest jets of the year, and had special ignition and exhaust valve chips as well. Even so, the power loss was something around 15 percent and it was ·enough to make the bikes quite different to ride. Said Doug Chandler: "It's the first time all year it doesn't stand on its back wheel. You can pin it in first gear even with the low gearing. But you need to set it up perfect because you have to carry more corner speed to compensate for the lack of acceleration." All agreed that their bikes felt a bit flat, while in practice Wayne Rainey, Juan Garriga and Niall Mackenzie all tried the supposedly less user-friendly pre-droner engine in their Yamahas because the lack of power made that easier to ride as well. The circuit in Kyalami used air fences for the third time, but prior to Niall Mackenzie's crash in practice nobody had crashed into. one of the new pneumatic progressive-collapse barriers. Following Mackenzie's crash, the other riders were agog with curiosity as to how it had worked, but the Scot was not able to oblige. "I had no idea of ·where I was or what had happened," he said. Apparently, Lucky Strike Suzuki failed to match the reportedly massive financial offer made to Doug Chandler by Cagiva, and thus the Californiarr switched teams. "They didn't even come close," said Chandler, who was happy at Suzuki as well as unexpectedly often faster than teammate Kevin Schwantz, and regrets leaving. "Finally, it was money that made up my mind." Chandler's signing with Cagiva set off intense speculation as to who would take his place at Suzuki, with names in the frame including Kevin Magee, Juan Garriga, Daryl Beattie, Matthew Mladin, and Carl Fogarty. It is also still unknown as to who Doug' Chandler's teammate will be at Cagiva. Reportedly, Alex Barros will not be re-signed,and future test rides will be given to Australian's Peter Goddard and Matthew Mladin. Yet more speculation concerns the possible return to the 250cc Grand Prix class of John Kocinski, who won the title in 1989 but has spent two years falling short of his own -expectations in the 500cc class. Kocinski is not saying much, but was rumored to be talking to both Suzuki and Aprilia about a possible 250cc ride; while another line linked him to a factory Yamaha team return next year, with Kel Carruthers as technical chief. ~ocinski is said to be willing to take a pay cut because he is anxious to rebu~ld his confidence and reputation. He has always had only contempt for any finishing position other than first place. On the other hand, he had some contempt for 250cc racing after he won the title in '89, dubbing it "the pussy class." But his second 500cc-class victory in South· Africa may have. persuaded him. to stick with the big bikes. In elation after the win, he lold his team: "If I don't get a works 50 next year, I'll quit." He might fit the vacant slot at Suzuki, and Cagiva are reported to be interested in him as well. Daryl Beattie is another name looking for a 500cc slot. Beattie finished on the rostrum in his first 500cc-class GP in Australia this year when filling in for the injured Wayne Gardner, but has been playing second fiddle to Kevin Magee in the Japanese championship. Earlier rumors were that he was a certainty to replace Gardner on the Rothmans Honda team, but it now seems he has not yet reached an agreement with Honda. Luca Cadalora is also a loose piece in the jigsaw. After twice winning the 250cctitle for Rothmans Honda, the Italian wants to move to the 500c class, but he is OUt of favor with bot' Rothmans and Honda. He has reached a fail-safe agreement with Aprilia to ride 250s in 1993, but only if he cannot get a 500-class ride. His most likely berth is as teammate to Wayne Rainey in Team Marlboro Roberts. The G P road racers got together to make a presentation in appreciation of the efforts of GP doctor Claudi Costa prior to the South African GP, but Eddie Lawson refused to join the ranks of riders on the platform fo the photograph and speeches. "I don' want to have anything to do with thos jerks," he said, later explaining in private that his disgust stemmed fro the attitude of IMRA (the riders' association) to riding in Brazil, an particularly about the eagerness 0 Wayne Rainey to race there. "H (Rainey) asked me to get behind hi so that the riders could be strong an look after our interests within IRTA. Then it comes to Brazil and he want to ride because he needs the points, anQ it's all different. In his situation, h should have kept quiet about .whethe to ride or not." Lawson scoffed a rumors that he was to change his min about retirement. In fact, he decline to stay for the post-race party, arrang ing to leave South Africa and motor cycle racing on the first availabl flight, vowing never to return. Hi uncompromising attitudes and blister ing back-chat will be missed. Another great character joinin Wayne Gardner and Eddie Law . son in retiring after the South Africa GP was Carlos Lavado. Twice 250c World Champion, the popular Vene zuelan, who lives in Italy, ended hi career with the Gilera team. Riders planning to attend the Octobe II Buckhorn National Endur near Redding, California, should not that this year's event will start in different area than in past years. Th pits will now be located in the Gen Chappy Shasta Dam OHV Park, 1 miles north of Redding. For informa tion, call 916/221-6612. Prime Network's coverage of the 199

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